Using a Proprietary Board

With some brands of I/O devices you can install a proprietary interface board in your computer, or intermediary software. This PLC interface board/software is supplied by the PLC manufacturer; you can connect it to a single PLC or a PLC network.

Note: With some PLCs, a high-speed serial board provides better performance than a PLC interface board when the system is connected to more than one PLC.

You can mix both PLC interface boards and high-speed serial boards in a single computer. You can, for example, connect a PLC network to a PLC interface board, and individual I/O Devices to a high-speed serial board.

There are many possible hardware arrangements for a Plant SCADA application. Plant SCADA is a flexible system and imposes few restraints on the type (or manufacturer) of I/O Devices that you can use, or on the way you connect them to the computer.

To set up Plant SCADA to use a proprietary board/software:

If you are using a proprietary board/software (that is, supplied by the PLC manufacturer):

1. Install the board/software in your computer and set it up under Windows as per the accompanying instructions. Use the latest driver from the manufacturer.

2. If possible, run diagnostics on the board before configuring Plant SCADA to check that the board works correctly.

3. Check that the I/O Port and Interrupt settings are correct.

4. Configure the Boards and Ports as instructed by the PLC-specific help.

See Also

Add a Board