Text messages over TCP/IP w/AB SLC

S

Thread Starter

SIGINT

I'm trying to send a text message from a PLC to a UNIX host, over ethernet.

I'm using an AB SLC5/05, trying to talk to an HP9000 box. Is there a way to send plain text messages from the SLC?

The MSG instruction documentation seems to support communication with other AB devices only (I'm including RSLinxSDK in there, but this is a UNIX host, remember?)
 
Sigint:

This may not exactly fit your needs, but I bet this will help you out.

I have authored a native PLC5 command library for use under Linux. This library focuses on Ethernet communications with PLC5s and SLC5/05 processors. The library is available without cost from my ftp site:
ftp://ftp.rongage.org/pub/abel

Hope this helps!

--
Ron Gage - Saginaw, Michigan
I am looking for work - Electrical Engineer, Computer Programmer & Admin
Resume at http://www.rongage.org/resume.doc
 
M

Mark at ProSoft Technology, Inc.

ProSoft Technology's MVI46-GEC will allow you to send ASCII text strings over Ethernet. You can find additional information on the MVI46-GEC at our Web site: http://www.prosoft-technology.com

Please feel free to call us if you have any questions on the module

Mark Tracy
Product Support Engineer
ProSoft Technology, Inc.
661-716-5100
[email protected]
 
If I remember correctly, Interchange is available for Unix systems, including HP-UX. This might be what you're looking for.
 
L

Lynn at Alist

You guessed it - one cannot use a MSG block directly to dump non-Rockwell protocol messages into TCP. I'd suggest one of these 2 methods:

1) Look at ron gage's library (he replied already to this). Since all you want is to write a text string, you really only have 1 command to handle on the UNIX host. Your SLC5/05 ladder code likely is easiest if you use a string table (ST), so likely a SLC500-style message is what you want. If memory serves me correctly, it should generate a Cmd 0x0F SubFunc 0xAA message (see DF1 spec page 7-18).

2) A near trivial solution with added HW cost is to use the 5/05's serial port as ASCII and a simple device server (DS - Ethernet-to-Serial converter). Then you MSG block just dumps the string out the serial port and the DS will pack this into a TCP connection that your UNIX system can read as easy as any other TCP socket to a dumb terminal device.

Regards

Lynn August Linse IA Firmware Specialist, Digi Int'l (www.digi.com)
 
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