Devices and Interfaces

Channels

Channels in FactoryStudio are the protocols you use to communicate with your PLCs. Many built-in protocols are available. You must set up a channel for each protocol you need to use.

To configure channels:

• Go to Edit > Devices > Channels.
• Click Create New.
• The Create New Channel window displays.

• Enter or select information, as needed.

  Column	Description
  Channel Name	Enter a name for the channel. The system lets you know if the name is not valid.
  Protocol	Select the protocol this channel uses.
  Interface	Select the interface type for this channel. Serial—Use to configure the serial parameters for RS232/485 networks.  MultiSerial—Use for configurations with multiple RS-232 ports.  TCPIP—Use for Ethernet or wireless networks.
  Description	Enter a description for this channel. For more information about the configuration for common protocols and interfaces, click Help at the top of the tab.|

• Click OK. The channel is added as a new row in the table.
• Enter or select information, as needed.

• To add or remove a column, right-click the column heading area and select or deselect columns.

  Column	Description
  ProtocolOptions	Configure the options for this protocol. The protocol options are dependent upon the selected protocol. 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.
  Settings	Configure the settings for this channel. The available values depend on the interface the channel is using. The settings here must match the settings on the slave device.  For a serial interface, typically keep the defaults.  For a MultiSerial interface, enter the number of RS-232 ports to use in the Ports field.  For a TCPIP interface:  AcceptUnsolicited—Accept unsolicited input from the slave.  ListeningPort—TCP port where the slave device is connected (default is 502).  NodeConnection—Number of parallel requests sent to each node (asynchronous communication).  MaxSimultaneousConnections—Maximum number of concurrent connections.  ShareNodeSameIP—Several slaves are connected to a single IP address. For example, RS485/Ethernet Converters.  UseSingleThread - Use a single thread for the same IP nodes.  UsePingToCheckConnection - Check for connection before sending a packet.
  Timeout	Configure the timeout options for this channel. Typically, keep the default value.
  IntialState	Select the initial state for this channel.
  Remote Settings	Set the primary IP and backup IP to configure the server addresses for this device module
  Driver Version	The version of the current driver being used.
  [Other columns]	For definitions of other columns that are available in many tables, see "Common Column Definitions".

• Continue adding as many channels as you need.
• If needed, right-click a row to cut, copy, paste, or delete the row.

Protocols

Connectivity is a key feature of the FactoryStudio platform. The system has built-in support for many industry standard protocols, such as OPC and Modbus. FactoryStudio also includes many native communication interfaces for a variety of hardware manufacturers, PLC, and protocols. 

There are many reasons for including native protocols as well as OPCs:

• cost reduction because most protocols are not charged;
• easier configuration because it is integrated in the system;
• higher access to protocols functions, performance, and diagnostics features that would not be possible using external components.
• improved technical support

Tatsoft is continuously adding new communication drivers. 

This link is the list of drivers currently distributed.

Nodes

Nodes in FactoryStudio 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.

  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. The protocol options are dependent upon the selected protocol. 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. For Modbus protocol: For a Serial interface, the SlaveID is the device's slave address on the Modbus network. Valid addresses are 1-247.  For a MultiSerial interface, select the number of the ComPort and enter the SlaveID, which is the device's slave address on the Modbus network. Valid addresses are 1-247.  For a TCPIP interface:  IP—Identification of the slave device's address.  Port—TCP port where the slave device is connected (default is 502).  SlaveID—Device slave address on the Modbus network. Valid addresses are 1-247.  For OPC interfaces: Service URL—Defines the location of the OPC server.  You must configure the DCOM settings to access an external OPC server. Contact support for assistance.  RefreshRate—Server refresh rate.  AllTemsSameGroup—Adds all items to a single group OPC. This way, only one connection is created with the OPC server.  WaitAfterConnect—Time to communicate after the application is running.  OPC UA and OPCXmlDA protocols have a "Test"button to test the connection. OPC UA also has a "Certificates" button to create new certificates for the system.|
  BackupStation	Enter the information required to access the backup node, based on the protocol selected. When 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".

• Continue adding as many nodes as you need.

Data 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 FactoryStudio license. 

To configure data points:

• Go to Edit > Devices > Points.
• You can copy and paste tags from the Tag > Objects tab.
• Enter or select information, as needed.

• To add or remove a column, right-click the column heading area and select or deselect columns.

  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. 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
  [Other columns]	For definitions of other columns that are available in many tables, see "Common Column Definitions".

• Continue adding as many points as you need.

Access Types

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 Edit > 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.

