Polling Data from Allen-Bradley PLC

Using Serial Protocol

APPLICATION NOTE
AUG-0045-00 2.2 en-US ENGLISH
Important User Information
Disclaimer
The information in this document is for informational purposes only. Please inform HMS Networks of any
inaccuracies or omissions found in this document. HMS Networks disclaims any responsibility or liability for any
errors that may appear in this document.

HMS Networks reserves the right to modify its products in line with its policy of continuous product development.
The information in this document shall therefore not be construed as a commitment on the part of HMS Networks
and is subject to change without notice. HMS Networks makes no commitment to update or keep current the
information in this document.

The data, examples and illustrations found in this document are included for illustrative purposes and are only
intended to help improve understanding of the functionality and handling of the product. In view of the wide range
of possible applications of the product, and because of the many variables and requirements associated with any
particular implementation, HMS Networks cannot assume responsibility or liability for actual use based on the data,
examples or illustrations included in this document nor for any damages incurred during installation of the product.
Those responsible for the use of the product must acquire sufficient knowledge in order to ensure that the product
is used correctly in their specific application and that the application meets all performance and safety requirements
including any applicable laws, regulations, codes and standards. Further, HMS Networks will under no circumstances
assume liability or responsibility for any problems that may arise as a result from the use of undocumented features
or functional side effects found outside the documented scope of the product. The effects caused by any direct or
indirect use of such aspects of the product are undefined and may include e.g. compatibility issues and stability
issues.

Polling Data from Allen-Bradley PLC AUG-0045-00 2.2 en-US

Table of Contents Page

1 Preface ................................................................................................................................. 3
1.1 About This Document .......................................................................................................3
1.2 Document history ............................................................................................................3
1.3 Related Documents ..........................................................................................................3
1.4 Trademark Information .....................................................................................................3

2 Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 4

3 Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 5
3.1 Hardware .......................................................................................................................5
3.2 Software.........................................................................................................................5
3.3 PLC Protocol Compatibility.................................................................................................5

4 Implementation Steps......................................................................................................... 7
4.1 Link the Flexy and the PLC .................................................................................................7
4.2 Configure the IO Server.....................................................................................................7
4.3 Create Tags in the Flexy .................................................................................................. 10
4.4 Monitor Tags................................................................................................................. 12

5 Troubleshoot Tags in Error ............................................................................................... 14

5.1 False Positive ................................................................................................................ 14

A Allen-Bradley Tag Address Syntax.................................................................................... 17

A.1 SLC500 Family ............................................................................................................... 17
A.2 ContolLogix Family ......................................................................................................... 18
A.3 Status Register............................................................................................................... 20

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Preface 3 (22)

1 Preface
1.1 About This Document
This document explains in a few steps how the Flexy can poll data registers from an Allen-Bradley
PLC based on DF1 or ABLOGIX serial protocols.
For additional related documentation and file downloads, please visit www.ewon.biz/support.

1.2 Document history

Version Date Description
1.0 2011-12-11 First release
2.0 2019-07-29 Changed: General update
2.1 2019-11-07 Changed: Configure the IO Server, p. 7
2.2 2021-05-31 Changed: Table in SLC500 Family, p. 17

1.3 Related Documents

Document Author Document ID
Polling Data from Allen-Bradley using HMS AUG-0079-00
Ethernet Protocol
Ewon Flexy Base Units HMS IG-0014-00
FLA 3301 - Serial Ports Extension Card HMS IG-0016-00
Flexy Family Reference Guide HMS RG-0008-00

1.4 Trademark Information

Ewon® is a registered trademark of HMS Industrial Networks SA. All other trademarks mentioned
in this document are the property of their respective holders.

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Objectives 4 (22)

2 Objectives
The objective of this document is to explain how the Flexy can poll data registers out of one or
more Allen-Bradley PLCs using DF1 or ABLOGIX.
Polling PLC data registers implies the following steps:
1. Link the Flexy with the PLC;
2. Configure theFlexy IO server;
3. Create tags in the Flexy;
4. Monitor tags.

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Requirements 5 (22)

3 Requirements
3.1 Hardware
To follow this guide, you need:
► A computer suitable to connect to the Ewon Flexy.
→ From a computer running a web-browser, you will configure the IO server in the Flexy
to poll different types of PLC data registers.
→ You access the Flexy web server either by using (one of) its local LAN port(s) or by
another type of access such as VPN IP address.
► An Allen-Bradley PLC: PLC5, SLC500, MicroLogix, CompactLogix, ControlLogix or FlexLogix.
→ Connection between the Ewon Flexy and the Allen-Bradley PLC must be done through
serial protocol. The serial port could be on the base unit as in the Flexy 202 or on a
Flexy extension card: FLA 3301 – 2 serial ports. For polling tags over Modbus TCP with
an Ethernet connection, see “Polling Data from Allen-Bradley using Ethernet Protocol”
from Related Documents, p. 3.
→ The device will have its registers read by the tags configured in the IO server of the
Flexy.

