Configuration

Channel Configuration

As shown in the screenshot below, multiple connections can be created in the Model Panel by clicking on the burger menu icon. Each connection is named Channel. See below for an explanation of the different configuration options.

Figure 1. Module Configuration

A channel represents the physical medium of connecting one or more devices. Each channel has the following parameters:

• Enabled: When disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
• Centumb address: Specifies the address of the Centumb unit. The valid range is 0 to 15.
• Timing:
  • Timeout: Maximum amount of time to wait for a valid response, displayed in milliseconds. The valid range is 100ms to 600,000ms. The default value is set to 10,000ms. 
  • Retry attempts: Number of communication retries before considering the target device unreachable. The valid range is 0 to 100. The default value is 3. 
  • Inter-request delay: Delay before sending subsequent requests to the target device, displayed in milliseconds. The valid range is 0ms to 600,000ms. The default is 0ms. 
• Connection
  • Type: Specifies the connection type that will be established.
    • TCP
    • Serial

When connecting via TCP, the following options are displayed:

• Config
  • Host: Hostname or IP address of the target device. 
  • TCP port: Determines which TCP Port to connect to. Valid values range from 1 to 65535.
  • Reconnect delay: Time before trying to re-open the connection after a failed attempt, displayed in milliseconds. The minimum value is 1,000ms.

The following image shows an example TCP connection configuration:

Figure 2. TCP Connection Configuration

Serial channels include the followingoptions:

• Config
  • Port name: Serial port as displayed by the operating system. For example, if N3uron is running on Windows, valid port names would be COM1, COM2, and so forth. If running on Linux, valid port names would be /dev/ttyS0, /dev/ttyS1, and so forth.
    Note:

    The dropdown menu for serial port selection is available from N3uron version V1.21.7 onwards.
    

    
    
    

  • Reconnect delay: Time before trying to re-open the serial port after a failed attempt, displayed in milliseconds. The minimum value is 1,000ms. 
  • Port settings:
    • Baud rate: Serial port transfer speed in milliseconds. Valid values are 110, 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, or 115200.
    • Data bits: Specifies the number of data bits per data word. Valid values are 5, 6, 7, or 8.
    • Stop bits: Specifies the number of stop bits per data word. Valid values are 1 or 2.
    • Parity: Specifies the type of data parity. Valid values are None, even, mark, odd, or space.
    • Flow Control: Enables the use of RTS and DTR control lines. There are 3 options: None, RTS/CTS (RS232), and RTS (RS485/RS422).
    • Buffer size: Specifies the Serial communication buffer capacity. The valid range is 128 to 65536.

The image below shows an example serial channel configuration:

Figure 3. Serial Connection Configuration

Device Configuration

Each channel can have one or more devices. The Farell Client module offers the possibility of creating different devices belonging to Farell's UMB and TAF Series. The available devices are shown in the table below: 

Configuration will differ depending on which device is selected. Below you can find the configuration parameters for each of them.

• UmbDsDa
  • Enabled: When disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 4. Device UmbDsDa configuration

• UmbDsDaBa39
  • Enabled: When disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 5. Device UmbDsDaBA39 configuration

• UmbDt
  • Enabled: When disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 6. Device UmbDt configuration

• UmbDt2
  • Enabled: When Disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 7. Device UmbDt2 configuration

• UmbSx
  • Enabled: When disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 8. Device UmbSx configuration

• UmbSd
  • Enabled: When Disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 9. Device UmbSd configuration

• UmbBdr
  • Enabled: When Disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.
  • Auto-demotion: Defines whether data collection from a device should be paused after multiple successive failures in order to avoid affecting other devices on the same channel.
    • Enabled: When set to Enabled, the device will be paused until the time specified in the Delay field has elapsed.
    • Failures: Specifies the number of successive failures required before demoting the device. The minimum value is 1 and the default value is 3.
    • Delay: Determines the time period before the device will be demoted once the maximum amount of failures has been reached and until a new communication attempt takes place. The minimum value is 1,000 and the default value is 60,000 milliseconds.
  • Frame 94(Type 0)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Frame 94(Type 1)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Frame 94(Type 2)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Frame 94(Type 3)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Poll on demand:
    • Enabled: Enables or disables the poll on demand mechanism.
    • Tag: Tag that will be monitored to enable poll on demand for the device.
    • Trigger on write: If enabled, poll on demand will be activated whenever a write command is sent to this device.
    • Status tag: Optional. Tag showing the status of poll on demand on the device.
    • Poll cycles: Number of scan clycles before poll on demand is turned off.

