Modbus is one of the simpliest protocols you’ll find in the field. It’s the closest protocol “to the metal” of the chip on a controller since it often just directly exposes the controller’s memory. There’s no point discovery here; there are no point names or descriptions to help you integrate. All you have are datasheets and fat-finger data entry. There are hardly even data types.

The labour involved with Modbus integration can be high since point configuration is so tedious. When working with a Modbus controller it is very important to have accurate documentation of its:

  • addressing convention,
  • register layout,
  • and data formatting descriptions.

Some controllers start their addresses at 1, others start at 0. Your front end will have its own convention that you’ll have to match up accordingly (off by one errors are pretty common). The register layout will show you the addresses of the data you want. The data formatting descriptions will tell you about the data’s “endianness” and data types; the modbus protocol is just a binary data storage and retrieval protocol, it doesn’t know what a integer or a floating-point number is and it’s up to you to interpret the results.

Modbus can be seen using RS232, RS422, RS485, or IP for connectivity. People frequently make the mistake of assuming one of the above when they hear a device is Modbus. If it’s RS422 and you didn’t plan for that, you’re going to have a bad time.

When getting documentation for the above from a vendor, make sure you get them to help you interpret it! Most communication cards that come with equipment are generic and apply to multiple applications, which means that much of the data available on those data sheets is meanless for your particular application. They should be able to go over the list and highlight points that actually will mean something in your case.

Once you’ve set up a modbus integration it’s robust and fast. Adding new points shouldn’t be too hard either. It’s the initial stages of poring over data sheets and the trial and error of data types that’s the hard part. Once you’ve integrated two systems over modbus once, you should be able to replicate that integration anywhere with relative ease depending on the tools you’re using.

I’ll update this post with links to more detail, especially around data types which are the trickiest part. I’m working on some straightforward real-world examples that should make it a bit clearer.