Modbus Gateway

User Manual
(3.30 Release 3 Firmware)

Copyright Delta Controls Inc. All rights reserved

Document Title:
Document Number:
Current Revision:
Date of current revision:

Modbus Gateway User Manual

Not required, released as PDF file
Edition 2.1
October 5, 2005

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Page 2 of 38

Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Table Of Contents

Table Of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS

USING THIS MANUAL

ORGANIZATION OF THIS DOCUMENT ....................................... 4

OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS ............................................. 4
INTRODUCTION

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

AVAILABLE MODBUS PRODUCTS

MODBUS GATEWAYS .............................................................. 5

MODBUS CONTROLLERS ......................................................... 6
FLASH LOADING MODBUS UNITS INTO A DEVICE ................... 6
FLASH LOADER KEY & CREDITS ............................................ 7
CONNECTING TO THE MODBUS DEVICE

CONFIGURING THE MODBUS GATEWAY

COMMUNICATIONS SETTINGS ................................................. 9

LINKING MODBUS DEVICE REGISTERS TO BACNET OBJECTS10
GWT CONFIGURATION EXAMPLES ....................................... 11
Reading Input Status Registers ................................11
Reading/Writing Coil Registers ............................... 12
Reading Input Registers........................................... 12
Reading/Writing Holding Registers......................... 12
MEMORY LIMITS & PERFORMANCE ISSUES .......................... 13
APPENDICES

14

APPENDIX A: TROUBLESHOOTING ........................................ 14

Gateway Object Statistics Tab ................................. 14
Fault Flag Linked to a Modbus Register .................14
Exception Code Responses ...................................... 15
Tx & Rx Packet Snooping ........................................ 15
APPENDIX B: GW AND GWT OBJECT REFERENCE............... 16
Gateway Object (GW).............................................. 16
Gateway Translation Object (GWT)........................20
APPENDIX C: MODBUS PROTOCOL IMPLEMENTATION .......... 25
Memory Types..........................................................26
Data Types ............................................................... 27
Functions.................................................................. 30
Exception Responses................................................37
DOCUMENT CONTROL

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38

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Using this Manual

This manual is designed to inform the user of the specific features unique to
Deltas Modbus Gateway controllers. Users should have previous training on
Delta Controls products. Specifically the user will need to know how to use
ORCAview to connect to a controller, load and save databases, open and create
objects in navigator, and enter data using object dialogs.

Organization of this Document

This document explains how to configure a Modbus Gateway Special Interface
controller to communicate with one or more Modbus slave devices using Deltas
ORCAview Operator Workstation software package.
The document describes:

Software Communications setup

Linking Modbus Registers to BACnet Objects
Appendices: Troubleshooting, GW & GWT Object Reference, Modbus
Protocol Implementation

Other Relevant Documents

This document only contains part of the information required to correctly install
and program a Modbus Gateway Special interface controller to communicate
with one or more Modbus devices. Refer to the documents listed below for
supplementary information:

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Installation Guides: For installation instructions refer to the install

guide for the standard version of the associated Modbus Gateway
controller. For example installation instructions for a DSC-1212MOD5 Modbus Gateway controller can be found in the DSC-1212
Installation Guide.
Delta Controls Wiring Guidelines: This document contains
instructions on recommended practices when wiring power,
communications and IO to Delta controllers.
ORCAview Technical Reference Manual: For general database
configuration and programming instructions.
3.30 Release 3 Modbus Gateway Products Release Notes: For a
summary of new features and any known issues with this version of the
Delta Modbus Gateway firmware.
Modbus Slave Device Documentation: In order to configure the
Modbus Gateway controller to communicate with a Modbus slave
device you need to know the devices required communications type
(RS-485 or RS-232), network address and speed. As well as the
Register mappings including data types (Float, Integer etc.)
Modicon Modbus Protocol Reference Guide: This document
provides a detailed description of the Modbus protocol specification.

Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Introduction

Introduction
Many of Deltas Controllers have an ordering option that allows them to
function as a Modbus master device and communicate with one or more Modbus
slave devices. This allows the controller to act as a Gateway translating
information to/from the Modbus slave device(s) into BACnet objects resident in
the Gateway controller, which can then be accessed by the rest of the BACnet
network.
The Delta Modbus Gateway controllers communicate to Modbus slave devices
using the Modbus RTU protocol via its NET (RS-485) or PTP (RS-232) ports.

Important Information
When entering data into the Gateway Translation object (GWT) dataview do not
use the insert or delete keys to insert or delete an entry in the dataview. There is
currently a bug with this functionality in the GWT object that will result in the
object being corrupted. This will be fixed in a future revision of the Modbus
Gateway firmware.

Available Modbus Products

Modbus Gateways
Gateway products are intended to be used where a gateway to BACnet is
required for a number of Modbus devices (or units) communicating on the same
Modbus network (such providing BACnet access to a bunch of Rooftop units
connected together on a Modbus network. These are the only products that
come pre-loaded with the Modbus interface.
The table below lists the currently available controllers that can be ordered with
the Modbus Gateway firmware.
Product Model
DSM-RTR-MOD30
DSM-T0B-MOD5-K1A
DSM-T0B-MOD15-K1A
DSM-T0B-MOD30-K1A
DSM-PWR
Notes:

Description
BACnet Router w/ Modbus Gateway
16 Button Room Controller w/ Modbus
16 Button Room Controller w/ Modbus
16 Button Room Controller w/ Modbus
Room Controller w/ Modbus Power Meter Interface

Modbus
Units
30
52
15 2
30
1

1. This column lists the current number of Modbus slave devices supported by the associated controller.
2. Gateways not already maxed out to 30 can be flash loaded in the field to support additional Modbus units, up to 30.

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Modbus Controllers
Almost any Delta I/O controller installed to control some mechanical equipment
can be loaded with the Modbus interface to pick up a few Modbus devices or
units (i.e., variable speed drives) as part of the same mechanical system.
However, in contrast to the Gateway products, these controllers cannot be
ordered with Modbus preloaded on them. Rather, order whatever DAC or DSC
product you will be using (with the appropriate I/O for the mechanical system),
and then load the Modbus interface in the field for the number of Modbus units
(or devices) you will be connecting to, up to a maximum of 5 Modbus units per
controller. Please note below the two criteria needed in order to load Modbus.

