How to Control a VFD with a PLC - Part 1 (Configuring ControlLogix 5000 and HMS Anybus gateway)

[@ardentdfender4116]

I really learned a bit watching this. Though it’s not everyday we do VFD setups this was useful in fundamental understanding of what’s required. I’m not a programmer, but more like a junior programmer who works with a very good Senoir programmer at work and have a lot of experience by virtue of having done quite a many major PLC Upgrades with our Senoir Engineer at numerous power plants. Last VFD we did was a year ago on an recommissioning and plant upgrade and that was all Ethernet for the RA Power Flex VFD’s. Mostly I do Rockwell FactoryTalk HMI design and some tagging of program along with helping on all else. But I do learn by watching how programing is done. I find these videos extremely useful in that they are well explained, very understandable and that the person doing the video speaks in an understandable way and go step by step in explaining. Just like showing how you open Studio 5000 and start the pump project step by step in explaining the VFD setup. Things like that are quite useful to see and have explained in the video explanation of the VFD setup and that’s appreciated. I hope the feedback helps.

[@wgastreich]

Hello Ardent, Your feedback does help. It's the RealPars teamwork, from scripting to animation to narration that make these videos come to life. It's our intent to create Automation lesson videos in such a way to reach out to all knowledge levels of our members. Your feedback is extremely important to all of us, as well as all of the other member comments provided for this and many of our video lessons. Your comments are most welcome and appreciated, the comments help us with our journey moving forward. Thank you so much for being a member of RealPars. - Wally Gastreich, RealPars - Automation Engineer.

[@trujillo4659]

Q

[@adebayoadeniran832]

I really learnt some fundamentals of Industrial communication just within 10-12 minutes. Kudos and I expect more other projects examples related to Industrial automation and communication

[@realpars]

That's amazing to hear! Thanks for sharing!

[@mohamedelbouchichi7773]

Video verry instructive and simple to assimilate .this content is verry value

[@realpars]

Thank you very much!

[@sanchezboy8654]

4:45 - 4:56 Is it ok to use any PLC? In this case, is it ok to use S7-300 PLC? And is it possible to do this in Siemens Simatic PLC software?

[@wgastreich]

Hello Sanchez, you could use any PLC including Siemens S7. The S7 would most likely talk to the VFD using Profibus, so many steps cover in this video would not be required. For other PLCs, depending on the protocol it is allowed to communicate, Modbus for example, you would order a gateway with Modbus as the front-end protocol instead of ControlNet. Hope this helps. -Wally

[@sanchezboy8654]

@@wgastreich So a gateway is required only if other PLCs such as Allen Bradley or Rockwell is connected to a different VFD such as Siemens Robicon, right?

[@wgastreich]

that's correct. If your PLC can communicate directly to Siemens VFD in Profibus a gateway is not needed.

[@ismayilboojelben9379]

It would be perfect to see future videos about OPC, HMI programming, Alarms programming and cybersecurity. You are great!

[@realpars]

Thanks for the topic suggestion, Ismayil! I will definitely go ahead and forward this to our creator team. Happy learning!

[@robertm.reedjr.5498]

Great video! Reviewed a lot of information I already know plus introducing a lot of new information.

[@realpars]

Hi Robert, Great to hear that! Thanks a lot for your comment. If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. Happy learning!

[@Tevez2367]

@@realpars can you do a video on S7 to power flex on profinet 😄

[@melquiadesdelgadoramirez680]

Excellent video, illustrating the responsibilities of the automation engineers and technicians

[@dekunet]

Totally agree!

[@realpars]

Thanks for sharing your positive feedback with us!

[@erickontiveroslara209]

Great! Just what I needed. This'll surely help me complement the lessons of Profibus device ACT 350 weight scale configuration on the library! Thanks!

[@realpars]

Great to hear, Erick! Keep up the learning curve!

[@tintinfarsad]

👍👍 Thanks. You've covered a very important topic, pairing two heterogeneous fieldbus system. Nice flow of information with explanation.

[@realpars]

Thanks for your support! Happy to hear that.

[@jesussalvador2387]

Great, thank you very much, it is very impressive how to explain very clear, blessings for you guys

[@realpars]

Thanks a lot! We're happy to hear that.

