Modbus RTU Serial Driver

© 2023 PTC Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Modbus RTU Serial Driver 2

Table of Contents
M odbus RTU Serial Driver 1

Table of Contents 2

Modbus RTU Serial Driver 5

Overview 5

Setup 6
Channel Properties — General 6
Tag Counts 7
Channel Properties — Communication Serialization 7
Channel Properties — Write Optimizations 9
Channel Properties — Serial Communications 9
Channel Properties — Advanced 12
Device Properties — General 13
Operating Mode 13
Tag Counts 14
Device Properties — Scan Mode 14
Device Properties — Ethernet Encapsulation 15
Device Properties — Timing 16
Device Properties — Auto-Demotion 17
Device Properties — Tag Generation 17
Device Properties — Settings 20
Device Properties — Block Sizes 23
Device Properties — Variable Import Settings 24
Device Properties — Framing 24
Device Properties — Error Handling 25
Device Properties — Redundancy 25

Automatic Tag Database Generation 26

Statistics Items 27

Data Types Description 30

Address Descriptions 31

Modbus Addressing 31

Magnetek GPD 515 Drive Addressing 34

Elliott Flow Computer Addressing 35

Daniels S500 Flow Computer Addressing 36

Dynamic Fluid Meter Addressing 36

Omni Flow Computer Addressing 38

Omni Custom Packets 42

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Omni Raw Data Archive 45

Omni Text Reports 49
Omni Text Archive 52

Function Codes Description 54

Channel Properties — Configuration API 55

Device Properties — Configuration API 55

Event Log M essages 57

Bad address in block range. | Address range = <start> to <end>. 57
Bad array. | Array range = <start> to <end>. 57
Block address responded with exception code. | Address range = <start> to <end>, Exception
code = <code>. 58
Unable to write to address, device responded with exception code. | Address = '<address>',
Exception code = <code>. 58
Unable to read from address, device responded with exception code. | Address = '<address>',
Exception code = <code>. 58
Tag import failed due to low memory resources. 58
File exception encountered during tag import. 59
Error parsing record in import file. | Record number = <number>, Field = <name>. 59
Description truncated for record in import file. | Record number = <number>. 59
Imported tag name is invalid and has been changed. | Tag name = '<tag>', Changed tag name =
'<tag>'. 59
A tag could not be imported because the data type is not supported. | Tag name = '<tag>', Unsup-
ported data type = '<type>'. 60
Could not read Omni text buffer due to memory allocation problem. 60
No Omni text archive data available in specified date range. 60
Write to Omni text report truncated. | Report number = <number>. 60
Could not read Omni text report due to packet number limit. | Report number = <number>. 61
Write failed. Maximum path length exceeded. | Tag address = '<address>', Maximum length =
<number>. 61
Error writing Omni text data to file. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = '<reason>'. 61
Omni text output file could not be opened. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = '<reason>'. 61
Unable to write to address. Unexpected characters in response. | Tag address = '<address>'. 62
Unable to read from address. Unexpected characters in response. | Tag address = '<address>'. 62
Unable to read block address. Unexpected characters in response. | Address range = <start> to
<end>. 62
Omni text output file could not be changed. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = The path spe-
cified is not allowed. 62
Omni text output file could not be changed. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = The file exten-
sion specified must be '.txt' or '.log'. 62
Importing tag database from file. | File name = '<name>'. 63

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Error Mask Definitions 63

Modbus Exception Codes 64

Index 65

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5 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

M odbus RTU Serial Driver

Help version 1.091

CONTENTS

Overview
What is the Modbus RTU Serial Driver?

Set up
How do I configure channels and devices for use with this driver?

Aut omat ic Tag Dat abase Generat ion

How can I configure tags for the Modbus RTU Serial Driver?

Dat a Types Descript ion

What data types does this driver support?

Address Descript ions

How do I address a data location on a Modbus device?

Event Log M essages

What messages are produced by the Modbus RTU Serial Driver?

Overview
The Modbus RTU Serial Driver provides a reliable way to connect Modbus serial devices to OPC client applic-
ations, including HMI, SCADA, Historian, MES, ERP, and countless custom applications. It is intended for use
with serial devices that support the Modbus RTU protocol. The Modbus RTU Serial Driver has been
developed to support a wide range of Modbus RTU compatible devices.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 6

Set up

Communication Protocol
Modbus RTU Protocol

Supported Communication Parameters

Baud Rate: 1200, 2400, 9600, and 19200
Parity: Odd, Even, and None
Data Bits: 8
Stop Bits: 1 and 2

Supported Devices
l Modbus-compatible devices
l Elliott Flow Computer
l Magnetek GPD 515 Drive
l Omni Flow Computer
l Daniel S500 Flow Computer
l Dynamic Fluid Meter (DFM) SFC3
l TSXCUSBMBP USB Adapter

Channel and Device Limits

The maximum number of channels supported by this driver is 2048. The maximum number of devices sup-
ported by this driver is 255 per channel.

N ote: Not all of the listed configurations may be supported in every device.

Channel Propert ies — General

This server supports the use of multiple simultaneous communications drivers. Each protocol or driver used
in a server project is called a channel. A server project may consist of many channels with the same com-
munications driver or with unique communications drivers. A channel acts as the basic building block of an
OPC link. This group is used to specify general channel properties, such as the identification attributes and
operating mode.

Identification

N am e: Specify the user-defined identity of this channel. In each server project, each channel name must be
unique. Although names can be up to 256 characters, some client applications have a limited display window

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7 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

when browsing the OPC server's tag space. The channel name is part of the OPC browser information. The
property is required for creating a channel.
For information on reserved characters, refer to "How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag
Group" in the server help.

Description: Specify user-defined information about this channel.

Many of these properties, including Description, have an associated system tag.

Driver: Specify the protocol / driver for this channel. Specify the device driver that was selected during chan-
nel creation. It is a disabled setting in the channel properties. The property is required for creating a chan-
nel.
N ote: With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. This
includes changing the channel name to prevent clients from registering data with the server. If a client has
already acquired an item from the server before the channel name is changed, the items are unaffected. If,
after the channel name has been changed, the client application releases the item and attempts to re-
acquire using the old channel name, the item is not accepted. Changes to the properties should not be made
once a large client application has been developed. Utilize proper user role and privilege management to
prevent operators from changing properties or accessing server features.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics Capture: When enabled, this option makes the channel's diagnostic information available to
OPC applications. Because the server's diagnostic features require a minimal amount of overhead pro-
cessing, it is recommended that they be utilized when needed and disabled when not. The default is dis-
abled.
N ote: This property is not available if the driver does not support diagnostics.
For more information, refer to "Communication Diagnostics" and "Statistics Tags" in the server help.

Tag Counts

Static Tags: Provides the total number of defined static tags at this level (device or channel). This inform-
ation can be helpful in troubleshooting and load balancing.

Channel Propert ies — Com m unicat ion Serializat ion

The server's multi-threading architecture allows channels to communicate with devices in parallel. Although
this is efficient, communication can be serialized in cases with physical network restrictions (such as Eth-
ernet radios). Communication serialization limits communication to one channel at a time within a virtual net-
work.

The term "virtual network" describes a collection of channels and associated devices that use the same
pipeline for communications. For example, the pipeline of an Ethernet radio is the client radio. All channels
using the same client radio associate with the same virtual network. Channels are allowed to communicate
each in turn, in a "round-robin" manner. By default, a channel can process one transaction before handing
communications off to another channel. A transaction can include one or more tags. If the controlling chan-
nel contains a device that is not responding to a request, the channel cannot release control until the trans-
action times out. This results in data update delays for the other channels in the virtual network.

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Channel-Level Settings

Virtual N etwork: Specify the channel's mode of communication serialization. Options include None and Net-
work 1 - Network 500. The default is None. Descriptions of the options are as follows:

l N one: This option disables communication serialization for the channel.

l N etwork 1 - N etwork 500: This option specifies the virtual network to which the channel is
assigned.

Transactions per Cycle: Specify the number of single blocked/non-blocked read/write transactions that can
occur on the channel. When a channel is given the opportunity to communicate, this is the number of trans-
actions attempted. The valid range is 1 to 99. The default is 1.

Global Settings

N etwork Mode: This property is used to control how channel communication is delegated. In Load Bal-
anced mode, each channel is given the opportunity to communicate in turn, one at a time. In Priority mode,
channels are given the opportunity to communicate according to the following rules (highest to lowest pri-
ority):

1. Channels with pending writes have the highest priority.

2. Channels with pending explicit reads (through internal plug-ins or external client interfaces) are pri-
oritized based on the read's priority.

3. Scanned reads and other periodic events (driver specific).

The default is Load Balanced and affects all virtual networks and channels.
Devices that rely on unsolicited responses should not be placed in a virtual network. In situations where
communications must be serialized, it is recommended that Auto-Demotion be enabled.

Due to differences in the way that drivers read and write data (such as in single, blocked, or non-blocked
transactions); the application's Transactions per cycle property may need to be adjusted. When doing so,
consider the following factors:

l How many tags must be read from each channel?

l How often is data written to each channel?
l Is the channel using a serial or Ethernet driver?
l Does the driver read tags in separate requests, or are multiple tags read in a block?
l Have the device's Timing properties (such as Request timeout and Fail after x successive timeouts)
been optimized for the virtual network's communication medium?

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Channel Propert ies — Writ e Opt im izat ions

The server must ensure that the data written from the client application gets to the device on time. Given
this goal, the server provides optimization properties to meet specific needs or improve application respons-
iveness.

Write Optimizations

Optim ization Method: Controls how write data is passed to the underlying communications driver. The
options are:

l Write All Values for All Tags: This option forces the server to attempt to write every value to the
controller. In this mode, the server continues to gather write requests and add them to the server's
internal write queue. The server processes the write queue and attempts to empty it by writing data
to the device as quickly as possible. This mode ensures that everything written from the client applic-
ations is sent to the target device. This mode should be selected if the write operation order or the
write item's content must uniquely be seen at the target device.
l Write Only Latest Value for N on-Boolean Tags: Many consecutive writes to the same value can
accumulate in the write queue due to the time required to actually send the data to the device. If the
server updates a write value that has already been placed in the write queue, far fewer writes are
needed to reach the same final output value. In this way, no extra writes accumulate in the server's
queue. When the user stops moving the slide switch, the value in the device is at the correct value at
virtually the same time. As the mode states, any value that is not a Boolean value is updated in the
server's internal write queue and sent to the device at the next possible opportunity. This can greatly
improve the application performance.
N ote: This option does not attempt to optimize writes to Boolean values. It allows users to optimize
the operation of HMI data without causing problems with Boolean operations, such as a momentary
push button.
l Write Only Latest Value for All Tags: This option takes the theory behind the second optimization
mode and applies it to all tags. It is especially useful if the application only needs to send the latest
value to the device. This mode optimizes all writes by updating the tags currently in the write queue
before they are sent. This is the default mode.

Duty Cycle: is used to control the ratio of write to read operations. The ratio is always based on one read for
every one to ten writes. The duty cycle is set to ten by default, meaning that ten writes occur for each read
operation. Although the application is performing a large number of continuous writes, it must be ensured
that read data is still given time to process. A setting of one results in one read operation for every write
operation. If there are no write operations to perform, reads are processed continuously. This allows optim-
ization for applications with continuous writes versus a more balanced back and forth data flow.
N ote: It is recommended that the application be characterized for compatibility with the write optimization
enhancements before being used in a production environment.

Channel Propert ies — Serial Com m unicat ions

Serial communication properties are available to serial drivers and vary depending on the driver, connection
type, and options selected. Below is a superset of the possible properties.
Click to jump to one of the sections: Connection Type, Serial Port Settings, and Operational Behavior.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 10

N otes:

l With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Utilize
proper user role and privilege management to prevent operators from changing properties or
accessing server features.
l Users must define the specific communication parameters to be used. Depending on the driver, chan-
nels may or may not be able to share identical communication parameters. Only one shared serial
connection can be configured for a Virtual Network (see Channel Properties — Serial Com-
munications).

Connection Type

Physical Medium : Choose the type of hardware device for data communications. Options include Modem,
COM Port, and None. The default is COM Port.

1. N one: Select None to indicate there is no physical connection, which displays the Operation with no
Com m unications section.

2. COM Port: Select Com Port to display and configure the Serial Port Settings section.

3. Modem : Select Modem if phone lines are used for communications, which are configured in the
Modem Settings section.

4. Shared: Verify the connection is correctly identified as sharing the current configuration with another
channel. This is a read-only property.

Serial Port Settings

COM ID: Specify the Communications ID to be used when communicating with devices assigned to the chan-
nel. The valid range is 1 to 9991 to 16. The default is 1.

Baud Rate: Specify the baud rate to be used to configure the selected communications port.

Data Bits: Specify the number of data bits per data word. Options include 5, 6, 7, or 8.

Parity: Specify the type of parity for the data. Options include Odd, Even, or None.

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Stop Bits: Specify the number of stop bits per data word. Options include 1 or 2.