Flash Loading Modbus Units into a Device

Flash Loader has been modified to use credits which are programmed onto a
new Flash Loader hardware key in Delta production. The number of credits is
based on what is ordered, and decrements when an upgrade is chargeable. As
a result, the one same hardware key is now used for all upgrades starting with
V3.30 Flash Loader Release 3, for the following product upgrades:

DCU firmware
DAC/DSC/DSM/DLC/ASM firmware
Modbus Gateway Interface and units
BACstats FUTURE (when a new flash loadable model is released)

Modbus can be loaded into any Delta product that meets the following criteria.
1.

The controller must currently be loaded with at least V3.30 Release 2

firmware or higher; and

2.

Particularly for DAC models, the controller hardware must be one of the
more recent revisions that have the larger memory (shipped in a box with a
green dot on it, and includes a green Product Notice) where flash memory
has been increased to to 1 MB and the SRAM has been doubled to 256K.

Note: You can also determine whether a product has more memory when it is
powered up and communicating by looking at its DEV object using ORCAview.
Any product that includes the underscore as part of its Model Name on the
Product tab (i.e., DAC_322) has the increased memory as required. You can
even create a custom report in ORCAview to list this information and one has
already been provided on GEORGE for download.
The V3.30 Release 3 Flash Loader is rather smart and can figure out what it can
and cannot do with the controller youve connected to, and whether the
controller is one that Modbus can be loaded into, and indicates how many
Modbus units have already been loaded and and whether you can load any more.
Loading Modbus into a controller will use (or decrement) 10 credits off the
Flash Loader key for each Modbus unit. Other product upgrades require a
different number of credits. And once loaded into a Delta product, the credits are
unrecoverable (you cannot reverse the process).

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Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Connecting to the Modbus Device

Refer to Flash Loader documentation or the Help file for further information,
including how many credits are used to upgrade all other devices.

Flash Loader Key & Credits

As described, the same Flash Loader key can be used to upgrade V2 DCUs or
DACs to V3, and can also be used to load the Modbus Gateway interface.
So, besides obtaining the right controller, you will need to order a Flash Loader
key and perhaps additional credits, especially if you intend on upgrading a large
number of controllers.
Model Number

Description

DFF099-KEY

FLASH LOADER FIRMWARE KEY c/w 50 credits already

loaded. At 10 credits per Modbus unit, 50 credits will
allow you to load 5 Modbus units into the same or
different controllers.

DFF099-CDT

FLASH LOADER CREDITS - Additional credits you wish

to add to the original 50 on the same key. Note that the
quantity for this product represents blocks of 50. You
must include this second part number in the same order
if you want more than the default 50 credits on the key.

Connecting to the Modbus Device

The Modbus Gateway controllers can connect to Modbus slave device(s) on
either of their RS-485 ports (NET1 or NET2) or RS-232 (PTP) port. The table
below shows the available configuration options for the NET and PTP ports on
the Modbus Gateway controllers:
Controller Type

NET1

NET2

PTP

Ethernet DSC or
DSM-RTR

LINKnet or
Modbus

BACnet MS/TP
(Subnet Level)
or Modbus

OWS DirectConnect, Modem,

or Modbus

Non-Ethernet DSC
or DSM-T0B or
DSM-PWR

BACnet MS/TP
(System Level)

LINKnet or
Modbus

OWS DirectConnect, Modem,

or Modbus

DAC+

BACnet MS/TP
(Subnet Level)

LINKnet or
Modbus

N/A

*Note: When connecting to a Modbus device using the RS-232 (PTP) port only a single Modbus
slave device is supported. To communicate with multiple devices requires an RS-485 (NET)
connection to the Modbus slave devices.

The diagram on the following page shows how to wire a single Modbus slave
device to a DSM-T0B-MODxx controller using the NET2 port. For more
detailed wiring information refer to the Delta Controls Wiring Guidelines.

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Modbus device

NOTE: If 24VDC power

supply is used, DC
polarity MUST be
observed.

Shield connection
(optional)

24VAC (Class 2) or
24VDC power supply

RS485
Communications
port

24VAC or
24VDC (+)

Shield

To previous
controller
on MS/TP
network

To next
controller
on MS/TP
network

Shield

Solidly ground
the shield
RX

TX

RX
Power/NET1

TX

Power/NET2

NET1
TERM

~24

GND

~24

TERM
GND

GND

-+

NET2

Bottom edge
of the DSM

AMP connectors

Note: Use a shielded, twisted pair wire for communications. Never directly ground more than one
point on the shield. Doing so can induce large currents, and result in communication problems.

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Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Configuring the Modbus Gateway

Configuring the Modbus Gateway

Two objects are required in order to make the controller communicate with the
Modbus device(s). They are the Gateway (GW) and Gateway Translation
(GWT) objects.
This section gives a brief explanation of these objects and shows how configure
them for use.
It is assumed the user already has a basic familiarity with the Modbus protocol,
as well as the GW and GWT objects. For detailed information on the Delta
Controls implementation of the Modbus protocol, as well as the GW and GWT
objects, refer to the associated sections in the appendices of this document.

Communications Settings
The Gateway (GW) object is used to setup the interface between the Gateway
controller and the Modbus device(s). You cannot create the GW object. It is
automatically created in the controller whenever the Modbus Gateway firmware
is present.
To setup the GW object, follow these steps:
1.

Open the GW object and go to the setup tab.

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2.

Ensure the Enable checkbox is checked and select from the Port drop down
menu which port the Modbus device(s) are physically connected to. Using
the Speed drop down menu select the communications baud rate of the
Modbus device(s). (Refer to documentation that came with the Modbus
device(s) for information on the valid connection speeds for that device.)

3.

Press Apply and reset the controller.