[@mouizimran1032]

Hi, RealPars Team, Great work, your educational videos are really good. thanks for that. Kindly make a video about PLC I/O Modules regarding wiring Especially AI - There are 2 wire, 3 wire, 4 wire connection how it is done

[@realpars]

Thanks for the suggestion, Mouiz! I will pass this on to our creator team. Happy learning!

[@rahmani002]

Appreciate your great efforts!

[@realpars]

Happy to hear that! Thank you!

[@renegadeflower575]

Very useful video. You still have a couple of part 2s videos to come. We are still waiting for part 2 of encoder. Thanks.

[@realpars]

Thanks for your support! :).

[@wgastreich]

The scripts are done and will be completed soon. Thank you for your feedback.

[@sohailjanjua123]

Hi, I like your video. Thanks

[@realpars]

Thank you!

[@dekunet]

Wonderful video. Keep on issuing videos like that!

[@wgastreich]

Thank you for the feedback. More to Come.

[@emmanuelsanusi1389]

Thank you Realpar

[@realpars]

You are welcome, Emmanuel!

[@mohammedhamdisouiade7737]

my best chanel

[@realpars]

Amazing! Thank you, Mohammed!

[@srinivass2836]

Very nice sir

[@mohamedmenarni1811]

I like your channel it's more useful. thank you very very much for your effort .

[@realpars]

Thank you, Mohamed!

[@andresgallardo9015]

Really nice instructing videos guys! you should show more Rockwell PLC's rather than Siemens.

[@realpars]

Thanks for your support, Andrés! I will pass it on to our creator team.

[@gabrielluna566]

Muchas gracias esta super genial su información, videos, los felicito a ingeniería de desarrollo de proyectos, sigan así mucho éxito y mucha suerte saludos desde México técnico en mantenimiento electromecanico Gabriel luna

[@realpars]

Muchas gracias, Gabriel!

[@danielr1843]

Wow tryin to learn this stuff for a electrical maitenace job. A little over my head

[@realpars]

That's understandable, Daniel. Take it slowly and feel free to leave any questions you have in the comment section, we are more than happy to help you out. Keep it up!

[@danielr1843]

@@realpars is there anyway you could point out 3 or 4 videos to study hard? I start my apprenticeship as a electrical maintenance tech next monday and want to show up with stuff to offer. They are big plant that makes batteries. A lot of VFDs and plc work. Anything would help thanks!

[@shivdeepkawdeti1698]

Hallo Realpars you people are doing excellent job by training. we are learning a lot from you. Can you please help me in one issue. I m struggling to establish communication between Sinamics G130 and Atlas copco electoinickon. Modbus to profibus communication. Please help

[@realpars]

Thanks for your feedback and suggestion, Shivdeep! I will happily go ahead and share this with our course developers.

[@engineeringwithengineers6123]

Nice video sir

[@realpars]

Thank you!

[@ritterfranco6655]

You guys are awesome!! thank you. Do you guys have anyvideos how to put parameters on a Power flex 40 from the computer?

[@wgastreich]

Hello Ritter, we don't have a video for this topic. If we can get a few likes to this question I'll see what I can do to talk the team into creating a video.

[@ritterfranco6655]

@@wgastreich Thank you guys you are great, do you guys are hiring any technician in the Area of Utah or California?

[@wgastreich]

@@ritterfranco6655 2020 was a tuff year. We are currently not hiring. Stay frosty and good luck.

[@mahdiabbaszadeh8902]

Thank you very much. please make a video about how to choose a power supply for a PLC. Thanks again.

[@realpars]

Thanks for the suggestion, Mahdi! I will mention this to our creator team for sure. Happy learning!

[@Tevez2367]

Can you please do a video on s7 to power flex 755

[@realpars]

Hi Jimmy, Thanks for your comment and your suggestion. I will pass this on to our course developers! Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@azeemahammed8646]

hai can i use a squirrel cage motor with vfd and suppose it run at lower frequency at the starting for higher torque then ,if so could it be an equivalent for slip ring induction motor with rheostat arrangement for higher torque ?the reason why i am asking this i did not see any rheostat unit near some some motor which actually using for lifting huge weights vertically and periodically ,especially in Benningheavon asphalt plant ,please clarify my doubt

[@noelpomarejos7615]

Could you please make a video about two different types of transmitter lool check..thanks

[@realpars]

Hi Noel, Thanks for the topic suggestion, I will definitely go ahead and forward this to our creator team. Happy learning!

