Smart - New Product Line
News, Announcements, and Updates Blog
Smart - New Product Line
Now available - Low-cost, feature-rich, flexible hardware platform lets you combine functions normally requiring multiple components. Reduce cost, panel space requirements, spare part needs, engineering/cabling!
Smart product line includes:
Smart Netbox – Communication Appliances (switches/routers, firewalls/VPN, media converters, serial servers, remote access modems)
Smart Gateway – Protocol Converters (plus includes all functions/features of Smart Netbox products)
Smart Adapter – Remote Ethernet I/O Interface (can include most features of Smart Netbox products)
Smart SoftPLC – Programmable Automation Controllers (can also include all functions/features of other Smart products)
TOPDOC NexGen 1.5 Release
TOPDOC NexGen release 1.5.090311 is now available to customers in support.
This release includes:
* Addition of a “Remote Console” option in the PLC menu which allows access to the SoftPLC console from within TOPDOC, instead of requiring users to use Putty or another SSH utility
* Addition of password protection to TOPDOC NexGen
* Improvements to the Linux version of TOPDOC NexGen
* Other minor enhancements/bug fixes
Contact Tech Support if you are interested in receiving an update.
Enron Modbus Driver Now Available
Enron Modbus ethernet drivers are now included in version 4 SoftPLC. Enron Modbus is a modification to the standard Modbus communication protocol used in process control devices such as chromatographs, flow computers, odorization systems, RTU’s, and fire/gas alarm systems.
SoftPLC’s can be used as programmable protocol converters (gateways) between Enron Modbus devices and existing controllers, such as PLC’s, DCS, and SCADA systems (eg: a bridge between the Modbus, Enron Modbus, Profibus, DeviceNet, and the Allen-Bradley PLC worlds).
SoftPLC’s can also be used as a feature-rich control platform connected to both Enron Modbus devices and other I/O.
SoftPLC’s have virtually unlimited user memory and data register capacity. So a single SoftPLC can be configured to read many, many process devices. SoftPLC’s can execute selection logic, complete range validation and other functions, and make massaged data and/or the raw data available to HMI/SCADA systems and other PLC’s/PAC’s on the network. In one recent installation, SoftPLC was able to hold the data from over 25,000 flow computer runs!
FloatDisk TLM Now Available
A free loadable module that allows the loading and/or saving of a block of floats to a human-readable text file is now available in our Knowledge Base for version 4.x SoftPLC runtime systems. The TLM includes 2 TLI instructions:
FLOATLOAD - Loads a text file into a block of floats
FLOATSAVE - Writes a block of floats to a text fileAn example of how these instructions can be used:
If multiple machines use the same logic but with different data, the machine specific parameters can be stored in separate files and then loaded when SoftPLC first starts up. This allows the SoftPLC *.APP (application files) to be identical, including the initial datatables.
NTP Support in SoftPLC and Gatecraft
NTP (Network Time Protocol) is a protocol designed to synchronize the clocks of computers over a network.
We have added NTP support to Gatecraft Linux, which is used in our SoftPLC PAC’s and Gatecraft Firewall products.
So if a SoftPLC or Gatecraft system is on a network with an NTP server, its clock can be synchronized automatically to the NTP server time.
The NTP support is enabled in by default. To use it, simply edit the file /etc/ntp.conf and identify your server.
TOPDOC NexGen 1.4.070622 Released
Version 1.4.070622 of TOPDOC Nexgen was released today. Double click on this rectangle to see the changeLog. Contact support@softplc.com for instructions on how to receive a copy.
New SoftPLC Runtimes released.
New SoftPLC runtimes version 4.0 and 3.4 were released today. A few minor bugs were fixed. One bug was for search and one for the ONS B[N7:0]/[N7:1] instruction with an indirect BIT address. Double click on this rectangle to see the history.txt file for version 4.x.
New TOPDOC Nexgen version 1.4 is out.
Version 1.4 of TOPDOC Nexgen was released today. Double click on this rectangle to see the changeLog. Contact support@softplc.com for instructions on how to receive a copy.
SLC-500 Utility Back Online
Our online SLickConvert (SLC-500 Conversion) Utility is again available in fully automatic mode. (We had some temporary problems with our ISP supporting the utility.)
This utility takes your exported SLC-500 program (ladder logic and documentation) and instantly converts it to a SoftPLC formatted application file that can be downloaded into a SoftPLC, saving untold hours of re-engineering.
The utility first provides a report that displays the conversion results, and the number of instructions (if any) that cannot be automatically converted. Most programs convert 95% or better.
To receive the converted file, a small fee (paid by credit card) will send you an automated email with the SoftPLC Application.
Support for PCI Bus 1784-PKTx Added
Customers connecting to a PLC via Data Highway Plus from TOPDOC for SoftPLC (TDZ), TOPDOC PLC-5 (TD5) or TOPDOC PLC-3 (TD3) can now use the PCI bus versions of the A-B interface cards, 1784-PKTX/-PKTXD.
All customers in support are eligible to receive this update. Contact technical support to renew your support and/or request an update.