Connecting vNode to a OPCDA Server: A Step-by-Step Guide

Created by Jose Fabian Solano, Modified on Wed, 3 Jul at 5:54 PM by Jose Fabian Solano

This guide explains how to establish a connection between vNode, a software platform, and an OPC DA Server for data extraction and monitoring various registers within the OPC DA Server.

Step 1: Create a New Module in vNode

Module Selection: Use the OPCDAClient module.
Purpose: This module allows for communication with the OPC DA Server, enabling data exchange.

By following these steps, you can effectively monitor and extract data from the OPC DA Server using vNode.

Once the OPCDAClient module is created in vNode, proceed with its configuration. For local connections, you don't need to specify an IP address since vNode assumes the server is on the same computer. Instead, you only need the Program ID of the OPC Server you want to connect to. Tools like Matrikon OPC Explorer can scan the network and show available Program IDs. Ensure you enter the Program ID accurately, respecting case sensitivity and punctuation, as this is crucial for verifying and connecting to the OPC DA Server. You can download the Matrikon OPC Explorer from this link: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ajrhcea7aQ_i1DtBLCSdasJ2rLpq?e=w5wbgk

It is crucial to emphasize that once we have made all the necessary configurations, it is important to save the configuration properly. This will ensure that the settings made are properly preserved and available for later use.

Last but not least, we come to the process of assigning OPC DA addresses to tags within the vNode. This step allows us to map specific OPC DA Server addresses to tags within the vNode, making it easier to read and write data between the two systems. By creating new tags in vNode and assigning them corresponding OPC DA addresses, we can easily access the data from the OPC DA SERVER and use it in our applications or processes.

To extract the address we can use the same explorer client to obtain the ITEM ID of the variable we want and you just have to place it in the field called ITEM ID of the vNode label.

It is crucial to emphasize that once we have made all the necessary configurations, it is important to save the configuration correctly. This will ensure that the settings made are correctly preserved and available for later use.

Created by JF