Flow Control: Select how the RTS and DTR control lines are utilized. Flow control is required to communicate
with some serial devices. Options are:

l N one: This option does not toggle or assert control lines.

l DTR: This option asserts the DTR line when the communications port is opened and remains on.
l RTS: This option specifies that the RTS line is high if bytes are available for transmission. After all buf-
fered bytes have been sent, the RTS line is low. This is normally used with RS232/RS485 converter
hardware.
l RTS, DTR: This option is a combination of DTR and RTS.
l RTS Always: This option asserts the RTS line when the communication port is opened and remains
on.
l RTS Manual: This option asserts the RTS line based on the timing properties entered for RTS Line
Control. It is only available when the driver supports manual RTS line control (or when the properties
are shared and at least one of the channels belongs to a driver that provides this support).
RTS Manual adds an RTS Line Control property with options as follows:
l Raise: Specify the amount of time that the RTS line is raised prior to data transmission. The
valid range is 0 to 9999 milliseconds. The default is 10 milliseconds.
l Drop: Specify the amount of time that the RTS line remains high after data transmission. The
valid range is 0 to 9999 milliseconds. The default is 10 milliseconds.
l Poll Delay: Specify the amount of time that polling for communications is delayed. The valid
range is 0 to 9999. The default is 10 milliseconds.

Tip: When using two-wire RS-485, "echoes" may occur on the communication lines. Since this com-
munication does not support echo suppression, it is recommended that echoes be disabled or a RS-485 con-
verter be used.

Operational Behavior
l Report Com m unication Errors: Enable or disable reporting of low-level communications errors.
When enabled, low-level errors are posted to the Event Log as they occur. When disabled, these
same errors are not posted even though normal request failures are. The default is Enable.
l Close Idle Connection: Choose to close the connection when there are no longer any tags being ref-
erenced by a client on the channel. The default is Enable.
l Idle Tim e to Close: Specify the amount of time that the server waits once all tags have been
removed before closing the COM port. The default is 15 seconds.

M odem Settings
l Modem : Specify the installed modem to be used for communications.
l Connect Tim eout: Specify the amount of time to wait for connections to be established before failing
a read or write. The default is 60 seconds.
l Modem Properties: Configure the modem hardware. When clicked, it opens vendor-specific modem
properties.
l Auto-Dial: Enables the automatic dialing of entries in the Phonebook. The default is Disable. For more
information, refer to "Modem Auto-Dial" in the server help.
l Report Com m unication Errors: Enable or disable reporting of low-level communications errors.
When enabled, low-level errors are posted to the Event Log as they occur. When disabled, these
same errors are not posted even though normal request failures are. The default is Enable.

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l Close Idle Connection: Choose to close the modem connection when there are no longer any tags
being referenced by a client on the channel. The default is Enable.
l Idle Tim e to Close: Specify the amount of time that the server waits once all tags have been
removed before closing the modem connection. The default is 15 seconds.

Operation w ith no Communications

l Read Processing: Select the action to be taken when an explicit device read is requested. Options
include Ignore and Fail. Ignore does nothing; Fail provides the client with an update that indicates fail-
ure. The default setting is Ignore.

Channel Propert ies — Advanced

This group is used to specify advanced channel properties. Not all drivers support all properties; so the
Advanced group does not appear for those devices.

N on-N orm alized Float Handling: A non-normalized value is defined as Infinity, Not-a-Number (NaN), or as
a Denormalized Number. The default is Replace with Zero. Drivers that have native float handling may
default to Unmodified. Non-normalized float handling allows users to specify how a driver handles non-nor-
malized IEEE-754 floating point data. Descriptions of the options are as follows:

l Replace with Zero: This option allows a driver to replace non-normalized IEEE-754 floating point val-
ues with zero before being transferred to clients.
l Unm odified: This option allows a driver to transfer IEEE-754 denormalized, normalized, non-num-
ber, and infinity values to clients without any conversion or changes.

N ote: This property is disabled if the driver does not support floating-point values or if it only supports the
option that is displayed. According to the channel's float normalization setting, only real-time driver tags
(such as values and arrays) are subject to float normalization. For example, EFM data is not affected by this
setting.

For more information on the floating-point values, refer to "How To ... Work with Non-Normalized Floating-
Point Values" in the server help.

Inter-Device Delay: Specify the amount of time the communications channel waits to send new requests to
the next device after data is received from the current device on the same channel. Zero (0) disables the
delay.

N ote: This property is not available for all drivers, models, and dependent settings.

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Device Propert ies — General

A device represents a single target on a communications channel. If the driver supports multiple controllers,
users must enter a device ID for each controller.

Identification

N am e: Specify the name of the device. It is a logical user-defined name that can be up to 256 characters
long and may be used on multiple channels.

N ote: Although descriptive names are generally a good idea, some OPC client applications may have a
limited display window when browsing the OPC server's tag space. The device name and channel name
become part of the browse tree information as well. Within an OPC client, the combination of channel name
and device name would appear as "ChannelName.DeviceName".
For more information, refer to "How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag Group" in server
help.

Description: Specify the user-defined information about this device.

Many of these properties, including Description, have an associated system tag.

Channel Assignm ent: Specify the user-defined name of the channel to which this device currently belongs.

Driver: Selected protocol driver for this device.

Model: Specify the type of device that is associated with this ID. The contents of the drop-down menu
depend on the type of communications driver being used. Models that are not supported by a driver are dis-
abled. If the communications driver supports multiple device models, the model selection can only be
changed when there are no client applications connected to the device.
N ote: If the communication driver supports multiple models, users should try to match the model selec-
tion to the physical device. If the device is not represented in the drop-down menu, select a model that con-
forms closest to the target device. Some drivers support a model selection called "Open," which allows users
to communicate without knowing the specific details of the target device. For more information, refer to the
driver help documentation.

ID: Specify the device's driver-specific station or node. The type of ID entered depends on the com-
munications driver being used. For many communication drivers, the ID is a numeric value. Drivers that sup-
port a Numeric ID provide users with the option to enter a numeric value whose format can be changed to
suit the needs of the application or the characteristics of the selected communications driver. The format is
set by the driver by default. Options include Decimal, Octal, and Hexadecimal.

Operating M ode

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 14

Data Collection: This property controls the device's active state. Although device communications are
enabled by default, this property can be used to disable a physical device. Communications are not attemp-
ted when a device is disabled. From a client standpoint, the data is marked as invalid and write operations
are not accepted. This property can be changed at any time through this property or the device system tags.

Sim ulated: Place the device into or out of Simulation Mode. In this mode, the driver does not attempt to
communicate with the physical device, but the server continues to return valid OPC data. Simulated stops
physical communications with the device, but allows OPC data to be returned to the OPC client as valid data.
While in Simulation Mode, the server treats all device data as reflective: whatever is written to the simulated
device is read back and each OPC item is treated individually. The data is not saved if the server removes
the item (such as when the server is reinitialized). The default is No.

N otes:

1. This System tag (_Simulated) is read only and cannot be written to for runtime protection. The Sys-
tem tag allows this property to be monitored from the client.

2. When a device is simulated, updates may not appear faster than one (1) second client.

Simulation Mode is for test and simulation purposes only. It should never be used in a production envir-
onment.

Tag Counts

Static Tags: Provides the total number of defined static tags at this level (device or channel). This inform-
ation can be helpful in troubleshooting and load balancing.

Device Propert ies — Scan M ode

The Scan Mode specifies the subscribed-client requested scan rate for tags that require device com-
munications. Synchronous and asynchronous device reads and writes are processed as soon as possible;
unaffected by the Scan Mode properties.

Scan Mode: Specify how tags in the device are scanned for updates sent to subscribing clients. Descriptions
of the options are:

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15 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

l Respect Client-Specified Scan Rate: This mode uses the scan rate requested by the client.
l Request Data N o Faster than Scan Rate: This mode specifies the value set as the maximum scan
rate. The valid range is 10 to 99999990 milliseconds. The default is 1000 milliseconds.
N ote: When the server has an active client and items for the device and the scan rate value is
increased, the changes take effect immediately. When the scan rate value is decreased, the changes
do not take effect until all client applications have been disconnected.
l Request All Data at Scan Rate: This mode forces tags to be scanned at the specified rate for sub-
scribed clients. The valid range is 10 to 99999990 milliseconds. The default is 1000 milliseconds.
l Do N ot Scan, Dem and Poll Only: This mode does not periodically poll tags that belong to the
device nor perform a read to get an item's initial value once it becomes active. It is the OPC client's
responsibility to poll for updates, either by writing to the _DemandPoll tag or by issuing explicit device
reads for individual items. For more information, refer to "Device Demand Poll" in server help.
l Respect Tag-Specified Scan Rate: This mode forces static tags to be scanned at the rate specified
in their static configuration tag properties. Dynamic tags are scanned at the client-specified scan
rate.

Initial Updates from Cache: When enabled, this option allows the server to provide the first updates for
newly activated tag references from stored (cached) data. Cache updates can only be provided when the
new item reference shares the same address, scan rate, data type, client access, and scaling properties. A
device read is used for the initial update for the first client reference only. The default is disabled; any time a
client activates a tag reference the server attempts to read the initial value from the device.

Device Propert ies — Et hernet Encapsulat ion

Ethernet Encapsulation is designed to provide communication with serial devices connected to terminal serv-
ers on the Ethernet network. A terminal server is essentially a virtual serial port. The terminal server con-
verts TCP/IP messages on the Ethernet network to serial data. Once the message has been converted to a
serial form, users can connect standard devices that support serial communications to the terminal server.
For more information, refer to "How to... Use Ethernet Encapsulation" in server help.
Ethernet Encapsulation is transparent to the driver; configure the remaining properties as if connecting to
the device directly on a local serial port.

IP Address: Enter the four-field IP address of the terminal server to which the device is attached. IPs are
specified as YYY.YYY.YYY.YYY. The YYY designates the IP address: each YYY byte should be in the range of 0
to 255. Each serial device may have its own IP address; however, devices may have the same IP address if
there are multiple devices multi-dropped from a single terminal server.

Port: Configure the Ethernet port to be used when connecting to a remote terminal server.

Protocol: Set TCP/IP or UDP communications. The selection depends on the nature of the terminal server
being used. The default protocol selection is TCP/IP. For more information on available protocols, refer to the
terminal server's help documentation.
N otes

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 16

1. With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Utilize
proper user role and privilege management to prevent operators from changing properties or
accessing server features.

2. The valid IP Address range is greater than (>) 0.0.0.0 to less than (<) 255.255.255.255.

Device Propert ies — Tim ing

The device Timing properties allow the driver's response to error conditions to be tailored to fit the applic-
ation's needs. In many cases, the environment requires changes to these properties for optimum per-
formance. Factors such as electrically generated noise, modem delays, and poor physical connections can
influence how many errors or timeouts a communications driver encounters. Timing properties are specific
to each configured device.

Communications Timeouts

Connect Tim eout: This property (which is used primarily by Ethernet based drivers) controls the amount of
time required to establish a socket connection to a remote device. The device's connection time often takes
longer than normal communications requests to that same device. The valid range is 1 to 30 seconds. The
default is typically 3 seconds, but can vary depending on the driver's specific nature. If this setting is not sup-
ported by the driver, it is disabled.
N ote: Due to the nature of UDP connections, the connection timeout setting is not applicable when com-
municating via UDP.

Connect Attem pts: This property (which is used primarily by some Ethernet Encapsulation based drivers)
limits the number of times a connection between the driver and the target device can be attempted. If the
limit is reached, the connection request has failed. The Connect Timeout property specifies the time interval
between connection attempts. The valid range is 1 to 10 attempts. The default is 3 attempts. If this setting is
not supported by the driver, it is disabled.

Request Tim eout: This property specifies an interval used by all drivers to determine how long the driver
waits for a response from the target device to complete. The valid range is 50 to 9,999,999 milliseconds
(167.6667 minutes). The default is usually 1000 milliseconds, but can vary depending on the driver. The
default timeout for most serial drivers is based on a baud rate of 9600 baud or better. When using a driver
at lower baud rates, increase the timeout to compensate for the increased time required to acquire data.

Attem pts Before Tim eout: This property specifies how many times the driver issues a communications
request before considering the request to have failed and the device to be in error. The valid range is 1 to
10. The default is typically 3, but can vary depending on the driver's specific nature. The number of attempts
configured for an application depends largely on the communications environment. This property applies to
both connection attempts and request attempts.

Timing

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Inter-Request Delay: This property specifies how long the driver waits before sending the next request to
the target device. It overrides the normal polling frequency of tags associated with the device, as well as
one-time reads and writes. This delay can be useful when dealing with devices with slow turnaround times
and in cases where network load is a concern. Configuring a delay for a device affects communications with
all other devices on the channel. It is recommended that users separate any device that requires an inter-
request delay to a separate channel if possible. Other communications properties (such as communication
serialization) can extend this delay. The valid range is 0 to 300,000 milliseconds; however, some drivers may
limit the maximum value due to a function of their particular design. The default is 0, which indicates no
delay between requests with the target device.
N ote: Not all drivers support Inter-Request Delay. This setting does not appear if it is not available.

Device Propert ies — Aut o-Dem ot ion

The Auto-Demotion properties can temporarily place a device off-scan in the event that a device is not
responding. By placing a non-responsive device offline for a specific time period, the driver can continue to
optimize its communications with other devices on the same channel. After the time period has been
reached, the driver re-attempts to communicate with the non-responsive device. If the device is responsive,
the device is placed on-scan; otherwise, it restarts its off-scan time period.

Dem ote on Failure: When enabled, the device is automatically taken off-scan until it is responding again.
Tip: Determine when a device is off-scan by monitoring its demoted state using the _AutoDemoted sys-
tem tag.

Tim eouts to Dem ote: Specify how many successive cycles of request timeouts and retries occur before the
device is placed off-scan. The valid range is 1 to 30 successive failures. The default is 3.

