Hi Ian,

With Brains you use the Modbus CFG# entries in Modbus setup tab.

This interface is actually a general purpose Modbus plugin itself that provides the Modbus data accessible by Brains. So you set up all the Modbus interaction you require in this Modbus setup tab.  Each row, has;

Cfg#	Buffer Number
Comment	Just a Comment
Port Address	Serial port number. Must match the port used
Slave	Modbus Slave address
refresh	Rate at which request is made
Addess	Address of first Modbus register
No. Regs	The number of registers to read/write
Direction	Read/Write and the data regiter type

Each row sets up a Modbus transaction. Once set up these transactions will occur automatically forever. This is transferring to/from these buffers and the devices.

The slave ID is how you control which modbus device is being communicating with. So if you have 2 devices then they will have different slave addresses.

Does that clear it up?

Cheer,


Peter.

Hi Peter

Just tried checking "Modbus Plugin Supported" on the ports n pins dialog and I see now how you access the CFG# entries. I HAD been using vanilla Modbus WITHOUT plugin support which uses a different setup dialog which doesn't mention CFG# numbers. I hadn't checked plugin support because I'd assumed that referred to a 3rd party plugin i.e. the one you've said is broken.

AAAAGGGHHHH! All is clear now - I'll give it a go.

Many thanks for your help.

Ian

Ian,

Ok. Just remember that when you access a  register in the cfg# buffer from brains, the first register in the buffer is item 0, the 2nd is item 1, etc. You do not use the Modbus register number, say 1150, but the offset into the Buffer. So if the cfg# is set up to read 10modbus  registers, starting at register 115. So, to access register 1154 in brains it is item 4 in the buffers.

Cheers,


Peter.

Thanks Peter

I'll take a look and get back

Cheers

Ian

Success Peter - Thanks again for your help.

JFYI this was so I can run my THC alongside any other modbus devices such as pendants etc.

Cheers

Ian

Hi Ian,

Good to hear you have has success.

BTW, Which THC is it? Do you have a link?

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Peter

It's my own DTHC which I've been developing/testing for a while which I'm hoping to put on sale very soon. It's designed to work exclusively (at the moment) with certain Hypertherm models - Powermax45 for example.

Just a thought. In your opinion, if for example you had a system with just two modbus slaves, would it make more/any sense to use two serial - RS232 - ports rather than add the "complexity" of an RS485 bus?

Cheers

Ian

  HOT Dog, Yous guys are speaking what I want to hear. 

(;-) TP

Just a thought. In your opinion, if for example you had a system with just two modbus slaves, would it make more/any sense to use two serial - RS232 - ports rather than add the "complexity" of an RS485 bus?

OK - answered my own question - you can't do this because Mach can only access 1 port at a time. looks like RS485 it is.

Ian