[@ikramantaki]

Congratulations for the videos, I think you guys are great¡¡¡ Can you make a video explaining difference between HMI and INDUSTRIAL PC?? that would be great¡¡ greetings from Mexico

[@realpars]

Thanks, Rulo! I will surely go ahead and pass your topic suggestion on to our creator team!

[@ikramantaki]

@@realpars thank you, have a nice weekend

[@andersonmarinho9729]

Thank you so much for this job that you have been doing for us.

[@wgastreich]

Thank you for your feedback.

[@realpars]

You are very welcome!

[@jagrajsingh299]

Wht is the ladder daigram program for control the vfd speed??

[@wgastreich]

In this case the VFD controls a feed water pump. Other instruments input such as temperature, pressure and flow are feedback to the PLC to be use in feed water setpoint control sent to the VFD

[@bacnguyenkiem8367]

Sorry, but can you explain Why the logic program use SWPB command in order to move data from VFD to RSLOGIX? Thanks for your video

[@realpars]

In any device that is considered as a "smart" device, like a VFD, data is stored and shared with other devices, such as a PLC. When these devices communicate, a word, or words of data, are transferred from one device to the other. Many devices use part of a word, such as a byte, to indicate a status, error code, etc. The internal storage orientation for this data follows the format used by that processor's CPU. Two ways that are common for data storage are "little endian" and "big endian". Big-endian is an order in which the "big end" (most significant value in the data sequence) is stored first (at the lowest storage address). Little-endian is an order in which the "little end" (least significant value in the sequence) is stored first. So sometimes, when we communicate between devices, it is necessary to "swap the bytes" using a function like SWPB (swap bytes) in order to properly decipher the meaning of the data.

[@bacnguyenkiem8367]

@@realpars thanks for your explaination

[@jaywei4608]

It is a wonderful video series! It explained the communication very clearly. Just got a question, Why use a gateway between PLC and VFD instead of connecting PLC to VFD directly? what is the benefit? can we use Ethernet/IP communication protocol?

[@wgastreich]

Hello Jay. In this particular case the VFD was shipped with Profibus, Siemens native language. One of Rockwell's native language is ControlNet and the PLC system was already installed. Therefore a protocol gateway is required.

[@realpars]

A gateway is required only when the VFD and the DCS or PLC network is a different protocol, such as a Profibus VFD connected to a ControlNet network, as in the video.

[@jaywei4608]

Wally Gastreich Awesome! It does clear the cloud for me! Thanks a lot!

[@jaywei4608]

RealPars thanks!

[@josephkim9574]

Thanks for this brilliant material. Any other protocol gateways available other than HMS Anybus?

[@ardentdfender4116]

Having watched this video again just going thru the playlists I noticed every time but something watching this again I’m curious of. What happened to the missing Node 2 as well Address 2. They aren’t on the board. I’m curious. Also programing of the Gateway Module or A Gateway module could be a video all in itself. Oh and in another note to the RealPars guys here putting up with my comments, I’m now officially subscribed as a member on the website with a year subscription and enjoying it. Just gotta update my name so it’s the same. Cheers

[@scottsommer5450]

Welcome to the community! I am sure that our videos and tutorials will help you develop in your automation career. Node and address names, regardless of the communication protocol used, are somewhat arbitrary, In this video, the instructor chose to use nodes 1 and 3, skipping node 2. Often this is done for a reason, such as to allow future devices to be inserted. We could devote an entire video to gateway configuration, but since each is different for each manufacturer and combination of gateways, we would have to produce over 100 videos to cover them all! What I can say having configured >50 different gateways in my career, they are all pretty similar, and most, like the ProSoft module shown in the video, can be configured in under 30 minutes.

[@KB-bq1mz]

How can I get a physical in class training?

[@realpars]

Great to hear your motivation to start your PLC programming training! However, RealPars is a 100% online educational platform, we do not provide any offline training. Learning online has some great advantages. Besides that, as a subscriber, you obtain full access to our Technical Team who will answer any questions you might have along your learning journey! Feel free to check out our learning platform over here learn.realpars.com/ Happy learning!

[@guweizhao3430]

Why you use SWPB reverse PLC and VFD data?