Dem otion Period: Indicate how long the device should be placed off-scan when the timeouts value is
reached. During this period, no read requests are sent to the device and all data associated with the read
requests are set to bad quality. When this period expires, the driver places the device on-scan and allows for
another attempt at communications. The valid range is 100 to 3600000 milliseconds. The default is 10000
milliseconds.

Discard Requests when Dem oted: Select whether or not write requests should be attempted during the
off-scan period. Disable to always send write requests regardless of the demotion period. Enable to discard
writes; the server automatically fails any write request received from a client and does not post a message
to the Event Log.

Device Propert ies — Tag Generat ion

The automatic tag database generation features make setting up an application a plug-and-play operation.
Select communications drivers can be configured to automatically build a list of tags that correspond to
device-specific data. These automatically generated tags (which depend on the nature of the supporting
driver) can be browsed from the clients.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 18

Not all devices and drivers support full automatic tag database generation and not all support the same data
types. Consult the data types descriptions or the supported data type lists for each driver for specifics.

If the target device supports its own local tag database, the driver reads the device's tag information and
uses the data to generate tags within the server. If the device does not natively support named tags, the
driver creates a list of tags based on driver-specific information. An example of these two conditions is as fol-
lows:

1. If a data acquisition system supports its own local tag database, the communications driver uses the
tag names found in the device to build the server's tags.

2. If an Ethernet I/O system supports detection of its own available I/O module types, the com-
munications driver automatically generates tags in the server that are based on the types of I/O mod-
ules plugged into the Ethernet I/O rack.

N ote: Automatic tag database generation's mode of operation is completely configurable. For more inform-
ation, refer to the property descriptions below.

On Property Change: If the device supports automatic tag generation when certain properties change, the
On Property Change option is shown. It is set to Yes by default, but it can be set to N o to control over when
tag generation is performed. In this case, the Create tags action must be manually invoked to perform tag
generation.

On Device Startup: Specify when OPC tags are automatically generated. Descriptions of the options are as
follows:

l Do N ot Generate on Startup: This option prevents the driver from adding any OPC tags to the tag
space of the server. This is the default setting.
l Always Generate on Startup: This option causes the driver to evaluate the device for tag inform-
ation. It also adds tags to the tag space of the server every time the server is launched.
l Generate on First Startup: This option causes the driver to evaluate the target device for tag
information the first time the project is run. It also adds any OPC tags to the server tag space as
needed.

N ote: When the option to automatically generate OPC tags is selected, any tags that are added to the
server's tag space must be saved with the project. Users can configure the project to automatically save
from the Tools | Options menu.

On Duplicate Tag: When automatic tag database generation is enabled, the server needs to know what to
do with the tags that it may have previously added or with tags that have been added or modified after the
communications driver since their original creation. This setting controls how the server handles OPC tags
that were automatically generated and currently exist in the project. It also prevents automatically gen-
erated tags from accumulating in the server.

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19 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

For example, if a user changes the I/O modules in the rack with the server configured to Always Generate
on Startup, new tags would be added to the server every time the communications driver detected a new
I/O module. If the old tags were not removed, many unused tags could accumulate in the server's tag space.
The options are:

l Delete on Create: This option deletes any tags that were previously added to the tag space before
any new tags are added. This is the default setting.
l Overwrite as N ecessary: This option instructs the server to only remove the tags that the com-
munications driver is replacing with new tags. Any tags that are not being overwritten remain in the
server's tag space.
l Do not Overwrite: This option prevents the server from removing any tags that were previously gen-
erated or already existed in the server. The communications driver can only add tags that are com-
pletely new.
l Do not Overwrite, Log Error: This option has the same effect as the prior option, and also posts an
error message to the server's Event Log when a tag overwrite would have occurred.

N ote: Removing OPC tags affects tags that have been automatically generated by the com-
munications driver as well as any tags that have been added using names that match generated tags.
Users should avoid adding tags to the server using names that may match tags that are automatically
generated by the driver.

Parent Group: This property keeps automatically generated tags from mixing with tags that have been
entered manually by specifying a group to be used for automatically generated tags. The name of the group
can be up to 256 characters. This parent group provides a root branch to which all automatically generated
tags are added.

Allow Autom atically Generated Subgroups: This property controls whether the server automatically cre-
ates subgroups for the automatically generated tags. This is the default setting. If disabled, the server gen-
erates the device's tags in a flat list without any grouping. In the server project, the resulting tags are named
with the address value. For example, the tag names are not retained during the generation process.
N ote: If, as the server is generating tags, a tag is assigned the same name as an existing tag, the system
automatically increments to the next highest number so that the tag name is not duplicated. For example, if
the generation process creates a tag named "AI22" that already exists, it creates the tag as "AI23" instead.

Create: Initiates the creation of automatically generated OPC tags. If the device's configuration has been
modified, Create tags forces the driver to reevaluate the device for possible tag changes. Its ability to be
accessed from the System tags allows a client application to initiate tag database creation.
N ote: Create tags is disabled if the Configuration edits a project offline.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 20

Device Propert ies — Set t ings

Data Access

Zero-Based Addressing: If the address-numbering convention for the device starts at one as opposed to
zero, the value can be specified when defining the device parameters. By default, user-entered addresses
have one subtracted when frames are constructed to communicate with a Modbus device. If the device does
not follow this convention, choose disable. The default behavior follows the convention of Modicon PLCs.

Zero-Based Bit Addressing: Within registers, memory types that allow bits within Words can be referenced
as Booleans. The addressing notation is <address>.<bit>, where <bit> represents the bit number within the
Word. This option provides two ways of addressing a bit within a given Word; zero- or one-based. Zero-based
means that the first bit begins at 0 (range=0-15); one-based means that the first bit begins at 1 (range=1-
16).

Holding Register Bit Mask: When writing to a bit location within a holding register, the driver should only
modify the bit of interest. Some devices support a special command to manipulate a single bit within a
register (function code hex 0x16 or decimal 22). If the device does not support this feature, the driver must
perform a Read / Modify / Write operation to ensure that only the single bit is changed. When enabled, the
driver uses function code 0x16, regardless of this setting for single register writes. When disabled, the driver
uses function code 0x06 or 0x10, depending on the selection for Modbus Function 06 for single register
writes. The default setting is disabled.
N ote: When Modbus byte order is disabled, the byte order of the masks sent in the command is Intel byte
order.

Modbus Function 06: This driver supports Modbus protocol functions to write holding register data to the
target device. In most cases, the driver switches between functions 06 and 16 based on the number of
registers being written. When writing a single 16-bit register, the driver generally uses Modbus function 06.
When writing a 32-bit value into two registers, the driver uses Modbus function 16. For the standard Modicon
PLC, the use of either of these functions is not a problem. There are, however, a large number of third-party
devices using the Modbus protocol and many support only Modbus function 16 to write to holding registers.
This selection is enabled by default, allowing the driver to switch between 06 and 16 as needed. If a device
requires all writes to use only Modbus function 16, disable this selection.
N ote: For bit within word writes, the Holding Register Bit Mask property takes precedence over this option.
If Holding Register Bit Mask is enabled, function code 0x16 is used regardless of this property. If not enabled,
either function code 0x06 or 0x10 is used for bit within word writes.

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21 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Modbus Function 05: This driver supports Modbus protocol functions to write output coil data to the target
device. In most cases, the driver switches between these two functions based on the number of coils being
written. When writing a single coil, the driver uses Modbus function 05. When writing an array of coils, the
driver uses Modbus function 15. For the standard Modicon PLC, the use of these functions is not a problem.
There are, however, many third-party devices that use the Modbus protocol and many only support the use
of Modbus function 15 to write to output coils regardless of the number of coils. This selection is enabled by
default, allowing the driver to switch between 05 and 15 as needed. If a device requires all writes to use only
Modbus function 15, disable this selection.

Data Encoding

Modbus Byte Order: sets the data encoding of each register / 16-bit value. The byte order can be changed
from the default Modbus byte ordering to Intel byte ordering using this selection. The default is enabled,
which is the normal setting for Modbus-compatible devices. If the device uses Intel byte ordering, disable
this property to read Intel-formatted data.

N ote: This setting does not apply to the Omni model. It always uses Modbus byte order.

First Word Low: sets the data encoding of 32-bit values and the double word of 64-bit values. Two con-
secutive registers' addresses in a Modbus device are used for 32-bit data types. The driver can read the first
word as the low or the high word of the 32-bit value based on this option. The default is enabled, first word
low, to follow the convention of the Modicon Modsoft programming software.

N ote: This setting does not apply to the Omni model. It always uses Modbus byte order.

First DWord Low : sets the data encoding of 64-bit values. Four consecutive registers' addresses in a Mod-
bus device are used for 64-bit data types. The driver can read the first DWord as the low or the high DWord
of the 64-bit value. The default is enabled, first DWord low, to follow the default convention of 32-bit data
types.

N ote: This setting does not apply to the Omni model. It always uses Modbus byte order.

Modicon Bit Order: when enabled, the driver reverses the bit order on reads and writes to registers to fol-
low the convention of the Modicon Modsoft programming software. For example, a write to address
40001.0/1 affects bit 15/16 in the device when this option is enabled. This option is disabled (disabled) by
default.

For the following example, the 1st through 16th bit signifies either 0-15 bits or 1-16 bits, depending on the
driver using zero-based or one-based bit addressing within registers.
MSB = Most Significant Bit
LSB = Least Significant Bit

Modicon Bit Order Enabled

M SB LSB
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Modicon Bit Order Disabled

M SB LSB
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 22

Treat Longs as Decim als: when enabled, the driver encodes and decodes double-precision unsigned Long
and DWord data types as values that range from 0 to 99999999. This format specifies that each word rep-
resents a value between 0 and 9999. Values read above the specified range are not clamped, but the beha-
vior is undefined. All read values are decoded using the formula [Read Value] = HighWord * 10000 +
LowWord. Written values greater than 99999999 are clamped to the maximum value. All written values are
encoded using the formula Raw Data = [Written Value]/10000 + [Written Value] % 10000.

Tips on Settings

Dat a Types M odbus Byt e Order First Word Low First DWord Low
Word, Short, BCD Applicable N/A N/A
Float, DWord, Long, LBCD Applicable Applicable N/A
Double Applicable Applicable Applicable

If needed, use the following information and the device's documentation to determine the correct settings of
the data encoding options.

The default settings are acceptable for the majority of Modbus devices.

Dat a Encoding
Dat a Encoding
Opt ion
Modbus Byte High Byte (15..8) Low Byte (7..0)
Order
Modbus Byte
Low Byte (7..0) High Byte (15..8)
Order
High Word (31..16) Low Word (15..0)
First Word Low High Word (63..48) of Double Word in Low Word (47..32) of Double Word in 64-
64-bit data types bit data types
Low Word (15..0) High Word (31..16)
First Word Low Low Word (47..32) of Double Word in 64- High Word (63..48) of Double Word in
bit data types 64-bit data types
First DWord Low High Double Word (63..32) Low Double Word (31..0)
First DWord Low Low Double Word (31..0) High Double Word (63..32)

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23 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Device Propert ies — Block Sizes

Coils

Output Coils: Specifies the output block size in bits. Coils can be read from 8 to 2000 points (bits) at a time.
A higher block size means more points are read from the device in a single request. The block size can be
reduced to read data from non-contiguous locations within the device. The default setting is 32.

Input Coils: Specifies the input block size in bits. Coils can be read from 8 to 2000 points (bits) at a time. A
higher block size means more points are read from the device in a single request. The block size can be
reduced to read data from non-contiguous locations within the device. The default setting is 32.

Registers

Internal Registers: Specifies the internal register block size in bits. From 1 to 125 standard 16-bit Modbus
registers can be read at a time. A higher block size means more register values are read from the device in
a single request. The block size can be reduced to read data from non-contiguous locations within the
device. The default setting is 32.

Holding Registers: Specifies the holding register block size in bits. From 1 to 125 standard 16-bit Modbus
registers can be read at a time. A higher block size means more register values are read from the device in
a single request. The block size can be reduced to read data from non-contiguous locations within the
device. The default setting is 32.
Caution: A bad address in block error can occur if the register block sizes are set above 120 and a 32- or
64-bit data type is used for any tag. To prevent this, decrease the block size value to 120.

Block Sizes

Block Read Strings: Enables group / block reads of string tags, which are normally read individually. String
tags are grouped together depending on the selected block size. Block reads can only be performed for Mod-
bus model string tags. The default setting is disabled.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 24

Device Propert ies — Variable Im port Set t ings

The Variable Import Settings parameters specify the location of the variable import file to be used for Auto-
matic Tag Database Generation.

For more information on CSV files for Modbus Drivers, refer to Creating CSV Files for Modbus Drivers.

Variable Im port File: This parameter is used to browse to the exact location of the variable import file to
use for Automatic Tag Database Generation.

Include Descriptions: When enabled, imported tag descriptions are used if present in the file.

For more information on configuring the Automatic Tag Database Generation feature (and how to create a
variable import file), refer to Automatic Tag Database Generation.

Device Propert ies — Fram ing

Some terminal server devices add additional data to Modbus frames; as such, the Framing parameters can
be used to configure the driver to ignore the additional bytes in response messages.

Framing

Modbus TCP Fram ing: Select Enable if the driver should use Modbus TCP frames with MBAP headers. The
default is disabled.
Tip: This setting should be enabled when communicating with native Modbus TCP devices.

Leading Bytes: Specify the number of bytes to be attached to the beginning of Modbus responses. Values
may range from 0 to 8.

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25 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Trailing Bytes: Specify the number of bytes to be attached to the end of Modbus responses. Values may
range from 0 to 8.

