Chapter 4

PLC Interfacing and Communication protocol

Communications

While I/O devices are a start, the PLC may also need to connect to
different kinds of systems. For instance, a user may need to export
recorded application data from the PLC and send it to a Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

To facilitate this function, most PLCs include multiple ports and
communication protocols to ensure that the device can communicate
with other systems.
cont...

Having a PC communicating with a PLC provided the ability to not only

program, but also allowed easier testing and troubleshooting.
Communications started with the MODBUS protocol using RS-232 serial
communications.
The addition of various automation protocols communicating over RS-485,
DeviceNet, Profibus, and other serial communication architectures have
followed.
The use of serial communications and the various PLC protocols also
allowed PLCs to be networked with other PLCs, motor drives, and human
to machine interfaces (HMI).
Most recently Ethernet and protocols such as Ethernet/IP (for Industrial
Protocol) have gained tremendous popularity.
Basics of PLC Communications!
The Communication protocols is the way to trans-receive the data with a
set of rules that sends or receives between two or more devices. The
communication protocol is the media or channel between two or more
communicating devices. By using the communication protocols, two
devices can connect and communicate with each other. Without
communication protocol, devices can only be connected but not
communicated.
cont...

The different types of available communication protocol helps to expand the

device network by connecting and communicating with each other. There are
many old communication protocols still in use and widely getting used to
expand network. These old, communication methods still have their place, as
they allow quick and easy connections among a single supplier’s products.
Many PLC suppliers still support these older physical, wired connections—
most often based on RS-232C, RS-422 and RS-485 connectivity—and the
related proprietary communication protocols. The communication protocols
not only being to used expand the PLC network and Also its used to expand
number of IO devices by connecting additional modules (Expansion modules).
cont...

PLC networks provide you with a variety of networking options to meet

specific control and communications requirements.
Typical options include remote I/O, peer-to-peer, and host computer
communications, as well as LANs.
These networks can provide reliable and cost-effective communications
between as few as two or as many as several hundred PLCs, computers,
and other intelligent devices.
Many PLC manufacturers like Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Mitsubishi offer
proprietary networking systems that are unique and will not communicate
with another make of PLC. This is because of the different
communications protocols, command sequences, error-checking schemes,
and communications media used by each manufacturer.
Standard PLC communication protocols
In this chapter we are going see different Standard PLC communication
protocols and Its Types use in PLC communication and expanding its network.
This protocol used for PLC-to-PLC communication, over a point-to-point or
multipoint network using standard PLC instructions, PLC to other device like
HMI,s, Variable Frequency Drives(VFD), GSM / GPRS modems, IOT devices
and so on.
Most commonly available protocols with PLC in all industrial PLC are:
Modbus RTU
EtherNet/IP
Ethernet TCP/IP
Modbus TCP/IP
Profinet
Modbus RTU
Modbus RTU is an open serial protocol derived from the Master/Slave
architecture originally developed by Modicon (now Schneider Electric).
It is a widely accepted serial level protocol due to its ease of use and
reliability.
Modbus RTU is widely used within Industrial Automation Systems
(IAS), Home Automation, Building Management, Robotics etc.
Modbus RTU messages are a simple 16-bit structure with a CRC
(Cyclic-Redundant Checksum). The simplicity of these messages is to
ensure reliability. Due to this simplicity, the basic 16-bit Modbus RTU
register structure can be used to pack in floating point, tables, ASCII text,
queues, and other unrelated data.
 cont...

On a Modbus network, devices communicate using a master-slave (client-server) approach

constraint for only one device, the master (client), to initiate transactions.

The rest of the Modbus network devices act as slaves (servers) and respond with the desired
action requested in the transaction, which can be sending the requested data back to the
master.
 cont...

This protocol primarily uses an RS-232 or RS-485 serial interfaces for

communications and is supported by almost every commercial SCADA,
HMI, OPC Server and data acquisition software program in the
marketplace. This makes it very easy to integrate Modbus compatible
equipment into new or existing monitoring and control applications.
The communication protocols are depended upon list of fundamental
parts as mentioned below.
• Baud rate
• Start/Stop bits
• Parity bit
• Network length
• Number of nodes
cont...

• Baud Rate is the number of bits per second that are being transmitted or
received. Common values (speeds) are 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, and
38400.
• Start bit : This is a synchronizing bit added just before each character we are
sending. This is considered a SPACE or negative voltage or a 0.
• Stop bit :. This bit tells us that the last character was just sent. This is considered
a MARK or positive voltage or a 1.
• Parity bit is added to check whether corruption has occurred. Common forms of
parity are: None, Even, and Odd. During transmission, the sender calculates the
parity bit and sends it. The receiver calculates parity for the character and
compares the result to the parity bit received. If the calculated and real parity bits
don’t match, an error occurred and we act appropriately.
RS-232 Communications

RS-232 is an asynchronous communications method. We use a binary

system to transmit our data in the ASCII format. PLCs serial port is
used for transmission/reception of the data, it works by
sending/receiving a voltage, With RS232, normally, a 1 bit is
represented by a voltage -12 V, and a 0 by a voltage +12 V. (The
voltage between +/- 3 volts is considered There are 2 types of RS-232
devices.)
cont...