[@wgastreich]

Hello Guwei Zhao. Thank you for your question. Its a good question. The SWPB (Swap Byte) is used to change the byte pattern in the DINT received from the VFD. REVERSE (order mode) is used with DINTs and REALs to change the byte order ABCD => DCBA. This is because some machines call bit 0 the high order bit while other machines call it the low order bit, so the bytes need to be swapped in reverse. Look up, Little and Big-endian for more reference about the need for byte swapping.

[@_Iokanaan_Marusidze_]

Thanks !

[@realpars]

You are welcome, Alexandr!

[@estherlisiane9786]

just wondering, is there a way speed of motor can be controlled or varied automatically in real-time using PLC?

[@realpars]

Absolutely! The PLC must be communicating with the VFD (hardwired, PRofibus, Ethernet, etc.). You will be able to write a speed reference from the PLC to the drive to set its speed remotely from the PLC. Depending on the PLC being used and manufacturer of the VFD, the actual logic may vary. Use the VFD manufacturer's manual to determine the channel or address to be written to for the speed reference.

[@ayyazbagnikar]

Us there any single Gateway which convert large number of different communication protocol to Ethernet protocol or only one protocol .....

[@wgastreich]

I am not aware of a gateway to perform this task but you could use multiple communication modules on a PLC rack with different languages

[@RaviMishrarwe]

Hello sir, Can you please make a video of programming and wiring connection of multifunction meter with plc, How to read data from MFM.

[@realpars]

Thanks for your topic suggestion, Ravi! I will surely pass it on to our creator team.

[@rafidalani3531]

Hi, I am a follower of your channel, I like your channel and the wonderful way you explain the topics, wondering if you can help in this issue even that your channel is specialized in plcs. Can you please help in explaining LV Capacitor Bank step by step but the most important is; 1- the calculation of reactors in base of the harmonics in an industry using VFD controlled motors for example or any wave distorting source, with an example using power factor meter that gives the harmonics in the facility and how to deal with those harmonics. And which are the cases that we don't need to use reactors in series with the capacitors, that if we are using Capacitor duty Contactors to limit the Inrush current. 2- discharging resistors issue, how to calculate them and how to connect them exactly? Is the connection made via timer relay? With a diagram, if possible. I found diagrams on the net showing the resistors connected directly on the Capacitors terminals without any timing relays and that did not convince me, the proper time permissible to discharge in case of on off loads like motors used to cut marble or variable mechanical load that changes the pf in the way that we need to cut the Capacitors out for some moments. Thank you in advance. My best regards and respect.

[@theodoreroberts3407]

I don't want this comment to be misunderstood, so I will attempt to make this easy. In a switch situation, what is the upper limit of off/on switches can this system handle? I'm looking for a computer controlled system that will handle not less then 30 switches. If this is not it, I thank you and will continue my research elsewhere. If this is it, I will study this system.

[@mouhoudyassine1819]

why there is just 15 inputs in the controller tags while we've chosen 100 input instance? Thank you

[@realpars]

The instance number represents an internal "template" of the data structure in the connected device, in this case a VFD. The device may have many templates for organizing the data. Input Instance 100 reserves sixteen 32-bit words for the input data.

[@RahulGupta-yl7gf]

How can we change the standard function of a VFD terminal using parameters only. Eg, making a moter to rotate in reverse direction by giving the command to the forward terminal (02). I'm using powerflex 525 VFD. Ps interchange of wire connection is not the option it has to be done by changing some parameters only. Please help!

[@realpars]

Hi Rahul, Thank you for your inquiry, and our apologies for the delay in our response - your comments must have slipped through the cracks. Firstly, the method you described for achieving this task with a single input can be challenging. I'm uncertain if your AB Powerflex 525 VFD drive supports such functions. However, the latest VFD models may have the capability to achieve this within certain parameters. One potential approach is to utilize an encoder on your motor, which can send feedback signals to the drive indicating when it has reached the desired forward distance and when it needs to reverse. The feasibility of this approach depends on the specific manufacturer and the software parameters of the VFD you are using. It's important to note that user manuals typically don't cover all the intricacies of operating your drive, which is why manufacturers often encourage users to attend their training classes. I would recommend reaching out to the manufacturer's support hotline to seek guidance on using their drive for your intended application. If you are using an older VFD, they may recommend upgrading. Alternatively, you could consider incorporating a mechanical solution, such as a gearbox with a reverse function, to achieve the desired directional change after stopping. This would involve sending a signal to the gearbox, perhaps by operating a lever, to initiate the reverse motion.

