I. Ethernet Communication Issues Between Premium PLC and Unity Pro Unity Pro is a new PLC programming software launched by Schneider Electric, which can be simply seen as an upgrade to the previous PL7 series software. However, in reality, the functionality of this software is far more powerful than the previous PL7. Although both are Schneider Electric products, some problems were encountered during Ethernet communication, and the solutions are as follows: First: The TSX P572634 has a built-in Ethernet module, but the default IP address is unknown, so it is impossible to communicate with it on the first try. Regarding this issue, Schneider Electric customer service suggested that serial communication could be used first to download the IP address to the PLC. However, this violates the original intention of this article to communicate only via Ethernet, and the Schneider Electric dedicated USB to serial programming cable needs to be purchased separately. Consulting relevant Schneider Electric product documentation, the default IP address for the Premium PLC is 85.16.*.*. The last two asterisks (*) need to be filled in by converting the last two segments of the MAC address printed on the front of the module from hexadecimal to decimal. For example, if the last two segments of your PLC's MAC address are 2C 3A, which translates to 44 and 58 in decimal, then the PLC's built-in IP address is 85.16.44.58. Secondly, when communicating with the PLC via Ethernet, selecting to download the program to the PLC works normally. However, after all files are downloaded, a dialog box appears saying "Waiting for the end of transfer," which remains on the screen. Without intervention, the process cannot continue; canceling automatically disconnects the PLC. However, uploading files from the PLC works normally, indicating that the files have actually been transferred to the PLC. Repeated verification shows that this problem stems from a conflict between the antivirus software and Unity Pro. When communicating with a PLC via Ethernet, Kaspersky and Rising antivirus software need to be uninstalled first (other antivirus software has not been verified) for normal communication. This can be considered a slight drawback of Unity Pro, a powerful programming software. II. Citect SCADA 6.0 Communication Issues and Solutions with Unity Pro Citect SCADA is a monitoring and configuration software produced by Siat Technology Ltd. in Australia. Although it has powerful communication capabilities with various PLCs, Citect SCADA is quite confusing when dealing with Schneider PLCs. The communication protocols in the Schneider, Modicon, and Telemecanique sections are not detailed, and the TCP/IP protocol help file is linked to the Uni-telway protocol. The upgraded driver help lists a protocol called Unite that supports communication with Premium PLCs via Ethernet. This driver needs to be registered with an ID on the Siat Technology Ltd. website and downloaded and installed. Due to the problem with the help file, the Schneider automation option mentioned in the help file is still not found in the protocol list after installation. The Citect Knowledge Base, included with the software, provides detailed solutions to problems related to using the Unite protocol and communicating with Premium PLCs via Ethernet. The relevant content is translated below: The UNITE driver is an application of the Unite protocol under TCP/IP. It allows Citect to communicate with Premium PLCs via Ethernet. It also allows Citect to communicate with Micro PLCs using the ETZ module over Ethernet. Below is a solution for communicating with Premium PLCs using the ETY module. Using the PL7 software, assign the hardware an appropriate IP address and Xway address. In this example, use the IP address 84.0.1.14 and the Xway address 1.3 (network number 1, station number 3). Ensure you can use Schneider's XIP driver to communicate with the PLC; if XIP is unavailable, Citect may also be unable to communicate. After communicating with the PLC using the XIP driver, you can configure Citect: Run the IO Express installation wizard. Create or use an existing IO server (only one IO server can run per computer). Create an IO device name (e.g., "PremiumETY"). Select the external IO device. Now, in the driver list, select the Telemechanique folder and expand it, then expand the Premium and Micro folders, and select Ethernet (TCP/IP). Select Next. Choose the IP address and enter the IP address of the ETY (or ETZ module), ensuring it matches the XIP address set in the PL7 software. Enter 502 for the port. UNITE uses port 502 by default for connection. Select the TCP protocol. Click Next, Next again, and then Finish. In the Project Manager, check the port, board number, and I/O device list. It should be the same as or similar to the following: Board Type: TCPIP Board Address: 0 Port Name: Port1 Port Number: Port Baud Rate: Port Data Bits: Port Stop Bits: Port Parity: Port Special Option: -i84.0.1.14 -p502 -t Unit Name: PremiumETY Unit Number: 1 (Each I/O device is unique) Unit Address: 1.3.0 (Network number.Station number.Gateway) Unit Protocol: UNITE Unit Port Name: Port1 Here is an example of a variable tag pointing to %MW1: Variable Tag Name: MemoryWord1 Data type: Integer I/O Device Name: PremiumETY Address: %MW1 Online help can provide a list of data types supported by the UNITE driver. The next step is to configure the network number, station number, and gateway for the CitectSCADA computer. You need to add the following to the Citect.ini file: [UNITE] Network=1 Station=1 (Each device on the network needs a unique station number) Gate=0 Save the Citect.ini file, close and restart the Citect software for the changes to take effect. Package and compile your project. Now you can successfully communicate with Premium. The help documentation above basically explains the necessary setup steps for Citect SCADA to communicate with Premium. In addition, there are a few points to note: 1. The help only mentions setting an appropriate IP address and XWAY address for the PLC using PL7 or Unity Pro, but does not explain how to set them. In fact, the settings for PL7 and Unity are not exactly the same. When setting up PL7, double-click the ETY communication module next to the CPU on the hardware configuration diagram. Under the Messaging tab, you can see the XWAY address and IP configured options. On the right, you'll see the connection configuration option. Enter the relevant addresses of the host monitoring software in the Xway address and IP address fields below, select Unity for protocol, and Multi for mode. In Unity, you need to configure Ethernet first. Right-click on network under the Communication option and select new network. Choose Ethernet, then configure it. Unlike PL7, Unity's IP configuration and Messaging are two different tabs. Configure the IP address under the former, and configure the Xway address and connection configuration under the latter. Here, the connection configuration option does not have a protocol option. 2. Additionally, the help mentioned above requires installing Unity's XIPdriver. Note that when configuring the XIP driver for the first time, you need to ensure the Ethernet card is connected; that is, the network cable must be active (both ends need to be connected properly) so that the XIP driver can detect the local network card and configure settings. 3. CitectSCADA cannot directly read or write input/output variables from the Premium PLC; it can only read and write PLC memory variables. The statement in the help file that the digital addresses for input and output can be defined as %Ir.mc and %Qr.mc is incorrect. Author's Affiliation: Engineering Department, China Machinery International (Xi'an) Technology Development Co., Ltd. Address: Engineering Department, China Machinery International (Xi'an) Technology Development Co., Ltd., No. 128, East Section of South Ring Road, Xi'an, 710054, China. Email: [email protected]