DTE – Data Terminal Equipment and a common example is a computer.

DCE – Data Communications Equipment and a common example is a
modem.

PLC may be either a DTE or DCE device. When plc and external device are
both DTE, (or both DCE) devices they can’t talk to each other. The solution
is to use a null-modem connection.
Usually, The plc is DTE and the external device is DCE.
Using RS-232 with PLC Some manufacturers include RS-232
communication capability inbuild with the main processor and Some uses
the “programming port” or External additional pluggable RS232 expansion
Module.
cont...

External device may be an operator interface, an external computer, a

motor controller, a robot, a vision system, etc.
To communicate via RS-232 we have to setup:
1. Where, in data memory, will we store the data to be sent?
2. Where, in data memory, will we put the data we receive from the
external device?
RS-485 Communication
RS-485 is one of multi-drop and two wire type communication that allows
us to communicate to multiple devices at the same time.
According to the standard, up to 32 devices can be connected at the same
time. Maximum distance from end to end can be up to 1200 meters. Many
PLC allow connecting up to 128 slave nodes.
By using repeaters, however, both the total number of devices and
maximum distance can be extended.
RS-485 network can be used as a two-wire or four-wire network.
The four wire network would be bidirectional (a simultaneous two way
conversation can happen) whereas the two wire network works only in one
direction.
cont...

The RS-485 disadvantage is that it is harder to program, because it uses

the same 2 wires to send and receive data. And in any given network,
only one node can transmit data, other nodes can only receive at that
particular moment. On the advantages side, it supports long distance
communications with no problems. It also uses lower interface signal
levels than the RS-232, which makes the interface circuit harder to
damage.
EtherNet/IP and Ethernet TCP/IP
IP (Inter-network or internet protocol) is a protocol
to send data between computers, possibly using
ethernet links, and/or other types of links like wifi.
IP is mainly responsible for the routing, ie. finding
the optimum path between the source and
destination of each packet transmitted.

TCP (transfer control protocol) is one of the

protocols that runs via IP, its responsibility is to
make sense of the data, for example via “ports” for
different kinds of data, and also to make sure
packets of data are treated in the right order, and so
on.
EtherNet/IP
EtherNet/IP is an open application protocol, maintained and distributed by
ODVA. EtherNet/IP is used by Ethernet modules for several PLC’s including
Allen Bradley, Schneider Electric, and Omron. EtherNet/IP is an Ethernet
adaptation of the Control Information Protocol (CIP) in the same way that
DeviceNet is a CAN adaptation of CIP and ControlNet is a CTDMA adaptation
of CIP.
EtherNet/IP I/O provides a mechanism of deterministically sending data in both
directions between a PLC and remote device. This data is sent on an interval
called the Requested Packet Interval (RPI). EtherNet/IP I/O is a very fast and
easy-to-use method of communication. It reduces the amount of ladder logic
required for communication, and communication occurs even when the PLC is
in Program mode.
cont...

TCP/IP is responsible for the transmission of the packets, which are

composed of Modbus frames containing commands to read/write into the
shared memory of a device. It is quite easy to learn, as TCP/IP is standard
in most programming languages (C/C++, Matlab, Python, etc.) and
Modbus is very simple. Also, Modbus TCP/IP is standard with most PCs,
which makes it an interesting communication protocol for research
laboratories.
Modbus TCP/IP

Modbus TCP/IP is a simple Modbus protocol running on Ethernet over

a TCP interface. Modbus is an application protocol that assigns the ways
of managing and passing data between various layers without being
affected by the protocol used by the next immediate layer.

Modbus TCP/IP is also known as Modbus-TCP.

cont...

TCP is Transmission Control Protocol and IP is Internet Protocol. These

protocols are used together and are the transport protocol for the
internet. When Modbus information is sent using these protocols, the
data is passed to TCP where additional information is attached and
given to IP. IP then places the data in a packet (or datagram) and
transmits it.

TCP must establish a connection before transferring data, since it is a

connection-based protocol. The Master (or Client in Modbus TCP)
establishes a connection with the Slave (or Server). The Server waits for
an incoming connection from the Client. Once a connection is
established, the Server then responds to the queries from the Client until
cont...

