GE Industrial Solutions POWER LEADER Modbus Concentrator - Manual

Product Overview
GE’s recent introduction of the POWER LEADER
Modbus Concentrator brings a new level of
performance and compatibility to users of GE’s
POWER LEADER communication network (commnet)
family of power management devices. Used in
conjunction with GE’s Power Management Control
System 5.0 (PMCS) software, the Modbus Concentrator
allows you to integrate your existing base of commnet
devices into the faster Modbus Remote Terminal Unit
(RTU) based PMCS network, improving overall system
performance while retaining the full functionality of
each commnet device.
Modbus RTU is an industry-standard communications
protocol that operates on an RS485 network. The
Modbus RTU protocol is widely supported for
supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)
systems, building management systems (BMS) and
distributed control systems (DCS). Industry leaders
such as Multilin, Power Measurements Limited, and GE
Fanuc produce Modbus RTU-compatible devices and
programmable logic controllers.
Modbus’ open architecture provides a high level of
flexibility while reducing the risks associated with
proprietary communications protocols. Key benefits of
the Modbus RTU protocol include:
• Devices and systems can be upgraded easily.
• A wide range of compatible devices from a
variety of manufacturers is supported.
• Communications are extremely flexible, both
upstream (to DCS, SCADA and BMS systems)
and downstream (to meters and trip units).
GE’s Power Management Control System 5.0 is a
powerful yet easy-to-use software package. It provides
communications and control functions for Modbus
RTU-compatible devices and (via the Modbus
Concentrator) commnet-based devices (such as the
POWER LEADER Meter or MicroVersaTrip trip unit).
The Concentrator polls data from up to 32 commnet
devices and communicates this data with PMCS. PMCS
may also communicate with other Modbus-native
devices such as the GE Fanuc 90/70 and 90/30
Programmable Logic Controllers, and Electronic Power
Meter (EPM) 3710/3720 waveform capture meters.
For current POWER LEADER commnet device users,
the POWER LEADER Modbus Concentrator provides a
modular and cost-effective way to meet future power
management needs by offering a link from commnet to
the higher speed Modbus network.
Upgrading an existing commnet network with POWER
LEADER Modbus Concentrators and PMCS has two
important benefits. First, your network may benefit
from increased overall performance, because the
Modbus Concentrator provides the higher speed of
Modbus communications. Second, PMCS is compatible
with many Modbus devices. As your needs change and
grow, PMCS supports a wide array of devices to meet
those needs, while maintaining compatibility of your
commnet devices through the Modbus Concentrator.
Conversely, if you are a user of PMCS equipped with
Modbus devices who wishes to use commnet devices,
you may add such devices to your network via the
Modbus Concentrator. Up to 215 commnet devices may
be attached (via multiple Modbus Concentrators) to a
single Modbus RTU network, allowing you to build a
power management system with maximum
functionality and flexibility.
g
POWER LEADER™
Modbus
® Concentrator
DET-136A