AB7701 Serial Server Converter

Anybus Support
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#1

We have a customer that is having troubles with their AB7701. I’m less experienced here, so bare with me.

They have an old PLC that only communicates via serial communication (not sure what type of serial), and wants to be able to tie it into their existing network via ethernet. This way they can connect to the device through the network, and not directly.

OLD PLC -> Serial -> Anybus -> Ethernet -> Network -> Ethernet -> Computer

They have already gone through the process of the IPConfig software, but are stuck while using the SerialIP software. It seems that they can’t figure out what communication protocol they are going to be using on the computer in order to communicate to this PLC over their network. Virtual com ports come up as an option, but that doesn’t make sense since that is a USB connection, not an IP address ethernet connection.

Let me know if I need to provide more information… Hopefully this makes some sense.

#2

COM ports can also be serial connections, if your pc still had a COM port it would show up as a serial connection as well. The software connects to the AB7701 creating a virtual serial port on your PC. You will then tell your software to use the COM port to communicate with the PLC. This should be the same process as if you were to connect to the PLC directly with the PC.

Deryck

#3

Correct.

I think I may have slightly missed the mark here. The customer is trying to connect via ethernet connection in an IP based network. He doesn’t want to use the Comm port. Is this possible to do?

#4

That would not be possible this device it is designed to convert serial to a virtual com port on your PC. The connection is still a serial connection to the PLC.

Deryck

#5

That is what I was fearing. Is there a device that would accomplish this? Probably the eWon, but what else?

#6

We would need more detail about the old PLC what kind of connections is it capable of?