Linking Modbus Device Registers to BACnet Objects

The GWT object is used to transfer values between Modbus registers and the
associated BACnet objects. Refer to documentation that came with the Modbus
device(s) for information on the registers. For each Modbus device, a GWT
object must be created with an instance number equal to the network address of
the Modbus device.

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1.

Create a GWT object with an instance number equal to the network address
of the Modbus device to be associated with it.

2.

From the documentation that came with the Modbus slave device,
determine if it uses a 0 or 1-based register addressing convention and set the
Register Base Count Field to match. (While Modbus specifies a 1-based
register addressing convention, some implementations use a 0-based
register addressing convention in their documentation of the register
mappings. The Register Base Count field is used to configure the GWT to
be compatible with the convention used by that particular device.)

Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Configuring the Modbus Gateway

3.

In the dataview of the GWT object, create an entry for each value from the
Modbus device to be linked to a BACnet object in the Gateway. Start
entering data by double clicking in the column you wish to edit.

4.

Below the dataview there are also several dropdown boxes that contain
more configuration settings for the current selected entry. After filling out
the fields in the dataview for a single entry, you must click on Apply before
you can enter data in these remaining fields. After you finish setting these
additional fields press Apply again to save the changes before moving to the
next entry.

5.

Press the Create BACnet Objects button and press Apply. This will
automatically create all the required BACnet objects based on the object
references and names you entered in the steps above.

Note:
1) If an object reference is already used in the database, the name of the object will not
be overwritten by the GWT object, however a link will still be created to the Modbus
register. If this object was already created because it is being used for some other
purpose in the database, there will be a conflict since there would now be two competing
control sources for the object.
2) Changes to the name or units properties for a given entry in the GWT after the
associated BACnet object (AV, BV or MV) has been created have no effect. Once the
object has been created, any changes to these properties should be done directly in the
object itself.

GWT Configuration Examples

This section provides several examples on how to configure the GWT to read from and/or
write to the different Memory Types using various methods.
Note:
1) The following examples all assume a Register base count setting of 1. If the register
base count is set to 0, subtract 1 from the value to be entered in the Register field for
each example.
2) If you wish to both read and write to a single value in a Modbus device, you must
create two separate entries in the table one for reading the value and another for writing
to the value. In addition, these two entries must not be referencing the same BACnet
object.

Reading Input Status Registers

Input Status Registers are single bit read only registers that store a binary (On or Off)
value. The following table shows the GWT settings required to Read the value from
Input status register 10001 into BV1 in the Gateway Controller.
Example:
Read Input Status Register 10001 to BV1
Reference R/W Config. Memory Type Register # of Registers Data Type Bit
BV1
Read
Input Status
1
1
Bit Value N/A

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Reading/Writing Coil Registers

Coil Registers are similar to Input Status Registers, except they are writeable. The
example below shows the GWT settings to write to Coil Register 00001.
Example:
Write BV1 value to Coil Register 00001
Reference R/W Config. Memory Type Register # of Registers Data Type Bit
BV1
Write
Coil
1
1
Bit Value N/A

Reading Input Registers

Input Registers are read only 16-bit registers that can hold analog values in several
different data formats. The data format will generally determine what type of object the
value should be mapped to and the number of registers that should be read. The table
below shows the valid settings for the object type, number of registers to be read and bit
fields based on the data type selected.
Object
Type
BV
AV

# of Registers Data Type

Bit

1
Bit Value
0-16
1
Integer
N/A
2
Long
N/A
1
Bit Value
0-16
2
Double Integer
N/A
2
Float
N/A
2
FloatSwapped
N/A
2
FloatReversed
N/A
MV
1
Integer
N/A
(For a definition of the different Data Types see the Data Types section of Appendix C)
Examples:
Read a Floating Point Value from Input Register 30002 to AV1
Reference R/W Config. Memory Type Register # of Registers Data Type Bit
AV1
Read
Input Register
2
2
Float
N/A
Read Bit 2 from Input Register 30002 to BV1
Reference R/W Config. Memory Type Register # of Registers Data Type Bit
BV1
Read
Input Register
2
1
Bit Value
2

Reading/Writing Holding Registers

Holding Registers are the same as Input Registers with two exceptions:
1.

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Holding Registers can be written to as well as read from.

Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Configuring the Modbus Gateway

2.

You cannot use the Bit Value data type when writing to a Holding
register. If you want to write to a single bit in a holding register, you
should read out the register value as an integer into an AV, then use
GCL bit manipulation to set/clear the required bit and write this
adjusted value back into the Modbus device.

Examples:
Read an Integer Value from Holding Register 40001 to AV1
Reference R/W Config. Memory Type Register # of Registers Data Type Bit
AV1
Read
Holding Register
1
1
Integer
N/A
Write the Value from AV3 as a Long to Holding Register 40002
Reference R/W Config. Memory Type Register # of Registers Data Type Bit
AV3
Write
Holding Register
2
2
Long
N/A

Memory Limits & Performance Issues

Each entry (register) in a GWT object occupies approximately 100 bytes of Static RAM
(database space). Given that a DSM-RTR has 319 kB of Static Ram available, this puts
an ultimate cap of about 3,200 entries across all created GWT objects. However, this
would not allow for any trending, alarming, programming, etc. because the memory
would be totally full.
Since a DSM-RTR-MOD30 can communicate with up to 30 Slave Devices, this would
nominally allow each slave to have about 100 entries (registers)
[ 100 entries * 30 GWT objects = 3000 total entries ].
However, with this many entries, it will take substantial time for the DSM-RTR-MOD30
to read all of the values from all the Modbus slaves.
This has been estimated to take 13 minutes. So, clearly, control of these slave devices
will be impossible, since new command signals could only be sent once every 13
minutes! However, if these 30 slaves were power meters, then this might be perfectly
acceptable.
If however, VFDs were to be controlled via Modbus (start/stop and speed), then a
cautious approach is advised. 30 VFDs that each have 10 registers (total of 300 registers)
would require about 75 seconds to update. Pressure control (either liquid or air) will be
nearly impossible at this update interval. Even with a minimum of 3 registers per VFD
(start/stop, speed control, speed status) (total of 90 registers), it would take about 22
seconds to update all the VFDs. This might be acceptable for air pressure control, but not
for liquid pressure control.
Unlike previous firmware versions, it is now possible to write to however many Modbus
registers is required. There is no arbitrary limit as there had been in the past.
The GWT object is used to transfer values between Modbus registers and the associated
BACnet objects. Refer to documentation that came with the Modbus device(s) for
information on the registers. For each Modbus device, a GWT object must be created
with an instance number equal to the network address of the Modbus device.

