Connecting a PLC to TRACE MODE SCADA/HMI Using OPC Server: A Training Video

TRACE MODE 6 SCADA/HMI software fully supports the OPC technology (client and server). The following protocols are supported: OPC DA 1.0, 2.0 and OPC Historical Data Access (HDA).

There are two ways of connecting PLC to TRACE MODE SCADA/HMI software: through OPC-client, and through free built-in IO drivers. An OPC-client is available in all TRACE MODE server runtime products (real time monitors) by default  - RTM, RTM+, DocRTM+ etc). 

Please see how to connect a PLC to TRACE MODE SCADA/HMI via the OPC-client in the following training video.

Didactic Task

Let’s connect SCADA/HMI TRACE MODE to remote I/O module using a local OPC-server.

As remote I/O module we will use analog input module I-7017 (ICP DAS), connected to PC’s serial port via isolated automatic RS-232 to RS-485 converter. As OPC-server we will use a free NAPOPC DA Server (ICP DAS), previously installed on our PC.
Out goal is to read real time data from I/O modules and visualize on PC the voltage value from regulated DC power supply, wired to the 6th input of module.

Click on the picture below to run the training video.

We recommend you to repeat trainer's actions in the TRACE MODE development system. Free TRACE MODE development software may be downloaded here. You can download the TRACE MODE SCADA/HMI project shown on our training video.

However there are two ways to connect TRACE MODE to a PLC (OPC or driver), we recommend to use driver if it is available, for the following reasons:

• the TRACE MODE are free-of-charge and the OPC-servers usually are not;
• OPC servers are usually slower than direct drivers;
• OPC makes the project development more complicated because the user has not only to tune IO source in TRACE MODE but to set up tags in the OPC server;
• OPC server consumes more system resources than a simple IO driver.

SCADA/HMI software TRACE MODE is provided with free built-in drivers, enabling connection to  2812 PLCs, I/O's and meters.