Overview
The Device Module in FactoryStudio plays a central role in managing communication between the HMI and devices in an industrial automation system. To ensure seamless integration and optimal performance, it is essential to properly configure the Device Module. This includes selecting the appropriate communication protocol, creating and managing device channels, and defining device nodes and points.
On this page:
Table of Contents maxLevel 3
Configuration Workflow
The typical configuration workflow for the Device Module has the following sequence:
Device Module Configuration Workflow | ||
|---|---|---|
Action | Where | Comments |
Create Channels | Devices → Channels | Identify the required field devices and protocols the project requires, create channels accordingly. |
Create Nodes | Devices → Nodes | Identify the Network addresses and relevant information to all stations and devices that need connectivity. |
Map Tags to Point addresses | Devices → Points | Optionally, you can Copy Tags from Excel/CSV from Excel or execute Import Wizards. |
Create or Customize AccessTypes | Devices → AccessTypes | Optionally, you can optimize the communication, grouping Points with similar requirements to the same AccessType. |
Communication Protocol Selection
FactoryStudio supports a wide range of communication protocols to facilitate interaction between the HMI and various industrial devices. To select the appropriate protocol for your system, consider factors such as compatibility with the devices in your network, data transfer speed, reliability, and security requirements. Once you have determined the most suitable protocol, configure it within the Device Module to establish communication between the HMI and devices.
There are various befits in including the included Native Protocols, instead of having to acquired and maintain a third-party OPC Server to enable the connection. See the Page Native Driver vs OPC Server.
Available Communication drivers
| Tip |
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The up-to-date list of Communication drivers is publics at docs.tasoft.com at the Communication Drivers section. Additional driver can be created using the Drivers Toolkit. |
Creating and Mananging Device Channels
Device channels in FactoryStudio are the pathways for communication between the HMI and the devices in the system. To create and manage channels, follow these steps:
To create channels:
Go to Edit → Devices → Channels.
Click Create New.
The Create New Channel window displays.
Enter or select information, as needed.
Click OK. The channel is added as a new row in the table
Device Channel Creation Settings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Field/Column | Description | ||
Channel Name | Enter a name for the channel. The system allows you to know if the name is not valid. | ||
Protocol | Select the protocol this channel uses. | ||
Interface | Select the interface type for this channel.
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Description | Enter a description for this channel.
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To edit device channels:
Go to Edit → Devices → Channels.
To add or remove a column, right-click the column heading area and select or deselect columns.
Edit the fields on the row corresponding to the channel you want to modify.
Device Channel Configuration Properties | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Field/Column | Description | ||
ProtocolOptions | Configure the options for this protocol. | ||
Settings | Configure the settings for this channel. The available values depend on the interface the channel is using.
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Timeout | Configure the timeout options for this channel. Typically, keep the default value. | ||
IntialState | Select the initial state for this channel. Enabled: the channel is loaded and execution starts when the project starts. Disabled: the channel is loaded, but does not starts execution going the disabled state. Remote: the channel is local in a remote Computer defined that the Remote Settings. See more information at Remote Execution. Reserved: the channel is not loaded, it acts as the channel was temporarily deleted from the project. | ||
Remote Settings | Set the primary IP and backup IP to configure the remote computer where this channel will run | ||
Driver Version | The version of the current driver being used. | ||
Creating Nodes
Nodes are the devices or PLCs on the network that you communicate with. You can enter the settings for your nodes as usual through the Engineering Workspace. You can also import settings from an OPC server or from another data source. See "Importing PLC Addresses" below.
To configure nodes:
Go to Edit → Devices → Nodes.
Enter or select information, as needed.
To add or remove a column, right-click the column heading area and select or deselect columns.
Device Node Configuration Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Column | Description | ||||
Name | Enter a name for the node. The system lets you know if the name is not valid. | ||||
Channel | Select the channel for this node. For more information about the configuration for common protocols, click Help at the top of the tab. | ||||
PrimaryStation | Enter the information required to access the primary node, based on the protocol selected.
For Modbus protocol:
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BackupStation | Enter the information required, based on the protocol, to access the backup node. When the backupstation is defined and a communication failure occurs on the primary station, the system automatically attempts to establish communication with the backup station. | ||||
SyncDate | Date that the import was done (read only field). | ||||
SyncStation | Information about the station where the import was done - Station IP, Port and Slot - (read only field). | ||||
SyncSettings | Information about the settings used by the system to import the file (read only field). | ||||
Description | Enter a description for this node. | ||||
| [Other columns] | For definitions of other columns that are available in many tables, see Common Column Definitions. | ||||
Adding and Editing Points
Data Points define specific values for each node that can be accessed using tags. The number of data points you can configure is related to both the ProductModel that is configured for the project and your software license.
To configure data points:
Go to Devices → Points.
You can copy and paste tags from the Tag → Objects.
Enter or select information, as needed.
To add or remove a column, right-click the column heading area and select or deselect columns.
Device Points Configuration Properties
Field/Column
Description
TagName
Enter a tag name or click "..." to select a tag. You can also create a new tag.
Node
Select the node for this data point.
Address
Enter the register address which is based on the PLC and protocol for this data point and tag.
Note The Protocol options are dependent upon which protocol is selected. Select the protocol from the dropdown list at the top of the page, and press the HELP button to access the specific protocol's documentation.
DataType
Select the data type you want to use. Most protocols should use the native option. When native is used, the protocol will automatically handle the data conversion.
