Abstract:
This document aims to help first-time users of the HK/CIFX card understand the installation, configuration, and debugging of the card. With the guidance of this document, users can get the CIFX card running normally and perform basic communication tests with other devices, as well as use the secondary development package to write their own applications. The HK/CIFX card model used in this case is HK/CIFX 50-RE, PCI interface, which can serve as a master or slave for industrial real-time Ethernet protocols, such as Profinet master/slave, Ethernet/IP master/slave, EtherCAT master/slave, etc. The card also supports drivers for operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Vxworks, INtime, QNX, RTX, etc.
The function implemented in this article is to allow the HK/CIFX 50-RE to act as a Profinet slave and conduct communication tests with the Siemens S7-1200 PLC. It mainly includes the configuration of the HK/CIFX 50-RE card as a Profinet slave and the Profinet network configuration in TIA Portal.
01
Card Installation
1. Insert the CardThe first step is to insert the CIFX card into the corresponding PCI/PCIe slot while the industrial computer is powered off and secure it, ensuring that the gold finger part of the card is in full contact with the PCI/PCIe slot. Detailed interface definitions can be found in the document “PC Cards CIFX 50 50E 70E 100EH UM 51 EN” on the disc.
2. Install the Driver
1）Power on the industrial computer, open the Device Manager, and you will find a new PCI/PCIe device.
2）Find the corresponding Windows driver in the following disc path and double-click to run the installation. The detailed installation process can refer to the document “cifX Device Driver Installation for Windows OI 10 EN”
3）After the driver software installation is complete, it is recommended to restart the industrial computer. The CIFX card will automatically search for the driver and install it. After the installation is complete, as shown in the figure.
02
Firmware Loading
After the card driver is successfully installed, the cifX Setup and cifX Test tools will appear in the Windows Control Panel. The cifX Setup can load the firmware required for the card, which determines the protocol type and master/slave type of the card. Additionally, the SYCON.net configuration software can also be used to load and flash the firmware. The cifX Test can view the basic information of the card and perform simple data exchange tests. Open the cifX Setup tool, select DevNr/SN——Active Devices——cifX0——CH#0——Add (select the required firmware)——Apply. As shown in the figure.
03
Configuration of the Card as PROFINET Slave
1. Install SYCON.net SoftwareSYCON.net software is used for the configuration of all series products of Hilscher and can perform status monitoring and communication testing. In this case, the CIFX card acts as a Profinet slave, and the SYCON.net software is needed to configure the Profinet slave and download it to the CIFX card to enable the default slave parameters. After downloading the network configuration information, the software can also monitor the status of the card and test the communication process, such as periodic data communication tests. Users can find the installation package for SYCON.net software on the product disc.
2. Open the Configuration Software
Find SYCON.net under the Start menu and open it. The default password is empty, and users can add it themselves, as shown in the figure:
3. Add CIFX Card and Configure Slavea) In the Device Catalog, find PROFINET——Gateway/Stand-alone slave——CIFX RE/PNS, select the required GSD file version, and drag the CIFX to the gray line in the middle of the interface with the left mouse button, as shown in the figure:
b) Double-click the dragged CIFX icon, or right-click on the icon——Configuration to open the configuration interface, click on Device Assignment——Scan, find CIFX 50-RE and check it, finally Apply——OK to close the window, as shown in the figure:
c) Configure the required input and output modules for the card. In the Configuration——Modules option, add the corresponding module through Add Module. Here, we add one 1 Byte Input Module and one 1 Byte Output Module for example. After adding, click Apply:
d) Download the slave configuration performed in SYCON.net software to the card. In the right-click options of the card icon, select Download, and wait for the progress bar to complete the download to make the configuration effective. As shown in the figure:
Above is the configuration of the CIFX card as a PROFINET slave in this case. The next chapter will explain the configuration of the Siemens S7-1200 PLC in the TIA Portal software and online monitoring and testing.
Hongke is a high-tech company with over 10 years of experience in the field of industrial automation, especially in the industrial bus communication industry. The Industrial Communication Division of Hongke collaborates deeply with world-renowned industrial communication experts【PEAK-System, Hilscher, Kunbus, SYS TEC, Koenig-Pa, Port, Copa-data, TenAsys, SoC-e, RELYUM】 to provide top-level industrial bus protocol software and hardware solutions, including protocols such as【CAN, CANopen, EtherCAT, Profibus, Profinet, Ethernet/IP, TSN】. Product types include codes, software, chips, cards, modules, etc. Hongke Industrial Communication is customer-oriented and technology-based, providing the most suitable products and the most satisfactory services for domestic enterprises. Especially in the context of Industry 4.0, Hongke Industrial Communication keeps pace with the times, launching TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) solutions, which will play a connecting role like a highway in promoting the trend of the Internet of Everything.
