INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL CNFE8(X)COE CONTACT OVER ETHERNET MODULES V1.0 – April 2010 The contact-mapping ComNet™ CNFE8(X)COE transmits eight contact closures over an Ethernet network. It is available with a 10/100TX RJ45 Ethernet connector and an SFP fiber optic interface. These units can be one-to-one mapped over Ethernet or controlled via a PC. Included is a driver that allows the CoE to read or write contact information from a PC based application.
Content Hardware description ............................................................................. 3 Assign IP Address to a Module ............................................................. 4 Using the Modules as Romote Contact In/Outputs over Ethernet ... 10 Install ComNet Software Utilities......................................................... 12 Using the Module through a Virtual COM port (VCP) ........................ 19 Manual VCP Configuration.............................................
Hardware description The ComNet™ CNFE8TCOE/CNFE8RCOE contact over Ethernet module supports up to 8 unidirectional contact closures over Cat5/6 cable, or 1 or 2 optical fibers. All configurations are done through their web servers. The CNFE8TCOE has eight contact inputs, and the CNFE8RCOE has eight contact outputs, which communicate through the network. Distances depend on which SFP (Small Form Pluggable) module is used.
The contact connector pin-out is as below: CNFE8TCOE CNFE8RCOE Module Input/Output Mapping 4
Assign IP Address to a Module A unique IP address has to be assigned to each contact over Ethernet module. You can connect one at a time to change the default IP address. The default IP address of the transmitter is: 192.168.12.100. The default UP address of the receiver is: 192.168.12.101 Connect the module on to your local Ethernet network that your PC is connected to, as Figure 1 below, and power on the unit.
Next, manually set your PC IP address to 192.168.12.2 and your subnet mask to 255.255.255.0, as shown below.
Click OK to finish the setting. Open the browser on your PC, and type in 192.168.12.100 and open the Contact over Ethernet transmitter module Log in Page as shown. The default User Name and Password are both “admin”. Log in the Contact over Ethernet module Home Page as shown.
CNFE8TCOE Log in Page 8
CNFE8TCOE Home Page Click on the “Configuration” on the left of the screen. Change the IP address to an IP address with subnet appropriate for your network. In the following examples an IP address in subnet 192.168.12.xxx will be used. Configure the IP address to 192.168.12.100 as shown in the Module Configuration Page, Click Update Settings.
CNFE8TCOE Configuration Page Follow the same steps above to change a receiver CNFE8RCOE module IP address to 192.168.12.101 in this example. Log in to the module again using the new IP address. If an IP address in a different subnet was used, be sure to change the PC’s network address to an IP address in the appropriate subnet.
To use the modules as remote contact over Ethernet, connect a CNFE8TCOE and a CNFE8RCOE to your local Ethernet network as in Figure 2. From the CNFE8TCOE “Ethernet/Contact Setting” page, configure it as a client, and set its server IP address the same as the CNFE8RCOE. It is 192.168.12.101 in this example. Make sure to check “Save as default settings”. Click Submit/Save. CNFE8TCOE Settings Page in Client Mode The point-to-point configuration is complete.
To use the CNFE8TCOE as a remote contact input or CNFE8RCOE as a remote contact output from a PC, some software utilities need to be installed. Refer to following instructions to install all the utilities. Install ComNet Software Utilities Following the steps below to install all the utilities from the CD comes with the contact over Ethernet module. • Install the com2com Com0com is an open source virtual serial port driver for Windows.
Click I Agree. Leave the Component setup at the default settings. Click Next.
Choose the Install Location. Click Install. Installation will complete. When installation is done, click Next.
Click Finish. The Windows New Hardware Wizard will now run automatically for each of the two new Virtual COM ports. Please complete the following steps twice. Windows will detect the new Com port. When the New Hardware Wizard runs, select No, not this time and click Next. Select Install the software automatically. Click Next. When the New Hardware Wizard completes, click Finish. Repeat for the second half of the Virtual Com port pair. Com0com has now created virtual Com ports CNCA0 and CNCB0.
• Install the freeware TeraTerm Go to directory \TeraTerm on the ComNet Contact over Ethernet module Documentation and Software CD. Double click on the application file setup.exe. Follow the instruction to finish the installation. By default, the application will be installed in the directory “C:\Program Files\TTERMRO\. You can either make a short cut of ttermpro.exe and copy it to your desktop for convenience, or start the application from Windows startup menu.
• Install ComNet Module Configuration software Create a directory “comnet” under your C: drive. Simply copy the application cns2econf.exe on the ComNet Contact over Ethernet module Documentation and Software CD to C:\comnet\. You can make an Windows application shortcut of cns2econf.exe, and move it the your desktop. If you start the cns2econf application for first time, the following screen will appear. Click Yes. Browse to C:\Program Files\com0com, and select com2tcp.exe Click Open.
Main ComNet Contact over Ethernet module Configuration application window This is the Main ComNet contact over Ethernet module configuration application window you will see when you start the application next time. Wait approximately 30 seconds, the “Contact over Ethernet Modules:” window will list the units you have connected to your local Ethernet network, as shown above. Make sure every module has been configured with its unique IP address.
Using the Module through a Virtual COM port (VCP) The ComNet Contact over Ethernet module Configuration application offers easy creation and modification of VCP connections using a single application. Such connections contain several components: • • • The legacy serial application connects to a virtual COM port on the PC. This port is one of a pair created using com0com.
The connections created here assume that the contact over Ethernet module is running as a telnet server, which is the default for a new unit. To create a new connection between a virtual COM port on the PC and remote device: • Select Start ComNet Contact over Ethernet module Configuration application by double click on the icon cns2econf.exe, The “Main ComNet Contact over Ethernet module Configuration application window” appears as above.
listing to go to its website. Then, go to the Status & Configuration page and locate the Local Telnet Port Number row, and select the number that you wish to use with this connection. • Select “Start this connection automatically when Windows starts”. If you do not select this option, the connections will not been made unless you provide the –a command line option that instructs the launcher to start all connections. • Click Create Connection to save the information on the newly configured connection.
as occurs with initial installation of the com0com package, and that com2tcp will use CNCB0 and the legacy serial application will use CNCA0. • Open a command prompt window; to do this, select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. • Change to the installation location for com2tcp. • At the command prompt, enter com2tcp --telnet \\.\ where – is the name of the VCP used by com2tcp, for which CNCB0 is the default name – is the actual m
Com2tcp communication shown in the command prompt window If you need to end com2tcp, click the command prompt window to be sure it is the active window and press CTRL+C. Verify VCP Operation Connect the CNFE8TCOE or CNFE8RCOE module to your network as figures shown earlier. In this case, both modules should be configured as a server. Open a HyperTerminal windows, select a Virtual COM port which is connected to the module, as follows: 1. Open one HyperTerminal window.
Using Windows UPnP to Discover Your Contact over Ethernet modules Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support is provided by default in Windows XP and Windows Vista, but must be enabled. All the contact over Ethernet modules MUST be assigned with different IP address. See below for details on enabling UPnP on Windows XP.
Windows Firewall To enable the UPnP, make sure the “UPnP Framework” box is checked. Click OK. In above example, go to Start -> My Network Places. “8-Contact over Ethernet (192.168.12.100)” and “8-Contact over Ethernet (192.168.12.101)” appear.
Windows My Network Places Contact information For technical support, please call 1-888-678-9427 for US and +44 (0)113 307 6400 for UK, or email at support@comnet.net.
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