GE Ethernet Symbolic
Review the following information for setting up and configuring the GE Ethernet Symbolic driver.
Overview
The GE Ethernet Symbolic driver enables communication with General Electric PACSystems controllers via Ethernet using symbolic addressing. This driver supports browsing capabilities through .snf file exports from the PLC, which can be uploaded via FTP to simplify tag configuration.
Litmus Edge Compatible Series
Compatibility parameter | Compatible items |
|---|---|
Driver type | Ethernet |
Validated devices/series | GE PACSystems RX3i |
Replaces Gen 1 driver(s) | N/A |
To set up and configure this device in Litmus Edge, you will need to do the following:
- Step 1: Set up and Configure the PLC Device
- Step 2: Set up the PLC Device in Litmus Edge DeviceHub
- Step 3: Configure the List of Registers
Step 1: Set up and Configure the PLC Device
- Ensure your GE PACSystems PLC is configured for Ethernet/IP communication.
- Record the PLC's IP address from the controller configuration.
- Verify the SRTP port (default is 18245) is enabled on the controller.
- Note the slot number where the CPU is installed in the rack.
- (Optional) Export the Global Variables as a .snf file from the PLC programming software for use with the browsing feature:
- In Machine Edition, export the symbolic configuration
- This file will be used to browse available tags in Litmus Edge
Step 2: Set up the PLC Device in Litmus Edge DeviceHub
Configure the following parameters when you Connect a Device with this driver. Update default values to the specific setup of your device.
Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
Type | GE |
Driver | GE Ethernet Symbolic |
Network Address | The IP address you recorded in Step 1. |
Port | 18245 |
Slot Number | 0 (Update based on CPU slot position in rack) |
Read Timeout | 3000 (ms) |
Global Variables CSV | (Optional) Upload the .snf file exported from the PLC to /ftp-data/devicehub for browsing capabilities |
Note: If using the browsing feature, upload your .snf file to the Litmus Edge device via FTP under the /ftp-data/devicehub directory before configuring the device.
Step 3: Configure the List of Registers
When you Add a Tag to the connected device, refer to the following register table and tag parameters. Refer to the following additional resources:
Register Table
Name | Value Types | Access Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Global | bool, byte, word, dword, int, uint, dint, string, real, lreal | R/W | Global variables defined in PLC symbolic configuration |
Note: The GE Ethernet Symbolic driver uses symbolic names to address tags. Tag addresses should match the variable names defined in your PLC program's global variable table. If you uploaded a .snf file, you can browse available symbolic names directly in the DeviceHub interface.
Tag Parameters
- Name: Select Global from the drop-down list to access symbolic variables defined in the PLC.
- Value Type: Select a data type from the drop-down list. Available options include:
- bool: Boolean (single bit)
- byte: 8-bit unsigned integer
- word: 16-bit unsigned integer
- dword: 32-bit unsigned integer
- int: 16-bit signed integer
- uint: 16-bit unsigned integer
- dint: 32-bit signed integer
- string: Character string
- real: 32-bit floating point
- lreal: 64-bit floating point
- Polling Interval: Enter a value in milliseconds. This determines how often the tag should poll the register for data.
- Tag Name: Enter a name for the tag in Litmus Edge.
- Description (Optional): Enter a description for the tag.
- Address: Enter the symbolic tag address exactly as it appears in the PLC's global variable table. The address is case-sensitive and must match the variable name defined in your PLC program. If you uploaded a .snf file and have browsing enabled, you can select tags directly from the available symbolic names.
- Tag Formula: Enter a formula for the tag to process the generated data. Two variables are permitted: value (current tag value) and timestamp (current tag UNIX time in milliseconds). The following math functions are available:
- sin
- cos
- sqrt
- tan
- power: power (x) performs the operation 10^x
- log: log (x) is the natural logarithm (the logarithm is in base e)
- exp: exp (x) performs the operation e^x
- Only Publish on Change of Value: Select the checkbox to customize NATS messages to be published only when the value parameter changes to a new one. Change of Value only applies to boolean, numeric (such as int or float), and simple string data types. It does not apply to complex types, such as JSON or array. Poll-once topics will not be affected by Change of Value settings. These topics will still only see a single message.
- Meta Data: Metadata summarizes basic information about data. This feature allows you to define key-value pair data for the device output payload later on. It can then be used to find, use, and reuse particular instances of data.
- Note: If you use special characters in meta data key names, the special characters are replaced with underscore characters in the payload. This can cause two key names to be combined into one. For example, configuring the key names a**b and a&&b will cause only one key name to be created (a__b).