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Appendices
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
There are several features in this version of the Delta Modbus Gateway that can be used
to help when troubleshooting the data exchange between the Modbus Gateway and its
associated devices.

Gateway Object Statistics Tab

The statistics tab of the Gateway object has information that is very useful when
troubleshooting. See the GW Object Reference Statistics Tab Section in Appendix B for
a description of the information contained in these fields.

Fault Flag Linked to a Modbus Register

When set, the fault flag of a BACnet object, which is linked to a Modbus register,
indicates a problem with reading from or writing to that register value. There are three
possible causes for this:
1) There is no response from the associated Modbus device.
This typically means the device is offline. Ensure the device is powered up and
verify the communications wiring between the devices. (If connecting using one of
the NET ports check that both the Tx and Rx lights are blinking.) Next verify that
you have the correct port and speed settings in the GW object.
2) There was an exception code returned from the Modbus device.
Check the Exceptions field in the dataview entry of the associated GWT object. If it
is non-zero then an exception was returned from the slave device. This means the
slave device had a problem executing the requested query from the Gateway
controller. (Refer to the Exception Responses section of Appendix C for more
information.)
3) The associated entry in the GWT for this object contains an invalid combination of
settings. (For example a data type of float cannot be mapped to a BV.)
Refer to the tables in the GWT Configuration Examples section for details on the
valid settings based on data type.

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Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Appendices

Exception Code Responses

Exception codes may be returned when there is a problem with the request that was
received by a Modbus slave device. The code returned in the exception response gives
diagnostic information on the reason why the request failed to process normally.
(For more information and a list of the exception codes defined by the Modbus
specification see the Exception Responses section in Appendix C)

Tx & Rx Packet Snooping

Setting the units for the associated object to Currency 10 enables a special packet
sniffing mode. When this mode is enabled the description tab of the associated BACnet
object for a given GWT entry will display the Tx (transmit) packet sent out to the
Modbus device on the last scan for that entry. It will also display any Rx (receive) packet
response sent back from the Modbus device for that entry. The following screen capture
shows the Rx and Tx packets in the description tab for reading an integer value from
Holding Register 40001 of a Modbus device with an address of 1.

(See Appendix C: Modbus Protocol Implementation for details on the packet structure for
Modbus communications.
Note:
1) Any text already in the description tab when packet sniffing mode is enabled will be
overwritten.
2) For AV objects you must change the units directly in the associated AV object to go to
packet sniffing mode for that entry. For BVs and MVs, which do not have a units field,
change the units property for the associated entry in the GWT object.

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Appendix B: GW and GWT Object Reference

The following sections give detailed information on all the application specific fields in
the Gateway (GW) and Gateway Translation (GWT) Objects as they appear when opened
in a Modbus Gateway Controller.

Gateway Object (GW)

Header

Modbus Devices Supported

This field displays the maximum number of Modbus slaves the controller is able
to communicate with.

Setup

Enable
This checkbox enables or disables the gateway.

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Appendices

Version
This field displays the version number of the gateway firmware loaded into the
Delta Controller, which is different from the main firmware version number
listed in the Device object.
Type
This field displays the type of gateway that is loaded into the Delta Controller.
In V3.30A firmware there are only two gateways currently supported:

Modbus

Delta Wireless Sensors

Status
This field displays the status of the gateway. When the gateway is enabled, this
field displays Running. When the gateway is disabled, this field displays
Stopped.
Port
This field is used to select the physical port which is to be connected to the
Modbus slave device(s).
There are three port options available:

NET1 (RS-485 port 1)

NET2 (RS-485 port 2)

PTP (Serial/PTP port)*

* Note:
1) Only DSC and DSM controllers come with a serial port.
2) When connecting via PTP only a single Modbus slave device is supported.
Speed
This field is used to select the baud rate for communicating with the Modbus
slave devices(s). The baud rate must be set to the same speed on both devices in
order that they communicate properly. The supported speeds are 2400, 4800,
9600, 19200, and 38400 baud.
Status
This field displays the current status of the selected port. When the port is being
used by the gateway, this field displays Active. When the gateway is disabled,
this field displays Inactive. If the selected port is in use by something other than
the gateway (i.e. NET object), this field displays "In Use By" and lists the name
of the object using the port.
HVAC, Access, and Lighting Checkboxes
These checkboxes indicate which application(s) the object is part of. Any
combination of the HVAC, Access Control, and Lighting applications can be
selected. Leaving all checkboxes blank is the same as checking them all.

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As a part of OWS security, these checkboxes allow an operator to see only the
objects for a particular application(s). For example, a site may have separate
operators for the HVAC and Access applications. It is possible for each
operator to only see the objects related to their application.
Refer to Chapter 7 - Security in the ORCAview Technical Reference Manual
for more information on how to set up and administer Object Application
Restrictions
When a checkbox is checked, an indicator icon appears at the top of the dialog.
The three application domains are:
Application

Icon

HVAC (Red)
Access (Blue)
Lighting (Green)

Statistics

Total Sent
This field displays the total number of Modbus packets sent from the Delta
Controller since the last controller reset. The value of this number is not very
important but it should be continuously incrementing. If the Total Sent is not
incrementing, then it means that no packets are being sent.