Device Propert ies — Error Handling

The error handling parameters determine how to deal with errors from the device.

Deactivate Tags on Illegal Address: When enabled, the driver stops polling for a block of data if the device
returns Modbus exception code 2 (illegal address) or 3 (illegal data, such as number of points) in response
to a read of that block. When disabled, the driver continues to poll that data block. The default setting is
enabled.

Reject Repeated Messages: When enabled, the driver interprets a repeated message as an invalid
response and retries the request. The default setting is enabled. When disabled, the driver expects repeated
messages.

N ote: Some message-relay equipment echoes Modbus requests back to the driver.

Device Propert ies — Redundancy

Redundancy is available with the Media-Level Redundancy Plug-In.

Consult the website, a sales representative, or the user manual for more information.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 26

Aut om at ic Tag Dat abase Generat ion

The Modbus RTU Serial Driver makes use of automatic tag database generation, which enables drivers to
automatically create tags that access data points used by the device's ladder program. While it is sometimes
possible to query a device for the information needed to build a tag database, this driver must use a Vari-
able Im port File instead. Variable import files can be generated using the Concept and ProWORX device
programming applications.

Creating the Variable Import File

The import file must be in semicolon-delimited text .TXT format, which is the default export file format of the
many device programming applications.
For specific information on creating the variable import file, consult Technical Note Creating CSV Files for Mod-
bus Drivers.

This driver requires additional settings in addition to the basic settings that are common to all drivers that
support automatic tag database generation. The specialized settings include the name and location of the
variable import file, which can be specified during the Variable Import Settings step of the Device Wizard or
later by selecting Device Properties| Variable Im port Settings.
For more information, refer to Variable Import Settings.

Server Configuration
Automatic tag database generation can be customized to fit an application's specific needs. The primary con-
trol options can be set during the Database Creation step of the Device Wizard or later by selecting Device
Properties | Tag Generation.

Operation
Depending on the configuration, tag generation may start automatically when the server project starts or be
initiated manually at some other time. The Event Log show when the tag generation process started, any
errors that occurred while processing the variable import file, and when the process completed.

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27 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

St at ist ics It em s
Statistical items use data collected through additional diagnostics information, which is not collected by
default. To use statistical items, Communication Diagnostics must be enabled. To enable Communication
Diagnostics, right-click on the channel in the Project View and click Properties | Enable Diagnostics. Altern-
atively, double-click on the channel and select Enable Diagnostics.

Channel-Level Statistics Items

The syntax for channel-level statistics items is <channel>._Statistics.

N ote: Statistics at the channel level are the sum of those same items at the device level.

It em Dat a Type Access Descript ion

The total number of times com-
_CommFailures DWord Read/Write munication has failed (or has run out of
retries).
The total number of valid error
_ErrorResponses DWord Read/Write
responses received.
The total number of expected responses
_ExpectedResponses DWord Read/Write
received.
The time at which the last valid
_LastResponseTime String Read Only
response was received.
The total number of times that a tag is
read later than expected (based on the
specified scan rate). This value does not
_LateData DWord Read/Write increase due to a DNR error state. A tag
is not counted as late (even if it was) on
the initial read after a communications
loss. This is by design.
The total number of messages sent as a
_MsgResent DWord Read/Write
retry.
The total number of messages sent ini-
_MsgSent DWord Read/Write
tially.
The total number of messages sent
_MsgTotal DWord Read Only
(both _MsgSent + _MsgResent).
The proportion of expected responses
_PercentReturn Float Read Only (Received) to initial sends (Sent) as a per-
centage.
The proportion of total valid responses
received (_TotalResponses) to total
_PercentValid Float Read Only
requests sent (_MsgTotal) as a per-
centage.
Resets all diagnostic counters. Writing to
_Reset Bool Read/Write the _Reset Tag causes all diagnostic
counters to be reset at this level.
The total number of responses with
_RespBadChecksum DWord Read/Write
checksum errors.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 28

It em Dat a Type Access Descript ion

The total number of messages that
_RespTimeouts DWord Read/Write
failed to receive any kind of response.
The total number of messages that
_RespTruncated DWord Read/Write
received only a partial response.
The total number of valid responses
_TotalResponses DWord Read Only received (_ErrorResponses + _Expec-
tedResponses).
Statistical items are not updated in simulation mode (see device general properties).

Device-Level Statistics Items

The syntax for device-level statistics items is <channel>.<device>._Statistics.

It em Dat a Type Access Descript ion

The total number of times com-
_CommFailures DWord Read/Write munication has failed (or has run out of
retries).
The total number of valid error
_ErrorResponses DWord Read/Write
responses received.
The total number of expected responses
_ExpectedResponses DWord Read/Write
received.
The time at which the last valid
_LastResponseTime String Read Only
response was received.
The total number of times that a tag is
read later than expected (based on the
specified scan rate). This value does not
_LateData DWord Read/Write increase due to a DNR error state. A tag
is not counted as late (even if it was) on
the initial read after a communications
loss. This is by design.
The total number of messages sent as a
_MsgResent DWord Read/Write
retry.
The total number of messages sent ini-
_MsgSent DWord Read/Write
tially.
The total number of messages sent
_MsgTotal DWord Read Only
(both _MsgSent + _MsgResent).
The proportion of expected responses
_PercentReturn Float Read Only (Received) to initial sends (Sent) as a per-
centage.
The proportion of total valid responses
received (_TotalResponses) to total
_PercentValid Float Read Only
requests sent (_MsgTotal) as a per-
centage.
Resets all diagnostic counters. Writing to
_Reset Bool Read/Write the _Reset Tag causes all diagnostic
counters to be reset at this level.

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29 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

It em Dat a Type Access Descript ion

The total number of responses with
_RespBadChecksum DWord Read/Write
checksum errors.
The total number of messages that
_RespTimeouts DWord Read/Write
failed to receive any kind of response.
The total number of messages that
_RespTruncated DWord Read/Write
received only a partial response.
The total number of valid responses
_TotalResponses DWord Read Only received (_ErrorResponses + _Expec-
tedResponses).
Statistical items are not updated in simulation mode (see device general properties).

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 30

Dat a Types Descript ion

Dat a Type Descript ion

Boolean Single bit
Unsigned 16-bit value
Word bit 0 is the low bit
bit 15 is the high bit
Signed 16-bit value
bit 0 is the low bit
Short
bit 14 is the high bit
bit 15 is the sign bit
Unsigned 32-bit value
DWord bit 0 is the low bit
bit 31 is the high bit
Signed 32-bit value
bit 0 is the low bit
Long
bit 30 is the high bit
bit 31 is the sign bit
Two byte packed BCD
BCD
Value range is 0-9999. Behavior is undefined for values beyond this range.
Four byte packed BCD
LBCD
Value range is 0-99999999. Behavior is undefined for values beyond this range.
Null terminated ASCII string
String Supported on Modbus model, includes HiLo LoHi byte order, 8 Byte and 16 Byte Omni
Flow Computer string data.
64-bit floating point value
Double* The driver interprets four consecutive registers as a double precision value by making
the last two registers the high DWord and the first two registers the low DWord.
Double If register 40001 is specified as a double, bit 0 of register 40001 would be bit 0 of the 64-
Example bit data type and bit 15 of register 40004 would be bit 63 of the 64-bit data type.
32-bit floating point value
Float* The driver interprets two consecutive registers as a single precision value by making the
last register the high word and the first register the low word.
If register 40001 is specified as a float, bit 0 of register 40001 would be bit 0 of the 32-bit
Float Example
data type and bit 15 of register 40002 would be bit 31 of the 32-bit data type.

* The descriptions assume the default first DWord low data handling of 64-bit data types, and first word low
data handling of 32-bit data types.

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31 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Address Descript ions

Address specifications vary depending on the model in use. Select a link from the following list to obtain spe-
cific address information for the model of interest.

M odbus Addressing
M agnet ek GPD 515 Drive Addressing
Elliot t Flow Comput er Addressing
Daniels S500 Flow Comput er Addressing
Dynamic Fluid M et er Addressing
Omni Flow Comput er Addressing
St at ist ics

See Also: Function Codes Description

M odbus Addressing
The default data types for dynamically defined tags are shown in bold. The Function Codes are displayed in
decimal.

For more information, refer to Function Codes Description.

5-Digit Addressing vs. 6-Digit Addressing

In Modbus addressing, the first digit of the address specifies the primary table. The remaining digits rep-
resent the device's data item. The maximum value of the data item is a two-byte unsigned integer (65,535).
Internally, this driver requires six digits to represent the entire address table and item. It is important to note
that many Modbus devices may not support the full range of the data item. To avoid confusion when enter-
ing an address for such a device, this driver "pads" the address (adds a digit) according to what was entered
in the address field. If a primary table type is followed by up to 4 digits (example: 4x, 4xx, 4xxx or 4xxxx), the
address stays at or pads, with extra zeroes, to five (5) digits. If a primary table type is followed by five (5)
digits (example: 4xxxxx), the address does not change. Internally, addresses entered as 41, 401, 4001,
40001 or 400001 are all equivalent representations of an address specifying primary table type 4 and data
item 1.

Primary Table Descript ion

0 Output Coils
1 Input Coils
3 Internal Registers
4 Holding Registers

M odbus Addressing in Decimal Format

Funct ion
Address Range Dat a Type Access*
Code
Output Coils 000001-065536 Boolean Read/Write 01, 05, 15
Input Coils 100001-165536 Boolean Read Only 02
300001-365536 Word, Short,
Internal Registers 300001-365535 BCD Read Only 04
300001-365533 Float, DWord,

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 32

Funct ion
Address Range Dat a Type Access*
Code
Long, LBCD
Double
3xxxxx.0/1-
3xxxxx.15/16* * *
Boolean
300001.2H-365536.240H

Internal Registers As String with

String* * Read Only 04
HiLo Byte Order
.Bit is string length, range
2 to 240 bytes.
300001.2L-365536.240L

Internal Registers As String with

String* * Read Only 04
LoHi Byte Order
.Bit is string length, range
2 to 240 bytes.
Word, Short, 03, 06, 16
400001-465536
BCD
400001-465535
Float, DWord,
400001-465533
Holding Registers Long, LBCD Read/Write
Double
4xxxxx.0/1-
03, 06, 16,
4xxxxx.15/16* * *
Boolean 22
400001.2H-465536.240H
Holding Registers As String with
.Bit is string length, range 2 String* * Read/Write 03, 16
HiLo Byte Order
to 240 bytes.
400001.2L-465536.240L
Holding Registers As String with
.Bit is string length, range 2 String* * Read/Write 03, 16
LoHi Byte Order
to 240 bytes.
* All Read/Write addresses may be set as Write Only by prefixing a "W" to the address such as "W40001."
This prevents the driver from reading the register at the specified address. Any attempts by the client to
read a Write Only tag results in obtaining the last successful write value to the specified address. If no suc-
cessful writes have occurred, the client receives 0/NULL for numeric/string values for an initial value.

Caution: Setting the Client Access privileges of Write Only tags to Read Only causes writes to these tags to
fail and the client to always receive 0/NULL for numeric/string values.
* * For more information, refer to String Support.
* * * For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.

M odbus Addressing in Hexadecimal Format

Funct ion
Address Range Dat a Type Access
Code
Output Coils H000001-H0FFFF Boolean Read/Write 01, 05, 15
Input Coils H100001-H1FFFF Boolean Read Only 02
H300001-H310000 Word, Short, BCD
Internal Registers H300001-H3FFFF Float, DWord, Long, Read Only 04
H300001-H3FFFD LBCD

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Funct ion
Address Range Dat a Type Access
Code
Double
H3xxxxx.0/1-H3xxxxx.F/10*
Boolean
Internal Registers H300001.2H-H3FFFF.240H.
As String with HiLo Bit is string length, range 2 to String* * Read Only 04
Byte Order 240 bytes.
Internal Registers H300001.2L-H3FFFF.240L.
As String with LoHi Bit is string length, range 2 to String* * Read Only 04
Byte Order 240 bytes.
Holding Registers H400001-H410000 H400001- Word, Short, BCD, Float, 03, 06, 16
H4FFFF H400001-H4FFFD DWord, Long, LBCD, Read/Write 03, 06, 16,
H4xxxxx.0/1-H4xxxxx.F/10* Double, Boolean 22
Holding Registers H400001.2H-H4FFFF.240H.
As String with HiLo Bit is string length, range 2 to String* * Read/Write 03, 16
Byte Order 240 bytes.
Holding Registers H400001.2L-H4FFFF.240L.
As String with LoHi Bit is string length, range 2 to String* * Read/Write 03, 16
Byte Order 240 bytes.
* For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.
* * For more information, refer to String Support.

String Support
The Modbus model supports reading and writing holding register memory as an ASCII string. When using
holding registers for string data, each register contains two bytes of ASCII data. The order of the ASCII data
within a given register can be selected when the string is defined. The length of the string can be from 2 to
240 bytes and is entered in place of a bit number. The length must be entered as an even number. The byte
order is specified by appending either a "H" or "L" to the address.

String Examples
1. To address a string starting at 40200 with a length of 100 bytes and HiLo byte order, enter
"40200.100H".

2. To address a string starting at 40500 with a length of 78 bytes and LoHi byte order, enter
"40500.78L".

N ote: The string's length may be limited by the maximum size of the write request that the device allows.
If, while utilizing a string tag, an error message of "Unable to write to address <address> on device
<device>: Device responded with exception code 3" is received in the server event window, this means that
the device did not like the string's length. If possible, shorten the string.

