Modbus-TCP to USB/COM Port?

Vizier87 · Dec 13, 2022

Hi folksies.

A potential client asked me on reading data from an energy management via the ethernet port of this product: https://www.acrel-electric.com/product/adf400l

I'm still mulling on the most efficient protocol I should be using. It says that the product's communication uses RS485 and also an ethernet port (which was described as a Modbus-TCP port).

On managing whatever the data which comes from the device, I'm quite confident I can parse the data well, God willing. I'm more comfortable handling data from the serial COM Port but I guess if I have to get out of my comfort zone then.. I guess I should.

But I'm not sure what are the best ways to start interfacing the communication. Should I use an RS485-to-USB? Or should I read it directly from the ethernet port? Those are the things I'm not well informed about yet, so I hope can someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!
Vizier87

Vizier87 · Dec 14, 2022

Bumping...

Grossel · Dec 17, 2022

Ok, so you need two things (I think, not a modbus expert)

Modbus RTU (must transate from RS485/Modbus) to some IP based protocol.
Complete signal list (the paper I found on the web site only stated that "product support modbus communication" and nothing more).

But you may run into this problem - : The manufacturer may not reveal any signal list as the intension of the modbus protocol may be allowing two or more devices to run as one (i.e. several measuring devices connected together where a master device can display total consume for all devices), and also I've seen devices where the only possible way of reading data would be to buy a web server from the manufacturer (never has any hope of retrive any usable documentation/signal list for the device) - I have seen this trend for some industrial battery chargers.

Vizier87 · Dec 17, 2022

Grossel said:
Ok, so you need two things (I think, not a modbus expert)

Modbus RTU (must transate from RS485/Modbus) to some IP based protocol.

Complete signal list (the paper I found on the web site only stated that "product support modbus communication" and nothing more).

But you may run into this problem - : The manufacturer may not reveal any signal list as the intension of the modbus protocol may be allowing two or more devices to run as one (i.e. several measuring devices connected together where a master device can display total consume for all devices), and also I've seen devices where the only possible way of reading data would be to buy a web server from the manufacturer (never has any hope of retrive any usable documentation/signal list for the device) - I have seen this trend for some industrial battery chargers.

Thanks for the heads up.

I do have a kinda grubby little manual which comes with it. It lists all the addresses for different parameters, if you like. I don't know if sharing the manual here is legal though.

But you're right, one of the way I knew it works if via a web based app.

How do I know I can access it via a simple script?

For now it seems to have a discernible IP when I hook it up to my ethernet port by using just a simple ipconfig command. But I haven't been able to link it yet to retrieve the data

Thanks a lot for your time on this.

Vizier87

Grossel · Dec 18, 2022

Vizier87 said:
How do I know I can access it via a simple script?

No, it's not quite that easy, the RS485 also describe a physical/electrical interface that is not compatible with neither RS232 nor TCP/IP.
Maybe you can use a rasberry phi or similar with a modbus interface.

Modbus-TCP to USB/COM Port?

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