Serial Gateways for Fieldbus and Industrial Ethernet

Anybus logo Anybus® Communicator - Technical Overview

Unrivaled flexibility for your applications

Anybus Communicator connected to a microdriveThe Anybus Communicator provides great flexibility when defining your protocol conversion. Regardless which serial protocol your application supports, with the Communicator you can easily connect to all major fieldbus and industrial Ethernet networks.

The Communicator handles the complete serial protocol without the need for extensive PLC function blocks. Included in the scope of supply is the " ABC Config Tool" which includes functionality for configuration such a Modbus wizard, frame editor, as well as test functions such as a line listener and mapping checks. This compact gateway consumes very little space in a switching cabinet and is easily mounted on a standard DIN-rail.

Click on the tabs below to learn more..

  • Key Features
  • Typical Uses
  • Data Mapping
  • Serial Protocols
  • Configuration

Anybus logo Anybus Communicator - Technical Specifications

Anybus Communicator mechanical overview

  KEY TECHNICAL FEATURES
    Serial RS-232/422/485 selection possible with ABC Config Tool
    Max 512 bytes of Input data & 512 bytes of Output data
    Serial protocol modes: Modbus-RTU master, Produce/Consume, ASCII or custom specific
    Baud rate on the serial interface selectable between 9600 bit/s and 57.000 bit/s
    Single drop using RS-232/422 or Multi-drop up to 31 nodes using RS-485/422
    Config Tool & Wizards for easy configuration & serial sub-network setup
    Line Listener to analyze serial telegrams on the sub-network
    Download/Upload function for storing and reusing your custom configuration
    Certified and proven for fieldbus and industrial Ethernet conformity
    Password protection prevents unauthorized upload and download of configurations
    Multi language support, now supporting English, German, Italian, French, Chinese, Polish, Russian
    Extended version with free programmable Java interface available for complex protocols and data pre-processing

  TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Size:
    120 x 75 x 27mm (L x W x H) 4.72 x 2.95 x 1.06” (L x W x H )
Weight:
    150g
Power Supply:
     24V ± 10% Consumption: Max 280 mA on 24V Typically 100 mA
Temperature:
     Operating +0°C to + 55°C : Non-Operating -5°C to + 85°C
Mounting:
     DIN-rail, Network shield conductance via DIN-rail
Protection Class:
     IP20
EMC Certification:
     CE marked, UL & cUL conformance
Conformance:
     Tested and verified for fieldbus conformance

Typical uses within a Factory Network

Shown below is a typical setup for a Communicator with a factory/plant setup.

Single- drop mode: The Communicator is used to connect one automation device via its serial RS-232/422/485 interface to a fieldbus or industrial Ethernet network. The Communicator performs the complete protocol conversion between the automation device and the industrial network protocol. The two protocols are completely de-coupled from each other.

Multi -drop mode: One Communicator is used to connect up to 31 automation devices via their RS-485/422 interface to a fieldbus or industrial Ethernet network. The Communicator performs the complete protocol conversion between the automation device and the Industrial network protocol. The two protocols are completely de-coupled from each other.

Single-Drop Mode

In this example, the Communicator connects the serial device via its serial interface to the PLC via EtherNet/IP.

single drop mode digram using rs232

Multi-Drop Mode

In this example, the Communicator connects multiple serial devices via their serial interface to the PLC via Profibus.

multi drop mode using rs485

 


Data exchange and mapping the data - How the Communicator works

Process Exchange

All data between the fieldbus and the serial network is stored in an internal memory buffer inside the Communicator. The data exchange between the PLC on the fieldbus/Ethernet and the automation device is then made using the input and output areas of the internal memory within the Communicator.

data mapping process diagram within the Communicator

Conclusion
The internal storage of I/O data inside the Anybus Communicator de-couples the two networks. This permits the possibility that automation devices with slow serial communication can be integrated into high-speed fieldbus/Ethernet networks without any restrictions to the upper network.


Serial Protocol Support - In detail

The serial protocol conversion is defined by using the supplied "ABC Config Tool". There are two pre-defined modes:

Master Mode
When the Communicator acts as master on the network it sends a request and expects a response from the connected automation device. In Master mode the Modbus-RTU protocol is a pre-defined option for which a easy six step configuration wizard is available. Besides Modbus-RTU, Master mode can be used with all other (custom) request/response based serial protocols.

Generic Data Mode
In Generic Data Mode, there is no master-slave relationship between the Communicator and the connected automation device on the serial sub-network. Any node on the serial sub-network , including the Communicator, can spontaneously produce or consume a message; A node does not have to reply to a message, nor does it have to wait for a query to send one.

handling of serial data

Checksum and frame generation
The Communicator has the ability to generate defined data frames. These data frames can consist of data received from the serial sub-network or from the chosen fieldbus/Ethernet network, constant values, start / stop characters and many popular checksum calculations. The data frames are defined by using the "ABC Config Tool".

Handshaking and synchronization
The data between the serial sub-network and the chosen fieldbus/Ethernet network can be transported either un-synchronized or by using pre-defined handshaking mechanisms.

Summary
Together, these two modes make Anybus Communicator a powerful, configurable and flexible network product for converting serial protocols into standardized fieldbus and industrial Ethernet protocols. Because of this flexibility, the hardware and software of the automation device remains unchanged as the Communicator handles all necessary protocol translations.

 


Anybus logo ABC Config Tool

The ABC Config Tool is used to configure the Anybus Communicator. The tool runs on standard Microsoft Windows™ platforms. The tool is available "free of charge". It is supplied on a CD and a serial RS-232 cable along with every single-piece Anybus Communicator shipment. Alternatively the ABC Config Tool can be or can be obtained from the download section of this website.

 

 

 

 




The “ABC ConfigTool” - one configuration for multiple networks
The translation between the upper network and the serial sub-network is defined via the ABC ConfigTool. This windows based software has an easy to use user interface and requires no programming. All translations are easily
configured via pre-defined functions.

During configuration, the user can define which and how much data from the upper network shall be transferred to the sub-network. In addition specific start characters and/or trailing characters including checksum mechanisms
can be defined and thus a complete serial sub-network telegram frame is constructed. The Anybus Communicator uses a simple object based configuration instead of a complex programming language.

The ABC ConfigTool provides an efficient online help functionality and wizards for Modbus-RTU based configuration.
On completion, the configuration is downloaded from the PC into the Communicator. Now the Communicator is ready to start the communication with its assigned devices on the serial sub-network.

The ABC ConfigTool also provides the functionality to save the configuration into a file. This makes it easy for OEM manufacturers to upload pre-defined configurations for instant usage of the Communicator by their end
customers.

  KEY FEATURES
    Free Config Tool & Wizards for easy configuration & serial sub-network setup
    Supports all Anybus Communicators with the exception of Lonworks
    Once a configuration is completed is can be re-used for many other industrial networks
    Password protection prevents unauthorized upload and download of configurations
    In-built line listener with test functions
    Multi language - supporting, English, German, Italian, French & Swedish
    User friendly interface with online help