EtherNet/IP – Driver

The user cannot enter the data type during the screen drawing. The proper data type is fetched during the data reading from the PLC. There might be some limitations, as only certain data types are supported. The following paragraph specifies all supported data types for a given PLC type.

The EtherNet/IP driver supports all numeric data types:

Tag Data TypeDescription
DINTAn atomic data type consisting of a DWORD used for storing a 32-bit signed integer value (-2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647).
SINTAn atomic data type that stores an 8-bit signed integer value (-128 to +127).
INTAn atomic data type consisting of a word used for storing a 16-bit signed integer value (-32,768 to +32,767).
REALAn atomic data type that stores a 32-bit IEEE floating-point value.
BOOLThe BOOL data type is an atomic data type consisting of a single bit.
UDTData structure

Reading Controller Tags

To access information stored in a controller tag, mention the tag name. This straightforward approach allows you to read the desired data effortlessly by specifying the tag associated with the information you want to retrieve.

Reading Program Tags

To read a program tag, you must specify the program name before the tag name. You must use the following syntax:

Program: name.tag
name – program name
tag – tag name

So if you want to communicate with tag named valve from a program named control, you will have the following syntax: Program:control.valve

Limitations of the BOOL arrays in the ControlLogix

The different syntax to access the elements in the BOOL arrays is used in the myDESIGNER, compared to the programs stored in the controller. In DataTalk you have to address the word and bit position separately. The word consists of the 32 bits – BOOL elements and the range of the BOOL array is split into multiple words.

Example

3rd element (bit]TestBool[0].3
34th element (bit)TestBool[1].2
54th element (bit)TestBool[1].22
Out of range, bad addressTestBool[2].0
Out of range, bad addressTestBool[50]

Data-Talk supports .L5X file import means you’re able to export your whole PLC project out of the Rockwell studio with all the tags (Including UDTs) and then import it into DataTalk when creating the connection – which means that you won’t need to type it manually in the tags Database.

Once you perform the .L5X file import, you’re no longer able to type in tags manually in the tags database (You’re only able to select tags which were contained in the provided .L5X file), which means if the project changes – you add or remove tags, you have to import them.L5X file again in the connection section

asi gif, jak delam import toho souboru a pak následne vybiram tagy v tag.db z te tabulky


How can we improve communication speed?

The ControLogix controller’s communication is optimized for faster data retrieval when reading arrays collectively instead of individual elements. Utilizing tags arranged in arrays can significantly enhance the speed of operations.
For instance, to efficiently retrieve the status of levels in 10 tanks, organize your data types to store all levels in an array with ten elements. Here’s an example of the faster implementation>

Level[1]
Level[2]
Level[3]

FAST

Alternatively, if you prefer using structures, consider the following approach. However, it’s worth noting that addressing this type of structure can slow down communication. Therefore, we advise against using this data-addressing method:

BigTank[1].Level
BigTank[2].Level
BigTank[3].Level

SLOW