Hello Jakub,

we are using OPC server for data collecting from our machines and then OPC client on the PC, which writes the data to the InfluxDB. I'm currently working on a similar project as you are writing, because I want to leave out the OPC server and client and write data from the PLC directly to the InfluxDB using the REST api via http.

My idea is to use TSEND_C and TRCV_C, but after first few hours I have no success (problems with using of TCP port 80 for http, which seems to be already used or reserved). Hopefully I could give you any hint during next week.

By the way, I think, that in case of MySQL it is possible to use the similar api for work with database.

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Split from PLC to SQL without PC.

... hello there,

my idea seems to be finally quite functional. Since now I have very simple program block, which can be used as an interface to the influx db (and I am quite sure that for plenty of other databases with the HTTP REST API as well).

The program uses TCP/IP connection. Finally I had to use the separate TCON, TSEND and TRCV instruction with simple state machine, since the all in one functions TSEND_C or TRCV_C don't allow send and receive of data simultaneously.

The hardest task on this was to find out the functional connection parameters. Quite a long time I was trying to send the data to the TCP port 80, because I though, that http requests must be sent via this port. No, finally the port 8086 won (this is the port, where my influx db server handle the http requests).

Second problem was to compose the data buffer for TSEND function in order to create the GET and POST http requests, which is necesarry to use in order to fully use the database. In fact the GET is quite easy, but POST with parameters was quite hard. Finally I was sucesfull, because I use curl in linux and Rested client for Firefox for generating of requests and monitor the TCP communication with wireshark ... and voilá ... everything is functional even without OPC server and OPC client.

The only disedvantage I currently see is the higher demands on PLC. Anyway if I consider, that PLC with OPC UA server must handle all the tasks around the OPC server with the same data, I think that the difference will be only minimal or maybe my simple solution will be for PLC even easier to manage.

Josef

JBEE, this is very interesting.

We are working also with InfluxDB ingesting hundreds of measuring points from several PLC's, all via OPC server

How exactly did you manage to connect InfluxDB directly to PLC? Only S7-1500 or also S7-300/400?

JBee is great. He is using REST API. Its kind of sending following text as data payload to TSEND.

A rest web service on other side understands this & updates two properties namely  "Temperature " & "Humidity" on "HTU21DThing" thing.

This works for all PLCs capable of communicating over TCP/IP. S7-1500 OPC UA has nothing to do here. Also to the best of my knowledge, InfluxDB inherently supports ingestion through HTTP..

JBee,

I was wondering if we can write some code for detecting anomalies in PLC itself? I prefer a python(not C/C++) core. Also please let me know whether you are using any stream analytics framework too in parallel with data ingestion to InfluxDB & if yes what it is

Thanks in advance

Regards

Projjwal

Hello,

What about

https://www.plcsql-link.com

or

https://plc2sql.com/en/mssql-library-for-tia-portal/

Are you trying to make better type of software drivers?

Or do you want make a PLC as a Thing on the Internet?

I enabled the UDP port in influxDB and send the data using TUSEND

Port (8089)

no need for the POST header, just send something like

tag= level indicator (LIC3-1.0) (string)
value = 60.5 (real)

convert real to string, and concat strings 

convert string -> to byte array

for batch sending add en of line chacter after every meassurment (0A hex, 10 dec.)

level,tag=LIC3-1.0 value=60.5 (0A) (end of line)
temp,tag=TIC3-1.0 value=32.2 (0A) (end of line)

some how influxDB is not accepting 0.0 as value so if value = 0.0 is discard it from generating a string.

Hi, 

i also made a script for sending data to influxDB from WinCC Advanced.

this i only use for setpoints if an operator changes this values.

i use the program packetsender to send the data to influxDB, influx DB is running locally with udp enabled on port 8888

Sub xIC_WRITE_SP_INFLUXDB()

Dim tag

Dim PV,HH,H,SP,L,LL

Dim AEP,ASP,HYS,MAX,MIN,OFFSET

Dim command

Dim oShell

Dim mystring

Dim unity

'----------------------------------------------------------

'Variables from wincc

PV = SmartTags("xIC_PV")

HH = SmartTags("xIC_HH")

H = SmartTags("xIC_H")

SP = SmartTags("xIC_M")

L = SmartTags("xIC_L")

LL = SmartTags("xIC_LL")

AEP= SmartTags("xIC_AEP")

