DeviceNet Network Quick

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Quick Start Document for DeviceNet

Useful DeviceNet Reference Materials

 DeviceNet Cable System Planning and Installation Manual Pub. No. DN-6.7.2.
 DeviceNet Selection Guide Pub. No. NETS-SG001A-EN-P. DeviceNet Section 2.
 DeviceNet Media, Sensors and Distributed I/O Pub. No. 1485-CG001A-EN-P.

Selecting the Control Platform

 Use Reference Publication No. NETS-SG001A-EN-P Section 2 to aid in choosing
the correct control platform for the application.
 After selecting the control platform, determine appropriate DeviceNet interface card
for that platform.
 Once all DeviceNet devices are selected, calculate total data needed from the
DeviceNet networked devices and compare against total data amount available from
scanner module. Multiple scanners may be necessary if scanner data size is
insufficient.

Selecting the I/O

 Use Reference Publication No. NETS-SG001A-EN-P Section 2 to aid in choosing
the correct I/O platform for the application.
 Calculate total discrete I/O points such as sensors, switches, photoeyes etc.
All DeviceNet capable devices will require a unique node number on the network
which will count against the total node count of 63. However, if the sensors, switches,
photoeyes etc. are standard discrete versions, then they will be connected into some
type of discrete I/O to DeviceNet adapter. In this case only each I/O adapter would
have a DeviceNet node number, no matter how many I/O points are used per adapter.
 Calculate total Analog I/O channels needed.
 Calculate total I/O points being brought into I/O modules versus direct connections to
network.
 For Discrete I/O decide on sealed I/O such as MaXum or FLEXArmor or open style
I/O contained in enclosures.
 For Analog I/O decide on sealed I/O such as FLEXArmor or open style I/O contained
in enclosures.
 Document each nodes data requirements for future reference. This will aid during the
development of the control platform user program.

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 Decide whether or not to use DeviceLogix capable I/O. Is input to output closure
times a concern??
DeviceLogix is a feature that when implemented in a DeviceNet device, allows it to
run internal, programmable logic within the devices themselves. This helps to
distribute the control logic out of a central controller to the devices themselves. Also,
important is that the logic running in the device can be executed very quickly and can
be a way of achieving very fast input to output closures. This is a way of achieving
much better I/O performance, regardless of the actual DeviceNet network loading and
bandwidth. For example, with 50 function blocks running on a DeviceLogix capable
device, a local output on the device could be actuated within 4 ms, when conditioned
by only local inputs on the same device.

Basic Network and Media

Reference Pub. No. DN-6.7.2 for Basic Network specifications and Pub. No.
1485-CG001A-EN-P for Media Information. Publication No. 1770-4.1 gives
industrial wiring and grounding guidelines.
 Number of nodes <= 63. Historical average number of nodes on most networks is 30
to 40 nodes.
As more nodes are added to the network, more data is transmitted on the network.
This additional data will use more bandwidth on the network and will cause Input to
Output performance to lengthen. Also, the more data transmitted on the network, may
require the use of multiple scanners on the network. Note: To really improve network
performance, a network may be broken up onto different trunk lines, each with its
own scanner card. These scanner cards would all reside in the same control platform
chassis and the parallel networks will decrease bandwidth usage per network and
therefore improve performance.

 Class 2 or Class 1 cabling system. ( Max of 300 V or 600 V in proximity)

Class 1 installations require that all components of a cable be able to resist voltages in
their vicinity of up to 600 Volts. This is especially important when DeviceNet is used
in Motor Control Centers. All components, both trunk cable and drop cable, must be
Class 1 rated for the entire system to be Class 1. Up to 8 amps can be drawn through
the most Class 1 rated DeviceNet cable.

According to NEC regulations (North America Only), Class 2 Installations can only
be in the vicinity of up to 300 Volts, but no higher. Class 2 cable systems can carry no
more than 100 Watts. So doing a calculation of 100 Watts/24 VDC = 4.16 amps of
maximum allowable current in a Class 2 rated cable.

Since less current is allowed in a Class 2 cable, generally more power supplies will be
needed per network to obtain the same total system current as a Class 1 system.

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 Select trunk line media according to system environment, Class rating (1 or 2) and
total trunk distance.
Various types of media exist that fall into the standard round cable and KwikLink flat
media. The round cable comes in various diameters and can be installed using open
style or sealed connections with micro or mini connectors. There are two styles of flat
cable that either use Insulation Displacement or Vampire style connectors. Remember
that the Insulation Displacement connectors can only be used on the original
KwikLink media while the Vampire style connectors can be used on both styles of flat
media. These connectors are rated at IP67 and generally make faster, less expensive
connections.

 Sealed or unsealed media rated for environment.

 Maximum trunk length within specification for type and Baud rate.