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Appendices

Total Received
This field displays the total number of packets received from the Modbus
slave(s) since the last controller reset. The value of this field should be
incrementing along with the Total Sent field. If the Total Received is not
incrementing along with the Total Sent field, then it means that the Delta
Controller is sending requests but the Modbus slaves are not responding.
Send Failures
This field displays the total number of sent packets that failed to receive a
response since the last controller reset.
Invalid Received
This field displays the total number of invalid packets received since the last
controller reset. Invalid packets are those that contain an incorrect cyclic
redundancy code (CRC).
A CRC is a number derived from, and transmitted with, a block of data in order
to detect corruption. By recalculating the CRC and comparing it to the value
originally transmitted, the receiver can detect some types of transmission errors.
Protocol Errors
This field displays the total number of exception responses returned since the
last controller reset.
GWT Update Interval
This is the time in seconds that it took on the last iteration to scan all the GWT
objects and update the associated BACnet objects. The update rate varies
depending on the number of Modbus slave devices, and how many values are
mapped from each device.

Programming
The Programming tab is not used for the Modbus Gateway but only with the Delta
Wireless Gateway.

Description
The description tab may contain a string of characters of up to 2000 characters in
length. The character string is limited to any printable character.

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Gateway Translation Object (GWT)

Header

Setup (Common Area)

The common area of the Setup tab has two fields and a button located above the
dataview area.
Name
The name of the Gateway Translation object is displayed in this field. This
name must be unique among all the descriptors located in the same controller.
Register Base Count
While Modbus specifies a 1-based register addressing convention, some
implementations use a 0-based register addressing convention in their
documentation of the register mappings. The Register Base Count field allows
the GWT object to be compatible with either convention.
For example, the first register in the Holding Registers memory block (also
refered to as 4x references) may be documented any of the following ways:

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Appendices

Holding Register 1 (1-Based Decimal Register Count)

Holding Register 0 (0-Based Decimal Register Count)
Holding Register 0000H (0-Based Hexadecimal Register Count)
Register 40001*

* Note: The leading digit in the last example is used to represent the memory type (in this
case a Holding register) while the remaining digits indicate the register count in a 1based decimal format.
Refer to the Memory Types section of Appendix C and the documentation that
came with the Modbus device(s) to determine which setting to use.
Create BACnet Objects Pushbutton
This button is used to automatically create the objects that are listed in the
Reference column of the dataview if they do not already exist. This button has to
be depressed and the Apply button pressed in order to create the objects.

Setup (Dataview)

The Data View on the Setup tab lists all of the translated information from the
Modbus device.
Clicking on one of the entries will display additional information below the Data
View.
Name
The Name of the BACnet object that is linked to the Modbus register for this
entry.

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Reference
The object reference of the associated BACnet object. Only AV, BV, and MV
object references are supported.
Exceptions
A read only field that shows any exception codes returned from the Modbus
device for that entry. Exception codes are error codes returned from a Modbus
slave device in response to a request from the Master device.
Refer to Exception Responses in Appendix C for more information.
Read
When the associated checkbox is checked this indicates that the value is being
read from the Modbus device into the associated BACnet object. Unchecked
indicates the value is being written to the Modbus device. This field is read-only
in the dataview. To change this value you must highlight the desired entry and
use the R/W Configuration drop-down box located below the dataview.
Memory Type
Memory Type determines where the data is stored in the memory of the Modbus
device. Each Memory Type reads or writes to a certain range of memory in the
Modbus device. The different Memory Types and corresponding register
reference are listed below.

Coil Register 0x References

Input Status Register 1x References
Input Register 3x References
Holding Register 4x References

Refer to the Memory Types in Appendix C for more information.

Register
Specifies the starting register for the data value in the Modbus device to be
referenced. Registers are specified without the Memory Type reference (i.e. 0x,
1x, 3x, 4x). For example, for a Memory Type register reference of 40001, enter
a value of 1 assuming a 1-based Register Count.
# of Registers
Specifies the number of registers that the data value in the Modbus device spans.
The value that is entered in this field is determined by the data format selected in
the Data Type field.
Data Type
Specifies the data format used to read/write the data value stored in the Modbus
device. The different Data Types are:

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Appendices

Bit Value 1-bit Boolean (ON/OFF) (occupies 1 register)

Integer 16-bit signed Integer (occupies 1 register)
Long 32-bit signed Integer (occupies 2 register)
Double Integer 32-bit Unsigned Integer (occupies 2 registers)
Float IEEE 32-bit floating point Big Endian (occupies 2
registers)
Float (Reversed) IEEE 32-bit floating point Little Endian
(occupies 2 registers)
Float (Swapped) IEEE 32-bit floating point Little Endian with
byte-swapped (occupies 2 registers)

Refer to the Data Types in Appendix C for more information.

Bit
Specifies a particular bit to extract when reading from a 16-bit Holding or Input
register. This can be a value from 0-16 were 1 is the least significant bit (LSB)
and 16 is the most significant bit (MSB) in the selected register. 0 is a special
case in which the entire 16-bit register is evaluated as either zero or non-zero.
This field is only used when mapping a value from a Holding or Input register to
a BV with a data type of Bit Value.

Setup (Dataview Fields)

The following four fields are not actually in the dataview window itself. They are
located directly below the dataview in the GWT dialog.
Units
The Units drop-down box is used to select the units that the associated BACnet
object will be created with when the Create BACnet Objects pushbutton is used.
This field only applies when mapping to an AV object. MV or BV objects do
not have a units property.
R/W Configuration
This dropdown box is used to select whether you want to read from or write to
the selected data value in the Modbus device.
Note: If you wish to both read and write to a single value in a Modbus device, you must
create two seperate entries in the table, one for reading the value and another for writing
to the value. In addition, these two entries must not be referencing the same BACnet
object.