ASP= SmartTags("xIC_ASP")

HYS= SmartTags("xIC_Hys")

MAX= SmartTags("xIC_Max")

MIN= SmartTags("xIC_Min")

OFFSET= SmartTags("xIC_OFFSET")

tag = SmartTags("xIC_TAG")

unity = "data"

'----------------------------------------------------------

'Check P&ID tag code make meassurment value influxDB

If InStr(tag,"PIC") > 0 Then

'msgbox(tag)

unity = "press"

End If

If InStr(tag,"TIC") > 0 Then

'msgbox(tag)

unity = "temp"

End If

If InStr(tag,"LIC") > 0 Then

'msgbox(tag)

unity = "level"

End If

If InStr(tag,"FIC") > 0 Then

'msgbox(tag)

unity = "flow"

End If

If InStr(tag,"IN") > 0 Then

'msgbox(tag)

unity = "amperage"

End If

'----------------------------------------------------------

'Parse batch string for influxDB

mystring = Chr(34) &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=PV value=" & CStr(PV) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=HH value=" & CStr(HH) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=H value="  & CStr(H)  & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=SP value=" & CStr(SP) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=L value="  & CStr(L)  & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=LL value=" & CStr(LL) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=AEP value=" & CStr(AEP) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=ASP value=" & CStr(ASP) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=MIN value=" & CStr(MIN) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=MAX value=" & CStr(MAX) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=HYS value=" & CStr(HYS) & "\n" &_

unity & ",tag=" & tag & ",sub=OFFSET value=" & CStr(OFFSET) &  Chr(34)

'msgbox(mystring)

'----------------------------------------------------------

'Call packet sender to parse data to inluxDB

command = "cmd /C CD D:\Database\PacketSenderPortable & d: & packetsender -ua 127.0.0.1 8888 " & mystring

Set oShell = CreateObject ("WSCript.shell")

'do not show cmd window , 0, True

oShell.Run (command), 0, True

Set oShell = Nothing

End Sub 

 Hi Rivas,

I am also trying to send data from the plc to an influxdb

but this is all new for me.. how does you string that you send to  influxdb look like?

in the example you have here, you do not use 'insert' statements and not  the name of the database?

and your 'data' (connected to the TU_SEND block) is that an array of char?  do you use the strg_to_char function for this? 

Thanks!

Rivas

I enabled the UDP port in influxDB and send the data using TUSEND

Port (8089)

no need for the POST header, just send something like

tag= level indicator (LIC3-1.0) (string)
value = 60.5 (real)

convert real to string, and concat strings 

convert string -> to byte array

for batch sending add en of line chacter after every meassurment (0A hex, 10 dec.)

level,tag=LIC3-1.0 value=60.5 (0A) (end of line)
temp,tag=TIC3-1.0 value=32.2 (0A) (end of line)

some how influxDB is not accepting 0.0 as value so if value = 0.0 is discard it from generating a string.

Hi,

As I know, Siemens PLCs have built-in support for OPC UA, i.e. data from PLC can be retrieved via its OPC UA Server interface.
To access data over OPC UA and store it in InfluxDB, you can use Visual Logger from my company: https://onewayautomation.com/visual-logger-docs/html/

It can easily manage thousands of tags with rates faster than second.
Both InfluxDB versions 1.7 and 2.0 are supported.

Regards, Ravil

projjwal

JBee is great. He is using REST API. Its kind of sending following text as data payload to TSEND.

POST /Thingworx/Things/HTU21DThing/Services/setTempAndHumid HTTP/1.1

Host: 34.195.39.182

appKey: b81a7279-a5cd-41f2-9033-ed4826345a61

Content-Type: application/json

Cache-Control: no-cache

Postman-Token: 11a91642-3be1-b215-215e-310b95632fdb

{"Temp":"12", "Humid":"12"}

A rest web service on other side understands this & updates two properties namely  "Temperature " & "Humidity" on "HTU21DThing" thing.

This works for all PLCs capable of communicating over TCP/IP. S7-1500 OPC UA has nothing to do here. Also to the best of my knowledge, InfluxDB inherently supports ingestion through HTTP..

JBee,

I was wondering if we can write some code for detecting anomalies in PLC itself? I prefer a python(not C/C++) core. Also please let me know whether you are using any stream analytics framework too in parallel with data ingestion to InfluxDB & if yes what it is

Thanks in advance

Regards

Projjwal