Setting up an H2-EBC

[BretB]

I just got an H2-EBC, with two 16 input modules, a 24V DC power supply, with a 4 slot DL 205 base.

I managed to get it all set up with power, hooked up from the power supply to a switch, then to the input modules, and I can flip the switch and watch the lights on the input modules turn on and off - a milestone!

I even managed to assign the thing an ethernet address and I plugged it in to my computer with a serial cable and the DirectSoft program recognizes it for what it is - an EBC. 

Now - what I need to accomplish is reading the status of the 32 input "switches" - I need to know if each of them are ON or OFF - open or closed.

How do I go about this the smartest?  Keep in mind that there is no CPU here as I don't need any processing.  I just need the statuses of each of these switches fed into my computer.  And I don't want to depend on a propritary Win32 program if I can help it as I need these PLCs to be able to be set up on many different computer systems and I don't want to have to go around setting up this program on each of those PCs.

Any help will be much appreciated.

- Bret B

[Greg]

You could use our Ethernet SDK (goto www.hosteng.com --> S/W Developer Kits --> For EBC/ECOM/EDRV), or click on this link: http://www.hosteng.com/Ethernet_SDK.htm

The source code is also available on request. You can basically write your own program, perform calls into already-written routines and see the I/O in your H2-EBC.

[BretB]

Note:  further conversation is covered in the post "getting there..."

[pianoman]

Greg,
Any way to do this with "LOOKoutDirect"?   Thanks

[Greg]

What do you mean? Use the Ethernet SDK with LookoutDirect? Or talk to an EBC with LookoutDirect? Or...?

If you mean use Ethernet SDK with LookoutDirect I really don't know (I don't know much about Lookout). We wrote the drivers that allows Lookout to talk to the DL PLCs and our ECOMs (LookoutDirect) but not the actual HMI software itself. That was written by National Instruments. The AutomationDirect techs can help you with LookoutDirect questions. Or someone else here on this forum can probably help.

If you mean talk to an EBC with LookoutDirect, no. It was designed to talk to our ECOMs and to the DL PLCs, but not the EBCs.

Does that answer your question?