Technical data

A-B SuperBridge Technical Reference
11
3. Parity. Must be set to “NO Par” in all MCs.
4. Data Bits. Must be set to 8 in all MCs.
5. Start character. Must be set to 10 in all MCs.
6. End character. Must be set to 13 in all MCs.
SB Configuration for MCs
SB configuration parameters are set in SUPERB.INI. See Configuration (page 41) At least
Controllers in the [Sizes] Section (page 41) must be set. The rest of the parameters could
normally be left at their default settings. Note that the CN is defaulted to Controller Index + 1.
Controller Index always starts at zero and increments up by one per connected controller. CNs
start at 1 and can have any numerical value up to 57.
See examples in [PortN] Sections (page 41) on how to use different COM ports and how to
change the default baudrate from 19200. The default SUPERB.INI looks like this:
; SUPERB.INI
; SuperBridge for Allen-Bradley Default
; 09/11/96/LTM
[SIZES]
; One serial port, five MCs, no file copy to PLC
ComPorts = 1
Controllers = 5
Segments = 0
[IRQ]
; Settings for COM2
PortVector = 0B
PIDMask = 08
[PORT0]
; COM2, 19200 Baud
UartBase = 2F8
DlabReg = 0006
[PLCDEFAULT]
DefaultStation = 60
[PLC2DATA]
PLC2ReverseFloat = 0
Verify MC communication
With all MCs connected and powered up, reboot SB and check The Home Screen (page 31). All
MCs should be in “Run” mode and identified by model and version. An “Unknown” MC in the
home screen has never been successfully contacted by SB. Let the system run for 15 minutes
and check communications error statistics for each MC in the MC Data Screen (page 32). There
should be no fatal errors and less than 100 communication errors. If the error rates are higher,
check your cable and connections.
MC² controllers have indicators on the serial ports that can help troubleshoot communication
problems. A yellow light blinks as telegrams are received by the MC². A green light blinks as
telegrams are transmitted back to SB. Newer MC models also have serial communications
diagnostic screens, usable for troubleshooting. Here is a checklist that can be used if there are
problems:
1. If a regular PC COM port is used, it can be tested by disconnecting the cable and short pins 2
and 3 (for both 9 pin and 25 pin connectors), while looking at the MC Combined Diagnostic
Screen (page 34). While the pins are shorted, the “CsumErrs” parameters in row 7 should
increment rapidly. When the short is opened, the “Timeouts” parameter in row 7 should
increment slowly.