Quantum / Momentum Interface to Wonderware Intouch

J

Thread Starter

JunglePig

I'm evaluating the available interfaces for using Intouch 8 HMI with Concept and Quantum/Momentum PLCs.

I've been primarily using the KEPSERVER EX package. It directly supports Wonderware Suitelink protocol, and can auto generate a tag database from the Concept export files. However, it cannot read unlocated variables, nor can it access structured variables (in its current release).

Has anyone else evaluated this package against OFS, or the Wonderware MBENET IO Servers?

To use OFS, I would have to use the OPCLINK IO server from Wonderware. Personally I haven't had good experiences with DCOM and OPC. Plus, I'd have two pieces of software sitting between the PLCs and HMIs.

To use Wonderware's MBENET driver, I believe I'd have to maintain yet another database of names/addresses, and it wouldn't autogenerate.

Please comment if you have experience connecting these systems, and let me know what has worked best for you. I'll also need to serve data from the IO Server to InSQL. Comment here as well.

Thanks in advance for any information.
 
I would say your playing it safe with evaluating and finding your best solution.

As for DCOM, it's a null and mute point the latest revs of OPCLink are free and you can install OPCLink on the same PC as the OPC Server (and then talk Suitelink to InTouch). Remember that OPC Link item names require an i for int, r for real, d for discrete and m for message, prefix in your item name (ex r40000).

Also remember Intouch requires a tag dictionary no matter what IOServer/OPC Server you use. Kep's I think has an InTouch DB utility to create an InTouch tag dictionary.

InSQL 8 will have a lot to do with time synch of the PC's. You need to think about a way to synch the clocks for all the IOServers/InTouch nodes and InSQL. The dos command of Net Time in a bat file run from NT's schedualed tasks is a simple method of time/clock synch.
 
We have had very good luck with a recent upgrade from wonderwares drivers "modbus/mbenet" to Software Toolbox's Top Drivers. All of the links are wireless though and the diagnostics are much better than Wonderware's.
 
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