Chapter 12 FBs-PLC Communication

The main unit of FBs-PLC has maximum 5 communication ports with the interface of USB/RS-232/RS-485/Ethernet;
the built-in Port 0 with optional USB/RS-232 interface, which supports FATEK communication protocol; Port 1~4 with
RS-232/RS-485 interface can be expanded through the installation of communication board (Port 1 & 2) and
communication module (Port 3 & 4), they can support FATEK/Modbus-RTU master or slave or User-defined ladder
program controlled communication protocols. Through the Ethernet communicaton module, the FBs PLC can be
connected with the Ethernet network for intranet or internet supervisory application. The details as below:

12.1 Functions and Applications of FBs-PLC Communication Ports

FBs-PLC not only has four different hardware interfaces but also has four types of software interfaces. The table
below shows the types of software interfaces that the FBs-PLC communication ports can be defined:

Type Available Communication Port

Note
Software Interface Port 0 Port 1 Port 2 ~ 4
Controlled by the CPU via the "Standard
Standard Interface ○ ○ ○
Communication Driver of FATEK”

Controlled by the CPU via the "Standard

Modbus RTU Interface ○ ○
Communication Driver of Modbus RTU”
Controlled by the CPU via the "MODEM
Modem Interface ○ Interface Driver" and “Standard
Communication Driver of FATEK”
The user controls the communication port via
Ladder Program Control Interface ○ ○
ladder diagram program

· Standard Interface: This type of interface can be set in Port 0 ~ Port 4 (Port 0 supports this type only) and is
called “Standard Interface” due to the fact that the port is controlled by the FB-PLC
Standard Communication Driver (applying “FB-PLC Communication Protocol”). It is
necessary to conform to “FB-PLC Communication Protocol” before connection with
“Standard Interface” can be made for communication.
This is the system default.

· Modbus RTU Interface: This type of interface can be set in Port 1 ~ 4 as the slave of Modbus communication
protocol, which applies the “Standard Modbus Communication Protocol”.

· Modem interface: This type of interface can only be selected in Port 1 that is controlled by the FBs-PLC
built-in “MODEM Interface Driver” for receiving phone calls or dialing. After connecting,
control will be passed to “Standard Communication Driver” or "Ladder Controlled
Communication Instruction).

· Ladder Program Control Interface:

This type of interface can be selected in Port 1 ~ 4. The port under this type of interface
is controlled by the handy instructions of ladder program (such as FUN94, FUN 150 and
FUN151). Thus, the user may control these communication ports for various
communication applications via the ladder program.

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 The following sections will describe the functions and applications of the five FBs-PLC communication ports in each
of the four different types of software interface.

12.1.1 Communication Port 0 : USB or RS-232 Serial Interface

Function Specification
· Communication Parameters:
Baud Rate：9600 bps (Default; 19200/38400/57600/115200 bps also allowed)
Data Length：7-bit (Fixed)
Parity：Even (Fixed)
Stop Bit：1-bit (Fixed)

Basic Application
The Port 0 has the hardware interface of USB/RS232 and the software interface of “Standard Interface”.

Derived Application

 For connection with peripherals having USB/RS-232 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA,….

‚ By adding RS-232↔RS-485 convertor for long distance or multi-drop application through RS-485 interface:
For connection with peripherals having RS-485 interface, such as PC, MMI, SCADA,….
By this way, it may be connected to the FB-PLC CPU Link Network.

12.1.2 Communication Port 1 : RS-232/RS-485 Serial Interface

Function Specification

· The signal specification meets the EIA RS-232C/RS-485 standard and the communication parameters are adjustable,
the maximum communication speed can reach 921.6K bps. The default communication parameters are as bellow:
Baud Rate：9600 bps ; Data Length：7-bit ; Parity：Even ; Stop Bit：1-bit

Basic Application

The following four types of software interfaces can be selected

 Standard Interface：Appling FATEK communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

‚ Modbus RTU Interface：Appling Modbus RTU communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

ƒ Modem Interface：
It will provide the remote diagnostics and trouble debugging or remote data collection or alarm and fault report via
the Modem interface.

④ Ladder Program Control Interface：

The user can control Port 1 through ladder diagram program to take over the control, it can be connected with the
printer, acts as the master of FATEK-CPU-Link/Modbus-RTU communication network, or communicates with the
intelligent peripherals.

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Derived Application

 For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA,…; or
it may be connected to the FATEK CPU Link network or Modbus RTU network through RS-485 interface.
‚ For "Ladder Diagram Control Interface", the applications described as bellow:
· By FUN151 of MD0 instruction, it can act as the master of FATEK CPU Link Network.
· By FUN151 of MD1 instruction, it can act as the sender and connect with the intelligent peripherals, such
as other PLC, servo driver,temperature controller,invertor….
· By FUN151 of MD2 instruction, it can act as the receiver and connect with intelligent peripherals, such as
magnetic card reader, barcode reader and electronic weighing scale….
· By FUN150 instruction, it can act as the master of Modbus RTU Network.