3.2 Software
3.2.1 eBuddy
The Flexy is configured through its web server. All you need is a standard web browser software
such as Google Chrome® or Mozilla Firefox®.

Additionally, we suggest downloading the eBuddy utility on our website.

This utility can list all the Ewon Flexy on your network and change the default IP address of a
Flexy to match your LAN IP address range. With eBuddy you can also easily upgrade the firmware
of your Flexy if required.

3.2.2 Ewon Flexy Firmware

The screenshots of this guide reflect firmware version 13.3s0, but you can expect the basic
principles to remain the same in earlier/later versions.

A simple way to upgrade the Flexy firmware is to use eBuddy.

3.3 PLC Protocol Compatibility

The table below shows the protocols that are supported by the Flexy and, for each of those
protocols, which IO server you need to use inside the Ewon Flexy to connect your Allen-Bradley
PLC.

PLC Family DF1 Protocol (RS232 link) Flexy IO server

SLC500 Yes DF1
MicroLogix Yes DF1
PLC5 Yes DF1
CompactLogix Yes ABLOGIX
ControlLogix Yes ABLOGIX
FlexLogix Yes ABLOGIX

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The DF1 IO server name does not mean that this server is limited to the DF1 protocol and
associated serial link.

The DF1 IO server supports the EIP protocol of the listed PLC families as well.

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4 Implementation Steps
4.1 Link the Flexy and the PLC
1. In the PLC configuration, the serial port must be configured in DF1 Full Duplex mode.
This is the standard setting for the PLC interface when used for programming maintenance.
2. Use the Allen-BradleyDF1 crossed serial cable (ref 1747-CP3) or equivalent to interconnect
the Flexy with the PLC.
3. The serial port on the Flexy — base unit or extension card — must be in RS232 mode.
For the FLA 3301 – 2 Serial Ports Extension card:
• Port S2 is fixed RS232 mode.
• Port S1 is configurable with dip switches. The proper configuration is printed on the
extension card to the left of the switches.
You must also configure the serial interface inside the Flexy:
1. Go to the Flexy web interface.
2. Browse to Setup ► System ► Communication ► General ► Serial ports.
3. Set the different serial ports you need according to the RS* protocol used by your PLC.

Fig. 1 Serial port configuration on Ewon Flexy web interface

The pinout for the serial port on the Flexy is available in the Installation Guides for the Flexy and
for the FLA 3301 serial port extension card, depending if you use the serial port of the Flexy base
unit or of theFlexy extension card. For more information, refer to Related Documents, p. 3.

4.2 Configure the IO Server

1. Go to the Flexy's web interface.
2. Select the IO Servers menu option.

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3. Select the IO Server corresponding to your PLC type:

– DF1 IO server for SLC500, MicroLogix, and PLC5 devices.
– ABLOGIX IO server for CompactLogix, ControlLogix, and FlexLogix devices.

Fig. 2 IO server selection

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4. Set the settings of the IO server with the parameters as defined in the PLC you want to poll:
a. Select the COM port to which the PLC is connected.
The COM port numbering depends on the Flexy model and the number of serial port
extension cards installed in the Flexy:
– For a Flexy 205 with a single FLA 3301 (2 Serial Ports) extension card: port “S1” is
COM 1 and “S2” is COM 2.
– For other configurations, see the Installation Guides for your Flexy model and
extension cards from the Related Documents, p. 3.
b. Set the Baudrate.
c. Set the Parity.
d. Set the Stop Bit.
e. Set the Frame Error detection.
f. Select Full Duplex NO Handshaking for HW Mode.

Fig. 3 DF1 IO server settings

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5. Enable at least one Topic to be able to poll data registers — called tags — out of your PLC.
Topics are meant to allocate common properties to a group of tags.
Properties include Enable/Disable polling, Poll Rate, and Global Device Address.
a. Enter a valid address in the Global Device Address as per the table below.

