Remote Terminal Unit

Application Note 025

Using the RTU/8130 with
Wonderware’s InTouch Software
Rev 10/98

How to connect the RTU/8130 to Wonderware’s InTouch

Introduction
The RTU/8130 can interface to a variety of host Wonderware’s InTouch. Communications and
systems, including Distributed Control Systems installation requirements are also discussed. Part 1
(DCS), PLCs and PC-based SCADA software. of this Application Note describes the various
InTouch is a Windows NT based software package methods for physically connecting the RTU/8130 to
that can interface to a variety of field interface the PC running InTouch. Part 2 describes the steps
systems. This Application Note describes the required to connect the RTU database to the
procedure for making physical and database InTouch database.
connections between the RTU/8130 and

System Description
A block diagram illustrating the connectivity of the RTU and InTouch is shown in Figure 1. The RTU
interfaces to field devices for scanning and control. The RTU and InTouch can be connected using several
methods, including RS-232, RS-485, fiber optic, modems or radio.

Intouch RTU Tank Gauges, I/O

Figure 1

InTouch & RTU/8130

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Part 1
Part 1 of this Application Note describes methods for making physical connection between the RTU/8130 and a
PC running InTouch.

PC Communications
PCs come standard with at least one RS-232 communications port. For the five methods (RS-232, RS-485,
Fiber Optic, Modems, Radio) described in this Application Note, all require the use of the RS-232 ports on the
PC. A signal converter will be used to convert the PC’s RS-232 signal to another signal type.
In the case where there are not enough RS-232 channels, an expansion board can be used to add more
communications ports. A DigiBoard can be used to add 8 or 16 RS-232 channels.

RTU Communications
The RTU/8130 supports two different physical communications methods. The RTU may be connected using
RS-485 or RS-232. RS-232 provides the means to connect to converters for other communications media such
as telephone, radio and fiber optic. RS-485 can communicate at high baud rates at distances up to 4000 feet.
Multiple RTUs can be connected on a single data bus.
The RTU has three communications ports: COM 0, COM 1 and COM 2. COM 0 is an RS-232 port; COM 1
and COM 2 can be configured to communicate using either RS-232 or RS-485. COM 0 does not support RTS
and CTS. COM 1 and COM 2 can be configured to use RTS and CTS.
Each method is discussed below:

RS-485
RS-485 is a three wire physical signaling method that allows multiple devices to be connected on a single data
bus. Up to 32 RTUs may be multi-dropped together on a single cable. Distances up to 4000 feet are supported
at baud rates up to 19,200 baud. The cable should be a two conductor instrumentation cable with an overall
shield. Multi-conductor cables can be used, provided the signals on the other wires are low level (< 5.0 VDC).
The shield is critical to preventing EMI and RFI.

1 2 32

RS-232 to
RS-485
RS-485
Converter

RS-232
Up to 32 RTUs
Multi-drop connection
Twisted Pair with overall shield
Surge Protection required at PC

Figure 2

PC connected to multiple RTUs over RS-485

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The RTU has two communications channels that can be configured to interface to RS-485. Each channel has
three terminals: A, B, G. Connect terminal G to the shield. Terminals A & B are the data signals. RS-485 is
polarity sensitive. Connector J8 is the surge ground terminal. Connect J8 to earth ground to provide protection
against voltage surges.
An RS-232 to RS-485 converter is required at the PC. There are many converters available on the market. The
Keithley Metrabyte M1100 works well with both InTouch and ViewRTU. The M1100 will use Request To Send
(RTS) and Clear To Send (CTS) if the signals are present. If the signals are not present, the M1100 uses an
intelligent turn-around mechanism to control data flow on the half-duplex data bus. Other RS-232 to RS-485
converters may require RTS/CTS. Both InTouch and ViewRTU have provisions for enabling or disabling the
use of RTS/CTS.
Surge protection for the RS-485 wires should be provided to protect both the converter and the PC.

RS-232
Most PCs have at least one RS-232 port available; many have two. In many installations it will be possible to
connect the RTU to InTouch directly. RS-232 can communicate at 9600 baud at distance up to 100 feet. At
19200 baud, the distance is 50 feet.

RS-232

Figure 3

RTUs connected using RS-232

If both the RTU and the PC are located inside the same building, surge protection may not be necessary. The
RS-232 on the RTU is not surge protected, so additional surge protection is recommended. If more than two RS-
232 ports are required, a DigiBoard is needed to expand the number of communications channels. An 8 channel
and a 16 channel version are available.

