eISY MODBUS TCP Plugin Help needed

[waleedelmandouh]

I'm very happy there is now (hopefully) a straight forward was to use MODBUS with eISY, the plugin I found on Polyglot is 

ModbusTCP

Modbus TCP allows you to define your Modbus registers in a JSON file, upload it and leave the rest to IoX. No coding is necessary. Make sure the file is named modbus.iox_plugin.json

Now I cannot find ant help or examples or documentation on how to configure this JSON file, or how to actually access the registers in the admin console or tie them to command/statuses.

This plugin is built by UD, so I expect some guidance. I understand it's free, but at least and example please. Thank you so much.

 

 

[paulbates]

Modbus JSON is a standard, you need to define the file based on your modbus network so that eisy plugin can consume the data and read/write modbus devices. UDI, I believe, wants to integrate with it but not create modbus tools. You can web search tools either GitHub python or excel macros for a solution, or maybe the file already exists for you installation?

My guess is once you've created the correctly named file and stored it in the correct location, the plugin will load that data and have related nodes for you to work with it

Edited March 2 by paulbates

[GJ Software Products]

I too would like to better understand the format of the JSON file, where it goes, and how it integrates.  I.E. the format to define the registers, how to point to the address of the slave/RTU device, and how to access the nodes using  isy.  Some reference documentation would be great.  I'd like to talk to my eisy with a SQD PLC using Modbus but without *any* documentation I really don't know where to begin on the eisy/pg3 side.  Just need a bit to get me started without loading the node server and fighting my way through it.

[paulbates]

I have to believe it's via Node-Red. Since no one else answered this, I'd open a ticket with UDI and point to this thread and ask them specifics.

Posting back how you successfully got it work here afterwards will help others in the future.

[larryllix]

If you are dealing with Outback inverters they have another protocol laye on top of modbus, whereas the registers are dynamically assigned inside the modbus code. Fixed register numbers will not work with that higher level protocol.

[GJ Software Products]

7 hours ago, larryllix said:

If you are dealing with Outback inverters they have another protocol laye on top of modbus, whereas the registers are dynamically assigned inside the modbus code. Fixed register numbers will not work with that higher level protocol.

I've Never seen an Outback Inverter, now I gotta go looking!  <lol>.  Done a lot of Modbus with Square D (Schneider) PLCs, iON Electric Meters, UPSs by a couple manufacturers, ABB VFDs, Onicon Energy Meters, Caterpillar Generators, a few other off the wall integrations to Niagara but never seen an Outback Inverter.  Is that used with pV(solar)? 

[larryllix]

5 hours ago, GJ Software Products said:

I've Never seen an Outback Inverter, now I gotta go looking!  <lol>.  Done a lot of Modbus with Square D (Schneider) PLCs, iON Electric Meters, UPSs by a couple manufacturers, ABB VFDs, Onicon Energy Meters, Caterpillar Generators, a few other off the wall integrations to Niagara but never seen an Outback Inverter.  Is that used with pV(solar)? 

Yes, Outback is one of the earlier era more top quality inverter systems for solar PV systems.

I spent some time with Modbus, and more in DNP 3.0 before we went to Ethernet for electrical grid substation automation, just as I retired. When I started in 1974 I serviced tube and relay SCADA systems as well as some DTL systems. Left as Ethernet came into being. Would have loved to stay for that because it was right up my alley...but **sigh** time to go.