The higher the baud rate the less total trunk cable length allowable. Each style of
trunk cable will have different maximum lengths, per baud rate. Example: Without
repeaters, a total maximum of 1640 feet (500 meters) of thick, round cable can be
used on a network at 125 Kbaud.

 Cumulative drop length within specification for Baud rate.

The higher the baud rate the less total drop length allowable. Example: Without
repeaters, a total maximum of 512 feet (156 meters) of drop cable can be used on a
network at 125 Kbaud.
 All individual drop lengths<= 20 feet (6 meters).
 Two 120 ohm terminator resistors. One resistor located at each end of trunk line
between white and blue wires.
 Spacing from higher voltages according to specification. Publication No.1770-4.1 is
very helpful with spacing from AC. Remember that DeviceNet is considered a
Category 2 system.

Network Power
Reference Publication DN-6.7.2 ( DeviceNet Cable System Planning and
Installation Manual) for Network Power specifications.
 Current limit for individual trunk media cable sections within cable ratings
 Total system current within rating of power supply(s).
 All drop cable currents within cable rating for distance.
 Class 2 system using 1787-DNPS or 1606-XLDNET4 power supply(s).
 Class 1 system using 1606-XLDNET8 power supply(s).
 Common mode voltage verified using graphs or long calculation specified in
publication DN-6.7.2

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 Power supplies within specifications such as rise time, etc. detailed in publication
DN-6.7.2.
 Power supply cable length and gauge adequate.
 Earth ground connected to the V- and shield at one location. Ground wire of adequate
gauge.
 I/O power is generally separate from network power so is not discussed in detail in
this document, but don’t forget it! In particular, most output devices (solenoids, etc)
tolerate less voltage drop and take more current than DeviceNet nodes, so output
power distribution is often more critical than DeviceNet power distribution. For
example, if you use the KwikLink auxiliary power cable it is likely that it will need
more power taps and power supplies than the KwikLink DeviceNet cable.

Configuration

 Generate an off-line configuration file using RSNetWorx for DeviceNet software.

Once in the RSNetWorx software, from the left hand side of the screen, devices can
be added to the Network View by dropping and dragging them from the off-line list.
If multiple firmware revisions exist, for a product, then it is recommended to use the
highest major revision in the list.
Node numbers start at 0 so adding the master scanner first will automatically assign
node 0 to it. (This is conventional but not required.) The rest of the devices node
numbers will increment from 0 as they are added. The node number can also be
changed by clicking on the node number in the view and changing it. Once a
complete network view exists, the devices can be configured by clicking on them one
at a time and going into the Parameters list or in the scanners case the Scanlist Editor.
In general, configure the scanner last. The choices you make when configuring I/O
devices will in many cases for more complex devices change their I/O sizes. These
sizes must be known before you configure the scanner.
The key information inside the network scanner is the I/O mapping within its
Scanlist. This determines where in the datatable of the control platform the DeviceNet
based data is located. RSNetWorx will allow you to map I/O, within the scanner, with
granularity suitable for the control platform. Another good idea is to put extra space,
after each I/O device that can be expanded by adding more I/O modules to it. This
allows room to easily expand the mapping required for an I/O device, if necessary.
Do all this with AutoMap, possibly adjusting the start address for each module to add
extra space. Use “Options” first to set granularity. The “Advanced” button lets you
adjust mapping in great detail but is very rarely required.
When all device configuration is finished save this file for future use and within
RSNetWorx you will be able to generate a report of your network as a hard copy. This
report will help during the development of the control platform user program, as it
contains the details of the I/O mapping.