Modems
Modems are an alternative to using RS-485. A number of different types of modems exist, including telephone
modems and short haul modems. InTouch does not support dial-up to the RTU, so a dedicated connection is
needed. Short haul modems (line drivers) are ideal if a dedicated cable exists for communications. Depending

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on the short haul modem selected, communications are possible at distances of up to 5 miles. A 4 wire cable is
required, with a shield. Surge protection for both ends of the cable should be provided.

Point to Point connection

Short Haul Modem: 4 wire with overall shield
Telephone Modem: 2 wire leased line
Surge Protection required

MODEMS
RS-232

Copper wire or
RS-232 leased telephone line

Figure 4

RTUs connected using Modems

If using telephone communications, a 2 or 4 wire circuit can be used, depending upon the modem selected. The
RTU can be configured to use Request To Send (RTS) and Clear To Send (CTS). The use of RTS and CTS will
depend upon the modem.
The US Robotics Courier modem has been tested with the RTU and is flexible regarding the use of RTS and
CTS. Disabling the use of RTS/CTS simplifies the RS-232 cables at both the RTU and the PC. A 2 wire circuit
can be used with these modems. The telephone circuit should be protected against voltage surges.

Radio
Radio can be used to communicate at distances up to 10 miles (line of sight). External power supplies and
antennae are usually required for both the RTU and the PC. It is not possible to use the field power supply of
the RTU to power the radio.
Most data radios interface using RS-232 and typically use RTS and CTS. Some will buffer characters so that
RTS and CTS are not necessary.

Fiber Optic
Fiber Optic offers immunity to noise and EMI/RFI. Most fiber optic converters interface using RS-232 and
typically use RTS and CTS. Some will buffer characters so that RTS and CTS are not necessary. A separate
fiber is required for transmit and receive.

Selecting a Communications Method

The choice of communications method will depend upon site conditions, available cabling and cost.
Location of RTU: If the RTU is less than 100 feet, it is possible to use RS-232. If the RTU is less than 4000
feet from the PC, it is possible to use RS-485. If the RTU is less than 5 miles, it is possible to use a short haul
modem. A telephone modem can be used for any situation, provided the telephone circuit is dedicated (leased
line). Radios can be used in applications where the distance is less than 10 miles.
Existing cabling: For RS-232, RS-485 and short haul modems, either new or existing cabling can be used. The
cable should be shielded to reduce EMI/RFI.

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Cost: RS-232 is the cheapest and simplest method to implement. It requires no additional surge protection. RS-
485 is cheap and simple if there is existing conduit and cable. An RS-232 to RS-485 converter and surge
protection are required at the PC. Telephone modems require a telephone circuit and two modems.

Refer to the RTU/8130 Operations & Maintenance Manual for complete details on the RTU.

Refer to Wonderware’s InTouch documentation for an explanation of InTouch.

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Part 2
Part 2 of this Application Note describes the procedure for establishing links between the RTU/8130 database
and the InTouch Database.
Before the InTouch and RTU databases can be tied together, the RTU database must exist. The physical
connection between the PC and the RTU must be in place and operational.

Database Organization
InTouch refers to database items by Tagname. The RTU refers to database items by Type.Number.Parameter.
InTouch has over a dozen different tag types, including types for Integer and Real values. The RTU has over 75
point types, referred to as Software Blocks. Each RTU Software Block is different and has many different
parameters. RTU parameters can be defined as Byte, Integer, Real, Coded or over a dozen other types. It is
possible to read Bytes, Integers, Reals and Codeds from the RTU using the Modbus DDE Server of InTouch.
The Modbus DDE Server is used to manage the transfer of data between the PC and the RTU. For the Modbus
DDE Server, a Topic Definition is needed to define the Com Port, the Slave ID and several other parameters. In
InTouch, you can add multiple Topics for the Com Port. It is possible to have multiple RTUs per Com Port if
you are using RS-485 or radios to communicate with the RTUs in multi-drop mode. Modems, Fiber Optic and
RS-232 direct communications can not be multi-drop connected. In most cases there will only be a single RTU
per COM Port.
Once the Com Port settings and the Topic Definition have been configured, it is possible to establish links
between the RTU database and the InTouch database.

Data Scanning Methods

InTouch communicates to the RTU using a scan method. When data is scanned, InTouch’s Modbus DDE Server
issues requests for each variable in the scan list. The RTU responds with parameter data from the RTU
database. The data is then fed into the InTouch database. The Modbus DDE Server organinzes data in to block
reads, and uses either a Function Code 3 or 4 to read data. The RTU responds identically to Function Code 3 or
4.

