Hello all,

first of thank you for taking the time to read this.

I have a ACS550 ABB here with a RJ45 connector on the front panel. I'm trying to connect it to the DRIVECONFIG program provided by ABB but I don't have a serial COM port on the PC. is there anyway to map the Ethernet port on my PC to a virtual COM port? I've tried a few programs but I can't find a GUI that will allow me to use MODBUS and map the port across. any help is much appreciated!!!

Thank you & kind regards
Chris

 

The port behind the keypad, although RJ45, is serial, not Ethernet, so even if you could find a software way to map your Ethernet as a com port, it still won't work because electrically it's not a com port. You'll need some hardware that provides an actual RS232 interface.

I've never heard of the software you're using (the only option I'm familiar with for 550's is DriveWindow Light), but my software has proven to be kind of picky about the serial port adapters you use. There are plenty of USB ones but they don't all seem to work. I had an ABB employee recommend getting one based on an FTDI chip, and that has worked for me.

Digi also makes Ethernet serial port servers if you'd like to try using Ethernet, but I've never tried one with a 550.

 

Looks like USB conversion would be your best alternative. Here's a device from a company that specializes in cable/ protocol conversion:

www.icpdas-usa.com/i_7560.html?r=chris

There are also virtual comm options as well. You can check out all the ports that you have and find the right converter:

www.icpdas-usa.com/advancedsearch.html#protocolconvertertable?r=chris

-MC