PK Controller Questions - ODVA and EDS

Hi all,

Just trying to get some more detailed information on the PK controllers, as we're looking at them for a basis of design for a new facility.  

- Regarding EDS files, I see the PK controller itself doesn't support them, and instead a manual configuration of the IO.  Is the use of EDS files at all possible with a PK controller, perhaps through the use of the VIM2 card?

- For ODVA Ethernet/IP, is the PK controller capable of this?  Or again do we need to use a VIM2 card?

Any guidance on these high level capabilities is appreciated!

Christiana Spencer

  • Christiana, The EDS files are currently only supported for the DeviceNet card within DeltaV. This is on the radar but I've not seen a timeline when this would be supported for the native Ethernet IP Driver (both EIOC and PK Controllers)

    The VIM2 can be used with the PK controller, however, requires a separate configuration activity via VIMNet explorer to configure the devices and map the data to the DeltaV Serial Modbus cards that it emulates. The native Ethernet IP driver allows you to directly configure the device and reference the signals in DeltaV. You can deploy two separate segments via the primary and secondary ethernet port modules and split devices between A/B busses.

    For a simple device, the PK defines a "Physical Device Tag" (PDT) that sets the IP address and names the device. A "Logical Device Tag" (LDT) is then created to map in the device data. This would typically use the Class 1 Implicit option and lets the user define an Input Assembly Instance, Output Assembly Instance and a Configuration assembly instance. These instances are defined in the device manual, which may show multiple assemblies with varying combinations of data values. Each Assembly Instance is a collection of registers . You create a signal for each value you wish to bring that into the PK controller's IO subsystem, much like you would with a DeviceNet card signal.

    The EDS files would facilitate the creation of the initial devices of a particular model, and I hope these are supported in a coming release, but frankly, I have not missed them when configuring these devices on a PK controller. Once a device type is configured, the Assembly instances are the same for all additional devices and we can easily replicate these, using Bulk Edit to define all the signals.

    I would definitely use the PK controllers native EthernetIP driver and avoid the added cost of the VIM2. If you need two different protocols on a PK, the VIM2 can be used for one and the PK native protocol for the other, but the control devices like Drives and motors would be better connected to the PK ports and support equipment like analyzers connected via the VIM2, if two protocols are needed.

    Andre Dicaire

  • In reply to Andre Dicaire:

    As always, thank you for your very knowledgeable insights Andre! This is in line with what we were thinking as well, but it is comforting to have this confirmed. Many thanks!

    Christiana Spencer

  • In reply to Andre Dicaire:

    I have also found a similiar experience to Andre. Another thing that is sometimes helpful if you cannot read an EDS file in notepad directly, VIMNet Explorer also has a few provisions in it for helping you understand and get the correct data for DeltaV. Also, if you run into specific devices that you need help with, definitely post those. I have a fairly extensive spreadsheet of devices over the years I've been building up and I'm sure others do to, so you might not have to so all the work yourself.

    Matt