Does NI OPC Server Support PLCs That Are Not in the Supported Device & Driver Plug-In List?

Updated Jan 5, 2023

Reported In

Software

  • OPC Servers
  • LabVIEW
  • LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control Module

Other

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)

Issue Details

Solution

You can still use NI OPC Server to connect to your PLC even if the device or model is not in the supported list as long as the PLC is compatible with the drivers or communication protocol listed in NI OPC Server. For example, if your PLC supports Modbus TCP/IP communication such as Schneider M172 PLC, select the Modbus TCP/IP Ethernet driver when configuring the channel in NI OPC Server.
 

LabVIEW examples for Modbus are located at: <LabVIEW 20xx>\examples\lvdsc\Distributed System Connectivity\Modbus Fundamentals\Modbus Fundamentals.lvproj

Additional Information

For detailed steps on how to add a PLC to NI OPC Server, refer to Adding a PLC to NI OPC Servers while making the necessary changes such as device driver and device model. 

When configuring a new device in NI OPC Server, ensure that it follows the Device ID format for the specific driver.

1. Click on Help 
 

 
2. Scroll down to the corresponding device driver and select Launch Driver Help.
 

 
3.  Depending on the device driver used, click on Setup or Device Setup for more information on how to specify the Device ID.