SCADAPack x70 Modbus Master/Client support for Binary DNP3 packed in Modbus Input / Holding Registers

[BevanWeiss]

The SCADAPack E-Series Modbus Scanner functionality allowed for Holding Registers and Input Registers to be used to store packed digital bits, and for these to still be exposed as DNP3 Binary Points without requiring any additional logic / custom code.  This was a native function of the E-Series Modbus Scanner.

In the x70, this functionality appears to have been lost, and now it is not possible to map digital bits in Input / Holding Registers into DNP3 Binary Points.

There are a large number of Modbus devices that present all of their data in the Holding Registers, and to have to use custom code in the x70 to map these to DNP3 points is very frustrating.  Even more so when the E-series RTUs did this without an issue.  It seems crazy that a new RTU family (x70) would be so far less functional than the RTU that it is advertised to replace.

In the Modbus Scanners dialog it should be possible to select Modbus Data Type: UINT and to select Object Type: Digital

[MartinChartrand]

Thank you @BevanWeiss,

I will discuss with the RTU team and get back to you as soon as I can on this request.

Regards,

Martin

[MartinChartrand]

Hello again,

The good news is that this is scheduled for RemoteConnect 2.6.1.

I do not know when this will happen but will post it once I know for sure.

Regards

M

[BevanWeiss]

Thanks Martin,

Would greatly appreciate if I could be involved in Beta testing of this.

We have two projects upcoming where this exact lack in functionality is an issue for us.

One involving communications to a Siemens S7-1500 PLC, and the other to a Schneider M580.

They would actually both benefit from some customisable Modbus -> DNP3 'DTM' type mapping actually... where a data structure in the Modbus holding register space could be mapped to a structure of DNP3 points.  Since the Modbus registers typically end up being a mix of digital and different analog types (i.e. 16x digitals, then 2x INTs, then 4x DINTS, then 4x REALS and then the next device is mapped in... so we start from 16x digitals again...), which doesn't align particularly well with the current 1 Modbus scanner row = strictly 1 DNP3 data type.

But... the exact request listed in the original message is a step in the right direction all the same (and would solve the current problem for now)

[MartinChartrand]

Hello again,

Yes, we can certainly include you in the beta test of this feature and will contact you when we're ready to proceed.

Thank you again for your interest in improving our products.

Regards,

Martin