  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 drive uses this filed and the valid values.
  Description	Enter a description for the access type.
  [Other columns]	For definitions of other columns that are available in many tables, see "Common Column Definitions".

Importing PLC Addresses

You can import communication nodes and data points that have been defined by another data source in the following ways:

• You can copy and paste the contents of a table from Excel. As long you include the title of the columns when you copy and paste the contents of the table, the tables can have different columns or can be ordered differently. 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.
• 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 during runtime if it is necessary.

If your PLC or field device has an open database or file with the available addresses and you want to have a tight integration with that configuration and FactoryStudio addresses, contact support. 

Importing from an OPC Server

After you create an OPC communication node, you can select the node and click Import to import the OPC database for the project. FactoryStudio automatically creates the tags and communication points. 

Importing from Excel

To create and import Tags:

• Make a table in Excel with the columns shown below. 

To successfully import, you need the columns: TagName, Type, and Address.

• After you have chosen the device protocol and created a new node, click on the Import button. Then, choose the .CSV file that contains the tag's information and click on the ok button. 
•  
• The Tags and Points will be created automatically in Edit > Tags.

• Edit > Device > Points 

After you used the Import tool for the first time, the system will save whatever settings you used.  The button shows now SYNC, which means the next time you use it, it will run a synchronization, verifying which addresses were previously imported and the new ones. 

Using Diagnostic Tools

After you start the project in the Startup window, you can select diagnostic tools. These are: PropertyWatch (Watch), TraceWindow (Trace), and ModuleInformation (Info). 

You can also start the diagnostic tools on the Run-Test and Run-Startup pages by pressing the left mouse button over the desired tool's icon. If the menus are enabled for the displays, you can also access the tools menu. 

Module Information

The Module Information tool provides information about the operation of the modules. If you choose the module Devices and a specific channel, you will have several information items about the functioning of the communication channel. 

A very important section is the "Read Groups Information" because it provides information about the virtual reading groups, run time of each item, quantities of readings and readings that have failed, and also reports on the code and date/time of the last error. 

These are the typical steps when using the Module Information tool:

• Go to Read Groups Information, to look at the number of Successful and Failed communication events, in order to quickly identify the communication blocks.
• If you have systematic errors in all blocks, or status codes with negative values, typically it means you cannot access the remote device. Verify if the node address is right.
• If you have specific blocks with systematic errors, verify the tags and addresses connected with those blocks. Use the TraceWindow with Device information to collect information about those communication errors.
• For some protocols, such as OPC, the Discarded items will show wrong addresses in the configuration.

When running an Enterprise application in TEST mode, keep in mind that in this mode we only READ from the field devices, even you have a configuration to write to field. It is very useful to run the application with ONLINE CONFIGURATION enabled, so you don't need to start and stop the driver when modifying the configuration. You can modify PLC addresses, AccessTypes, and most of the application, and see the results in real-time on your running application. You can use the Startup window or the PropertyWatch tool to start and stop only one module, such as the Devices module, instead of restarting the entire runtime system. 

Property Watch

Property Watch is a diagnostic tool used to access tags and internal properties of the system for reading or writing. Just type the name of the property in the Object column, and its value will be found in the Value column.

For example, in the screen shown above, select Tag.Coils or Device.Channel.modbus.Status . The value of these objects will be shown. On the right side additional properties of the selected object are also displayed. 

Trace Window

The Trace Window tool presents system messages in a data grid interface. If you enable the module Devices at the Settings button, you have information about the status of reads, writes, unsolicited input, TX frames (sent) and RX frames (received).

When checking the Devices CheckBox on the Settings, enable only the ERROR, INFO and Warning information, not the Debug information, otherwise you will create too much data. For ControlLogix devices it is very important to use this tool, as the system will present here the invalid addresses on the configuration.

If you click on the settings button in the configuration dialog you can select which message types and modules to display. You can see the data in the data grid or save it to a file. It is also possible to configure a tag in ObjectName and click the Add button to bring up a menu to select that object to include in the monitoring.

For more information on how to use the Diagnostic Tools, please see "Using the Diagnostic Tools".

The Device Namespace

The namespace Device is the entry point for all objects related to the Device module.

The Device.Channel object lists all configured channels and their runtime properties.

The Device.Node object lists all configured nodes and their runtime properties.

The Device.AccessType object lists the defined access types and has options to execute synchronous calls on reading and writing to the device. 

The following tag properties are updated based on the device module:

tag.tagname.DevicePoint: Device point address connected with this tag

See "Namespaces" for the complete programming reference on runtime objects.