Pro face connection to Mitsubishi DIASYS Netmation

Example of Communication Parameter Setting

A complete communication configuration needs to be completed simultaneously on both the GP Pro EX project and Netmation side. Taking a typical single CPU connection as an example.

3.1 Communication Settings in GP Pro EX

Select the Netmation device that has been added in the [Device/PLC Settings], click the "Settings" button to enter the detailed configuration interface:

Port number: The TCP port on which Pro face listens for local communication. The default is 59710, and the adjustable range is 1024~65535. This port must match the remote port configured on the Netmation side.

Timeout: The maximum time that HMI waits for Netmation response, in seconds, ranging from 1 to 127. Suggest setting it to 3-10 seconds based on network load. Being too short may result in false alarms and timeout errors; If it is too long, the fault detection will be delayed.

Retry count: The number of times HMI resends commands when Netmation is unresponsive, ranging from 0 to 255. Usually set to 2-5 times.

Sending waiting time: The number of milliseconds that HMI delays sending the next command after receiving the previous data packet, ranging from 0 to 255. Appropriately increasing (such as 10ms) in slower networks can reduce conflicts.

3.2 Device Specific Settings (Netmation CPU Parameters)

In the device specific settings area, it is necessary to fill in the communication parameters of the Netmation CPU:

IP address: The IP address of the Netmation CPU. The range is 0.0.0.0~255.255.255.255. Note: If the IP address is not in the format of 192.168.xxx.xxx, the system will display a prompt message but will not report an error. It is recommended to use a planned and unified private address segment (such as 192.168.1.10) in the project.

Port number: The port number of the MODBUS TCP service on the Netmation CPU, ranging from 1 to 65535. The initial value is 59710, which should be consistent with the local port number of Pro face.

CPU redundancy: If a dual CPU redundant system is used on site, check this checkbox. After checking, the "Check Control Mode" field in the main CPU settings and backup CPU settings becomes editable.

Check control mode: When redundancy is enabled, a Netmation device address (such as CDO0001) must be specified here. Pro face will send a read command to this address every second to determine which CPU is currently in the master state. This address must be the same as the control state storage address configured on the Netmation side.

Double byte order: Used for the transmission order of 32-bit data (such as double byte integers). You can choose "low letter first" or "high letter first", which must be consistent with the data format of Netmation. The default is usually 'Little Endian'.

3.3 Netmation side settings

Use Netmation specialized software (such as DIASYS Netmation Engineering Tool) to configure the following items:

The IP address of the CPU must be consistent with the IP address set in GP Pro EX.

MODBUS TCP port number: usually 59710, or a custom value.

Control state storage address: an address used for dual redundant systems (such as CDO0001). This address is automatically updated by the Netmation system and indicates the current main CPU.

Important note: The IP address of the HMI itself cannot be set in the GP Pro EX project and needs to be completed through screen touch in offline mode of the Pro face device. Make sure that the IP address of the HMI is on the same subnet as the Netmation CPU and does not conflict.

Supported device addresses and mapping rules

The Pro face driver supports reading and writing four types of data in Netmation: digital output, digital input, analog output, and analog input. However, please note that Analog Input (CAI) and Analog Output (CAO) are read-only on the Netmation side (i.e. HMI cannot write CAO, only read it).

4.1 Address Range

Device bit address range, word address range, 32-bit support for read and write properties

CDO (Digital Output) CDO0001- CDO8000 CDO0001- CDO7985 L/H-18+1 read-write

CDI (Digital Input) CDI0001- CDI8000 CDI0001- CDI7985 L/H-18+1 Read Only

CAO (Analog Output) - CAO0001- CAO4000- Read Only (Note 1)

CAI (Analog Input) - CAI0001- CAI4000- Read Only

Note 1: Although the manual marks CAO as write disabled, in actual projects, please refer to the specific version of the Netmann system, as write may be supported in some cases.

4.2 Equipment Code and Address Code

When using the "device type and address" method to specify a data source in the Pro face screen (for example, numerical display components need to be associated with a PLC address), device code (hexadecimal) and address code are required.

Equipment Name Equipment Code (HEX) Address Code Calculation Formula

Digital output CDO 0080 (Address -1)/16

Digital input CDI 0081 (Address -1)/16

Analog output CAO 0000 word address -1

Analog input CAI 0001 word address -1

For example, to access CDO address 0005, first calculate (5-1)/16=0.25 and round it down? The actual address code should be divisible according to the manual formula. A simpler understanding: bit address CDO0001 corresponds to address code 0, CDO0017 corresponds to address code 1, and so on. For CAI0005, address code=5-1=4.