Omron Automation and Safety announces the launch of Omron NJ Ethernet Driver in Kepware Technologies’ KEPServerEX version 5.15, an OPC communications platform that allows PC software to access controller data/variables with a streamlined and easy-to-use interface. The acronym OPC comes from “OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) for Process Control” and allows Windows programs to communicate with industrial hardware devices.
With customers requesting support for the Omron Sysmac NJ controller in their OPC applications, Kepware coordinated with the Omron development team and leveraged Omron’s built-in EtherNet/IP protocol to create a reliable and seamless communications platform. Because it uses a native driver, no additional middleware is required.
Each Omron Sysmac NJ controller embeds both EtherNet/IP and EtherCAT open networks, allowing endorsed partners like Kepware Technologies to create drivers using standard protocol instructions. In this way, communication is clean and optimized, guaranteeing best performance.
Within KEPServerEX, the Omron Server Suite includes the new Omron NJ Ethernet driver as part of the bundled package of Omron device drivers Kepware has developed over the years. The Kepware product name is Omron NJ Ethernet Driver, using Omron’s Sysmac NJ EtherNet/IP (CIP over Ethernet) protocol.
Driver features include the following:
• Supports 256 channels and 1024 devices per channel
• Supports routing for communications with remote devices over various automation networks. Features a CIP-configurable packet size from 500 bytes to 1996 bytes per packet
• Supports read blocking and multi-servicing of writes to arrays to optimize performance when reading and writing to multiple items within an array
• Supports Client Arrays for referencing contiguous array elements by the client
• Supports symbolic addressing of basic data types and structures
• Supports Automatic Tag Generation, featuring direct interrogation of the controller and the ability to map structured data on the controllers into multi-level tag groups within KEPServerEX
• Supports XML persistence
Customers interested in integrating the Omron Sysmac Platform with their PC software using OPC can purchase KEPServerEX from Kepware.
