[00:00] In this lesson, I'll demonstrate how to connect to a PLC5 through a ControlLogix gateway using ControlNet. Before I walk through the steps, I'd like us to take a look at an example diagram. This diagram depicts two PLCs connected via ControlNet modules. From Ignition, this routes into the first PLC through an ENBT module, then it goes out a ControlNet module into a second PLC's ControlNet module, and then into that PLC's processor. We can tell Ignition how to navigate this route through a connection path, which is a comma separated list of numbers that tell it how to get to the target. PLC. Connection paths will vary depending on your setup, so let's take a look at a table with the rules on creating one. The first number is always going to be a one, and that tells Ignition to move to the back plane of the first PLC. The second number is the slot number of the module to move to. In this example, we would want to move to the ControlNet module in slot number four. So the second number in the connection path would be a four. The third number is the exit port or channel of that module that it'll be exited through.

[01:07] In this case, the ControlNet port is port two. The fourth number is going to depend on the module we're connecting to in the target PLC. This will either be a ControlNet address, a DH+ station number, or an IP address of an ENBT module. In this example, we're connecting via ControlNet and the ControlNet address is 12. The fifth number is one again, and this would signify moving to the back plane, and then the sixth and final number would then be the processor slot number or the number of the module to move to. The processor in this example is in slot zero. An important note about the last two numbers is that they're only necessary when the target PLC is a ControlLogix, like in this example. If connecting to a PLC5 or SLC, then we don't need the last two numbers. Now that we've walked through how to build a connection path, let's see how this is actually done in Ignition. I'll start in the config section of my gateway webpage, and I'll scroll down to OPC UA and click on device connections and create a new connection. In this case, I'm going to connect to a PLC5, so I'll choose the Allen-Bradley PLC5 driver.

[02:10] I'll need to give the connection a name, so I'll just call mine PLC5 ControlNet. Next, I need to specify the host name or IP address of the ControlLogix gateway, so if we look back at that example diagram, this will be the first PLC. Then I need to enter my connection path. My path is gonna look a little different than the example we looked at earlier, but it's built in the exact same way. My first number is going to be a one to move to the back plane of my gateway. Then my ControlNet module is in slot number three. The ControlNet exit port is port two. Then the fourth number is the ControlNet address for the second device, which in my case is 14. Since I'm connecting to a PLC5 and not a ControlLogix device, I don't need the one and the zero at the end, so I'm done with my path. Now that I have my specific connection path configured, I can create the connection. Once my device status says connected, I can confirm I'm getting values by navigating to the OPC quick client, or I'll find my device and then I can start seeing my tags.