Selecting a different data type overrides the defaults. Some options may not be applicable to the selected node. Make sure you know the applicable data types.
Modifiers
If the PLC uses a different byte order, select the options you want. You can change the position bit, byte, Word, or Dword of the data that is communicated.
AccessType
Select the access type for this data point. You can define and configure the access types. See Access Types below.
Scaling
If you want to manipulate the tag value, select the options you want.
When the data is read in the Equation option:
- Div - The system will divide the register value by what you enter here.
- Add - The system will add the amount you enter here as an offset of the result of the division.
For a write operation, the calculations are the opposite (multiple by the Div value, then subtract the Add value).
Label A text that represents a label on the point
Customizing the Pre-defined AccessTypes
FactoryStudio comes with several pre-defined access types that define the specific methods for reading and writing the values of each data point. To further optimize data exchange, users can customize these access types as needed. To customize pre-defined access types:
To configure access types:
Go to Devices → AccessTypes.
Do one of the following:
To edit an existing access type, double-click a field.
To create a new access type, click Create New.
Enter or select information, as needed.
| Tip |
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One very efficient AcceesType is to read data when it is being used by the application. Go to the section OnDisplayOrServer AccessType for more information. |
Access Types Configuration
Access types define the specific methods for reading and writing the values of each data point. This could be the polling rate, whether or not a read is performed on startup, and whether or not unsolicited input is accepted. FactoryStudio comes with a few predefined access types that you can use, or you can create your own.
To configure access types:
Go to Devices → AccessTypes.
Do one of the following:
To edit an existing access type, double-click a field.
To create a new access type, click Create New.
Enter or select information, as needed.
Device AccessType Configuration Properties
Field/Column
Description
Name
Enter a name for this access type.
Read
ReadPolling
Select when you want to enable read polling.
ReadPollingRate
Enter how often the address value is retrieved.
ReadTrigger
Enter an object property that tells the system when to read the value.
ReadOnStartup
When selected, the system reads the value on startup.
ReadStatus
Enter an object property that receives the status of the read communication.
ReadCompleted
Enter an object property that receives an indication that the reading is completed. The value will change between 0 and 1 every time a reading is completed.
Write
WriteEventEnable
Select to enable the writing of values to the PLC.
WriteEvent
Select when the value is written.
WriteTrigger
Enter an object property that tells the system when to write the value.
WriteStatus
Enter an object property that receives the status of the write communication.
WriteCompleted
Enter an object property that receives an indication that the writing is completed. The value will change between 0 and 1 every time a writing is completed.
Settings
AcceptUnsolicited
When selected, the system accepts values from the PLC, even if the polling time has not yet elapsed.
UseStaticBlocks
Select to use the block command field
BlockCommand
Enter a definition for each block that will be created. Check the driver documentation to see if the specific driver uses this field and the valid values.
Description
Enter a description for the access type.
One very efficient AcceesType is to read data when it is being used by the application. Go to the section OnDisplayOrServer AccessType for more information.
Importing PLC Addresses
When creating the communication nodes and point addresses, there is no need to retype those addresses if they are already defined in some other data source. Currently, Tatsoft supports the following methods to automatically import remote data configuration:
You can copy and paste the contents of a table from Excel. The tables can have different columns or order, as long you include the TITLE of the column in the copy and paste operations. The system will put the data in the expected columns, even if the order is different in the source and target tables.
You can import the data from CSV files.
For Rockwell ControlLogix devices, you can import from L5k definition files.
You can use various Import Wizards from many data sources
For OSIsoft® PI database, there is a FactoryStudio version to share definitions.
A programming API is available that can populate the tables from code, even from runtime execution when it is necessary.
If your PLC or Field Device has an open database of file with the available addresses, and you would like to have a tied integration with that configuration and FactoryStudio addresses, contact us, as we have programming interfaces to allow that just like we did with the OPC datasources.
For more information, visit Import Tag Wizards.
Importing from an OPC Server
Importing data from an OPC server in FactoryStudio allows for efficient and streamlined integration with industrial automation systems. By creating an OPC communication node and selecting the "Import" option, FactoryStudio automatically creates tags and communication points based on the information available from the OPC server. This functionality simplifies the configuration and maintenance of the project, optimizing the data integration process. To learn more about importing data from an OPC server, please visit Import Tag Wizards - OPC Server.
Tutorial - Importing from an OPCXmIDA
The Importing from OPCXmIDA tutorial guides you through the process of configuring a Kepware server and a FactoryStudio client, establishing an efficient OPC connection between the two systems. By following the steps outlined in the tutorial, you can create and configure devices, tags, and OPCxmIDA communication nodes in both Kepware and FactoryStudio. Additionally, the tutorial covers how to change the visibility property of the tags to ensure proper communication between the OPC server and client. For detailed, step-by-step information on importing from OPCXmIDA, please visit Tutorial - Importing from an OPCXmIDA
Importing from Excel
The import and export of tags and PLC addresses in FactoryStudio is streamlined due to its integration with Excel, as the software extensively utilizes tables in various features. By creating a table in Excel with the required columns, such as TagName, Type, and Address, you can copy and paste the data directly into FactoryStudio. The software ensures the accurate assignment of data to the corresponding columns, even if the column order is different. After the first import, the system stores your settings, making it easy to synchronize previously imported addresses and new addresses. For more detailed information on the import and export process of tags, visit Import Tag Wizards -Importing from Excel.
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