Industrial Automation Tech Note 47 - TNIA47

Abstract:

This document describes using the Crimson® Mitsubishi Q Series TCP/IP Master driver to
communicate with Mitsubishi Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) via an Ethernet connection.

Products:

Red Lion CR1000 Human Machine Interface (HMI), CR3000 HMI, G3 HMI, G3 Kadet HMI,
Graphite® HMI, Graphite Controller, Modular Controller, Data Station Plus (DSP), and ProducTVity Station™ (PTV)

Use Case: Communicating With Mitsubishi PLCs via Ethernet

This document describes the settings required to use the Mitsubishi Q Series TCP/IP Master driver to communicate with Mitsubishi FX, L, and Q series PLCs.

Required Software:

Crimson 2.0, 3.0, or 3.1

Required Firmware:

Crimson 2.0, build 126 or higher
Crimson 3, all builds

Introduction

This document describes how to use the Crimson Mitsubishi Q Series TCP/IP Master driver to communicate with Mitsubishi FX, L, and Q series PLCs. Crimson and the desired PLC must be correctly configured before communications can be established. Refer to the next section for Crimson configuration instructions. Refer to “Configuring the Device” on page 4 for PLC-specific configuration instructions.

Configuring Crimson

Crimson configuration consists of configuring the Ethernet port and selecting the driver.

Configuring the Ethernet Port

1. Referring to Figure 1, go to the Navigation Pane and Navigate to the Communications section.
2. Click on Network; the Communications - Network popup appears.
3. Click on the Ethernet tab.
4. Configure the port, as required.

Figure 1.

Selecting the Driver

1. Referring to Figure 2, go to the Navigation Pane and select the first available protocol; Protocol 1 in this example.

2. Go to the Driver: field under the Driver Selection heading and click the Pick… button; the Driver Picker for Ethernet Port popup appears.

3. Under the Manufacturer heading, select Mitsubishi.

4. Under the Driver heading, select Q Series TCP/IP Master.

5. Click OK.

Figure 2.

Configuring the Device

The following two steps apply to all three Mitsubishi PLCs covered in this Tech Note.

1. Referring to Figure 3, go to the Navigation Pane and click on the device that appeared below Protocol 1; PLC1 in this example.

2. Configure the Device Identification heading fields, as required:

a. IP Address: The IP Address of the PLC or communication card; 192.168.1.52 in this example.

b. TCP Port: The TCP port from which the PLC or communication card is listening; 5002 in this example.

NOTE: Crimson’s number is DECIMAL; the Mitsubishi PLC may be DECIMAL or HEX.

c. Network Number: The network on which the PLC resides; 0 in this example.

NOTE: For most local on-board CPU communications, use 0.

d. PC Number: The station number of the remote station; 0 in this example.

NOTE: For most local on-board CPU communications, use 255.

e. CPU Access: Specifies which CPU will be accessed; Local in this example.

Figure 3.

Refer to the Crimson Quick Start Guide for Data Tag, Display Page, and Data Logging configuration.

PLC Communication Configuration

NOTE: After changing the PLC communications, power MUST be cycled in order for the changes to take effect.

If configuring a Mitsubishi FX Series PLC, proceed to the next section. If configuring a Mitsubishi L or Q Series PLC, proceed to “Mitsubishi Q/L Series PLC Configuration” section.

Mitsubishi FX Series PLC Configuration

The following steps apply to Mitsubishi FX PLC configuration, only:

1. Open the PLC’s Ethernet Configuration window, as shown in Figure 4.

2. Configure the PLC’s Ethernet connection using the following parameters:

a. Communication Method: SLMP
b. Protocol: TCP
c. Port No.: Should match the port number previously specified during Crimson configuration.

Figure 4

Figure 4b.

 3. Note: For changes to take effect, you need to click “Close with Reflecting the Setting" at the top.
 4. Click on “Apply”.

Mitsubishi Q/L Series PLC Configuration

The following instructions apply to both Mitsubishi Q and L Series PLC configuration:

1. Open the PLC’s Ethernet configuration window, as shown in Figure 5.

2. Ensure that Communication Data Code is set for Binary Code.

3. Ensure that Enable online change (FTP, MC Protocol) is checked.

Figure 5.

4. Click the Open Setting button.

5. Referring to Figure 6, configure a connection with the following parameters:

a. Protocol: TCP

b. Open System: MC Protocol

c. Host Station Port No.: Should match the port number previously specified during Crimson configuration.

Figure 6.

d. Click the End button.

Disclaimer

It is the customer's responsibility to review the advice provided herein and its applicability to the system. Red Lion makes no representation about specific knowledge of the customer's system or the specific performance of the system. Red Lion is not responsible for any damage to equipment or connected systems. The use of this document is at your own risk. Red Lion standard product warranty applies.

Red Lion Technical Support

If you have any questions or trouble contact Red Lion Technical Support by clicking here or calling 1-877-432-9908.

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