Introduction
Hello and welcome to a new guide on how to best use Movicon.NExT™.
In this technote we will show you how to add a communication driver to a Movicon.NExT™ project and how to configure it. Even though each communication driver has its own type of configuration according to its referent protocol, we will only look at the parts that each driver has in common. Therefore, if you need information on a specific driver, please refer to the product's online help.
Procedure
One or more communication drivers can be inserted and configured in the Movicon.NExT project's I/O Data Server as needed.
How to insert a communication driver
Let's start by inserting a driver.
Open the Movicon.NExT Editor and load a project:
- Double-click the I/O Data Server on the application's tree in the Project Explorer window to open it.
- Select the I/O Drivers tab.
- Right-click within the workspace to open a contextual menu and click on the Add New Driver option.
A list of all the drivers provided by the platform will show.
In this list you will find:
- Driver Name: this is the name of the driver used on the platform.
- Manufacturer: this is the brand or name of the protocol which the driver uses.
- Package Type: this is the package type which the driver is part of.
- Win32/Win64/Linux: the driver is compatible with the ticked operating systems.
- Help: when clicking the help button, a window will show with information on that driver.
Driver configuration
Select a driver and click on the configuration wizard's next step
button.
This form shows the driver's general settings. Each driver has it own
settings and therefore, we advise that you refer to the driver's help.
Click on the button to go to the next step.
This form shows the channel configuration which the driver will use
for communications.
The parameters in this form allow you to manage to the driver's performances
by configuring its polling time, and communication type. Serial type
drivers can be configured with a COM port by using the related parameters,
such as the baudrate, while ethernet type drivers can be configured
with a station by using the station's related parameters, such as
hostname, port, and communication timeout.
Click on the button to go ahead with the next step.
The last configuration form is used to define a station with which
the driver communicates by means of using the previously configured
channel.
The station's parameters may be the CPU's slot in the rack or the PLC
model.
Click the next step arrow once again and then the Finish button to
confirm all.
The driver configure wizard only allows one communication channel to
be defined to which only one station can be associated.
When opening the channel's configuration with a double-click on the
driver or by selecting the Open Settings option from the contextual
menu and then clicking on the Channel Settings tab in the window that
shows, you will be able to check whether communications with the field
device is working by using the Test Comm button.
Adding a communication channel and station
When you need to communicate with several devices using the same
driver, you can add additional communication channels.
To do this, go to the I/O Data Server's Drivers tab:
- Double-click the driver to which you wish to add a communication channel.
- Go to the Channel Settings tab in the window that appears.
- Click the Add Channel button.
- Configure the new channel as needed.
- Click Ok to confirm.
- Click the Add Station button after having selected the previously added channel.
- Configure the new communication station as needed.
- Click Ok to confirm.
- Then click the Test Comm button to test communications with the station you have just added.
- Click OK to confirm all.