Normal Address Examples

1. The 255th output coil would be addressed as '0255' using decimal addressing or 'H0FF' using hexa-
decimal addressing.

2. Some documentation refers to Modbus addresses by function code and location. For instance, func-
tion code 3; location 2000 would be addressed as '42000' or 'H47D0'. The leading '4' represents hold-
ing registers or function code 3.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 34

3. Some documentation refers to Modbus addresses by function code and location. For instance, setting
function code 5 location 100 would be addressed as '0100' or 'H064'. The leading '0' represents out-
put coils or function code 5. Writing 1 or 0 to this address would set or reset the coil.

Array Support
Arrays are supported for internal and holding register locations for all data types except for Boolean and
Strings. Arrays are also supported for input and output coils (Boolean data types). There are two methods of
addressing an array. The following examples use holding register locations:

4xxxx [rows] [cols]

4xxxx [cols] this method assumes rows is equal to one.

For arrays, rows multiplied by cols cannot exceed the block size that has been assigned to the device for the
register / coil type. For register arrays of 32-bit data types, rows multiplied by cols multiplied by 2 cannot
exceed the block size.

Packed Coil Address Type

The Packed Coil address type allows access to multiple consecutive coils as an analog value. This feature is
available for both input coils and output coils, polled mode only. The only valid data type is Word. The syntax
is:

Output coils: 0xxxxx# nn Word Read/Write

Input coils: 1xxxxx# nn Word Read Only

where xxxxx is the address of the first coil (decimal and hex values allowed), and nn is the number of coils to
be packed into an analog value (1-16, decimal only).

The bit order is such that the start address is the LSB (least significant bit) of analog value.

M agnet ek GPD 515 Drive Addressing

This table provides the general ranges of data available from the Magnetek GPD 515 Drive. For information
on how specific Drive parameters can be accessed using Modbus RTU addressing, refer to the Magnetek
Modbus RTU Technical Manual, part number TM4025. In all cases, the letter H (used to signify Hex address-
ing) should precede the desired address. The default data types for dynamically defined tags are shown in
bold where appropriate.

M agnetek GPD 515 Addressing Hexadecimal Format

Address Range Dat a Type Access
H40001-H4000F H4xxxx.0/1- Word, Short
Command Registers Bit Level Access Read/Write
H4xxxx.F/10* Boolean
H40010-H4001A H4xxxx.0/1- Word, Short
Monitor Registers Bit Level Access Read Only
H4xxxx.F/10* Boolean
Drive Parameter Registers (Monitor Only) H40020-H40097 H4xxxx.0/1- Word, Short
Read Only
Bit Level Access H4xxxx.F/10* Boolean
Drive Parameter Registers Bit Level H40100-H4050D H4xxxx.0/1- Word, Short
Read/Write
Access H4xxxx.F/10* Boolean
H4FFDD ACCEPT H4FFFD
Special Registers Word, Short Write Only
ENTER

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For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.

Example
To access the driver's Operation Status, address 02BH, enter the following address: H4002B.

N ote: When adding a Magnetek Device to the OPC Server project, users must make sure that the setting
Zero-Based Addressing is disabled. If this parameter is not set correctly, the Modbus RTU driver offsets all of
the Magnetek addresses by 1.

Array Support
Arrays are supported for holding register locations for all data types except Boolean. There are two meth-
ods of addressing an array. The following examples use holding register locations:

4xxxx [rows] [cols]

4xxxx [cols] this method assumes rows is equal to one.

Rows multiplied by cols cannot exceed the block size that has been assigned to the device for the register
type.

Elliot t Flow Com put er Addressing

The default data types for dynamically defined tags are shown in bold where appropriate.

Address Range Dat a Type Access

Output Coils 000001-065536 Boolean Read/Write
Input Coils 100001-165536 Boolean Read Only
300001-365536 Word, Short, BCD
300001-365535 Float, DWord, Long, LBCD
Internal Registers Read Only

3xxxxx.0/1-3xxxxx.15/16* Boolean
400001-465536 Word, Short, BCD* *
400001-465535 Float, DWord, Long, LBCD
Holding Registers Read/Write

4xxxxx.0/1-4xxxxx.15/16* Boolean
For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.
* * Address ranges 405001 to 405315 and 407001 to 407315 are 32-bit registers. Addresses in the range of
405001 to 405315 use a default data type of Long.

Addresses in the range of 407001 to 407315 use a default data type of Float. Since these address registers
are 32-bit, only Float, DWord, Long, or LBCD data types are allowed. Arrays are not allowed.

Array Support
Arrays are supported for internal and holding register locations for all data types except Boolean. There are
two methods of addressing an array. The following examples use holding register locations:

4xxxx [rows] [cols]

4xxxx [cols] this method assumes "rows" is equal to one.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 36

Rows multiplied by cols cannot exceed the block size that has been assigned to the device for the register
type. For arrays of 32-bit data types, rows multiplied by cols multiplied by 2 cannot exceed the block size.

Daniels S500 Flow Com put er Addressing

The default data types for dynamically defined tags are shown in bold where appropriate. The Function
Codes are displayed in decimal.

For more information, refer to Function Codes Description.

Hex Decimal Dat a Funct ion

Address Access
Range Range Type Codes
Totals 000-0FF 4096-4351 Double 03 Read Only
Calculated /Measured Vari-
100-24F 4352-4687 Float 03, 16 Read/Write
ables
Calculation Constants 250-28F 4688-4751 Float 03, 16 Read/Write
Keypad Default Values 290-2AF 4752-4783 Float 03, 16 Read/Write
Alarm and Scaling Constants 2B0-5FF 4784-5631 Float 03, 16 Read/Write
Status /Control 700-7FF 5888-6143 Boolean 01, 05 Read/Write
Alarms 800-FFF 6144-8191 Boolean 02 Read Only

Dynam ic Fluid M et er Addressing

The default data types for dynamically defined tags are shown in bold where appropriate.

Dynamic Fluid M eter Addressing Decimal Format

Address Range Dat a Type Access
Word, Short, BCD
400000-407000 Float, DWord, Long,
400000-406999 LBCD

Holding Registers (16 bit) 408001-465535 Word, Short, BCD Read/Write

408001-465534 Float, DWord, Long,
LBCD
4xxxxx.0/1-4xxxxx.15/16*
Boolean
Holding Registers (32 bit) 407001-408000 Float Read/Write
400000.2H-407000.240H
Holding Registers As 408001.2H-465535.240H
String String Read/Write
with HiLo Byte Order .Bit is string length, range 2 to 240
bytes.
400000.2L-407000.240L
Holding Registers As 408001.2L-465535.240L
String String Read/Write
with LoHi Byte Order .Bit is string length, range 2 to 240
bytes.

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37 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.

Dynamic Fluid M eter Addressing Hexadecimal Format

Address Range Dat a Type Access
Word, Short, BCD
H400000-H401B58 Float, DWord, Long,
H400000-H401B57 LBCD

Holding Registers (16 bit) H401F41-H40FFFF Word, Short, BCD Read/Write

H401F41-H40FFFE Float, DWord, Long,
LBCD
H4xxxxx.0/1-H4xxxxx.F/10*
Boolean
Holding Registers (32 bit) H401B59-H401F40 Float Read/Write
H400000.2H-H401B58.240H
Holding Registers As H401F41.2H-H40FFFF.240H
String String Read/Write
with HiLo Byte Order .Bit is string length, range 2 to 240
bytes.
H400000.2L-H401B58.240L
Holding Registers As H401F41.2L-H0FFFF.240L
String String Read/Write
with LoHi Byte Order .Bit is string length, range 2 to 240
bytes.

For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.

N ote: This driver requires that all addresses begin with "4" for the Dynamic Fluid Meter model. This 4 may
not always be written explicitly in the Dynamic Fluid Meter documentation. For example, users may see a ref-
erence to "Unit ID at address 3001". This value must be addressed in the server as "403001".

String Support
The Dynamic Fluid Meter model supports reading and writing holding register memory as an ASCII string.
When using holding registers for string data, each register contains two bytes of ASCII data. The order of the
ASCII data within a given register can be selected when the string is defined. The length of the string can be
from 2 to 240 bytes and is entered in place of a bit number. The length must be entered as an even number.
The byte order is specified by appending either a "H" or "L" to the address.

String Examples
1. To address a string starting at 40200 with a length of 100 bytes and HiLo byte order, enter
"40200.100H".

2. To address a string starting at 40500 with a length of 78 bytes and LoHi byte order, enter
"40500.78L".

N ote: The string's length may be limited by the maximum size of the write request that the device allows.
If, while utilizing a string tag, an error message of "Unable to write to address <address> on device
<device>: Device responded with exception code 3" is received in the server event window, this means the
device did not like the string's length. If possible, try shortening the string.

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Om ni Flow Com put er Addressing

The default data types for dynamically defined tags are shown in bold.

Address Range Dat a Type Access

Digital I/O Point 1001-1024 Boolean Read/Write
Programmable Boolean Point 1025-1088 Boolean Read/Write
1n01-001n59
Meter Run Status and Alarm Points 1n76-1n99 Boolean Read/Write
n=Number of Meter Run
1n60-1n75
Micro Motion Alarm Status Points Boolean Read/Write
n=Number of Meter Run
1501-1599
User Scratch Pad Boolean Points Boolean Read/Write
1601 -1649
User ScratchPad One Shot Points 1650-1699 Boolean Read/Write
Command Boolean Points/Variables 1700-1798 Boolean Read/Write
Meter Station Alarm and Status Points 1801-1899 Boolean Read/Write
Prover Alarm and Status Points 1901-1967 Boolean Read/Write
2n01-2n37
Meter Totalizer Roll-over Flags Boolean Read/Write
n=Number of Meter Run
Misc. Meter Station Alarm and Status 2601-2623 Boolean Read/Write
Station Totalizer Roll-over Flags 2801-2851 Boolean Read/Write
2852-2862
Station Totalizer Decimal Resolution Boolean Read/Write
2865-2999

16-Bit Int eger Dat a Addresses Range Dat a Type Access

Short, Word,
Custom Data Packet # 1 3001-3040 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Custom Data Packet # 2 3041-3056 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Custom Data Packet # 3 3057-3096 Read/Write
BCD
3097-3099
Short, Word,
Misc. 16-bit Integer Data 3737-3799 Read/Write
BCD
3875-3899
3n01-3n52 Short, Word,
Meter Run 16-bit Integer Data Read/Write
n=Number of Meter Run BCD
Short, Word,
Scratchpad 16-bit Integer Data 3501-3599 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
User Display # 1 3601-3608 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
User Display # 2 3609-3616 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
User Display # 3 3617-3624 Read/Write
BCD

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16-Bit Int eger Dat a Addresses Range Dat a Type Access

Short, Word,
User Display # 4 3625-3632 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
User Display # 5 3633-3640 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
User Display # 6 3641-3648 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
User Display # 7 3649-3656 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
User Display # 8 3657-3664 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Access Raw Data Archive Records 3701-3736 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter Station 16-bit Integer Data 3800-3842 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter # 1 Batch Sequence 3843-3848 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter # 2 Batch Sequence 3849-3854 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter # 3 Batch Sequence 3855-3860 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter # 4 Batch Sequence 3861-3866 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Flow Computer Time/Date 3867-3874 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Prover 16-bit Integer Data 3901-3999 Read/Write
BCD

8-Charact er ASCII St ring Dat a Range Dat a Type Access

4n01-4n39
Meter Run ASCII Data String Read/Write
n=Number of Meter Run
Scatch Pad ASCII Data 4501-4599 String Read/Write
User Display Definition Variables 4601 -4640 String Read/Write
Station Auxiliary Input Variables 4707-4710 String Read/Write
Meter Station ASCII Data 4801-4851 String Read/Write
Meter # 1 Batch ID 4852-4863 String Read/Write
Meter # 2 Batch ID 4864-4875 String Read/Write
Meter # 3 Batch ID 4876-4887 String Read/Write
Meter # 4 Batch ID 4888-4899 String Read/Write
Prover ASCII String Data 4901-4942 String Read/Write

32-Bit Int eger Dat a Range Dat a Type Access

Meter Run 32-bit Integer Data 5n01-5n99 Long, DWord, Read/Write

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 40

32-Bit Int eger Dat a Range Dat a Type Access

n=Number of Meter Run LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Scratch Pad 32-bit Integer Data 5501-5599 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Station 32-bit Integer Data 5801-5818 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Meter # 1 Batch Size 5819-5824 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Meter # 2 Batch Size 5825-5830 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Meter # 3 Batch Size 5831-5836 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Meter # 4 Batch Size 5837-5842 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Additional 32-bit Meter Run Data 5843-5899 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Prover 32-bit Integer Data 5901-5973 Read/Write
LBCD, Float
Long, DWord,
Compact Prover TDVOL/TDFMP Pulses 5974-5999 Read/Write
LBCD, Float

32-Bit IEEE Float ing Point Dat a Range Dat a Type Access
Float, Long,
Reserved Data 6001-7000 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Digital to Analog Outputs 7001-7024 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
User Variables 7025-7088 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Programmable Accumulator 7089-7099 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
7n01 - 7n99 Float, Long,
Meter Run Data Read/Write
n=Number of Meter Run DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Scratch Pad Data 7501-7599 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
PID Control Data 7601-7623 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Miscellaneous Meter Run Data 7624-7699 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Miscellaneous Variables 7701-7799 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Meter Station Data 7801-7899 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Prover Data 7901-7918 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD

