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How to

How to


Products: Commission
Functionalities: Engineering, Modbus
Product version: 2023, 2024, 7.0
3/20/2025

Testing a Plant Room Sensor Using the Commission Mobile Application

You test a Plant Room sensor to verify that it is operating correctly.

Important:

Plant Room sensors cannot be tested using the Commission mobile application unless you first configure the BACnet/IP controller to include both a Modbus interface and the ADTs that correspond to the sensor models you plan to use. You can do so either directly from WorkStation or by downloading an application image to the controller. After download, wait several minutes before initiating the testing process.

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In WorkStation, you can add a representation of any physical Modbus device in a serial or TCP network. All devices use the same device icon and are created in the same way, regardless of network type.

Modbus device types can include programmable logic controllers, meters, and any device that conforms to the Modbus standard. All devices on a Modbus network must be configured with common Modbus network parameters, such as the transmission mode and baud rate, and a unique address. You must match these parameters in WorkStation when setting up the system.

Data in Modbus devices is held in registers. Each register has its own address in memory, which can be accessed by the Modbus client device for read/write purposes. Modbus registers are typically grouped in the address ranges shown in the following diagram:

 
action_zoom_plus_stroke ​Registers in a Modbus device
Figure: ​Registers in a Modbus device
Note:

The address ranges for the different register types in Modbus devices typically start as shown in the diagram above. However, in the EcoStruxure Building Operation software, the use of function codes enables you to specify the start address of each range as 1.

You can find a Modbus map of registers within a particular Modbus device in the manufacturer’s datasheet for that device.

Discrete Output Coils

A ‘coil’ is the Modbus term used for the discrete output value of a single bit (On or Off). A coil can be written to and read from by the Modbus client device.

Discrete Input Status

A discrete input status is the value (On or Off) of a single bit at an input. A discrete input status is read-only.

Input Registers

An input register is a read-only register that is two bytes wide (16-bit) and can be used for various purposes.

Holding Registers

Internal values in a Modbus device are stored in holding registers and can be written to and read from by the Modbus client device. These registers are two bytes wide (16-bit) and can be used for various purposes.

Device Identification

All Modbus devices that support the Modbus Read Device Identification protocol automatically display basic device identification information in the device properties:

  • Vendor name

  • Product code

  • Product revision

Device identification is enabled by default. When the device comes online, a special set of registers within the device is automatically read by the client device, and the device identification text is displayed in the relevant device property fields. Before the first reading of the device identification registers by the client device, the device properties are set to Null. If the device does not support the Modbus Read Device Identification protocol, the identification property fields are blank following the read by the client device. If you do not want device identification to be active you can disable it by configuring Device identification property to Disabled .

The client device reads the device identification registers once, at each power up (using function code 43). However, you can force the client device to refresh the server device identification information (if the server device supports this), for example after a device disconnection or a communications problem.

Device Communications Configuration

In the EcoStruxure BMS, the client device must poll a server device on the network to establish if the device is available for communications. A Modbus message has several essential components, such as:

  • Device address

  • Poll register (register address)

  • Poll code (function code)

  • ​Poll Interval: Inhibit, 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30

 
action_zoom_plus_stroke Modbus device settings
Figure: Modbus device settings

Details of all of the communication parameters are available in the device’s documentation. When the correct parameters are entered, the device is Online as indicated by the Status property.

Device Address

The device address is the address used by the client device in a query message to identify a server device on the network. You must ensure that this address is the same as the address available in the device.

If using a TCP network, you must also specify the IP address or DNS name of the device. To use a DNS name as the IP address there must be a DNS server on the network to resolve the name to the IP address.

Poll Register

The poll register number you enter can be any valid Modbus register address. The register address is polled by the EcoStruxure BMS server when no other address is being polled, to determine if the device is online. Providing that a valid reference is received from the device, the device status is displayed as Online even if an error or exception code is received from the device.

Poll Code

The poll code you enter is the function code to read any register in the device to determine if the device is online. All available poll codes are therefore read only codes. The poll code operates in the same way as the function code used when configuring a Modbus point.

Poll Interval

The poll interval is the amount of time between polls when the selected device is polled to determine if it is online. The default interval is 10 seconds, and can also be set to Inhibit, in which case Online/Offline detection is disabled.

Note:

Inhibit is used to prevent alarms when doing offline engineering; you must remember to remove the Inhibit function during normal operation.

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You download an Image file to a BACnet/IP controller to download pre-engineered objects to a controller.

To download an Image to a BACnet/IP controller

  1. In the Commission mobile application, connect to the BACnet/IP controller.

  2. On the tab bar, click Configure .

  3. Click Application Image .

  4. Click Connect to download an image from the Schneider Exchange site (optional) prior to selecting it.

  5. Click Search to open the operating system file explorer to select an image if you already have an image file downloaded to your device.

  6. Click Next .

  7. Click Download .

  8. When the File Status dialog box indicates that the download has completed successfully, select OK .

    Note:

    If this Image contains any properties that change the IP settings, you must perform an Activate IP Changes restart. For more information, see Device Restart .

To test a Plant Room sensor in the Commission mobile application

  1. Configure the Modbus settings of the Plant Room sensor, apply power, and connect it to the Modbus port of a BACnet/IP controller.

  2. Wait several minutes to allow the Plant Room sensor to establish communication with and upload model information to the BACnet/IP controller.

  3. In the Commission mobile application, connect to the BACnet/IP controller.

  4. On the tab bar, click Commission .

  5. Click I/O Checkout .

  6. On the IO Resources page, the BACnet name of each network interface is listed.

  7. Click Modbus .

  8. On the Modbus Devices page, click Devices .

  9. Locate the Plant Room sensor in the list of Modbus devices and check its status:

    • Offline - Red text with info icon. Click on the icon to view troubleshooting tips.

    • Online - Gray text with navigation arrow. Click on the arrow to test the Plant Room sensor.

  10. On the Inputs and Outputs page, test sensor values using the procedure for checking out onboard I/O.

The result of the task or information on which is the next procedure(s)

See Also

  • Performing I/O Checkout
  • I/O Checkout Overview