Connecting the RTU database to the InTouch database

To connect the databases together, you will need the following:

• RTU Configuration Files (RCF) for each RTU

• Driver file (DVR) for the version of the RTU firmware (example - RTU2_441.DVR)
• InTouch Database with Tagnames defined

To cross connect the databases, perform the following steps:

1. Create a subdirectory called ‘RTU’ under the project directory (example

c:\Project\RTU). Copy the RCF files and DVR file to this directory.

2. Edit the file ‘\WINNT\viewrtu.ini’ and set the paths for the DVR files and the
RCF files to the subdirectory you just created.

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3. Use ViewRTU to configure the RTU for Modbus communications. Any of the
three communications ports, COM0, COM1 or COM2 can be used for Modbus
Slave communications. Change the Protocol parameter to ‘Modbus Slave’.

Set the BaudRate,

ComParams and
the Protocol

4. A MODGW (Modbus Gateway Block) point will be automatically created. Use

the Upload command from the Config menu to retrieve the MODGW point. Set
the Mode to ‘0x20’ to configure the Modbus Slave protocol handler in the RTU
to return Floating Point data in the form required by InTouch. You will need
firmware version 2.441 or greater to support IEEE floating point data.

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Set the Mode to

‘0x20’. The BaudRate
and ComParams
should be the same as
in the COM point. If
not, set them to the
correct values.

The Message,
Command
and Addr will
update as
requests are
received from
InTouch.

5. Use ViewRTU to add a GWBLK point (Gateway Block). This will serve as a
look-up table when providing data to InTouch. There can be a total of 16
address/data parameters sets. If more sets are needed, add additional GWBLK
points.

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Set the Addr

and PntRef
parameters
according to
the addresses
you want to
scan. The
Size will be
the number of
points you
want to read.

6. Save the RTU configuration in an RCF file.

7. You are now ready to configure InTouch. First, configure the Com Port
settings. From the Modbus DDE Server, select the Configure menu item and
then Com Port Settings. In the Communication Port Configuration dialog box,
set the Port to the COM Port, Baud Rate to either ‘9600’ or ‘19200’, Data Bits to
‘8’, Stop Bits to ‘1’ and Parity to ‘None’. Set the Protocol to ‘RTU’. At the
RTU/8130, the serial communications cable should be plugged into COM0,
COM1 or COM2, depending upon which COM point is set to ‘Modbus Slave’
protocol.

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This refers
to the PC’s
Com port.

Set the Baud

Rate and Parity
to match the
COM point in
the RTU. The
Data Bits
should be ‘8’.
The Protocol
should be
‘RTU’.

8. Create a Topic Definition to establish communications between InTouch and

the RTU. From the Modbus DDE server, select the Configure menu and click on
the Topic Definition menu item. Add a new Topic definition.

9. Set the Com Port to the COM port on the PC that you will use to communicate
with the RTU. Set the Slave ID to the address of the RTU. This will be the
same as the DIP switch SW1 on the RTU motherboard. Set the Slave Device
Type to ‘584/984 PLC’. Set the Register Type to ‘BINARY’. Set the Block I/O
Sizes to match the largest size block you had in the RTU’s GWBLK. Note that
the Block I/O sizes are in Integer Words, while the GWBLK represents number
of parameters. This will affect how the Modbus DDE Server formats its read
requests to the RTU. It will try to read data of addresses that close together by
issuing a block read. This may cause a problem if the Block I/O sizes are too
large.

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10. If there are going to be more RTUs, add them according to the previous steps.
Be sure each RTU has a unique Slave ID.

11. From the WindowMaker, click the Special menu item and select the Tagname
Dictionary. This will allow you add Tagnames and configure them. An example
is shown below:

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12. The Type will be ‘DDE Integer’ or ‘DDE Real’, depending upon whether you are
reading an integer or floating point value from the RTU. For Reals, append an
‘F’ to the address to signify the value is an IEEE floating point value. The
address shown in the Item will be offset by 1 from the value you enter in the
RTU GWBLK. For example 30201 represents a read to address 200 in the RTU
GWBLK.

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Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Causes Solutions

The RTU does not Installation Verify the communications lines are functioning
respond properly
Hardware failure Verify the RTU is functioning properly
Verify the RS-232 port on the PC is functioning
properly
Software Configuration
Check baud rate settings, addresses, etc.

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