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41 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

32-Bit IEEE Float ing Point Dat a Range Dat a Type Access
Float, Long,
Configuration Data for Prover 7919-7958 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Last Prove Data 7959-7966 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Data Rejected During Prove 7967-7990 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Prove Run Data 7991-8050 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Prove Average Data 8051-8079 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Prove Run-Client Meter Data 8080-8199 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Proving Series Data 8200-8223 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Data of Meter Being Proved 8224-8230 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Mass Prove Data 8231-8500 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Miscellaneous Meter Run # 1 8501-8599 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Miscellaneous Meter Run # 2 8601-8699 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Miscellaneous Meter Run # 3 8701-8799 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Miscellaneous Meter Run # 4 8801-8899 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD
Float, Long,
Station Previous Batch Average Data 8901-8999 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD

16-Bit Int eger Configurat ion Dat a Range Dat a Type Access
Short, Word,
Meter Run # 1 13001-13013 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter Run # 2 13014-13026 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter Run # 3 13027-13039 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Meter Run # 4 13040-13052 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Prover Configuration 13053-13073 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
General Flow Configuration 13074-13084 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Serial Port Configuration 13085-13128 Read/Write
BCD

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16-Bit Int eger Configurat ion Dat a Range Dat a Type Access
Short, Word,
PID Configuration 13129-13160 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
PLC Data 13161-13299 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Peer to Peer Setup 13300-13499 Read/Write
BCD
Short, Word,
Raw Data Archive 13500-13999 Read/Write
BCD

16-Charact er ASCII St ring Dat a Range Dat a Type Access

Flow Computer Configuration 14001-14499 String Read/Write

32-Bit Int eger Dat a Range Dat a Type Access

Long, DWord,
Flow Computer Configuration 15001-16999 Read/Write
LBCD, Float

32-Bit IEEE Float ing Point Dat a Range Dat a Type Access
Float, Long,
Flow Computer Configuration 17001-18999 Read/Write
DWord, LBCD

Supported Extended Omni Types

Cust om Packet s
Raw Dat a Archive
Text Report s
Text Archive

Om ni Cust om Packet s
The Omni Flow Computer allows users to map various ranges of memory to a single data structure that can
be read with a single, highly efficient read command. These data structures are called Custom Packets.

Packet Configuration
Each custom packet may contain up to twenty groups of data points. Each group is defined by its starting
index and the number of data points. The total size of the custom packet must not exceed 250 bytes. The
addresses used to define the custom packets are listed below.

Custom Packet 1 (address 1)

3001 Group 1-Starting index
3002 Group 1-Number of points
to
3039 Group 20-Starting index
3040 Group 20-Number of points

Custom Packet 2 (address 201)

3041 Group 1-Starting index
3042 Group 1-Number of points

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43 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

to
3055 Group 20-Starting index
3056 Group 20-Number of points

Custom Packet 3 (address 401)

3057 Group 1-Starting index
3058 Group 1-Number of points
to
3095 Group 20-Starting index
3096 Group 20-Number of points

N ote: Data is returned from the device as 16-bit registers. Digital I/O must be mapped in blocks of 16 bits.

Custom Packet Address Syntax

Tags can be created to access data at a given offset within a custom packet. The address syntax is as fol-
lows. The default data types are shown in bold.

Address Range Dat a Type Access

n = Packet Number (1-3) Read
CPn_o Word, Short, BCD, DWord, Long, LBCD, Float, String
o = Word offset (0-125) Only
n = Packet Number (1-3)
o = Word offset (0-125) Read
CPn_o.b Boolean
b = Bit number (0/1- Only
15/16)*
For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.

N otes:

1. Only 8 character ASCII string data is supported.

2. If a 16 character ASCII string data address is contained in group configuration, then data can be read
as two 8-character ASCII string data items.

Example
Define Custom Packet # 1 to map to the following:

l 16 bits of digital I/O (1001-1016).

l Fifteen 32-bit integers of Meter Run 1 Batch data (5101 -5115).
l Twelve 32-bit floats of Analog Outputs (7001-7012).
l Four 8-character ASCII strings of Meter Run (4101-4104).
l Six 8-character ASCII strings of Meter Station (4808-4813).
l Two 16-character ASCII strings of Flow Configuration data (14001-14002).

N ote: This makes a total of 222 bytes. The custom packet configuration registers would have the following
values:

3001 = 1001
3002 = 16
3003 = 5101
3004 = 15
3005 = 7001

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 44

3006 = 12
3007 = 4101
3008 = 4
3009 = 4808
3010 = 6
3011 = 14001
3012 = 2

Tags to access the Digital I/O data would have the following addresses (all 16 values contained in word 0):
CP1_0.0 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 0-mapped to 1009)
CP1_0.1 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 1-mapped to 1010)
...
CP1_0.6 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 6-mapped to 1015)
CP1_0.7 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 7-mapped to 1016)
CP1_0.8 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 8-mapped to 1001)
CP1_0.9 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 9-mapped to 1002)
...
CP1_0.14 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 14-mapped to 1007)
CP1_0.15 (Word 0 of Custom Packet 1, bit 15-mapped to 1008)

Tags to access the Meter Run 1 Batch data would have the following addresses (each 32-bit value uses 2
words):
CP1_1 (Word 1 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 5101)
CP1_3 (Word 3 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 5102)
...
CP1_29 (Word 29 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 5115)

Tags to access the Analog Output data would have the following addresses (each 32-bit value uses 2 words):
CP1_31 (Word 31 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 7001)
CP1_33 (Word 33 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 7002)
...
CP1_53 (Word 53 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 7012)

Tags to access the Meter Run 8 character ASCII String data would have the following addresses (each String
value uses 4 words):
CP1_55 (Word 55 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 4101)
...
CP1_67 (Word 67 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 4104)

Tags to access the Meter Station 8 character ASCII String data would have the following addresses (each
String value uses 4 words):
CP1_71 (Word 71 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 4808)
...
CP1_91 (Word 91 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 4813)

Tags to access the Flow Configuration 16 character ASCII String data would have the following addresses
(each String value uses 4 words):
CP1_95 (Word 95 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 14001 characters 1-8)
CP1_99 (Word 99 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 14001 characters 9-16)
CP1_103 (Word 103 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 14002 characters 1-8)
CP1_107 (Word 107 of Custom Packet 1-mapped to 14002 characters 9-16)

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Om ni Raw Dat a Archive

The Omni Flow Computer may be configured to map various ranges of memory to a single data structure,
and then store that structure in an archive when triggered. Users may configure up to ten archives. There
are two additional fixed format archives for Alarm and Audit data. Each archive is a circular buffer, where
each new record replaces the oldest record.

Record Configuration and Retrieval

Users may configure the record structure of Raw Data Archives 1 to 10. Archives 11 and 12 are of fixed
format and contain Alarm and Audit data respectively.
For a full discussion of Raw Data Archives, refer to Omni Technical Bulletin 96073.

Each record may contain up to sixteen groups of data points. Each group is defined by its starting index and
the number of data points. The addresses used to define the archive records are listed below. The total size
of the record must not exceed 250 bytes. The device uses the first 6 bytes for date and time stamp data, leav-
ing 244 bytes for raw data. Each record has its own Boolean trigger. Data is stored when the trigger goes
from low to high.

Before a group starting index, number of points in group or trigger for a raw data archive can be changed,
archiving must halt. The Allow Archive Configuration Flag must be set in the device. Be aware that doing
this likely causes the data archive in the device to be reinitialized, including all Raw Data Archives and the
Text Archive.

13920 Archive Run-0=stop, 1= start

13921 Reconfigure Archives-0=no configuration changes allowed, 1=configuration changes allowed

This driver may be used to read a Raw Data Archive one record at a time. To read a record, first write the
desired record index to the "Requested record" register. Once this value is set, users may read the record
with an "RA" tag. Users should ensure that the specified record index does not exceed the maximum num-
ber of records allowed for that archive. If the "Last record updated" value is zero, there have been no
records saved in the archive since it was last initialized.

Raw Data Archive 1 (address 701)

13500 Group 1-Starting Index
13501 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13530 Group 16-Starting Index
13531 Group 16-Number of points

13900 Trigger Boolean

3701 Maximum number of records

3702 Last record updated
3703 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 2 (address 702)

13540 Group 1-Starting Index
13541 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13570 Group 16-Starting Index
13571 Group 16-Number of points

13901 Trigger Boolean

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 46

3704 Maximum number of records

3705 Last record updated
3706 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 3 (address 703)

13580 Group 1-Starting Index
13581 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13610 Group 16-Starting Index
13611 Group 16-Number of points

13902 Trigger Boolean

3707 Maximum number of records

3708 Last record updated
3709 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 4 (address 704)

13620 Group 1-Starting Index
13621 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13650 Group 16-Starting Index
13651 Group 16-Number of points

13903 Trigger Boolean

3710 Maximum number of records

3711 Last record updated
3712 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 5 (address 705)

13660 Group 1-Starting Index
13661 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13690 Group 16-Starting Index
13691 Group 16-Number of points

13904 Trigger Boolean

3713 Maximum number of records

3714 Last record updated
3715 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 6 (address 706)

13700 Group 1-Starting Index
13701 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13730 Group 16-Starting Index
13731 Group 16-Number of points

13905 Trigger Boolean

3716 Maximum number of records

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47 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

3717 Last record updated

3718 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 7 (address 707)

13740 Group 1-Starting Index
13741 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13770 Group 16-Starting Index
13771 Group 16-Number of points

13906 Trigger Boolean

3719 Maximum number of records

3720 Last record updated
3721 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 8 (address 708)

13780 Group 1-Starting Index
13781 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13810 Group 16-Starting Index
13811 Group 16-Number of points

13907 Trigger Boolean

3722 Maximum number of records

3723 Last record updated
3724 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 9 (address 709)

13820 Group 1-Starting Index
13821 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13850 Group 16-Starting Index
13851 Group 16-Number of points

13908 Trigger Boolean

3725 Maximum number of records

3726 Last record updated
3727 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 10 (address 710)

13860 Group 1-Starting Index
13861 Group 1-Number of Points
to
13890 Group 16-Starting Index
13891 Group 16-Number of points

13909 Trigger Boolean

3728 Maximum number of records

3729 Last record updated
3730 Requested record

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 48

Raw Data Archive 11 Alarm (address 711)

Not configurable

3731 Maximum number of records

3732 Last record updated
3733 Requested record

Raw Data Archive 12 Archive (address 712)

Not configurable

3734 Maximum number of records

3735 Last record updated
3736 Requested record

N ote: Data is returned from the device as 16-bit registers. Digital I/O must be mapped in blocks of 16 bits.

Raw Data Archive Address Syntax

Tags can be created to access data at a given offset within a Raw Data Archive record. The address syntax is
as follows. The default data types are shown in bold.

Address Range Dat a Type Access

n = Archive Number (1-12) Read
RAn_o Word, Short, BCD, DWord, Long, LBCD, Float, String
o = Word offset (0-125) Only
n = Archive Number (1-12)
Read
RAn_o.b o = Word offset (0-125) Boolean
Only
b = Bit number (0/1-15/16)*

For more information, refer to Zero-Based Bit Addressing in Settings.

N otes:

1. Only 8 character ASCII string data is supported.

2. If a 16 character ASCII string data address is contained in group configuration, then data can be read
as two 8-character ASCII string data items.

Timestamp Format
The first 6 bytes of each record contains the time and date that the record was placed in the archive.

Byt e Descript ion

Month (1-12)*
1
Day (1-31)
Day (1-31)*
2
Month (1-12)
3 Year (0-99)
4 Hour (0-23)
5 Minute (0-59)
6 Seconds (0-59)

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49 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

* Date format is set with register 3842 (0=dd/mm/yy, 1= mm/dd/yy).

Alarm/ Event Log Record Structure (Address 711)

Field Dat a Type Descript ion
1 3-Byte Date dd/mm/yy or mm/dd/yy.
2 3-Byte Time hh/mm/ss.
3 16-bit Integer Modbus Index # of alarm or event.
4 1 Byte Alarm Type.
5 1 Byte 0=OK, 1=Alarm.
6 IEEE Float Value of transducer variable at the time of alarm or event.
7 32-bit Integer Volume totalizer at the time of the alarm or event.
8 32-bit Integer Mass totalizer at the time of the alarm or event.

Alarm Types
Type Descript ion
0 Log event, sound beeper and display in LCD any edge change in bit identified by field # 3.
1 Log event, sound beeper and display in LCD rising edge changes in bit identified by field # 3.
2 Event Log any edge change in bit identified by field # 3. No beeper or LCD display action.
3 Event Log rising edge changes in bit identified by field # 3. No beeper or LCD display action.

Audit Event Log Record Structure (Address 712)

Field Dat a Type Descript ion
1 3-Byte Date dd/mm/yy or mm/dd/yy.
2 3-Byte Time hh/mm/ss.
3 16-bit Integer Event number, increments for each event, rolls at 65535.
4 16-bit Integer Modbus index of variable changed.
5 IEEE Float Numeric variable value before change-old value.
6 IEEE Float Numeric variable value after change-new value.
7 16-Char ASCII String variable value before change-old value.
8 16-Char ASCII String variable value after change-new value.
9 32-bit Integer Volume totalizer at time of change.
10 32-bit Integer Mass totalizer at the time of the change.

N ote: Fields 5 and 6 are set to 0.0 when the variable type changed is a string. Fields 7 and 8 contain null
characters when the variable type change is not a string. When fields 7 and 8 contain 8-character strings,
the remaining 8 characters are padded with nulls.

