Create, Configure, and Save a Device

You can create a new device in an area or within a sector that you have created. Alternatively, you can copy an existing device.

  1. Select Applications >Powermanager > [area] OR [sector].
  2. Click the Area/Sector tab.
  3. Click Create and select Create Device.
  4. A list of device groups displays in a tabular format.
  5. Select a desired device type for example PAC4200.
  6. In the Communication expander, select the Network from the drop-down list and enter the IP Address for the device to be created.
    - By default, the network name selected in the Application View > Powermanager > System tab > Network Configuration expander is displayed while creating the device instances. However, it is now possible to override the default network name and select the required network name before the device is created. It is not possible to change the network after the device creation.
    For Modbus driver and network, it is recommended to use 250 devices for better performance.
    - Multiple device instances can be created using a single IP address for different imported Modbus device types of a single physical device.
    The multiple devices split feature was tested using a 20-device split, with a total of 25,000 measurement points
  7. Configure the parameters for the device by entering information in the expanders in the Device Configuration. To create devices using gateway communication, enable the Gateway Communication checkbox.
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    - For Powermanager, it is recommended to use 8 to 12 Modbus RTU devices per gateway, even though Modbus supports up to 32 devices. The optimal device limit depends on several factors, such as polling interval, number of polled datapoints, baud rate, cable length, line termination, electrical noise, and gateway performance.
    - You can connect more than 12 devices per gateway if you reduce the frequency of polling and limit the total number of datapoints polled per cycle.
    - Tests indicate that maintaining a maximum of 12 devices per gateway consistently delivers the best performance and reliability.

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    - Multiple device instances can be created using a single IP address and unit address for different imported Modbus device types of a single physical device.
    - Multiple devices with a single IP address under different networks should not be created.

  10. Click Save .
  11. The Save Object As dialog box displays.
  12. Enter a name and description for the device. Do not use the characters “ / ” or “ \ ” in the device name.
  13. The devices are created and configured and are added to the System Browser.
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If device creation fails in the Application View with the error message Device creation failed but works in Management View and alarms are active, delete the device node in Management View > Field networks > Modbus_GPM_Network. Then, close Powermanager, stop and restart the project in SMC, and create the device again.

As a next step, you need to establish the communication between the management platform and devices.