ASCII EtherNet/IP Gateway, Ethernet/IP Gateway For ASCII Devices


ASCII to PLC Gateway
The Fastest Way to Move ASCII Data to in and out of Logix, PLC5 and SLC Controllers

"An Amazing ASCII Gateway That You Can Set Up in Less Time Then it Takes to Get a Can of Coke!"

A Fast, No Risk, ASCII to PLC Solution

I challenged a customer to get it working by the time
I got back from the break room with a coke and he indeed
had it when I got back. He then said,
"It's worth twice the price!"

Eric Pacquette, Kendall Electric

By far the easiest ascii to serial gateway I have ever used.
The built-in handshaking was very simple and effective."

Eric Girdham, Michigan Rebuild & Automation

“I have used eight of your units now and all were successful.
"It saved me writing that Voodoo logic that AB has to use
to make the port 0 stuff work.
In addition I didn't need to put together a proprietary network to connect seven scanners to a single processor. I am pleased with the performance and ease of use.”

Tom, Material Handling Specialist, Grandview MI

Ethernet is no longer an option for Industrial Devices - ETHERNET IS A REQUIREMENT. Ethernet is the fastest growing segment of Industrial Networking for one reason - The Market (Your Customers) Loves Ethernet. And the most important Industrial Ethernet protocol is EtherNet/IP™. EtherNet/IP is the Ethernet solution used in the Rockwell Automation architecture and the one GM is requiring for Robots, Welders and other automation devices.

Even though Ethernet is the standard there is still an awful lot of ASCII data out there. There is a ton of perfectly good scales, barcode readers, RF ID stuff and lots of other things that generate an ASCII string. This is equipment that you've used for a long time. You know how to set it up, how to make it work and that it's reliable for you. Plus, you can probably get it a really good price since it doesn't have all the fancy features of the new models.

The problem is that you still have to get this stuff in and out of your PLC. And front panel serial ports are going the same way as PC serial ports. So, you've probably used these serial tunneling devices. They work fine to a point. You still have to send & receive the serial data and move it in and out of PLC registers. That means writing and testing plc logic. Not hard - just another task to do and more code to support. But there is a better way, a much better way. If you could automatically transfer data in and out of PLC registers it would not only save you commissioning time, it get your ASCII data into those registers faster without any overhead.

Well, that's the device that we have. It quickly and easily moves Barcode data, Weigh Scale data and other ASCII devices in and out of ControlLogix, CompactLogix, PLC5E and SLC Controllers using Ethernet. Using EtherNet/IP Client technology our 435NBx Messenger gateway series products move your ASCII data in and out of Rockwell Automation PLCs with little or no delay. Milliseconds after receiving your ASCII data on either of the two serial ports your data is transferred to your user-specified tag or N Register in the PLC. Simply configure the ASCII data format, the IP Address of the PLC and two (one for each direction) PLC addresses (tag or N Register) for each serial port using a very simply browser interface and you are ready to run. No standalone or custom software is required. It's that simple!

Now instead of sending data to a numeric tag or N7 file in your Programmable Controller you can send the data to a string tag or S10 file. And of course it works both ways, you can send data out of your Programmable Controller using the string tag or S10 file.

Application Diagram

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Features

Transfer Data to or from PLC Registers
Product Versions For ControlLogix, CompactLogix, PLC5E, SLC 5/05 and MicroLogix Controllers
Specifically designed for Barcode Readers, Weigh scales and other ASCII devices
Dual Port Data Transfer - Supports either two RS232 ASCII devices or one RS485 and one RS232 device
Independent Incoming and Outgoing PLC Addresses (Logix Tags/N File Registers) for each Serial Port
Use Length, Termination character or Timeout to decode ASCII message
Simple, easy-to-use Configuration Using Any Browser
Simple Handshaking Protocol ensures no Lost Messages
Based on standard, off-the-shelf NetBurner Technology
EtherNet/IP Client Technology

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Benefits

Single Product Family for all your PLC Communications Needs
Identical Support for all Rockwell Automation PLCs
An Optimized Solution for Transferring your Barcode and Scale data to a ControlLogix PLC
Reduce Your Investment by Networking two ASCII devices with a single module
Transfer data from both ASCII devices independently and simultaneously
Support lots of devices with vastly different ASCII data formats
No Lost Messages
Proven and reliable hardware platform
Transfer data with Little or No Latency

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Sample Configuration Screen for ControlLogix (PLC5E, SLC 5/05, MicroLogix are similar)

Description
Sends bar code reader 7 on port 0 and weigh scale 6 on port 1 to Logix PLC.

Logix® IP Address is enabled

192.168.0.200

Comm port 0 is enabled
19200 baud, No parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit
Buffer transmit length = 500
Receive character timeout is disabled
End delimiter byte is enabled

End delimiter byte = $ 36 0x24

Keep the end delimiter byte
Logix® tag name is BarCodeReader7

Comm port 1 is enabled
9600 baud, No parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit
Buffer transmit length = 32
Receive character timeout = 500 milliseconds
End delimiter byte is enabled

End delimiter byte = [CR] 13 0x0D

Discard the end delimiter byte
Logix® tag name is WeighScale6

Edit

Network Settings

IP address: 192.168.0.125

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: 192.168.0.1

Edit

MAC address: 00-03-F4-01-52-0A
Revision: 1.0.8.2004

ORDERING INFORMATION
435NBA	Logix¹ Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Desk Mounted Gateway
435NBA-P	Logix Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Panel Mounted Gateway
435NBA-D	Logix Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Din Rail Mounted Gateway
435NBP	PLC5 Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Desk Mounted Gateway
435NBP-P	PLC5 Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Panel Mounted Gateway
435NBP-D	PLC5 Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Din Rail Mounted Gateway
435NBS	SLC 5/05, MicroLogix Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Desk Mounted Gateway
435NBS-P	SLC 5/05, MicroLogix Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Panel Mounted Gateway
435NBS-D	SLC 5/05, MicroLogix Dual Port EtherNet/IP Gateway	Din Rail Mounted Gateway

¹ Logix refers to both ControlLogix and CompactLogix

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ASCII to PLC Gateway

The Fastest Way to Move ASCII Data to in and out of Logix, PLC5 and SLC Controllers