Om ni Text Report s
The Omni Flow computer can generate several different types of text reports. Each of these reports can be
read by this driver and sent to the OPC Client as a string value.

Text Report Types

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 50

There are a number of report types that can be retrieved from the Omni Flow Computer. They may be read
using a "TR" tag. The report types are as follows.

Custom Report Tem plates

9001 Report Template-Snapshot / Interval
9002 Report Template-Batch
9003 Report Template-Daily
9004 Report Template-Prove

Previous Batch Reports

9101 Batch Report-Last
9102 Batch Report-Second from Last
...
9108 Batch Report-Eighth from last

Previous Prove Reports

9201 Prove Report-Last
9202 Prove Report-Second from last
...
9208 Prove Report-Eighth from last

Previous Daily Reports

9301 Previous Day's Report-Last
9302 Previous Day's Report-Second from last
...
9308 Previous Day's Report-Eighth from last

Last Snapshot Report

9401 Last Local Snapshot / Interval Report

Miscellaneous Report Buffer

9402 Miscellaneous Report Buffer

Preview Monthly Reports

9501 Previous Month's Report - Last
9502 Previous Month's Report - Second from last
...
9508 Previous Month's Report - Eighth from last

Text Report Address Syntax

Address Range Dat a Type Access
TRn
n = Report address (9001-9508) String Read/Write
TRn T (triggered read)

Example
To read or write to the Snapshot Report Template (address 9001), create a tag with address "TR9001".

N ote: Because it can take several seconds to read a Text Report, the "TR" tags should be kept inactive in
the OPC client. Alternatively, triggered reads can be used instead. No other tags on the channel can be read
or written to while the driver is reading or writing a Text Report.

Triggered Text Report Reads

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51 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

As noted above, it is recommended that the Text Report tag be kept inactive, even though it is not always pos-
sible. A triggered read capability has been added as an alternative, allowing the Text Report tag to remain
active. It also controls when the actual device reads occur with an auxiliary trigger tag.

A triggered read may not begin immediately, depending on when in the Text Report tag's update cycle the
trigger is set. After the read attempt has been completed, the driver clears the trigger state. The Text Report
tag shows the value and data quality that resulted from the last triggered read attempt.

Text Report Read Trigger Address Syntax

Address Range Dat a Type Access
TRIG_TRn n = Report address (9001-9508) Boolean Read/Write

Example
To read the Last Batch Report (address 9101) on trigger, create two tags. The first is a Text Report tag with
address "TR9101 T", and the second is a Text Report Read Trigger tag with address "TRIG_TR9101".

N ote: The Text Report tag address looks like a normal Text Report address followed by a space and the let-
ter "T" for "triggered read". This "T" must be present in the address for triggered reads to work.

To trigger a read, set the trigger tag value to true (non-zero). After the read attempt has been completed,
the driver sets the trigger value to false (0). If the read was successful, the Text Report tag's data quality is
Good. If the read failed, the Text Report tag's data quality is Bad, and the value is the last value successfully
read.

Saving Text Report Data To Disk

The driver has the ability to save Text Report data to disk. This feature is enabled by using Text Report Path
tags. These tags are used to write file path strings to the driver's memory. Each report type has its own path
buffer. After a successful Text Report read, the driver checks the associated path buffer. If a valid path is
stored there, the driver saves the report data as ASCII text in that file. The file is created if needed. The file is
overwritten on subsequent Text Report reads.

The path buffers are initialized to empty strings on server start up. The driver does not write Text Report
data to file until a valid path is saved in the associated path buffer. Path data is not persistent. The path
strings must be rewritten each time the server is restarted. The path values can be changed at any time,
allowing users to save data to different files on each read if desired.

Path strings may be up to 255 characters long.

Text Report Path Address Syntax

Address Range Dat a Type Access
PATH_TRn n = Report address (9001-9508) String Read/Write

Example
To read the Last Batch Report (address 9101) and save the result to disk, create two tags. The first is a Text
Report tag with address "TR9101", and the second is a path tag with address "PATH_TR9101".

To save the report data in a file called "LastBatch.txt" (which is to be created in the folder "C:\Om-
niData\BatchReports") set up the client so that the first thing that it does is write "C:\Om-

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 52

niData\BatchReports\LastBatch.txt" to the path tag. Once this is done, read the Text Report tag. If the path is
not set before the first read of the Text Report, the driver is not able to save the data to disk.

N ote: To disable this feature, write an empty string to the path tag.

Om ni Text Archive
The Omni Flow Computer can also store reports in an archive. This driver can read a range of reports from
the archive and send them to the OPC client as a string value.

Reading the Text Archive

Before the text archive can be read, two settings must be made in the device: the archive start date, and the
number of days to retrieve. These 32-bit integer values are at addresses 15128 and 15127 respectively. The
date format may be specified using the value at address 3842 (0 = dd/mm/yy, 1 = mm/dd/yy). Shortly after
the number of days is set, the device begins preparing the data. When the data is ready to be read, the num-
ber of days value becomes negative. The Text Archive can be read at any time after the number of days is
set. The driver waits for the value to become negative.

Text Archive Address Syntax

Address Range Dat a Type Access
TA
N/A String Read Only
TA T (triggered read)
N ote: Because it can take several minutes to read a Text Archive, the "TA" tag should be kept inactive in
the OPC client. Alternatively, triggered reads can be used instead. This tag should only be read using asyn-
chronous reads, since the maximum synchronous read timeout cannot be increased high enough in the
server to read a typical text archive request. No other tags on the channel can be read or written to while the
Text Archive is being read.

If a Text Archive read fails midway, users should reset the device's read buffer by writing 999 to the number
of days register (15127), and then repeat the normal Text Archive read procedure. Otherwise, the driver
may not get the first part of the requested archive range.

Triggered Text Archive Reads

It is recommended that the Text Archive tag be kept inactive even though it is not always possible. A
triggered read capability has been added as an alternative, thus allowing the Text Archive tag to remain act-
ive. It also controls when the actual device reads occur with an auxiliary trigger tag. The trigger value is
stored in the driver's memory and may be read and set using a tag with the address syntax described below.

A triggered read may not begin immediately depending on when in the Text Archive tag's update cycle the
trigger is set. After the read attempt has been completed, the driver clears the trigger state. The Text
Archive tag shows the value and data quality that resulted from the last triggered read attempt.

Text Archive Read Trigger Address Syntax

Address Range Dat a Type Access
TRIG_TA N/A Boolean Read/Write

Example
To read the Text Archive on trigger, create two tags. The first is a Text Archive tag with address "TA T", and
the second is a Text Archive Read Trigger tag with address "TRIG_TA". Users must create start date and num-
ber of days tags.

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53 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

N ote: The Text Archive tag address looks like a normal Text Archive address followed by a space and the
letter "T" for "triggered read". This "T" must be present in the address for triggered reads to work.

To trigger a read, set the trigger tag value to true (non-zero). After the read attempt has been completed,
the driver sets the trigger value to false (0). If the read was successful, the Text Archive tag's data quality is
Good. If the read failed, the Text Archive tag's data quality is Bad and the value is the last value successfully
read.

Saving Text Archive Data to Disk

The driver has the ability to save Text Archive data to disk. This feature is enabled using a Text Archive Path
tag. This tag is used to write a file path string to the driver's memory. After a successful Text Archive read,
the driver checks the associated path buffer. If a valid path is stored there, the driver saves the Text Archive
data as ASCII text in that file. The file is created if needed. The file is overwritten on subsequent Text Archive
reads.

The path buffer is initialized to an empty string on server start up. The driver does not write Text Archive
data to file until a valid path is saved in the associated path buffer. Path data is not persistent. Users must to
rewrite the path string each time the server is restarted. The path value can be changed at any time, allow-
ing the data to be saved to different files on each read (if desired).

The path string may be up to 255 characters long. The directory cannot be the root drive (C:\\Tex-
tArchive.txt), within the Windows directory, or within the Program Files directory other than the server install-
ation location. The file extension must be either .txt or .log.

Text Archive Path Address Syntax

Address Range Dat a Type Access
PATH_TA N/A String Read/Write

Example
To read the Text Archive and save the result to disk, create two tags. The first is a Text Archive tag with
address "TA", and the second is a path tag with address "PATH_TA". Users must create start date and num-
ber of days tags as described above.

To save the Text Archive data in a file called "TextArchive.txt" (which is to be created in the folder "C:\Om-
niData\ArchiveData") set up the client so that the first thing that it does is write "C:\Om-
niData\ArchiveData\TextArchive.txt" to the path tag. Once this is done, read the Text Archive tag. If the path
is not set before the first read of the Text Archive, the driver is not able to save the data to disk.

N ote: To disable this feature, write a empty string to the path tag.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 54

Funct ion Codes Descript ion

M odbus Addressing M odel

Decimal Hexadecimal Descript ion
01 0x01 Read Coil Status
02 0x02 Read Input Status
03 0x03 Read Holding Registers
04 0x04 Read Internal Registers
05 0x05 Force Single Coil
06 0x06 Preset Single Register
15 0x0F Force Multiple Coils
16 0x10 Preset Multiple Registers
22 0x16 Masked Write Register

Daniels S500 Flow Computer Addressing M odel

Decimal Hexadecimal Descript ion
01 0x01 Read Coil Status
02 0x02 Read Input Coil
03 0x03 Read Holding Registers
05 0x05 Force Single Coil
16 0x10 Preset Multiple Registers

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Channel Propert ies — Configurat ion API

The following properties define a channel using the Configuration API service.

General Properties

common.ALLTYPES_NAME * Required parameter

N ote: Changing this property causes the API endpoint URL to change.

common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION

servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER * Required parameter

servermain.CHANNEL_DIAGNOSTICS_CAPTURE

Ethernet Communication Properties

servermain.CHANNEL_ETHERNET_COMMUNICATIONS_NETWORK_ADAPTER_STRING

Advanced Properties

servermain.CHANNEL_NON_NORMALIZED_FLOATING_POINT_HANDLING

Write Optimizations

servermain.CHANNEL_WRITE_OPTIMIZATIONS_METHOD

servermain.CHANNEL_WRITE_OPTIMIZATIONS_DUTY_CYCLE

See Also: The server help system Configuration API Service section.

Device Propert ies — Configurat ion API

The following properties define a device using the Configuration API service.

General Properties

common.ALLTYPES_NAME * Required parameter

common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION

servermain.DEVICE_CHANNEL_ASSIGNMENT

servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER * Required parameter

servermain.DEVICE_MODEL * Not required, but verify the default is acceptable

servermain.DEVICE_ID_STRING * Required parameter

servermain.DEVICE_DATA_COLLECTION

servermain.DEVICE_SIMULATED

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 56

Scan M ode

servermain.DEVICE_SCAN_MODE

servermain.DEVICE_SCAN_MODE_RATE_MS

servermain.DEVICE_SCAN_MODE_RATE_MS

servermain.DEVICE_SCAN_MODE_PROVIDE_INITIAL_UPDATES_FROM_CACHE

Auto Demotion

servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_ENABLE_ON_COMMUNICATIONS_FAILURES

servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_DEMOTE_AFTER_SUCCESSIVE_TIMEOUTS

servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_PERIOD_MS

servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_DISCARD_WRITES

Tag Generation

servermain.DEVICE_TAG_GENERATION_ON_STARTUP

servermain.DEVICE_TAG_GENERATION_DUPLICATE_HANDLING

servermain.DEVICE_TAG_GENERATION_GROUP

servermain.DEVICE_TAG_GENERATION_ALLOW_SUB_GROUPS

Tip: To Invoke Automatic Tag Generation, send a PUT with an empty body to the TagGeneration service
endpoint on the device.
See Also: For more information, see Services help.

Timing
servermain.DEVICE_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS

servermain.DEVICE_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS

servermain.DEVICE_RETRY_ATTEMPTS

servermain.DEVICE_INTER_REQUEST_DELAY_MILLISECONDS

See Also: The server help system Configuration API Service section.

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57 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Event Log Messages

The following information concerns messages posted to the Event Log pane in the main user interface. Con-
sult the OPC server help on filtering and sorting the Event Log detail view. Server help contains many com-
mon messages, so should also be searched. Generally, the type of message (informational, warning) and
troubleshooting information is provided whenever possible.

Bad address in block range. | Address range = <st art > t o <end>.
Error Type:
Error

Possible Cause:
1. An attempt was made to reference a nonexistent location in the specified device.

2. An attempt was made to read more registers than allowed by the protocol.

Possible Solution:
1. Verify the tags assigned to addresses in the specified range on the device and eliminate ones that ref-
erence invalid locations.

2. Decrease the register block size value to 125.

See Also:
1. Error Handling

2. Block Sizes

Bad array. | Array range = <st art > t o <end>.

Error Type:
Error

Possible Cause:
An array of addresses was defined that spans past the end of the address space.

Possible Solution:
1. Verify the size of the device's memory space and redefine the array length accordingly.

2. Verify the tags assigned to addresses in the specified range on the device and eliminate ones that ref-
erence invalid locations.

3. Reduce the array size value to 125.

See Also:

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 58

1. Error Handling

2. Block Sizes

Block address responded wit h except ion code. | Address range = <st art >
t o <end>, Except ion code = <code>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
See Modbus Exception Codes for a description of the exception code.

Possible Solution:
See Modbus Exception Codes.

Unable t o writ e t o address, device responded wit h except ion code. |

Address = '<address>', Except ion code = <code>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
See Modbus Exception Codes for a description of the exception code.

