Tipify - Connector - Modbus (Serial Communication)

Tipify - Connector - Modbus Serial Communication

Tipify Modbus Connector - Serial Communication
This document guides you through use of the Modbus serial devices with Tipify ™.

Hardware
The 245 has 2 communication terminals for Modbus serial communications: RS485 and RS232. 

Note: Wires connected to the RS485 port should be 28 - 17 AWG.



Enabling the Modbus Extension
Note: Enabling the Device Info extension is done on a per project basis in Skyspark and can not be done on the Host Level. There can only be one project on a T-Star referencing a Serial Port.
1.   Login into the Skyspark environment.
2.  Navigate to an active project, then the Settings App.

3.  Under the Exts Tab of the Settings App, highlight the "modbus" extension.

4.  If the "modbus" extension status reads "disabled" select and highlight the "modbus" extension and press the Enable button in the upper left-hand corner. The status should change to "ok".

Adding a Modbus Register Maps
The Connectors app is used to add Register Maps for Modbus. You must set up a map for each type of Modbus device.  The Register Map guide is found at: https://skyfoundry.com/doc/ext-modbus/doc#regMap

Note: Each time you edit a Register Map you will need to Disable and Enable your connector referencing that Register Map to have the system poll with the updated configuration.
1.  Navigate to an active project, then the Connector App, then go to the Register Map Tab.
2. Click the New button found in the upper left hand corner of the Register Map Tab.
3. Enter the name of the mapping you wish to create, then click OK.



Adding a Modbus Connector
A Connector will need to be made for each device that will be monitored through a Modbus connection.
1.  Navigate to an active project, then the Connector App.

2.  Select the New Button in the top left hand of the Connector Tab, you will be prompted with window asking which type of Connector you want to create, highlight and select the Modbus Option.  If the option is greyed out, select the Enable button next to it.


3.  The submission form will pop up, fill in the appropriate information, then press the OK button.



  1. dis – Display Name – This is the name the system shows to reference the modbus connection.
  2. uri – This is the system's identifier for which port to use for the network communication. Use “modbus-rtu://” for serial communication. The uri must be formatted as:
                    modbus-rtu://{serial_port}-{baudrate}-{<data><parity><stop>}-{flow}
                              The uri must contain the serial port to use, the baud rate for communication, the data bit configuration, and a flow control options. Supported configurations are listed below, and must be entered                               as listed.
                              
                              Serial Port Configurations:
                              rs232
                              rs485
                             
                              Baud Rate Configurations:
                              1200
                              2400
                              4800
                              9600
                              19200
                              38400
                              57600
                              115200
                             
                              Data Configurations:
                              8
                              7

                              Parity Configurations:
                              No Parity = n
                              Even Parity = e
                              Odd Parity = o
                             
                              Stop Configurations
                              1
                              2

                              Flow Control configurations:
                              No Flow Control = none
                              ASCII XON XOFF = xonxoff
                              Request to Send - Clear to Send = rtscts
Example uri:
modbus-rtu://rs485-19200-8e1-none
modbus-rtu://rs232-9600-8n1-rtscts
  1. modbusSlave - Modbus Slave – This is the Modbus Device address on the serial network, such as 1, or 3.
  2. modbusRegMapUri – Modbus Register Map URI – This is a reference to the Register Map you created for this type of device. Select the register map from the drop down menu.
4.  Once the connector has been created it can be checked by selecting the connector in the list, then by selecting Ping button to ensure your device is connected properly. If OK, you can bind or add new points to your database referencing this Modbus connector.


Debugging Your Connector
If you have problems with your connector, there are a few places to get diagnostic information.

Connectors app
In the Connectors app, under the Connector tab, select the Modbus category, then the Modbus connection you want to debug, the clock the 'Details' button at the top center of the screen to view the connectors details.



Debug app
Access the debugging logs for Modbus by going to the Debug App, then into the Log tab and clicking the Levels button found on the right- hand side of the tab.  Once a new window pops up, find the Modbus options and switch them to debug, and click OK.





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