· By FUN94 instruction, it can be connected with the printer having RS-232 hardware interface for report printing.

12.1.3 Communication Port 2 : RS-232/RS-485 Serial Interface

Function Specification
· The signal specification meets the EIA RS-232C/RS-485 standard and the communication parameters are adjustable,
the maximum communication speed can reach 921.6K bps. This port with the ability for real-time distributed control.
The default communication parameters are as bellow:
Baud Rate：9600 bps ; Data Length：7-bit ; Parity：Even ; Stop Bit：1-bit

Basic Application

The following three types of software interfaces can be selected

 Standard Interface：Appling FATEK communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

‚ Modbus RTU Interface：Appling Modbus RTU communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

Modem Interface：

ƒ Ladder Program Control Interface：

The user can control Port 2 through ladder diagram program to take over the control, it can act as the master of the
FATEK High Spped CPU Link, the master of FATEK-CPU-Link/Modbus-RTU network, or communicates with the
intelligent peripherals.

Derived Application

 For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA,…; or it
may be connected to the FATEK CPU Link network or Modbus RTU network through RS-485 interface.

‚ For "Ladder Diagram Control Interface", the applications described as bellow:

· By FUN151 of MD0 instruction, it can act as the master of FATEK CPU Link Network.
· By FUN151 of MD3 instruction, it can act as the master of FATEK High Speed CPU Link Network.
· By FUN151 of MD1 instruction, it can act as the sender and connect with the intelligent peripherals, such as
other PLC, servo driver, temperature controller, invertor….
· By FUN151 of MD2 instruction, it can act as the receiver and connect with intelligent peripherals, such as
magnetic card reader, barcode reader and electronic weighing scale….

· By FUN150 instruction, it can act as the master of Modbus RTU Network.

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12.1.4 Communication Port 3 : RS-232/RS-485 Serial Interface

Function Specification
· The signal specification meets the EIA RS-232C/RS-485 standard and the communication parameters are adjustable,
the maximum communication speed can reach 921.6K bps. The default communication parameters are as bellow:
Baud Rate：9600 bps ; Data Length：7-bit ; Parity：Even ; Stop Bit：1-bit

Basic Application

The following three types of software interfaces can be selected

 Standard Interface：Appling FATEK communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

‚ Modbus RTU Interface：Appling Modbus RTU communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

Modem Interface：

ƒ Ladder Program Control Interface：

The user can control Port 3 through ladder diagram program to take over the control, it can act as the master of the
FATEK-CPU-Link/Modbus-RTU network, or communicates with the intelligent peripherals.

Derived Application

 For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA,…; or it
may be connected to the FATEK CPU Link network or Modbus RTU network through RS-485 interface.

‚ For "Ladder Diagram Control Interface", the applications described as bellow:

· By FUN151 of MD0 instruction, it can act as the master of FATEK CPU Link Network.
· By FUN151 of MD1 instruction, it can act as the sender and connect with the intelligent peripherals, such as
other PLC, servo driver, temperature controller, invertor….
· By FUN151 of MD2 instruction, it can act as the receiver and connect with intelligent peripherals, such as
magnetic card reader, barcode reader and electronic weighing scale….
· By FUN150 instruction, it can act as the master of Modbus RTU Network.

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12.1.5 Communication Port 4 : RS-232/RS-485 Serial Interface

Function Specification
· The signal specification meets the EIA RS-232C/RS-485 standard and the communication parameters are adjustable,
the maximum communication speed can reach 921.6K bps. The default communication parameters are as bellow:
Baud Rate：9600 bps ; Data Length：7-bit ; Parity：Even ; Stop Bit：1-bit

Basic Application

The following three types of software interfaces can be selected

 Standard Interface：Appling FATEK communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

‚ Modbus RTU Interface：Appling Modbus RTU communication protocol

For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as PC, MMI, SCADA, ….

Modem Interface：

ƒ Ladder Program Control Interface：

The user can control Port 4 through ladder diagram program to take over the control, it can act as the master of the
FATEK-CPU-Link/Modbus-RTU communication network, or communicates with the intelligent peripherals.

Derived Application

 For connection with peripherals having RS-232/RS-485 interface, such as WinProladder, PC, MMI, SCADA,…; or it
may be connected to the FATEK CPU Link network or Modbus RTU network through RS-485 interface.

‚ For "Ladder Diagram Control Interface", the applications described as bellow:

· By FUN151 of MD0 instruction, it can act as the master of FATEK CPU Link network.
· By FUN151 of MD1 instruction, it can act as the sender and connect with the intelligent peripherals, such as
other PLC, servo driver, temperature controller, invertor….
· By FUN151 of MD2 instruction, it can act as the receiver and connect with intelligent peripherals, such as
magnetic card reader, barcode reader and electronic weighing scale….
· By FUN150 instruction, it can act as the master of Modbus RTU network.

