Ethernet/Serial Interfaces for Compact FieldPoint
Enterprise Level
Configuring and Accessing Tags on a
Compact FieldPoint System with LabVIEW 8
National Instruments LabVIEW 8 and Compact FieldPoint create a
flexible PAC system that offers easy-to-access I/O through the FieldPoint
programming environment. Accessing data from multiple cFP-180x
distributed nodes with LabVIEW is as easy as three simple steps:
1. Configure IP address using NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)
2. Import a FieldPoint configuration file or add a new
Compact FieldPoint system
3. Expand I/O in the LabVIEW Project and drag and drop I/O tags to VIs
After configuring the IP address for a FieldPoint bank in MAX, either
import the configuration file created from MAX, or simply add a new
target to a LabVIEW Project as shown in Figure 5.
HMIs and
Touch Panels
Programmable
Automation
Controllers
Compact FieldPoint
Real-Time Controller
Distributed Compact FieldPoint
Network Interface
Figure 4. Ethernet-based distributed systems work with Compact FieldPoint embedded
controllers, PACs, human-machine interfaces, and Enterprise/SCADA systems.
Network Communications Interface
A cFP-180x connects directly to Ethernet networks, autonegotiating on
the network for 10 Mb/s or 100 Mb/s communication rates. It includes
an RJ-45 connector for connection to 10BaseT and 100BaseTX networks,
using a protocol based on standard TCP/IP to maintain full compatibility
with existing networks. FieldPoint builds on standard TCP/IP network
protocols and adds a number of key enhancements, including event-
driven communications and publisher-subscriber networking. In a
publisher-subscriber architecture, one or more client PCs subscribe to
I/O data from Compact FieldPoint banks. The network interface monitors
connected I/O modules and publishes I/O data only when the value
changes. Analog signals can change value within selectable ranges,
called deadbands, without causing the system to report data. This
event-driven method, along with data compression, helps you avoid
unnecessary Ethernet traffic and maximizes communication efficiency.
A cFP-180x also includes a standard DB-9 connector for RS232 serial
communication. Through direct connectivity, you can read and write
data directly from a program running on your PC or embedded controller.
You access I/O through the serial interface using a serial protocol called
Optomux, in the same way you would access data through classic
FieldPoint network interfaces such as the FP-1000.
Figure 5. Add a new FieldPoint target to your LabVIEW 8 Project.
After adding all FieldPoint networks available on the network, you can
expand each FieldPoint bank and see the I/O modules and tags available
from the LabVIEW Project Explorer. Using these tags in an application is
as easy as dragging the tag from the Project Explorer to the VI where the
data is needed. LabVIEW automatically creates the correct FieldPoint
read/write VI and associated tag.
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