Before configuring Modbus variables in IXON Cloud, it is best to determine if the variables can be read out by a Modbus master simulator tool. This is a third-party tool that can be used to read the addresses of the Modbus variables of the device. This makes it possible to test if the addresses contain the values that need to be logged in IXON Cloud. The easiest way to test this is to connect the computer to one of the LAN ports of the IXrouter, while the device is connected to another.
Note
Reading out the addresses should not give an error. If it does, make sure to resolve this before configuring the Modbus variables in IXON Cloud.Some examples of a Modbus master simulator tool are QModMaster or Modbus Poll. The steps below describe how to do a test using QModMaster. When the data can be read, the device can be connected to IXON Cloud as described in the last step.
1. Configure the network settings under Options > Modbus TCP....
2. Configure the IP address and port of the machine that provides the Modbus data.
3. Configure the Unit ID. In IXON Cloud this is called the Slave ID.
4. Press Connect to set up the network connection.
5. Configure the Function Code that will be read. In general, this will be Read Coils or Read Holding Registers.
6. Configure the Start Address. Addresses can be found in the documentation of the machine or are determined by the programmer. The Number of Registers determines how many addresses will be read. In the example, the following address will be read: 30000 to 30019.
7. Press Scan to read the addresses.
8. The result in the example below shows the decimal values. The results show that the value for address 30003 is 1247. When starting counting at 30000, this is the fourth field.
9. At this point, the device can be read from IXON Cloud too. Use the same settings to create a data source (IP address, TCP Port, Slave ID), add the variables (Function Code, Address) and use Run test to verify the configuration.