Advice required for setting up a basic system

[BretLark]

Hi all,

I have had RapidSCADA installed for several weeks now and I keep coming back to it. I do not have any experience with SCADA systems other than being a user on the customer side. I am trying to setup the software to read a couple of registers from one type of device, and then output to the web for eventual display on a 50″ screen in a monitoring centre.

I can see how the software is supposed to work and I’m sure it is perfect for my requirements but is there a simple step-by-step guide for adding my device into the correct areas of the software and configuring on the web? I’ve spent literally days but don’t understand the terminology to be confident with it.

Many thanks in advance.

Bret

[Mikhail]

Hello Bret,

There are a few articles which can help: http://rapidscada.org/category/articles/
If you read them and the situation is still not clear, let’s do step-by-step configuration right here in this topic.
What communication protocol is supported by your device?

[BretLark]

Hi Mikhail,

Thank you for your reply and sorry for the delay in replying. I am using a CeweMod Modbus gateway which reads serial data using the IEC protocol from the meter and converts it in to Modbus TCP as IEEE-754 (which I don’t understand but it’s in the manual!).

I do have the Modbus mapping document in PDF format if you would like a copy of it. I am going through the guides you kindly posted the links to now but I have to say I’m clueless so just guessing really.

Many thanks for your help, once I know how to do it there’ll be no stopping me. 🙂

[Mikhail]

We will go the simplest way based on the default configuration.
Step One. Connect to the Device
1. Run SCADA-Communicator.
2. Untick “Use SCADA-Server”.
3. Untick “Active” of the Lines 2 and 3. The line 1 must be active.
4. Select Line 1, go to “Request Sequence” page and click on the first device in the grid.
5. Set “Call number” to the IP of your device.
6. Set “Command Line” to MyTemplate.xml
7. Apply settings changes.
8. Click “Device Libraries” node, then select KpModbus.dll and click “Properties”.
9. You should create a template of your device using Device Template Editor according the device documentation. Save it to file MyTemplate.xml. We can discuss it in details.
10. Start SCADA-Communicator service and watch the communication state.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Mikhail.

[Mikhail]

5a. Your Modbus TCP device is CeweMod gateway.
5b. Address field probably should contains the Modbus ID of the meter.

[BretLark]

Hi Mikhail,

Thank you for this, I think I have managed to add the device template successfully as the last entry in the communicator stats is “Start receiving commands” whereby previously I have seen errors. I’m not able to see if the data values are coming through as I guess this is further along in the configuration but at least I am not receiving errors now.

I’m not certain how the meter is configured, it uses an ID of 0 in the Modbus gateway so I have left the device address as 0. The registers are confusing me as there are a different number of bytes per entry for different registers.

Onward and upward!

Bret

[BretLark]

OK, I think I’m making some progress although I now have an error as follows:

2015-08-19 14:55:44 Communication session with Device 1 “Hale Farm Generation Meter”, type: KpModbus, call number: ***.***.***.***:502
Request element group “Energy Registers”
Send (12): 00 00 00 00 00 06 00 04 04 25 00 04
Receive (7/7): 00 00 00 00 00 03 00
Receive (2/2): 84 02
Device error: [02] ILLEGAL DATA ADDRESS!
Request element group “Energy Registers”
Send (12): 00 00 00 00 00 06 00 04 04 25 00 04

It looks as though I’m receiving data prior to the error but I don’t know where to look for the data address.

Thanks in advance.

Bret

[Mikhail]

Hi Bret,

Fine. This log means that the connection is OK, but you need to tune your device template. Look for register addresses in the documentation of your device. After it is found, copy an appropriate part of manual here.

[BretLark]

Hi Mikhail,

Thanks once again. At least I know I have part of it correct. It’s not easy for me to add an extract as long term I want to try to read as much information from the meter as possible and the different registers have different formats. However, I have uploaded the PDF to my webserver if you would like to look at it, certainly the first couple of pages seem to be of interest to someone who understands it. CeweMod Protocol Mapping

The main registers at the moment are “Energy Registers” and will be 465-468 and 469-472.

I really appreciate your help with this.

Bret

[Mikhail]

The next steps:
1. Open Device Template Editor.
2. Add element group by clicking the toolbar button.
3. Input any group name.
4. Choose “Input Registers” Data table (as written on the 5th page of your manual).
5. Set “Start element address” to 465.
6. Set “Element count” to 8 (from 465 to 472)
7. Save the template and restart SCADA-Communicator service.

Then watch the log and post it, please.
At this time KpModbus.dll can convert max. 4 bytes values. But in your case you need to convert 8 bytes. Fortunately, Modbus driver is now under upgrade and I’ll try to implement required functionality in the next week.

While waiting, you could tune the other necessary registers. Most of them are 4 bytes or less.

[BretLark]

I did wonder about the 8 bytes on those registers. It is good that an updated driver is due though, I will look out for that. I have added as per the above and the log is below, I have omitted the IP address as it is a live public IP to a real meter but I am happy to let you have it if required for testing.

2015-08-19 20:16:12 Communication session with Device 1 “Hale Farm Generation Meter”, type: KpModbus, call number: ***.***.***.***:502
Request element group “Energy Registers”
Send (12): 00 00 00 00 00 06 00 04 01 D0 00 08
Receive (7/7): 00 00 00 00 00 03 00
Receive (2/2): 84 02
Device error: [02] ILLEGAL DATA ADDRESS!
Request element group “Energy Registers”
Send (12): 00 00 00 00 00 06 00 04 01 D0 00 08
Receive (7/7): 00 00 00 00 00 03 00
Receive (2/2): 84 02
Device error: [02] ILLEGAL DATA ADDRESS!
Request element group “Energy Registers”
Send (12): 00 00 00 00 00 06 00 04 01 D0 00 08
Receive (7/7): 00 00 00 00 00 03 00
Receive (2/2): 84 02
Device error: [02] ILLEGAL DATA ADDRESS!

[Mikhail]

Try changing 465 to 466 in the template.

I would like to take advantage of your offer and test the new version of Modbus driver with your device when the driver becomes ready. It would be great.

[BretLark]

Thanks Mikhail, I will try this morning.

I will send the full IP address to you also.

[Mikhail]

OK, send it to the e-mail written here http://rapidscada.org/contact/

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Mikhail.

[Mikhail]

Hi,
It’s weird:
If “Address” field is 0, the result is allways [02] ILLEGAL DATA ADDRESS!
If “Address” field is 1, there are some success results and some errors [02].
If “Address” field is 2 or more, all the test requests is OK. But voltages and energies are 0. Is it normal? Do you have a clue why address must be 2 or more?

I’ll send you a template file.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Mikhail.

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