Figure 10. Device UmbBdr configuration

• UmbBdBd2 
  • Enabled: When disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.
  • Auto-demotion: Defines whether data collection from a device should be paused after several successive failures in order to avoid affecting other devices on the same channel.
    • Enabled: When set to enabled, the device will be paused until the time specified in the Delay field has elapsed.
    • Failures: Specifies the number of successive failures required for demoting the device. The minimum value is 1 and the default value is 3.
    • Delay: Determines the time period before the device will be demoted once the maximum amount of failures has been reached and until a new communication attempt takes place. The minimum value is 1,000 and the default value is 60,000 milliseconds.
  • Frame 94(Type 0)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Frame 94(Type 1)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Frame 94(Type 2)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Frame 94(Type 3)
    • Enabled: Enables the reception of frames.
  • Poll on demand:
    • Enabled: Enables or disables the poll on demand mechanism.
    • Tag: Tag that will be monitored to enable poll on demand for the device.
    • Trigger on write: If enabled, poll on demand will be activated whenever a write command is sent to this device.
    • Status tag: Optional. Tag showing the status of poll on demand on the device.
    • Poll cycles: Number of scan clycles before poll on demand is turned off.

Figure 11. Device UmbBdBd2 configuration

• Taf5E8E
  • Enabled: When Disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 12. Device Taf5E8E configuration

• Taf16E24E
  • Enabled: When Disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Unsolicited Timeout: Maximum amount of time for receiving an unsolicited value update before the quality of the tag is changed to bad quality, displayed in milliseconds. The default value is 0, which means Unsolicited Timeout is deactivated.

Figure 13. Device Taf16E24E configuration

• Taf8R
  • Enabled: When Disabled, the channel will remain inactive. The default value is set to Enabled.
  • Device ID: Specifies the address of the remote device. The valid range is 1-255.
  • Frame 8R(Write Only)
    • Retry attempts: Number of communication retries before considering the target device as unreachable. The valid range is 0 to 100. The default value is 3.
    • Installer ID: Specifies the installer ID configured in the remote devices by Farell. This parameter is used to differentiate different networks working in the same area. This parameter is specific for UMB-TAF8R devices and is provided by Farell. The valid range is 0-255.
    • Inter-Writes delay: Specifies the time between write retries, in milliseconds.

Figure 14. Device  Taf8R configuration

Tag Configuration

Channel and device configuration parameters define the settings used for establishing connections to devices. After configuring these elements, users will be able to create and configure all tags associated with the data received from Farell devices, as seen in the below example.

Figure 15. Tag Configuration

The only mandatory settings that need configuring are those contained within the source section. These parameters are listed below.

• Source
  • Enabled: When Disabled, tags will not be updated with the values received from the device, but instead, will essentially act as memory tags. When set to Enabled, the tag value will be continuously updated with the values received from the field device. The default value is set to Disabled.
  • Module type: Defines the driver type used to retrieve values from the field. In this example, FarellClient must be selected from the drop-down menu. If FarellClient does not appear in the drop-down menu, it means that this driver has not yet been installed on this machine and therefore, must be installed.
  • Module name: Introduce the name of the Farell Client module instance that we previously created.
  • Config:
    • Device: Specify the previouslycreated device that will act as the data source. The format must be Channel/Device. In this case, Channel01/Device01.
    • Device type: Specify the type of the target device. In this case, UMB-DS/DA.
    • Message Type: Specify the Frame ID where the value is received. In this case, 96 (unsolicited).
    • Variable: Specify the signal of the remote device linked to the tag. In this case, Tank Level (%).

The message type depends on the device selected, just as the variables also depend on the message selected from the device. The following table shows the different types of messages and variables available for each device.