Modbus
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      How to Acquire Data Using Modbus TCP/IP

      Configure the controller to read data via Modbus TCP/IP.

      Setting Up a Modbus TCP/IP Master

      In the GI.bench project, double-click the controller to open its settings. In the network section, set the Client Count to 1. Change the Type to ModbusTCPIP Class 0 Master. Enter the IP address and port number of the Modbus slave device. Click OK to confirm and write the configuration back to the controller to apply the settings.

       

      Map Modbus Data to Controller Variables

      To begin, it is recommended to start with one variable. Once you are familiar with the process, you can move on to creating multiple variables simultaneously and adjusting them as needed.

      The required amount of variables can be added by right-clicking on Virtual Variables > Add > Append variables:


      Below are the settings for configuring a single variable. Afterward, you can manage these Modbus variables in GI.bench just like other channels.

      Configuration with test.commander

        In test.commander the data port protocol (default Port = 10000) of the controller has to be set to Modbus TCP/IP class 0 or Modbus (WORD swapped) TCP/IP class 0.

        Command Description

        A Modbus TCP/IP class 0 server has been implemented. This means that the following commands are supported:

        • Read multiple registers (Read holding registers FC=0x03 / Read input registers FC=0x04)
        • Write multiple registers (FC=0x10)
        • Write single register (FC=0x06)

        Also, the following definitions have to be considered:

        • Protocol Identifier (must be 0x00)
        • Unit Identifier (must be 0x01)
        • Modbus Register Offset (dec 999 → \x03\xE7)

        The ModbusRegisterOffset and the ModbusRegisterCount for each variable in the controller can be shown in test.commander.

        The register information can also be found for each test.commander project in the *.CSV file, which is located beside the project files in the project directory.

        Frame Description

        Request, master (client) → slave (server), function 03 (Hex)

        Transaction Identifier Protocol Identifier No. Data Bytes Unit Ident. Func. Data
                        Register Offset Register Count
        0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x06 0x01 0x03 HB LB HB LB


        Response, slave (server) → master (client)

        Transaction Identifier Protocol Identifier Number Databytes Unit Ident. Func. Data
                        No.  Data bytes Info
        0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 n+3 0x01 0x03 n  
        • The response can contain max. 255 data bytes (number of bytes max. 0xFF - 1-byte information) which means, the register count in the request is max. 0x7F (each register contains 2 data bytes)
        • Take care that the device ID (unit identifier) of the Modbus client is set to 1

        Example

        Read Timestamp:

        Request:

        00 00 00 00 00 06 01 03 03 E7 00 04

        Register count = 4 → 8 data bytes

        Response:

        00 00 00 00 00 0B 01 03 08 40 E1 D5 C0 0E EF A9 26

        8 data bytes: 40 E1 D5 C0 0E EF A9 26

        Tools

        To test the Modbus TCP/IP communication, the following tools can be used:

        For example - reading the timestamp in ModScan: