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Modbus:Using Legacy Code To Solve Modern Challenges - 59059 Modbus: Using Legacy Code to Solve Modern Challenges

Overview

In December 1990, a world-renowned economist named Paul Zane Pilzer published a book titled “Unlimited Wealth.” Among other things, the book looked at the ever-increasing role technology played in the business world and made a number of projections about how technology would dominate business as time went on. During that discussion he coined a phrase – “The Technology Gap”, defined as the gap between what is currently invented and available, and what is actually being used in the market. As the speed of technological inventions increased, the gap would widen and cause a number of difficulties for business – particularly for industries like manufacturing that relied heavily on technology.The challenge would be for companies to find a way to quickly – or even permanently – span the “technology gap” so that they did not consume vast resources on staying current within a whirlwind of new developments and technologies. Today’s Technology Gap
B&B ELECTRONICS Consider how the “technology gap” plays out within the industrial and manufacturing sector. A production piece of equipment is purchased in the mid 1990’s. It has a 20-year functional lifespan and is designed to communicate with the computers and PLC’s of the day. Yet, within 5-years, CPU’s, networks, interfaces, software, DAQ components, and other technologies have taken a massive leap ahead and changed – in some cases, even down to the way they connect and communicate (ie, the advent of wireless systems, USB, etc…). Suddenly a “technology gap” exists between the production hardware and the operational controllers and communication lines. Closing the Gap In this scenario, it is readily apparent that, in order to stay competitive in the market, the manufacturer has a significant need to upgrade their operational, control, and communication components – but not necessarily their production equipment. The problem is that, in many respects, the elements are no longer designed to interact on friendly terms. Fortunately, there is a sturdy bridge, which, at least for t the time being, appears to present a permanent solution to the “technology gap” issue being faced by the industrial sector. The “Bridge” relies on two layers to ensure its strength: Software layer, consisting of Modbus and its various forms Hardware layer, consisting of RS-232 and RS-485 – the physical layers of Modbus A dangerous – and expensive – gap exists between current technologies and those actually being implemented. The challenge lies in retaining legacy equipment while keeping pace with cutting-edge technologies.
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