Like Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP operates on a client/server principle, but in this
case, the client (master) initiates both requests and responses from a server (slave).
Any device can be a client or a server. Therefore, many devices are the same time
clients and servers.
A network can bring together many clients. At the same time, several clients can
send requests, many servers can respond, and a client can talk to various servers.
A server can simultaneously respond to several clients.
Furthermore, Ethernet directs and ensures data delivery to all the devices at the
same time.
ModbusTCP protocol uses a 10 Mbps Ethernet standard to convey the entire
structure of Modbus messages.
cont...

The Modbus TCP protocol offers fast communication to many devices in a single network. On a
Modbus TCP/IP network, a device can be:
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC),
Human-Machine Interface (HMI)
Variable-Frequency Drive (VFD)
Counters, regulators, etc.
cont...
Difference between Modbus TCP and Modbus RTU
The table below specifies the most impotent differences between Modbus RTU and Modbus
TCP:
# Modbus RTU Modbus TCP

Physical Layer Serial RS485 - RS422 - 2/4 Ethernet, Cat5,6,7

wire
Multi Clients (Master) Only One Multi-Client Support

Multi Servers (Slave) Supported Supported

Speed 9600-19200 bps 10 Mbps

Distance Limited, usually not more Unlimited with fiber and

than 1000m satellite
Profibus and Profinet

PROFIBUS is a classical serial fieldbus;

PROFINET is an Industrial Ethernet. The short
answer is that PROFINET is faster with more
bandwidth and larger messages.
The PROFIBUS protocol is designed for high-
speed communications with distributed I/O
devices (remote I/O). A PROFIBUS system uses
a bus master to poll DP I/O devices distributed
in a multi-drop fashion on an RS485 serial bus.
cont...

•There are many PROFIBUS devices available from a variety of

manufacturers. These devices range from simple input or output modules
to motor controllers and PLCs. A PROFIBUS DP device is any peripheral
device which processes information and sends its output to the master. The
DP device forms a passive station on the network (since it does not have
bus access rights) and can only acknowledge received messages or send
response messages to the master upon request. All PROFIBUS DP devices
have the same priority, and all network communication originates from the
master.
cont...

A PROFIBUS master forms an “active station” on the network. PROFIBUS DP

defines two classes of masters. A class 1 master (normally a central
programmable controller (PLC) or a PC running special software) handles the
normal communication or exchange of data with the DP devices assigned to it. A
class 2 master (usually a configuration device, such as a laptop or programming
console used for commissioning, maintenance, or diagnostics purposes) is a
special device primarily used for commissioning DP devices and for diagnostic
purposes

The PROFIBUS protocol is designed for high-speed communications with

distributed I/O devices (remote I/O). A PROFIBUS system uses a bus master to
poll DP I/O devices distributed in a multi-drop fashion on an RS485 serial bus.
cont...

There are many PROFIBUS devices available from a variety of manufacturers. These
devices range from simple input or output modules to motor controllers and PLCs. A
PROFIBUS DP device is any peripheral device which processes information and sends its
output to the master. The DP device forms a passive station on the network (since it does
not have bus access rights) and can only acknowledge received messages or send response
messages to the master upon request. All PROFIBUS DP devices have the same priority,
and all network communication originates from the master.
A PROFIBUS master forms an “active station” on the network. PROFIBUS DP defines
two classes of masters. A class 1 master (normally a central programmable controller
(PLC) or a PC running special software) handles the normal communication or exchange
of data with the DP devices assigned to it. A class 2 master (usually a configuration device,
such as a laptop or programming console used for commissioning, maintenance, or
diagnostics purposes) is a special device primarily used for commissioning DP devices and
for diagnostic purposes.
Profinet
Profinet is a newer, Ethernet-based industrial communications protocol.
The physical interface used for Profinet is a standard RJ-45 Ethernet jack.
Profinet cables are easily recognizable by their green color. While in
some cases a standard Ethernet cable may be used to connect two Profinet
devices, official Profinet cables should be used as they contain robust
shielding and are designed to function well in harsh industrial
environments. Profinet cables are easily recognizable by their green color.
While in some cases a standard Ethernet cable may be used to connect
two Profinet devices, official Profinet cables should be used as they
contain robust shielding and are designed to function well in harsh
industrial environments.
cont...

Profinet devices have three different types of addresses:

IP address
MAC address
Device name
All Ethernet devices use IP addresses and MAC addresses, but the device
name is unique to Profinet devices.
As an automation engineer, you will be primarily concerned with Device
Names and IP addresses as you configure your Profinet networks.
Due to its higher speed and greater flexibility, Profinet is becoming the
preferred communications protocol for industrial application.
Both protocols are widely used today, and being familiar with both of them
will be essential to learn and communication with PLC.
End