RLE Protocol Converter V.2.4 - Manual (Page 53)

rletech.com Protocol Converter User Guide 53
C
H A P T E R
C HAPTER 0
M
ODBUS
C
OMMUNICATIONS
This chapter describes the Modbus communication protocol as supported by the Protocol
Converter Wireless System. The content includes details and information on how to configure
the Protocol Converter for communications via Modbus network.
4.1. Implementation Basics
The Protocol Converter is capable of communicating via the half-duplex EIA-485 serial
communication standard. The Protocol Converter is configured to act as a slave device on a
common network. The EIA-485 medium allows for multiple devices on a multi-drop network.
The Protocol Converter is a slave only device and will never initiate a communications
sequence.
4.1.1 Modes of Transmission
The Modbus protocol uses ASCII and RTU modes of transmission. The Protocol Converter
supports only the RTU mode of transmission, with 8 data bits, no parity and one stop bit.
Every Modbus packet consists of four fields:
♦ Slave Address Field
♦ Function Field
♦ Data Field
♦ Error Check Field (Checksum)
4.1.1.1 Slave Address Field
The slave address field is one byte in length and identifies the slave device involved in the
transaction. A valid address range is between 1 and 254. The slave address is set on the
Modbus Device section of the Configuration page.