7355 - Setting up PLC/SLC Mapping in Logix controllers

How do you map tags for PLC/SLC messages in ControlLogix?

PLC/SLC mapping allows you to expose a tag in the ControlLogix processor using
PLC/SLC-type addressing, so that you can use the standard MSG instructions in legacy
processors with the ControlLogix platform. The older processors can communicate with
the ControlLogix processor as if it was a PLC-2, 3, 5 or SLC-500. This tech note discusses
PLC-3, 5 and SLC mapping.

To map tags, use the Logic > Map PLC/SLC Messages… command from the menu. The
dialog has 2 frames; the upper frame is for PLC 3,5/SLC Mapping. Mapping is simple – put
in a file number, then select a tag to map to that file number.

Restrictions:
The tag must be in controller scope.
The tag can not be of types AXIS, Motion_Group, Message or User Defined DataType.

Example:
In the ControlLogix processor, you have an FLOAT array tag called fltarray, with 100
elements. You want to map it as PLC-5 file number 8. When you map fltarray to file 8,
legacy processors or HMIs can access F8:0 through F8:99, where

F8:0 corresponds to fltarray[0],

F8:1 corresponds to fltarray[1],
F8:2 corresponds to fltarray[2],
.
.
.
F8:99 corresponds to fltarray[99].

More Information:
The file number is arbitrary; you do not need to conform to the PLC-5 standard B3-T4-C5-R
6-N7-F8 convention. Also, the ControlLogix processor neither knows nor cares what PLC
file type you request; if you map an array to file number 31, you could access it as N31, F
31, B31 or any combination supported by the requesting PLC or software. You can even
have simultaneous accesses to N31 and B31.

Note that REAL tags in ControlLogix processors and float data in PLC-5s use the same 32-
bit IEEE floating point format, so the correspondence is one-to-one. Also, ControlLogix
INTs and PLC-5 integers are both 16-bit integers, so again the correspondence is one-to-
one.

If the ControlLogix and PLC-5 sizes are different, the data will be split or combined in the
PLC to get the right number of bits for the PLC-5 data types. For example, ControlLogix
DINTs (32-bit signed integer) mapped to PLC-5 integers (16-bit signed integers) require the
PLC to split the 32 bits of the DINT into 2 PLC-5 16-bit integers. Mapping Fred, a DINT[
20] array, to file number 42 will allow you to read N42:0 through N42:39.

Mismatched sizes can cause problems. Since the DINT is a signed integer, the halves in
the 2 PLC-5 integers don’t reflect a meaningful number. Other combinations may have
similar problems.

See the appropriate help files and user manuals for the processors to see how the data
types differ.

You can access subelements in many cases. For example, assume the following
mappings:

barray, BOOL[32], mapped to file 3

intarray, INT[20], mapped to file 7

The following are valid references in Excel, with the ControlLogix processor running
firmware version 3.29. Other software and firmware combinations may not be able to use
the same addressing methods.

B3:0 - lowest 16 bits of barray interpreted as a 16-bit integer

B3:1 – bits 16-31 of barray interpreted as a 16-bit integer
B3:0/5 – barray[5]
B3/5 - barray[5]
N7:0 – intarray[0]
N7:0/5 – intarray[0].5

You can also map 2- or 3-dimensional arrays out for use by other processors. To see how
the elements would be accessed, see the RSLogix 5000 help topic "Viewing an Array as a
Block of Memory".

RSLogix5000 online help on this subject can be found by doing an index search on
"mapping", Then select ,mapping in the results. This will give a pop up selection for the
appropriate topic.

Details

Answer ID 7355
Products Operator Interface
PanelView
Programmable Controllers
PAC (Logix-based)
CompactLogix (1768/1769)
ControlLogix (1756)
FlexLogix (1794)
Software
Design & Configuration (RSLogix)
RSLogix 5000
Categories General
Date Created 10/05/1999 07:00 AM
Date Updated 06/21/2010 02:44 PM