PLC Family Flexy IO server Address syntax for DF1 protocol

(serial link)
SLC500 DF1 1
MicroLogix DF1 1
PLC5 DF1 PLC5-1
CompactLogix ABLOGIX 1
ControlLogix ABLOGIX 1
FlexLogix ABLOGIX 1

Even though there are only three topics, the Flexy can support polling from more than
three PLCs on the same IO server.
To poll from more than three PLCs, do not specify the device address in the topic.
Instead, include the device address as part of the tag address – when configuring the
tag itself – as described later in this document.
When entering a device address, a helper appears to indicate if the address uses a valid
syntax for this IO server. An address using a valid syntax is displayed in green and an
invalid syntax in red.
b. Define the refresh rate in ms (milliseconds) inside the Poll Rate which is applicable to
all.
The poll rate is the refresh rate in ms (milliseconds) applicable to all data registers that
is included in this topic. If you leave this field blank, the default value applied will be
2000 ms (2 seconds).
If you have tags that need to refreshed at a different rates, enable and configure
multiple topics.
6. Click on Update to save your settings.

4.3 Create Tags in the Flexy

1. Select the Values option from the Tags menu.
2. Switch the “Mode” to Setup.

Fig. 4 Tag setup

3. Click the Add button to open the tag configuration window.

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4. Enter the parameters of the tag you want to create:

a. Enter a Tag Name.
Free text, no spaces, no symbols -, =, %, $, @, # etc.
b. Enter a Description.
Free text.
c. Select DF1 or ABLOGIX as IO server depending on the product family of the relevant
PLC.
d. Enter a Topic Name: A, B or C.
The topic must have been configured in the IO server page (see Configure the IO Server,
p. 7).
e. Enter the PLC register in the “Address” field which will be polled from the PLC.
As the address is entered, a tag helper appears to help properly format the tag address.
Typical examples addresses:
DF1 IO server ABLOGIX IO server
N7:1 myvar
B3:4 PROGRAM:myprog.myvar
T4.ACC myvar/4
F8:10 mytable[6]

If you enter a wrong address syntax, the tag creation will be rejected and an error
message will be displayed.
For more information on data register ID syntax, see Allen-Bradley Tag Address Syntax,
p. 17.

Fig. 5 Tag setup 2

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f. Type: The data type of the tag such as Floating Point or Boolean.
The Automatic option lets the Flexy decide the format depending on the IO server
register/modifier type.
5. [Optional] The remaining fields are mostly left with their default value:
– Force Read Only: Unchecked is the default.
When it is checked, users will not be able to change a value in View mode on the
Values page.

The tag remains read/write for commands written in the embedded BASIC script program or on custom
webpages.

– Ewon value: Defaults are *1+0.

This field applies a scale factor and an offset to the raw value coming from the IO
server.
The scale factor and offset are float values. Negative values are accepted.
TAGval = IOSERVERval * scale factor + offset.
6. Click the Add button when your tag configuration is complete.
If everything is OK the new tag appears in the tag list.
You can repeat the same sequence for any other tags. If you need to create new tags that have
almost the same properties as an existing tag in the list, select the source tag and click the Add
as selected option.
All properties of the existing tag will be copied in the new tag creation wizard. Copied properties
include the tag name. Since the tag name must be unique, make sure you change the name of
the new tag.

It is the first selected tag that will be copied if more than one single tag is selected in the list.

4.4 Monitor Tags

You can change the mode to View to monitor tags values and their status.

Fig. 6 Monitor tags

This page shows the tags and their last polled values as well as alarm information and logging
information for tags with alarming and logging enabled.
The page refreshes automatically at the rate set on the bottom of the page.
On this page, you can sort, filter, and search for tags to easily find specific tags.

Information about configuring additional tag features is available in the Flexy Family Reference
Guide, see Related Documents, p. 3.
You can change the value of tags that are configured as read/write (unless the box Force Read
Only was ticked in the tag creation wizard).

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To change the value of a tag:

1. Select the tag and press the Edit Value button, or double click its current value.
2. Enter the new value.
3. Click the Apply button to update all of the edited tags.

Fig. 7 Edit a tag

By clicking the Apply button, the Flexy sends the new values to the registers of the PLC. Since the
value displayed in the value column is the last value read from the PLC, the new value will not
appear until the next poll takes place.

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5 Troubleshoot Tags in Error

A tag value displayed with a red icon in the Quality/Status column indicates that the quality for
this value is considered as bad.

Fig. 8 Tag error

As long as the quality of the displayed value is good, no icon appears in this column.
More information about the nature of the problem can be obtained by placing the mouse cursor
on the icon.

Fig. 9 Tag error with description

To get more information about the nature of the error and the sequence of events before and
after the error occurred, you can check the events appearing in the Event Log.

Fig. 10 MODBUS IO server — Error logs

5.1 False Positive

A single tag in error (truly bad) can cause a number of other (good) tags to appear in error as
well because tag requests and responses are grouped in one single envelope for communication
optimization purposes. The whole group is then affected with the same error status.

