Hi experts,

I am new to PN Coupler configuration and I would like to ask for your advice to help me to configure a PROFINET Network.

I have a KUKA KR C4 Controller (which will be the master of the system) and I want it to talk to a machine which has  Siemens Controller (SIMATIC S7-300 CPU 315-2 PN/DP)  which will eventually be the slave. For this purpose I have a PN/PN Coupler (6ES7158-3AD10-0XA0).

Could you tell me the best/right approach for configuring this network?

What information do I need to allow communication between both networks? Should I have GSMDL file of the SIMATIC S7, PN Coupler and KUKA Controller and 'mix' them in STEP 7 software? 

I apologize in advance for such a vague description. I hope you can give me some lights on this matter.

Thanks,

João Sobral

Hello;

You do not mention which version of Step 7 you are using, Step 7 classic (v5.x) or TIA Portal. The examples below are for Step 7 v5.x, there are more samples on the forum for TIA Portal if you need them.

First, the PN/PN coupler is a Profinet server with 2 seperate network interfaces. It is installed on both Profinet clients (the KUKA robot and the CPU 315-2PN/DP) as an IO-device, one per network interface. The example below shows how to configure it for Step 7 v5.x, so you know how to install it on the CPU 35-2PN/DP; the PN/PN coupler is already part of the Step 7 Profinet configurator, you only need to select it.

PN/PN Coupler Getting Started

https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/88737127

You will need to find out what Profinet configuration software is used for the KUKA robot, and how to integrate the GSDML file for the PN/PN coupler so it can be used as an IO-device:

PROFINET GSD files : Gateway

https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/23742537

Pay special attention to the way you configure the input/output data on each network of the PN/PN coupler. The data must be similar in size but reversed: inputs on network 1 (say, the CPU 315-2PN/DP) must be configured as outputs on network 2 (the KUKA robot), outputs on network 1 become inputs on network 2...

Second: if your CPU 315-2PN/DP is a  6ES7315-2EH14-0AB0 with version 3.2 or greater, you could choose to use it as an I Device on Profinet (same as a Profibus slave) and bypass the use of the PN/PN coupler.

I device

The "I device" (intelligent IO device) function of a CPU permits you to exchange data deterministically with  n IO controller and thus use the CPU as intelligent processing unit, for example. As IO device the I device is  connected to a "higher-level" IO controller.

The processing is ensured by the user program in the CPU. The process values captured in a central or  remote IO are preprocessed by the user program and made available to a higher-level station over the IO device interface of the CPU or CP.

Which IO controllers and IO devices support the following functions in STEP 7 V5.x: IRT, prioritized startup, MRP, MRPD, PROFIenergy, Shared device, I device, sochronous mode, System redundancy and Option handling?

https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/44383954

Hope this helps,

Daniel Chartier

Hello,

First of all, thank you very much for your post. As I am a beginner it was of a great help to make some concepts more clear to me and to understand the logic of PN/PN Coupler.

I am using Step 7 Classical (v5.6), because when doing my research I thought it was the right program to configure the PN/PN Coupler. Can I configure it as well with TIA Portal (v15)? I am asking this, because the actual controller I have available is a 6ES7510-1DJ01-0AB0 (CPU 1510SP-1 PN) and not a 6ES7315-2EH14-0AB0 as I said before. Besides, I din't find my actual CPU (1510SP-1 PN) in Step 7 Hardware Catalog, so that made me think that I should use TIA Portal. Is that right?

Hello;

You are right, the S7-1500 CPUs can only be programmed with Step 7 v1x (TIA Portal).

Here is a tip from our friend Denilson Pegaia, documenting the use of a PN/PN coupler in TIA Portal:

TIP: PN/PN Coupler configuration in TIA V1X

Hope this helps,

Daniel Chartier