PmAdam - Driver for communication with ADAM devices

This driver serves for communication with devices of the ADAM 4000 and 5000 series. See also Communication with Advantech ADAM devices.

Before using this driver in the PROMOTIC application it is highly recommended to read the chapter: Communication using the PROMOTIC drivers.

Basic properties of the driver:

- Usage of this driver requires purchase of the PmAdam license. With the freeware version PmFree, or when developing the application (with development environment for tersting purposes), this component is always functional.

- The communication is done for serial link (COM1, COM2 ...).

- The PROMOTIC application is the MASTER (i.e. it initiates the data transfer) from this communication point of view.

- The driver is incorporated into the PROMOTIC system by means of the PmaComm object.

The driver supports to usage of the PmaCommMsg object. The PmaCommGroup object cannot be used.

For easy integration of this driver into the application it is handy to use: Preconfigurations in group "ADAM module"

- This is a network communication, i.e. one PmaComm object can communicate with multiple devices (the protocol supports multiple device addressing).

The communication includes all messages required for communication with devices of all types of the ADAM 4000 and 5000 series.

The messages are divided by individual devices (for each PLC the corresponding set of messages is defined) or the "ADAM type" = "Common ADAM" can be set in the message parameters window and thus all implemented messages for all ADAM devices are displayed.

To define non-implemented message we can set the "ADAM type" - "set by user" in the message parameters window. Then the message allows transmitting and receiving a common string value defined by the user after data setting.

Each message is positively identified by the description (see the message parameters window - "Message type") that equals to the identification in the original documentation. The only exception is the #aaSiBB(data) message that was separated by usage into two parts:

#aaSiBB(data2B) - setting one output channel

#aaSiBB(data4B) - setting all output channels

All ranges of variables are uniquely defined by the message type and its description. We distinguish integers with 1,2,4,8 characters.

Float values are encoded into the char string by the "Engineering Units" format - it means to 7 characters where a sign, 5 digits and a decimal period is included.

At the "Analog Output Command Set" message set of the ADAM 5000 series the #aaSiCj(data) and #aaSiCj6 messages occur that use another format of Float values. For encoding only 6 characters are required that don't include a sign and the decimal period is given by the fixed position in the third char.