Connecting to PacDrive M Controllers

Overview

The PacDriveM tab of the Connect to controller via... window allows you to connect to a PacDrive M controller. This chapter describes the specific settings for PacDrive M controllers.

Description of the Elements

1 Select the type of connection: Choose the type of connection you wish to use to connect to the controller.

2 Collect data: The connection to the controller is established and the data is downloaded.

Collecting Data

After you have selected the connection type, the connection to the controller is established and the data is collected. The status is displayed in the connection status line. After the data collection has been successfully completed, the Home window opens again. If errors are detected during the data collection, they are indicated in the Communication Log view.

Ethernet Communications

Select the option Ethernet in order to communicate with PacDrive M controllers. It is the fastest method to read and write data.

NOTE: For the other transfer methods, long waiting periods during the transfer are to be expected when exchanging large volumes of data.

Ethernet communication uses the TCP/IP protocol. To establish a communication, a valid IP address of the controller is required. You can enter it directly in the text box Address. To execute a search for the controllers available in the network, click the button Search network. This dialog box starts the Network Device Identification function. It is also available in the General tab. Select a controller from the list and click the Apply button to add the marked controller to the controller selection list of the General tab.

Serial Communications

If the controller is connected to the PC via serial cable, select the option Com (RS232). Select the Com Port where the controller is connected, and click the Reading or Writing button.

Communication Via Modem

Before you can communicate with the PacDrive M controller via modem, configure the modem connection on the PC using the Windows modem features. For further information on this topic, refer to the Windows online help.

After the connection via modem has been configured, you can select the option Modem, and click the Reading or Writing button.

Communication Via Gateway

To establish a communication to the controller via gateway, set the Communication parameters and define a Connection name , and click the Reading or Writing button.

Changing the Communication Settings of a PacDrive M Controller Via Serial Data Transfer

If the PacDrive M controller is connected to the PC via a serial cable, click the button Transfer communication settings serial to a controller... . The Transfer communication settings serial dialog box opens. It allows you to enter the IP address , the Subnet mask , and the Gateway you want to assign to the PacDrive M controller. Select the Com port where the PacDrive M controller is connected, and click OK to transfer the settings to the PacDrive M controller.

After successful transfer of the communication settings, you can transmit the data of the PacDrive M controller via the fast Ethernet connection. The communication settings can also be modified via the contextual menu. However, to this end the PacDrive M controller must already be visible in the network (from firmware version >= V00.15.00).