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 12.2 Description and Application of Modem Interface
This type of interface can only be selected in Port 1 by setting the High Byte value of R4149 to be AAH. Although
CPU still manages the communication transactions of Port 1 by "Standard Communication Driver", it has to go through
Modem, for dialing or receiving. Prior to the initiation of communication, port control is managed by "Modem Interface
Driver" and PLC cannot be accessed. Once the connection between the Modems are successful, port control is turned
over to "Standard Communication Driver" and Port 1 enters into "Standard Interface". This section will describe the
operation of Modem connection for active dialing and passive receiving.

Under Modem interface, according to the setting of phone number registers (R4140 ~ R4145), select to dial to a
distant Modem or receive a call from a distant Modem through RS-232C interface of Port1. Once successful connection,
data can be sent or received through phone line. Below is a description of the two modes.

＊＊＊ High Byte of R4149 = AAH, setting Port 1 as the Modem interface

A. Passive receiving mode

When there are no "valid phone number" stored in the phone number registers (see below), the main unit enters
passive receiving mode automatically, where Modem is set in receiving mode and waits for the calling of a distant Modem.
When the connection between the Modems are successful, PLC exits the receiving mode and enters the connection
mode. At this time, the distant Modem can access or control the connected main unit. Beware that the main unit will check
the content of phone number registers whle power up or Modem is OFF→ON. Thus any change to R4140〜R4145 (such
as addition or deletion of phone numbers) will be activated only after the main unit or Modem is turned off and then turned
on again.

B. Active dialing mode

When there is "valid phone number" stored in the phone number registers, the main unit will automatically enter the
active dialing mode the instant both the main unit and modem are turned on (OFF→ON), and the phone number storing in
R4140 ~ R4145 is dialed from Port 1 through Modem to attempt connection with the distant Modem. Once the connection
is successful, it enters the connection mode. At this time, distant Modem can access or control the connected main unit. If
the connection fails, the main unit will undergo dialing the second time, and the third time if the dialing fails again. If all
three attempts fail (takes about 3 minutes), the main unit will exit dialing mode automatically and enter passive receiving
mode, waiting for the call of distant Modem.

The phone number storing in phone number registers will be considered as valid only when the number is stored
according to the format described below. First the phone number must be expressed by hexadecimal digit where only 0 ~
9 and "A","B","C","E" are significant. "A" represents dialing delay which applies to dial extension or international call (one
"A" represents 2-second delay). "B" represents "#" character (for calling pager), and "C" represents "＊" character. Valid
digits 0~9 represent phone number and "E" represents the end of said phone number. Each register has 4 hexadecimal
digits, thus R4140 ~ R4145 have in total 24 hexadecimal digits. After deducting the end character "E", R4140 ~ R4145
can store a phone number with 23 digits at maximum. Phone number is placed in the sequence from nibble 0 of R4140 to
nibble 3 of R4145. For instance, the valid storage of a phone number 02-6237019 goes as follows:

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 Direction of placement
←―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
R4145 R4144 R4143 R4142 R4141 R4140

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x E 9 1 0 7 3 2 6 2 0
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
nibble 3 nibble 3 End character nibble 3 nibble 0

〞x〞represents any value from 0〜F

As shown above, R4140 stores 2620H, R4141 stores 1073H, R4142 stores XXE9H, and R4143〜R4145 can have
any value. Please note that the last digit of the phone number must be immediately followed by end character "E." Any
figure after "E" which can be 0 ~ F will be ignored. There can only be 0 ~ C before "E" and the presence of any other
figure will render the phone number invalid.

If the phone number with extension e.g. 02-28082192 ext 100, as described above, R4140 stores 2A20H, R4141
stores 2808H, R4142 stores A291H, R4143 stores AAAAH, R4144 stores 001AH, R4145 stores 000EH; where the
characters "A" are the delay for dialing.

In practical application, the phone call in relation to the provision of technical service will be paid by the service
provider. If that's the case, there cannot be any valid phone number stored in the phone number registers of customer's
PLC main unit. It means that the PLC of the customer's will go into receiving mode once it's turned on and wait for the call
from service provider. If the phone call is to be paid by the customer, the phone number of technical service provider will
first be stored in customer's PLC main unit. When the customer turns on Modem and PLC, the PLC main unit will dial to
the service provider automatically. In light that the phone number of service provider might change, we provide a phone
number write-in and dial-back function in WinProladder package software. When the service provider changes phone
number, the PLC of customer's still stores the old phone number and can't make connection to the Modem of service
provider. At this time, PLC will dial and redial three times and switches into receiving mode in 3 minutes after the redials
fail. At this time, service provider will dial to the customer, download its new phone number in customer's PLC main unit
phone number registers and give the dial-back command. Upon receiving the dial-back command, the PLC of customer's
will enter dialing mode and call service provider at the new number just downloaded. Although such process requires
service provider to call customer first, the cost is minimal since the time of write-in and dial-back of the new number takes
little time.

When WINProladder executes the command of "phone number write-in and dial-back", it will retrieve the old
number in customer's PLC main unit for your reference (just in case you need the write back the old number) before
executing the command. It will disconnect the call after the command is completed.

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