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Scaling/MV Offset
This field is used when mapping a Modbus value to an AV or MV object.
When mapping to an AV object, it can be used to rescale a value from a Modbus
device by doing a left or right shift of up to 4 decimal places. For example, if
the Modbus device returned a value of 600 which represents a value of 60.0Hz,
selecting Div10 from this dropdown would convert the value from 600 to 60.0
before placing it into the associated AV object.
MV objects take an integer value and convert it to a text value based on an
enumeration list in an associated MIC object. The MIC enumeration list is 1
based while some Modbus device enumerations are 0 based. In order to map a 0
based enumeration value from a Modbus device to an MV object, select Div10
(or +1 MV Offset) from the dropdown list.
Register Address
This is a display only field that displays the full decimal and Hexadecimal
Address for the starting register of the data in the Modbus device for the
currently selected dataview entry.
HVAC, Access, and Lighting Checkboxes
These checkboxes indicate which application(s) the object is part of. Any
combination of the HVAC, Access Control, and Lighting applications can be
selected. Leaving all checkboxes blank is the same as checking them all.
As a part of OWS security, these checkboxes allow an operator to see only the
objects for a particular application(s). For example, a site may have separate
operators for the HVAC and Access applications. It is possible for each
operator to only see the objects related to their application.
Refer to Chapter 7 - Security in the ORCAview Technical Reference Manual
for more information on how to set up and administer Object Application
Restrictions
When a checkbox is checked, an indicator icon appears at the top of the dialog.
The three application domains are:
Application

Icon

HVAC (Red)
Access (Blue)
Lighting (Green)

Description
The description tab may contain a string of characters of up to 2000 characters in
length. The character string is limited to any printable character.

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Appendices

Appendix C: Modbus Protocol Implementation

The following sections give general information about the Modbus protocol and specifics
on what portions of the protocol Delta has implemented in its Modbus Gateway
controllers.
Protocol: Modbus RTU (The Modbus ASCII protocol is not supported by this Gateway.)
Byte format: 8N1 (8 data bits, no parity and 1 stop bit), with CRC error checking.
Modbus devices that require a Byte format with even or odd parity and 2 stop bits are not
supported.
Connection Speeds: Connection speeds of 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200 and 38400 baud are
supported.
Functions: The following Modbus functions are supported. (Refer to sections following
this for more detailed information on Modbus functions, memory types and packet
structure.)
Code
(Decimal)

Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Name

01

Read Coil Status

02

Read Input Status

03

Read Holding Registers

04

Read Input Registers

05

Force Single Coil

06

Preset Single Register

16

Preset Multiple Registers

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Memory Types
Modbus data values are broken into 4 different memory types each of which represent a
block of memory in the Modbus device. Each of these blocks of memory is broken up
into registers. Depending on the memory type and data format, a single data value will
span 1 or more registers. To access a particular register, both the register number and
memory type must be specified. Together these represent the register address. There are
several different conventions in which register addresses are documented:
For example, the first register in the Holding Registers memory block (also referred to as
4x references) may be documented any of the following ways:

Holding Register 1 (1-Based Register Count)

Holding Register 0 (0-Based Register Count)

Holding Register 0000H (0-Based Hexadecimal Register Count)

Register 40001

A brief description of each memory type is given below:

Coil Registers (0x References) Each coil register is a 1-bit piece of data that
typically represents the Boolean (ON/OFF) state of an output or internal
variable. These registers can be written to or read from.
Input Status Registers (1x References) Each Input Status register is a 1-bit
piece of data that typically represents the Boolean (ON/OFF) status of an input
or internal variable. These registers are read-only.
Input Registers (3x References) Each Input register is a 16-bit piece of data
one or more of which typically represent the analog status of an input or internal
variable. There are several different formats in which the data may be stored.
(These different data formats and the number of registers each takes is covered
in the Data Types section of this appendix.) These registers are read-only.
Holding Registers (4x References) Each Holding register is a 16-bit piece of
data one or more of which typically represent the analog state of an output or
internal variable. There are several different formats in which the data may be
stored. (These different data formats and the number of registers each takes is
covered in the Data Types section of this appendix). These registers can be
written to or read from.

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Appendices

Data Types
The data values stored in Modbus registers can be in several formats. You need to know
in what format the information is stored in order to be able to correctly configure the
GWT object to read and/or write that value. This section details the different data
formats supported by the Delta Modbus Gateway.
Bit Value Bit values are stored in a single 1-bit register. They are used to store simple
binary values. (1 = ON, 0 = Off)
Integer This data type uses a 16-bit signed integer format to store a whole number
value from 32768 to 32767. Integer values are stored in a single 16-bit register.
Double Integer The double integer data type spans two 16-bit registers and can store
any positive whole number value from 0 to 4,294,967,295
Long Longs are 32-bit signed Integers. In this data type the most significant bit (MSB)
is used to indicate if the value is positive or negative. The remaining 31 bits are the
binary equivalent of the decimal value. For example, 3 and 3 expressed in Binary Long
format would be:
Decimal Value
3
-3

Binary 32-bit signed Integer Format

00000000000000000000000000000011
10000000000000000000000000000011

A Long value spans two 16-bit registers and can store any whole number value from
-2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647.
Note: Delta uses a 32-bit (single precision) floating-point format to store BACnet AV
values. This limits the stored value to 6 significant figures plus an exponent value. This
means that when mapping Double Integer and Long values from a Modbus device to
AVs you are actually limited to integer values between 340,282 and +340,282 before
round off errors due to trailing significant figures being dropped occurs.

32-Bit (Single Precision) Floating Point numbers Floating-Point values are used to
represent real numbers (numbers with a fractional component). IEEE specifies a standard
format for 32-bit floating-point values. There are 4 variations in which IEEE FloatingPoint values may be stored and/or transmitted in a data packet. The Delta Modbus
Gateway supports 3 of these formats. The table below lists the 3 formats that Delta
supports and which data type should be selected in the GWT to reference a floating-point
value using this format.
Data Type
Data Format
Float
Floating Point Big Endian
Float (Reversed) Floating Point Little Endian
Float (Swapped) Floating Point Little Endian with byte-swapped
Single Precision (32-bit) floating-point values span two 16-bit registers and can store a
real number value from 3.403 x 10-38 to 3.403 x 1038.