[@tintinfarsad]

Is it possible to pair more than one heterogeneous slaves through one gateway? I mean, say, I've three Profibus slaves to be paired to a ControlNet master. Can I do this with just one gateway? Although, manufacturers usually keep provision in their products for different Fieldbus interface cards and this makes things a lot easier.

[@scottsommer6480]

Yes. For instance, the ProSoft gateway shown in the first part of this video is able to "talk to" 8 different ProfiBus nodes with a single ControlNet master. The combinations of station types that can be configured on "each side of the gateway" is a function of the specific gateway. I always get the configuration manual for the gateway I would like to use so I can be sure it will meet my needs.

[@tintinfarsad]

@@scottsommer6480 Thanks

[@lintonthomas9826]

Wonderful video, do u have info on programming dpu"s?

[@realpars]

Thank you, Linton. We do not currently have any videos on this topic. Sorry about that.

[@lintonthomas9826]

@@realpars no problem, right now I am learning PLC and PAC, two wonderful devices. Thank you

[@mohamedelbouchichi7773]

Where can I learn More information like this also about troubleshooting and assemblating and programming of usuale automatic machine .and get a free online certificate

[@realpars]

Hi Mohamed, 

Thanks for reaching out! You can find many more video courses in our course library. Feel free to browse through our course library to see all the different topics we are covering learn.realpars.com/ If you are interested, you will obtain full access to our complete course library (500+ video courses) by subscribing to either our monthly package for €24.99 a month or our yearly package for €179.99,-.

 Additionally, you will have access to our Technical Team - consisting of high-ranking engineers with a lifetime of experience - who are here to help you out with any questions you might have along the way! 
 Yes, you will automatically receive a certificate of completion for each course series you have completed. Hope this helps!

[@nageshpandey5333]

Please make video how PLC communicate with VFD through PLC programming

[@realpars]

Hey Nagesh! Thanks for your comment and your suggestion. I will pass this on to our course developers! Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@mouhoudyassine1819]

I didn't understand well the SWPB block in controllogix(5000), normally the ZSW1 is coming from the VFD and we must store it in Robicon_VFD:I.Data(2) but here i see the opposite, can you explain me why? THANK YOU

[@realpars]

The Swap Byte function swaps the upper and lower bytes of a word from the configured source word to the destination word. This can take place in either "direction" (to or from the Robicon). The comm block was set up with input and output memory. Look at the video at 9:10. Here you see a value being swapped and stored in a Rubicon output memory word.

[@wgastreich]

Google Little and Big-Endian to learn more about the requirement of byte swapping when communicating with different computers (PLCs).

[@Emregondem]

How can I programming DCS Honeywell c300 with function block ?

[@realpars]

Hi Karamürselli Deli Hamdi , Sorry this could be a topic for a whole video/course. I will add this to our list of topics for future content creation.

[@KrishnaGupta-gq7rz]

How can i communicate with siemen drive micromaster 440 with simotion software please help

[@realpars]

Hi Krishna, this can a topic for a whole video (if not a whole course) :). Please check out this manual which is a quick start guide for Siemens Micromaster 440 setup: bit.ly/2utmmzF I hope this helps.

[@jagrajsingh299]

If we use same protocol at both sides plc and vfd then Gateway is necessary or not ??

[@nomen_omen]

Which protocol?

[@realpars]

It depends on the type of devices also the protocol you want to use.

[@wgastreich]

If both end devices are to use PROFIBUS for example, then a gateway would not be required. Thank you for your question.

[@باسلالزيدان]

[@theghostmachine]

Thank you

[@realpars]

You are welcome!

[@muhammadabdelsater9878]

Your website links dont work

[@realpars]

Hi Muhammed, Could you tell me which link is not working for you? Or which error you are seeing? As from our end, everything is working perfectly. The following link is to our website bit.ly/2FwzzwP.

[@gamemonster1816]

Good

[@realpars]

Thank you!

[@raihanbd7595]

nice moment

[@realpars]

Thank you, Raihan!

[@MR-nl8xr]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@jayjaraba1113]

Wow

[@TiberiusStorm]

Heterogeneous = diverse!

[@wgastreich]

Yes devise meaning different vendors, different programming languages, different tools, etc.