During commissioning or maintenance, you may want to isolate the truly bad tag from the others.
Therefore, you have to disable the polling of tags in error.
This can be done in the IO Server ► Global Settings parameters.

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Fig. 11 Disable tags in error

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Appendix A: Allen-Bradley Tag Address Syntax 17 (22)

A Allen-Bradley Tag Address Syntax

A.1 SLC500 Family
A.1.1 Syntax
The general tag address format is as follows:
X[file]:element [.field][/bit]

where:

X Identifies the file type

file File number, must be 0-255 decimal.

element Element number within the file.

field Used only for Counter, Timer and Control files

bit Valid for all types except Floating.

The table below summarizes the valid file types, the default file number for each type and the
fields allowed:

X File Type Default File Nb Fields Tag format in Flexy

O Output 0 DWord
I Input 1 DWord
S Status 2 DWord
B Binary 3 DWord
T Timer 4 .PRE, .ACC, .EN, .TT, . DWord
DN
C Counter 5 .PRE, .ACC, .CU, .CD, . DWord
DN, .OV, .UN, .UA
R Control 6 .LEN, .POS, .EN, .DN, . DWord
ER, .UL, .IN, .FD
N Integer 7 DWord
F Floating 8 Floating
point
A ASCII None DWord
ST String None String
L Long Word None DWord

The tag format is the one defined by theFlexy if it was configured as Automatic, see Create Tags
in the Flexy, p. 10:
• DWord: an unsigned 32 bits integer.
• Floating point: IEEE single precision float representation.

A.1.2 Typical Examples

Item type Address to use in Ewon Flexy Description
Integer File Items N7:10 Integer N7:10
N7:10/14 Bit 14 of Integer N7:10
Output File Items O:1.0 Output 1, element 0
O:1.0/5 Bit 5 of Output 1, element 0
Input File Items I:1.0 Input 1, element 0

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Appendix A: Allen-Bradley Tag Address Syntax 18 (22)

Item type Address to use in Ewon Flexy Description

I:1.0/5 Input 1, element 0, bit 5
Status File Items S2:42 Seconds info of PLC
S2:10/2 Forces enabled on PLC
Binary File Items B3:5/1 Bit 1 of element 5
Timer File Items T4:1.ACC Accumulator of timer T4:1
T4:1.PRE Preset of of timer T4:1
Counter File Items C5:2.ACC Accumulator of counter C5:2
C5:2.PRE Preset of counter C5:2
Control File Items C6:1.LEN Len of control file C6:1
C6:1.POS POS of control file C6:1
Floating File Items F8:5 Floating point F8:5

A.2 ContolLogix Family

A.2.1 Controller Tags
The controller tag address format is as follows:
<SymbolicTagName>[/bit]

To read the controller tags, use the Symbolic Tag Name created inside the controller tag section
of your PLC:

Fig. 12 Controller Tags

To read an array of a controller tag:

Fig. 13 Controller Tags — Read an array

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Appendix A: Allen-Bradley Tag Address Syntax 19 (22)

To read a timer, control or counter of a controller tag:

<SymbolicTagName>.acc (or .ctl or .pre)

Fig. 14 Controller Tags — Read a timer, control or counter

Typical Examples
Item type Address to use in Ewon Flexy Description
Local:1:O Local:1:O.Data Local IO module 1:O
Local:1:O.Data/2 Bit 2 of Local IO module 1:O
ons ons[3] 3d element of INT Array
ons[3]/2 Bit 2 of 3d element of INT Array
Note .2 replaced by /2 while Ewon does not support .
before a number
TON TON[0].PRE Preset of Timer TON[0]
Myvar Myvar DINT

A.2.2 Program Tags

The program tag address format is as follows:
PROGRAM:ProgName.]SymbolicTagName

Fig. 15 Program Tags

Typical Examples
Item type Address to use in Ewon Flexy Description
Myvar2 PROGRAM:MainProgram.Myvar2 tag Myvar2 inside MainProgram
PROGRAM:MainProgram.Myvar2/4 bit 4 of tag Myvar2 inside
MainProgram
TON1 PROGRAM:MainProgram.TON1.PRE preset of Timer TON1 inside
MainProgram

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Appendix A: Allen-Bradley Tag Address Syntax 20 (22)

A.3 Status Register

The status tag is a special tag that returns information about the current state of the
communication for a given device.
The status tag address syntax is as follows:
Status[Global Device Address]

You can define a status tag for each PLC used.

If you use the status address, the tag must be configured as an analog data type such as floating
point or integer.

Status value Description

0 Communication not initialized: Status UNKNOWN.
If no tag is polled on that device address, the communication status is unknown.
1 Communication OK
2 Communication NOT OK

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