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IEEE Floating Point Data Format Details

This section gives a detailed description of the IEEE 32-bit floating-point data format.
The IEEE floating-point data format is similar to binary scientific notation data format.
Scientific notation expresses real numbers in the following format:
Mantissa x Number BaseExponent
For example, lets convert 146.5 to scientific notation using a number base of 10
(decimal):
1.

Start by calculating the Mantissa. To do this, take the number to be converted,

in this case 146.5, and shift the decimal point until there is only one digit to the
left of it. This is called Normalizing the Mantissa. This gives a value of 1.465

2.

Next calculate the exponent by counting how many decimal places you shifted
to normalize the mantissa. If the decimal was shifted to the left the exponent is
positive and if shifted to the right it is negative. In this case the exponent is +2.

3.

By using the formula above, the scientific notation equivalent of 146.5 is:
Mantissa x Number BaseExponent = 1.465 x 102

Binary scientific notation is done exactly the same way only using binary (base 2)
numbering. For example, the decimal number 146.5 in binary is 10010010.1.
Normalizing the Mantissa gives a value of 1.00100101. The decimal was shifted 7 places
to the left giving an exponent value of +7. Therefore, 146.5 in binary scientific notation
is:
Mantissa x Number BaseExponent = 1.00100101 x 27
IEEE 32-bit Floating-Point notation is similar to binary scientific notation with a few
exceptions:

Page 28 of 38

1.

One bit is used to indicate the sign of the value. (Positive or Negative)

2.

The exponent value has a +127 bias added to it.

3.

In a base 2 normalized mantissa, the digit on the left of the decimal point
will always be 1. In IEEE format only the fractional portion of the Mantissa
is stored and it is understood there is always an implied 1. in front of it.

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Appendices

The following diagram shows how an IEEE floating-point value is stored in a 32-bit
binary number using our example value of 146.5.
146.5 in IEEE 32-Bit Floating-Point Data Format
24
16
8
0
byte 4
byte 3
byte 2
byte 1
0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31

Sign (1 bit)
Exponent (8 bits)

Mantissa (23 bits, leading bit omitted)

Sign (bit 31) The sign is stored as a single bit Boolean value (0 = Positive, 1 =
Negative)
Exponent (bits 23-30) The exponent is stored as an 8-bit unsigned integer value.
Mantissa (bits 0-22) The fractional part of the Mantissa stored as a 23-bit binary
fraction.
As stated earlier there are 4 variations on the above data format. The difference between
each of these variations is the order in which each byte of data (as numbered in the table
above) is stuffed into a memory location and/or data packet. The table below gives the
stuffing order for each of the 4 formats:
Data Format
Floating Point Big Endian
Floating Point Big Endian with byte-swapped*
Floating Point Little Endian
Floating Point Little Endian with byte-swapped

Byte Order
4,3,2,1
3,4,1,2
1,2,3,4
2,1,4,3

*Note: Floating Point Big Endian with byte-swapped format is not supported in the Delta Modbus Gateway.

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Functions
The Delta Modbus Gateway Controllers support functions 1-6 and 16 of the Modbus
protocol. This section provides detailed information on each of these functions.
Note: Register addresses in the data packets are always zero-based regardless of the
Register Base Count convention being used in documentation.

Function 01 Read Coil Status

This function is used to read the ON/OFF state of a coil register.
In a Read Coil Status Query message the starting register address and number of
registers to be read are specified.
Note: While this function allows reading of multiple register values in a single query,
Delta only supports reading a single register per query message with this function.
The following example shows the packets generated when requesting to read coil
register 00011 from a Modbus slave with an address of 2:
Tx Packet (Query)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
02
Function
01
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
0A
# of Points Hi Byte
00
# of Points Lo Byte
01
Error Check (CRC)
-

The normal response if the queried coil register was in the on state would be:
Rx Packet (Response)
Field Name
Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
02
Function
01
Data Byte Count
01
Data
01
Error Check (CRC)
In the Data byte the information on the coil state is stored in the least significant bit
(LSB). A value of 1 = On, 0 = Off, and the remaining bits in the data byte are padded
with zeros.

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Appendices

Function 02 Read Input Status

This function is used to read the ON/OFF status of an Input Status Register.
In a Read Input Status Query message the starting register address and number of
registers to be read are specified.
Note: While this function allows reading of multiple register values in a single query,
Delta only supports reading a single register per query message with this function.
The following example shows the packets generated when requesting to read Input
Status register 10197 from a Modbus slave with an address of 25:
Tx Packet (Query)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
19
Function
02
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
C4
# of Points Hi Byte
00
# of Points Lo Byte
01
Error Check (CRC)
-

The normal response if the queried Input Status register was in the off state would be:
Rx Packet (Response)
Field Name
Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
19
Function
02
Data Byte Count
01
Data
00
Error Check (CRC)
In the Data byte the information on the Input Status state is in the least significant bit
(LSB). A value of 1 = On, 0 = Off, and the remaining bits in the data byte are padded
with zeros.

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Function 03 Read Holding Registers

This function is used to read the contents of 1 or more 16-bit Holding Registers.
In a Read Holding Register Query message the starting register address and number
of registers to be read are specified.
Note: While this function allows reading of multiple register values in a single query,
Delta only supports reading of up to 2 registers in a single query (depending on the data
type).
The following example shows the packets generated when requesting to read Holding
registers 40108-40109 from a Modbus slave with an address of 5:
Tx Packet (Query)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
05
Function
03
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
6B
# of Points Hi Byte
00
# of Points Lo Byte
02
Error Check (CRC)
The normal response if holding registers 108 and 109 contained a 32-bit unsigned
integer value of 169,824,461 would be:
Rx Packet (Response)
Field Name
Slave Address
Function
Data Byte Count
Data Byte Hi (Register 40108)
Data Byte Lo (Register 40108)
Data Byte Hi (Register 40109)
Data Byte Lo (Register 40109)
Error Check (CRC)

Page 32 of 38

Example
(Hex)
05
03
04
0A
1F
50
CD
-

Modbus Gateway User Manual (Edition 2.1)