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 Node Commission all devices using either Hardware mechanism or RSNetWorx for
DeviceNet software. A few tips about node commissioning:
1. Many devices have no hardware mechanism (switches) and are preset to the
default node number 63. If you connect multiple devices with the same node
number, all but one will fail with a “Duplicate MAC ID” error. You can use the
Faulted Address Recovery (FAR) tool in RSNetWorx to recover from this in many
cases, but it’s easier to avoid the problem. Connect and commission the devices
one at a time. Many people use a small network for this – a few feet of cable, two
terminators, a small power supply and just two devices: the interface for
RSNetWorx and the device being commissioned.
2. If you’re changing from the default baud rate (125k), a separate node
commissioning network is a very good idea – you must not mix baud rates on the
same network! Most devices have autobaud, so changing baud rate is not too
difficult. There must always be at least one node with fixed baud rate, otherwise
autobaud has nothing to synchronize with. The scanner and RSNetWorx interface
normally have fixed baud rate. Baud rate changes are not implemented until the
node is reset or power-cycled, so you can change several nodes and then power-
cycle the complete system – this will also trigger the autobaud devices to
synchronize with the new rate. But if any node is reset or power-cycled
prematurely, you’ll have mixed rates and red lights! This is why the separate
network is useful.
3. Point I/O devices have a feature called Sequential Auto Addressing which can
make node commissioning very easy. If using the 1734-PDN, fit only the left-
most Point I/O module and commission it. Then fit all the other modules in the
assembly. They’ll mostly fail with Duplicate MAC ID error, but don’t worry
about this. Using RSNetWorx, go online to the left-most module and trigger
Sequential Auto Address. The modules will be re-numbered so that each is one
higher than its left-hand neighbor. You can do the same with the 1734-ADN and
1734D modules, but it’s easier – you don’t need to commission the left-most
module. The 1734D and 1734-ADN are the “left-most” modules. The 1734D
modules have switches, the 1734-ADN is fixed at 0 on PointBus (and has
switches for its DeviceNet node number). (Also read about Auto-Start Mode for
the ADN – this does the same as Sequential Auto Address, and more.)
 Using RSNetWorx for DeviceNet software open up off-line file, if one exists, and go
on-line with it. If no off-line file exists, then skip this step.
Once off-line file is being displayed, go on-line with the network and allow the
network browse to finish. If any devices have a firmware version mismatch, then
resolve the mismatch for each device. Lastly, download the configuration that is
stored in the off-line file, to the entire network, including the Scanlist in the master
scanner. Save all changes to a file to create final project file. Skip the next two steps.
 Generate an on-line configuration file using RSNetWorx for DeviceNet software.
 Individually configure all DeviceNet slave devices using RSNetWorx for DeviceNet
software and EDS files.

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 Create and Download Scanlist to master Scanner using RSNetWorx for DeviceNet
software.
If you need to make changes, it’s usually better to download changes to individual
device(s) rather than to the entire network. It’s quicker. More important, many
devices have only one “channel” for communications. Once they’re in a scanner’s
scanlist they can only talk to the scanner. The scanner relays messages from
RSNetWorx, but this is disrupted for a short time when RSNetWorx downloads the
scanlist.
If you need to change a device’s configuration such that its I/O sizes will change,
delete its scanlist entry first to avoid the “wrong size” error (77).
Some devices restrict changes when they’re in a scanlist. If you know the scanlist
entry will be valid after the change (i.e. I/O sizes unchanged), inhibit the scanlist
entry instead of deleting it. Then you can just enable it after the change. Alternatively,
use the scanners “Fault Network” command bit from the PLC. This effectively
inhibits ALL scanlist entries, so all devices experience a communication fault and you
can verify that they behave correctly (typically turning off outputs). This does not
inhibit RSNetWorx communications even if it’s interfaced through the scanner, so
you can use it as a quick way of making changes provided the plant is in a state where
it’s acceptable for all devices to fail.

System Performance

 Verify that DeviceNet system input to output performance is within desired

specifications.
System performance concerns can arise when fast input to output closures are
necessary. Total system performance is defined as the amount of time it takes to bring
an I/O Input into a Control System and trigger an I/O Output under program control.

The basic formula for calculating this performance for a network based I/O system
reduces down to:

2(Network Time) + 2(Backplane Time) + 2(Ladder Scan Time) = Maximum System

Performance.

Ladder Scan Time needs to be estimated somewhat accurately as it can sometimes be

a larger component of performance than Network Time, in some systems.

Backplane Time is the time necessary to get data to/from the network scanner and
Processor. This can be discrete I/O transfers, block transfers, M1/M0 transfers and in
the ControlLogix an RPI time. In version 4.001 of the 1756-DNB firmware, a 2ms
RPI can now be entered for the 1756-DNB, instead of the previous 5ms minimum.

Network time is probably the hardest component to calculate/estimate and depending

on a number of variables can vary significantly. An Excel spreadsheet exists that is

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available to calculate the network time for any Polled only DeviceNet network. This
spreadsheet is currently titled Polled_Wire_Time_Calc_Estimate_Final.xls and is
available on the Rockwell Knowbase database as record Q21284 and the Distributor
Extranet under Products and Services/Complete Information/Networks/DeviceNet.

Another option is that devices can be configured for Change of State (COS), which
generally makes the network time become less of a performance factor. However, a
COS DeviceNet network time is very difficult to estimate due to the variables of how
fast I/O is changing state, which will trigger more or less network traffic. It is
generally assumed that the worst case COS network work time is equal to the normal,
polled network time, minus the InterScan Delay (ISD) time. So, the spreadsheet
mentioned above will still come in handy for estimating the COS network time.
In summary, it is important to have realistic I/O performance goals for your system. It
is also important to estimate as closely as possible the system performance of a
design, so it does not exceed these goals.

Documentation
 Generate a report from RSNetWorx software to document network and I/O mapping
data locations. This can be used later when programming the control platform
processor.