I currently have a Red Lion Datastation successfully communicating and am wondering if Ignition could talk directly to the Brainbox.
Looking at how it’s configured in the Red Lion software it uses a driver called “Allen-Bradley Encapsulated DF1 Master” (whereas a direct Ethernet connection uses “Allen-Bradley DF1 Master”).
One difference in the encapsulated bit is the configuration allows you to specify a TCP Port number, in this case 9001.
On the Device configuration page in Ignition, the PLC5 driver only allows you to put in a hostname (or IP address), there is no mention of a port number.
Does anyone know if there is a way of getting this working?
(I’m thinking ahead here as I’m not yet in the position of having the kit available to test. Worse case scenario I think I might be able to go Modbus TCP from Ignition to the Red Lion and leave the existing Red Lion to Brainbox comms in place)
[quote=“george”]But my question is how to get that Port Number into Ignition?[/quote]You cannot.[quote=“george”]Unless you’re advising me to try changing the port used in the Brainbox?[/quote]Yes.
OK I didn’t really want to be reconfiguring the Brainbox as that could mess up what’s already connecting to it.
But assuming I did change it to port 2222, do you think Ignition would be able to talk to the PLC?
Ignition’s driver thinks the PLC is directly on Ethernet. But the Brainbox is effectively an Ethernet to Serial converter.
Is the Rockwell protocol different though? I don’t know if this relates to the difference between “DF1 Master” and “encapsulated DF1 Master”, if you see what I mean.
DF1 Master is a serial port protocol. Legacy AB ethernet (port 2222) encapsulates that with some adjustments (I don’t know all the details, but it’s not byte-for-byte equivalent). Ethernet/IP (port 44818) is entirely different.
I don’t know enough about the brainbox to say what it’s doing. It might be just wrapping native DF1 like a custom serial-to-ethernet converter. Then you’d need brainbox help with a virtual serial port on your server, and the Ignition’s serial module would likely work. Or it really is doing legacy AB ethernet, and port 2222 would work. Who knows? Sometimes you just have to try things.