Appendices

Function 04 Read Input Registers

This function is used to read the contents of 1 or more 16-bit Input Registers.
In a Read Input Register Query message the starting register address and number of
registers to be read are specified.
Note: While this function allows reading of multiple register values in a single query,
Delta only supports reading of up to 2 registers in a single query (depending on the data
type).
The following example shows the packets generated when requesting to read Input
register 30108 from a Modbus slave with an address of 5:
Tx Packet (Query)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
05
Function
04
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
6B
# of Points Hi Byte
00
# of Points Lo Byte
01
Error Check (CRC)
The normal response if Input register 108 contained a 16-bit unsigned integer value of
2591 would be:
Rx Packet (Response)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
05
Function
04
Data Byte Count
02
Data Byte Hi (Register 30108)
0A
Data Byte Lo (Register 30108)
1F
Error Check (CRC)
-

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Function 05 Force Single Coil

This function is used to write the contents of a single coil register to either ON or
OFF.
In a Force Single Coil Query message the starting register address and the value to
write to the coil are specified. (FF 00 hex = ON; 00 00 hex = OFF)
The following example shows the packets generated when writing ON to Coil register
00172 to a Modbus slave with an address of 17:
Tx Packet (Query)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
11
Function
05
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
AB
Force Data Hi Byte
FF
Force Data Lo Byte
00
Error Check (CRC)
The normal response is an echo of the query, returned after the register contents have
been written to.
Rx Packet (Response)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
11
Function
05
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
AB
Force Data Hi Byte
FF
Force Data Lo Byte
00
Error Check (CRC)
-

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Appendices

Function 06 Preset Single Register

This function is used to write to the contents of a single holding (4x) register.
In a Preset Single Register Query message the starting register address and the data
value to write to the register are specified.
Note: Since this function can only write to a single register at a time, it is therefore only
used when writing to Holding registers with a data type of Integer. The other data types,
which span more than one register, write using function 16.
The following example shows the packets generated when writing a value of 3 to
holding register 40002 in a Modbus slave with an address of 17:
Tx Packet (Query)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
11
Function
06
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
01
Force Data Hi Byte
00
Force Data Lo Byte
03
Error Check (CRC)
The normal response is an echo of the query, returned after the register contents have
been written to.
Rx Packet (Response)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
11
Function
06
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
01
Force Data Hi Byte
00
Force Data Lo Byte
03
Error Check (CRC)
-

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Function 16 (10 Hex) Preset Multiple Registers

This function is used to write to a series of holding (4x) registers.
In a Preset Multiple Registers Query message the starting register address, number of
registers to be written to, the number of data bytes followed by the data value to write
to the register are specified.
Note: This function is used when writing values with a data type that spans more than
one register to a holding register. (The Double Integer, Long and all the Float data
types span two registers.)
The following example shows the packets generated when writing a value of 3 in a
Signed 32-bit data format to holding registers 40002 and 40003 in a Modbus slave
with an address of 17:
Tx Packet (Query)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
11
Function
10
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
01
# of Registers Hi Byte
00
# of Registers Lo Byte
02
Byte Count
04
Data Hi
00
Data Lo
00
Data Hi
00
Data Lo
03
Error Check (CRC)
The normal response returns the slave address, function code, starting address, and
quantity of registers written to.
Rx Packet (Response)
Field Name

Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
11
Function
10
Starting Address Hi Byte
00
Starting Address Lo Byte
01
# of Registers Hi Byte
00
# of Registers Lo Byte
02
Error Check (CRC)
-

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Appendices

Exception Responses
For a given entry in a GWT data view, the Exceptions field lists any exception responses
returned for a particular request to a Modbus slave device. Exception codes may be
returned when there is a problem with the request that was received by the Modbus
device. There are 8 pre-defined exception response codes in the Modbus specification:
Code

Name

Description

01

ILLEGAL
FUNCTION

The function code received in the query is

not an allowable action for the slave.

02

ILLEGAL DATA
ADDRESS

The data address received in the query is

not an allowable address for the slave.

03

ILLEGAL DATA
VALUE

A value contained in the query data field is

not an allowable value for the slave

04

SLAVE DEVICE
FAILURE

An Unrecoverable error occurred while the

slave was attempting to perform the
requested action.

05

ACKNOWLEDGE

The slave has accepted the request and is

processing it, but a long duration of time
will be required to do so. This response is
returned to prevent a timeout error from
occurring in the master.

06

SLAVE DEVICE
BUSY

The slave is engaged in processing a longduration program command. The master

should retransmit the message later when
the slave is free.

07

NEGATIVE
ACKNOWLEDGE

The slave cannot perform the program

function received in the query. This code
is returned for an unsuccessful
programming request using function code
13 or 14 decimal. The master should
request diagnostic or error information
from the slave.

08

MEMORY
PARITY ERROR

The slave attempted to read extended

memory, but detected a parity error in the
memory. The master can retry the request,
but service may be required on the slave
device.

In addition to the pre-defined error codes listed above, the Modbus specification
allows custom defined error codes. Refer to documentation for the specific Modbus
slave device for an explanation of any custom error codes returned from a particular
device.

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Exception responses are identified by the value of the second byte in the data packet.
In the normal response this byte echoes back the function code of the query packet. In
an exception response this byte also has its most significant bit set. This makes the
byte value exactly 80 hexadecimal greater than in the normal response.
The following example shows an Illegal Data Address exception response to a read
coil status (function 01) query packet sent from a Modbus slave device with an
address of 10.
Rx Packet (Exception Response)
Field Name
Example
(Hex)
Slave Address
0A
Function
81
Exception Code
02
Error Check (CRC)
-

Document Control
Document Title:

V3.30 Release 3 Modbus Gateway User Manual

Document Filename: V3.30 Release 3 Modbus Gateway User Manual.pdf

Revision

Changes

0.1
1.0
2.0

Preliminary Version Created for Version 3.30 Release 2 Modbus Gateway

First edition coinciding with Version 3.30 Release 2 Modbus Gateway
Second edition coinciding with Version 3.30 Release 3 Modbus Gateway

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