Possible Solution:
See Modbus Exception Codes.

Unable t o read from address, device responded wit h except ion code. |
Address = '<address>', Except ion code = <code>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
See Modbus Exception Codes for a description of the exception code.

Possible Solution:
See Modbus Exception Codes.

Tag im port failed due t o low m em ory resources.

Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The driver can not allocate memory required to process variable import file.

Possible Solution:

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59 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Shut down all unnecessary applications and retry.

File except ion encount ered during t ag im port .

Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The variable import file could not be read.

Possible Solution:
Regenerate the variable import file.

Error parsing record in im port file. | Record num ber = <num ber>, Field =
<nam e>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The specified field in the variable import file could not be parsed because it is invalid or longer than expec-
ted.

Possible Solution:
Edit the variable import file to change the offending field.

Descript ion t runcat ed for record in im port file. | Record num ber = <num -
ber>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The tag description given in specified record is too long.

Possible Solution:
The driver truncates descriptions as needed. To prevent this error, edit the variable import file to shorten
the description.

Im port ed t ag nam e is invalid and has been changed. | Tag nam e = '<t ag>',
Changed t ag nam e = '<t ag>'.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The tag name encountered in the variable import file contained invalid characters.

Possible Solution:

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 60

The driver constructs valid names based on the variable import file. To prevent this error and maintain
name consistency, change the name of the exported variable.

A t ag could not be im port ed because t he dat a t ype is not support ed. | Tag
nam e = '<t ag>', Unsupport ed dat a t ype = '<t ype>'.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The driver does not support the data type specified in the variable import file.

Possible Solution:
Change the data type specified in the variable import file to one that is supported. If the variable is for a
structure, manually edit the file to define each tag required for the structure or configure the required tags
manually in the server.

See Also:
Exporting Variables from Concept

Could not read Om ni t ext buffer due t o m em ory allocat ion problem .
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The driver can not allocate memory required for an Omni Text Record or Text Archive read operation.

Possible Solution:
Shut down all unnecessary applications and retry.

No Om ni t ext archive dat a available in specified dat e range.

Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
No data is in the text archive for the date range specified by the Start Date register (15128) and the Number
of Days register (15127).

Possible Solution:
This is not necessarily an error. Verify there is no data available for specified range.

Writ e t o Om ni t ext report t runcat ed. | Report num ber = <num ber>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
An attempt was made to write more than 8192 bytes to a text report. This is a limit imposed by the protocol.

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61 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Possible Solution:
Do not write strings greater than the 8192 byte limit. If the string is longer, only the first 8192 characters are
written to the device.

Could not read Om ni t ext report due t o packet num ber lim it . | Report
num ber = <num ber>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
Text reports are expected to be 8192 bytes or less. This is a limit imposed by the protocol. The driver read
8192 bytes before encountering the expected end of file character.

Possible Solution:
Verify that the report template used by the device generates reports of 8192 bytes or less.

Writ e failed. M axim um pat h lengt h exceeded. | Tag address = '<address>',

M axim um lengt h = <num ber>.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
Path length is limited to the indicated number of characters.

Possible Solution:
Use a shorter path.

Error writ ing Om ni t ext dat a t o file. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason =
'<reason>'.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The driver could not write the Omni text data to disk for the indicated reason.

Possible Solution:
Consult the operating system documentation for appropriate corrective measures for the reason indicated.

Om ni t ext out put file could not be opened. | Tag address = '<address>',
Reason = '<reason>'.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The file specified in an Omni Text Path tag could not be created or opened.

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 62

Possible Solution:
Consult the operating system documentation about the reason indicated for appropriate corrective meas-
ures. The most likely cause is an invalid path.

See Also:
1. Omni Text Reports

2. Omni Text Archive

Unable t o writ e t o address. Unexpect ed charact ers in response. | Tag

address = '<address>'.
Error Type:
Warning

Unable t o read from address. Unexpect ed charact ers in response. | Tag

address = '<address>'.
Error Type:
Warning

Unable t o read block address. Unexpect ed charact ers in response. |

Address range = <st art > t o <end>.
Error Type:
Warning

Om ni t ext out put file could not be changed. | Tag address = '<address>',
Reason = The pat h specified is not allowed.
Error Type:
Warning

Possible Cause:
The directory specified in an Omni Text Path tag is not allowed.

Possible Solution:
Consult the driver help content and supply a path to a secure location.

See Also:
1. Omni Text Reports

2. Omni Text Archive

Om ni t ext out put file could not be changed. | Tag address = '<address>',
Reason = The file ext ension specified m ust be '.t xt ' or '.log'.
Error Type:
Warning

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63 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Possible Cause:
The extension specified in an Omni Text Path tag is not allowed and must be .txt or .log.

Possible Solution:
Specify a valid extension.

See Also:
1. Omni Text Reports

2. Omni Text Archive

Im port ing t ag dat abase from file. | File nam e = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Informational

Error M ask Definit ions

B = Hardware break detected

F = Framing error
E = I/O error
O = Character buffer overrun
R = RX buffer overrun
P = Received byte parity error
T = TX buffer full

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 64

M odbus Except ion Codes

The following data is from Modbus Application Protocol Specifications documentation.
Code
N ame M eaning
Dec/ Hex
The function code received in the query is not an allowable action for the
server. This may be because the function code is only applicable to newer
ILLEGAL devices, and was not implemented in the unit selected. It could also indic-
01/0x01
FUNCTION ate that the server is in the wrong state to process a request of this type,
for example, because it is unconfigured and is being asked to return
register values.
The data address received in the query is not an allowable address for the
server. More specifically, the combination of reference number and trans-
ILLEGAL DATA
02/0x02 fer length is invalid. For a controller with 100 registers, a request with off-
ADDRESS
set 96 and length 4 would succeed. A request with offset 96 and length 5
generates exception 02.
A value contained in the query data field is not an allowable value for
server. This indicates a fault in the structure of the remainder of a complex
request, such as that the implied length is incorrect. It specifically does not
ILLEGAL DATA
03/0x03 mean that a data item submitted for storage in a register has a value out-
VALUE
side the expectation of the application program, since the Modbus protocol
is unaware of the significance of any particular value of any particular
register.
SERVER DEVICE An unrecoverable error occurred while the server was attempting to per-
04/0x04
FAILURE form the requested action.
The server has accepted the request and is processing it, but a long dur-
ation of time is required to do so. This response is returned to prevent a
05/0x05 ACKNOWLEDGE
timeout error from occurring in the client. The client can next issue a Poll
Program Complete message to determine if processing is completed.
SERVER DEVICE The server is engaged in processing a long-duration program command.
06/0x06
BUSY The client should retransmit the message later when the server is free.
The server cannot perform the program function received in the query.
NEGATIVE This code is returned for an unsuccessful programming request using func-
07/0x07
ACKNOWLEDGE tion code 13 or 14 decimal. The client should request diagnostic or error
information from the server.
The server attempted to read extended memory, but detected a parity
MEMORY
08/0x08 error in the memory. The client can retry the request, but service may be
PARITY ERROR
required on the server device.
Specialized use in conjunction with gateways indicates that the gateway
GATEWAY PATH was unable to allocate an internal communication path from the input port
10/0x0A
UNAVAILABLE to the output port for processing the request. This usually means that the
gateway is misconfigured or overloaded.
GATEWAY
Specialized use in conjunction with gateways indicates that no response
TARGET DEVICE
11/0x0B was obtained from the target device. This usually means that the device is
FAILED TO
not present on the network.
RESPOND
N ote: For this driver, the terms server and unsolicited are used interchangeably.

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65 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Index

A tag could not be imported because the data type is not supported. | Tag name = '<tag>', Unsupported
data type = '<type>'. 60
Address Descriptions 31
Allow Sub Groups 19
Attempts Before Timeout 16
Auto-Demotion 17
Auto-Dial 11
Automatic Tag Database Generation 26

Bad address in block range. | Address range = <start> to <end>. 57

Bad array. | Array range = <start> to <end>. 57
Baud Rate 6, 10
BCD 30
Block address responded with exception code. | Address range = <start> to <end>, Exception code =
<code>. 58
Block Read Strings 23
Block Sizes 23
Boolean 30

Channel-Level Settings 8
Channel Assignment 13
Channel Properties — Advanced 12
Channel Properties — Communication Serialization 7
Channel Properties — General 6
Channel Properties — Serial Communications 9
Channel Properties — Write Optimizations 9
Close Idle Connection 11-12
Coils 31
COM ID 10
COM Port 10

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 66

Communication Protocol 6
Communications Timeouts 16
Connect Attempts 16
Connect Timeout 11, 16
Connection Type 10
Could not read Omni text buffer due to memory allocation problem. 60
Could not read Omni text report due to packet number limit. | Report number = <number>. 61
Create 19

Daniels S500 Flow Computer Addressing 36

Data Bits 6, 10
Data Collection 14
Data Encoding 21
Data Types Description 30
Deactivate Tags on Illegal Address 25
Delete 19
Demote on Failure 17
Demotion Period 17
Description truncated for record in import file. | Record number = <number>. 59
Device Properties — Auto-Demotion 17
Device Properties — Ethernet Encapsulation 15
Device Properties — General 13
Device Properties — Redundancy 25
Device Properties — Tag Generation 17
Diagnostics 7
Discard Requests when Demoted 17
Do Not Scan, Demand Poll Only 15
Double 30
Driver 13
Drop 11
DTR 11
Duty Cycle 9
DWord 30
Dynamic Fluid Meter Addressing 36

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67 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Elliott Flow Computer Addressing 35

Error Handling 25
Error Mask Definitions 63
Error parsing record in import file. | Record number = <number>, Field = <name>. 59
Error writing Omni text data to file. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = '<reason>'. 61
Ethernet Encapsulation 15
Event Log Messages 57

File exception encountered during tag import. 59

First DWord Low 21
First Word Low 21
Float 30
Flow Control 11
Framing 24, 63
Function Codes Description 54

General 13
Generate 18
Global Settings 8

Hardware break 63
Holding Register Bit Mask 20
Holding Registers 23

I/O error 63
ID 13
Identification 6, 13
Idle Time to Close 11-12

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 68

Imported tag name is invalid and has been changed. | Tag name = '<tag>', Changed tag name =
'<tag>'. 59
Importing tag database from file. | File name = '<name>'. 63
Include Descriptions 24
Initial Updates from Cache 15
Input Coils 23
Inter-Device Delay 12
Inter-Request Delay 17
Internal Registers 23
IP Address 15

LBCD 30
Leading 24
Load Balanced 8
Long 30

Magnetek GPD 515 Drive Addressing 34

Modbus Addressing 31
Modbus Byte Order 21
Modbus Exception Codes 64
Modbus Function 05 21
Modbus Function 06 20
Model 13
Modem 10-11
Modem Settings 11
Modicon Bit Order 21

Name 13
Network 1 - Network 500 8
Network Mode 8
No Omni text archive data available in specified date range. 60
Non-Normalized Float Handling 12

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69 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

None 10

Omni Custom Packets 42

Omni Flow Computer Addressing 38
Omni Raw Data Archive 45
Omni Text Archive 52
Omni text output file could not be changed. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = The file extension spe-
cified must be '.txt' or '.log'. 62
Omni text output file could not be changed. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = The path specified is
not allowed. 62
Omni text output file could not be opened. | Tag address = '<address>', Reason = '<reason>'. 61
Omni Text Reports 49
On Device Startup 18
On Duplicate Tag 18
On Property Change 18
Operating Mode 13
Operation with no Communications 12
Operational Behavior 11
Optimization Method 9
Output Coils 23
Overrun 63
Overview 5
Overwrite 19

Parent Group 19
Parity 6, 10, 63
Physical Medium 10
Poll Delay 11
Port 15
Priority 8
Protocol 15

Raise 11

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Modbus RTU Serial Driver 70

Read Processing 12
Redundancy 25
Registers 31
Reject Repeated Messages 25
Replace with Zero 12
Report Communication Errors 11
Request Timeout 16
Respect Tag-Specified Scan Rate 15
RS-485 11
RTS 11
RX buffer overrun 63

Scan Mode 14
Serial Communications 9
Serial Port Settings 10
Settings 20
Setup 6
Shared 10
Short 30
Simulated 14
Statistics Items 27
Stop Bits 6, 11
String 30
Supported Devices 6

Tag Counts 7, 14
Tag Generation 17
Tag import failed due to low memory resources. 58
Timeouts to Demote 17
Trailing 25
Transactions per Cycle 8
Treat Longs as Decimals 22
TX buffer full 63

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71 M od b u s RTU Serial Driver

Unable to read block address. Unexpected characters in response. | Address range = <start> to
<end>. 62
Unable to read from address, device responded with exception code. | Address = '<address>', Exception
code = <code>. 58
Unable to read from address. Unexpected characters in response. | Tag address = '<address>'. 62
Unable to write to address, device responded with exception code. | Address = '<address>', Exception
code = <code>. 58
Unable to write to address. Unexpected characters in response. | Tag address = '<address>'. 62
Unmodified 12

Variable Import File 24

Variable Import Settings 24
Virtual Network 8

Word 30
Write All Values for All Tags 9
Write failed. Maximum path length exceeded. | Tag address = '<address>', Maximum length = <num-
ber>. 61
Write Only Latest Value for All Tags 9
Write Only Latest Value for Non-Boolean Tags 9
Write to Omni text report truncated. | Report number = <number>. 60

Zero-Based Addressing 20
Zero-Based Bit Addressing 20

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