February-12th-2018, 01:37 PM
Hello,
I currently ordered a netPI and a netHAT products for a personal project. While searching for a Raspberry PI which can be DIN rail mounted and industrial grade, I found your products and was surprised to see it was matching my needs: robust, recent Linux BSP & Kernel, open, docker for app, support for field protocols.
So I ordered them yesterday to test.
However, while reading a bit today the documentation, I understand that the netPI couldn't replace a PLC? I'm not sure to understand why or due to what limitation yet. So I prefer to tell you my use case, so you can guide me or advise if I must cancel my order... into the FAQ, it states « This is why netPI cannot be a master or controller of the underlying industrial network.".
Here is my use case:
I own today a large amount of relays connected to Wago 750 fieldbus couper (750-352) with I/O clamps. This fieldbus supports Modbus TCP and EtherNet/IP. My goal would be to run on the NetPi an automation application (written myself or one like OpenHab/Home Assistant).
I do not think it will be a problem to run the automation software into a docker container, I'm already used to Resin.io and docker. I'm more asking myself about the 2 industrial ethernet ports and the netX 51.
While I see they are controlled by the netX 52, I started to read the GitHub and docs, and found the statement about your FAQ. I'll be honest, I have no experience into EtherNet/IP, I mainly used Modbus which currently read IO input, and write IO coil from my Raspi to the Wago coupler. The coupler is not a PLC, it just give me access to the IO maps through Modbus TCP. I haven't figured out how EtherNet/IP works yet.
While looking at Netpi exemple, I find EtherNet/IP, but no modbus exemple ... so I read a bit about EtherNet/IP and couldn’t find easily how the netPI will read/write on the remote I/O…
while searching I found the NetX51 has also an open modbus tcp firmware here : https://www.hilscher.com/products/produc...nxlfw-omb/ . Can this firmware been used on the NetPI too?
I'm a bit wondering if I will be able to achieve my goal, so that's the reason of my question:
Can I consider that this use case is feasible?
- Remote IO control ( read input, write output ) to my fieldbus controller via Modbus TCP or EtherNet/IP , to control my switches and lights/plugs (there are 140 IO total btw).
- Automation software into a docker container, using the netX 51 and the two ports interfaces
- Cloud (MQTT...) access via the main LAN interface
In summary, I want to automate my IO into the NetPi and keep my house electrical light/plug into my existing Wago IO bus.
I don’t mind writing the bridge / binder / middleware between the netX 51 controller and the automation software into a docker image, but I want to be sure that ether:
- it is possible to use Modbus TCP (protocol that I know already)
- or EtherNet/IP ( protocol I need to learn first)
- simply use the NetX51 to send ethernet frames, so using the 2 LAN ports as regular Linux ETHx interfaces.
I just notice that Codesys runtime is supported (?), so having Codesys controlling a remote IO through Modbus is already possible , no ?
Perhaps a suggestion, as it looks like this is a new forum : perhaps you could create a category like "Use Cases or Projects".
thanks,
Vincent
I currently ordered a netPI and a netHAT products for a personal project. While searching for a Raspberry PI which can be DIN rail mounted and industrial grade, I found your products and was surprised to see it was matching my needs: robust, recent Linux BSP & Kernel, open, docker for app, support for field protocols.
So I ordered them yesterday to test.
However, while reading a bit today the documentation, I understand that the netPI couldn't replace a PLC? I'm not sure to understand why or due to what limitation yet. So I prefer to tell you my use case, so you can guide me or advise if I must cancel my order... into the FAQ, it states « This is why netPI cannot be a master or controller of the underlying industrial network.".
Here is my use case:
I own today a large amount of relays connected to Wago 750 fieldbus couper (750-352) with I/O clamps. This fieldbus supports Modbus TCP and EtherNet/IP. My goal would be to run on the NetPi an automation application (written myself or one like OpenHab/Home Assistant).
I do not think it will be a problem to run the automation software into a docker container, I'm already used to Resin.io and docker. I'm more asking myself about the 2 industrial ethernet ports and the netX 51.
While I see they are controlled by the netX 52, I started to read the GitHub and docs, and found the statement about your FAQ. I'll be honest, I have no experience into EtherNet/IP, I mainly used Modbus which currently read IO input, and write IO coil from my Raspi to the Wago coupler. The coupler is not a PLC, it just give me access to the IO maps through Modbus TCP. I haven't figured out how EtherNet/IP works yet.
While looking at Netpi exemple, I find EtherNet/IP, but no modbus exemple ... so I read a bit about EtherNet/IP and couldn’t find easily how the netPI will read/write on the remote I/O…
while searching I found the NetX51 has also an open modbus tcp firmware here : https://www.hilscher.com/products/produc...nxlfw-omb/ . Can this firmware been used on the NetPI too?
I'm a bit wondering if I will be able to achieve my goal, so that's the reason of my question:
Can I consider that this use case is feasible?
- Remote IO control ( read input, write output ) to my fieldbus controller via Modbus TCP or EtherNet/IP , to control my switches and lights/plugs (there are 140 IO total btw).
- Automation software into a docker container, using the netX 51 and the two ports interfaces
- Cloud (MQTT...) access via the main LAN interface
In summary, I want to automate my IO into the NetPi and keep my house electrical light/plug into my existing Wago IO bus.
I don’t mind writing the bridge / binder / middleware between the netX 51 controller and the automation software into a docker image, but I want to be sure that ether:
- it is possible to use Modbus TCP (protocol that I know already)
- or EtherNet/IP ( protocol I need to learn first)
- simply use the NetX51 to send ethernet frames, so using the 2 LAN ports as regular Linux ETHx interfaces.
I just notice that Codesys runtime is supported (?), so having Codesys controlling a remote IO through Modbus is already possible , no ?
Perhaps a suggestion, as it looks like this is a new forum : perhaps you could create a category like "Use Cases or Projects".
thanks,
Vincent
