Communication to plc using phone

[aakash]

Is it possible to communicate fx series or any other with phone

 

Regards

Aakash

[Gambit]

A phone is almost a PC these days. So what do you mean ? What would you like to achieve ?

programming and monitoring via an analog line or using an app and connect to the FX via WIFI or .....

[wlederer]

It is very interesting question.

 How connect FX (or Q) PLC to the home router? We have potentially huge market of home automation.

[Crossbow]

wlederer, you can just set an IP address and plug it in to the network.  It doesn't use DHCP, so make sure you use and address the router won't give out to another device.

[wlederer]

Thank You Crossbow, what else do we need to monitor and control the FX (Q) PLC registers from a smartphone, which is pared to the router?

[Gambit]

You need to create an app which can communicate with the PLC. There is a MX components software for android and IOS.
(MX components takes care of the driver) 

OR if you want to have a quick and easy way then just buy a GT25 HMI with a GT mobile license.
On the GT25 you can create additional pages in the resolution you need for your phone. 

You can connect up 5 devies (computer tablets pohone's) using just the web browser etc. 

 

 

 

[wlederer]

Thank You Gambit. The  Sibochina offer Android tablets with embedded RS485 terminal.

It is not a phone, but the possibility to use MX Component there is exciting anyway.

Loaded the operating manual of Mitsubishi MX Component V4 (is it the latest?), but haven't found any word "Android" there.

The GT25 option is, obviously, more expensive, but interesting as well.

Can You give more details about both options, please?

 

[Gambit]

This is the brochure from Mitsubishi with the HMI 

l08399engb GOT Smart Web-based Remote Solutions.pdf

MX Components for Android manual:

MX Components for IO:

 

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2016 by Gambit

[wlederer]

Thank You Gambit. As I understood, to try wireless control with GOT2000 HMI we need:

1. GT25 or GT 27 HMI (not GT23)

2. GT25-WLAN unit.

3. License ( 1 for each GOT unit).

4. GT Works3 V1.144A .

This set is not something, we can get easily. Don't know how much does it cost, but doubt that it would be acceptable for home automation.

MX Component for Android is very attractive solution. Unfortunately, the links You provided point to the sites using Japanize language.

Can You, please, help more?

[Gambit]

1 Yes

2 This is optional. If you already have a wireless network than it is not needed. I would rather use a router as you than also have a DHCP server.

3 Yes. 

4 yes

 

[wlederer]

Thank You Gambit. Sorry, I found the manual "MX Component for Android" in English. Need some time for reading.

About 2. GT25-WLAN unit:

Did You do it or read a report about successful try without GT25-WLAN with a wireless router?

Do You know, how to do it?

 

[wlederer]

Read the manual. They offer tool which would allow to control Mitsubishi PLC by using Android tablets or smartphones and wireless router.

The PLC is to be connected to a router with an Ethernet cable.

From FX series FX5 can be used only. Q-series PLC can be used as well, but demand the newest Ethernet units ( '15042' and later).

Is "MX Component for Android" available in Europe?

[Gambit]

Yes I did test succesfully.

The Wireless option is just to create a wireless network for your HMI

So all you need to do is use connect your ethernet cable to your router and set it up so the IP address of the GOT cannot be given out by the DHCP server.

As for MX for android and IOS I know they exist but I do not know if they are available in Europe

Edited September 1, 2016 by Gambit

[kaare_t]

Coming in late here, but just a little suggestion:
You could use ModbusTCP to the PLC directly (via any Ethernet connection you would like - remote/local....). All development languages I've come across have open-source and freely available ModbusTCP code that you can use freely (just google ModbusTCP and your software). Simply create your graphical interface in the language you prefer for the device you prefer, and attach the ModbusTCP classes from an open-source project.

Just make sure you use a PLC with a card that supports ModbusTCP (R, Q, FX3 and FX5 are all OK with their corresponding correct cards.).

It's (in my opinion) pretty easy since you avoid too much software components and you'll also avoid too much hardware components. In addition you're free to use any programming language you feel comfortable with.

[wlederer]

Hi kaare_t,

thank You for the suggestion. If I have FX3u*+FX3U-ENET-P502 (can it be FX3U-ENET as well?) and network cable,  what else do I need?

Which router can be used? Which software tools do I need to write an application for a smartphone (with Android, Windows Phone or Apple OS)?

[kaare_t]

For ModbusTCP you will need the FX3U-ENET-P502! As long as every device is in the same subnet (e.g. a regular home network) I wouldn't worry about routers, your phone-app would only need to open a connection against the correct IP address of your ENET card (which has to be in the same subnet as the "home network"). If you want to go more advanced you can of course connect the PLC to a different port of the router, and set up static routing from the regular "home network" to the "PLC network" - any router will probably do.

When it comes to development software for smartphones I am really not sure. I've programmed a lot of different devices, but never a pure smartphone app. But I guess our friend 'google.com' has a lot of information and suggestions. Basically you're moving into the computer/smartphone world and it's entirely different than the PLC world.

Note that most likely you will need to develop different apps for the different OS's (one for Android, one for MS and one for iOS), so there's a lot of time invested in app development. However, based on your initial post I considered it to be interesting that you developed time once and purchase the cheapest components for later.

If you don't expect to sell too many systems, it would be cheaper to use a operator terminal (like suggested earlier) and just use a web-server built-in. Then it's easy to just browse from a web-browser from any phone. You can develop the application using your regular tools and without too much investment.

However, if the target is to sell 'many' systems for the future, I would definitively invest more in app development in the beginning, and then start making money when you can purchase less HW (don't need operator terminal, don't need additional SW and so on).

And when I'm thinking about it, there's a third option: If you're familiar with webserver development, you could use a PLC and e.g. a Raspberry pi to run as a web-server. The pi is very cheap, and you can use any tool you are comfortable with. Today's web development tools are good when implementing smartphone friendly websites so that might also be an option... Note that I have not tested option 3 here, I'm not sure what kind of web-server the Raspberry pi can run, but probably some kind of server - and it's cheap...

Let us know what you plan and/or do.

[Chickenkiller91]

Hi guys how is it going? 

I was wondering about a similar application, since i just got into android and it seems fairly easy to build an application to show information about the industrial systemn.

Do you think its possible to have an opc server and some kind of data server application to run on the raspberry pi?

And communicate via ethernet with cj2m? 

What i have in mind is to just plug in the raspberry pi to the network, and as start to just have some information ona  local network over wifi to the android aplication

[Gambit]

Why not a direct connection

MX Component for Android Version 1 Reference Manual

MX Component for iOS Version 1 Reference Manual