15.

Adding Hardware to a Project

Using Module Discovery

Before You Begin

About this Lab

Adding a lot of hardware to the I/O Configuration of a project can be rather tedious. Fortunately,
the Studio 5000 Logix Designer application provides a feature known as Module Discovery to
help with this process.

Module Discovery is an online capability introduced with version 20 of the RSLogix 5000
programming software. With it, we can browse backplanes and networks to discover devices we
would like to add to our I/O Configuration. The result is that we do not need to enter catalog
numbers, slot numbers, firmware revisions, network addresses, and other core parameters, as
they are found in the discovery and preconfigured for us.

Currently, Module Discovery is supported by all ControlLogix controllers, as well as high-

performance CompactLogix controllers.
In this lab, you will:
• Use module discovery to add hardware to a project.

Duration
20 Minutes

Prerequisites
The following prerequisite knowledge is recommended in order to complete this lab:
• Level 1: Logix On Demand

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Materials
This lab requires the following items. See the General Setup for more details.
☐ Hardware:
☐ PC-based programming workstation with access to the RAcbi learning
environment
☐ Software:
☐ Studio 5000 Logix Designer version 32

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 Adding Hardware to a Project Using Module Discovery

Use Module Discovery to Add Hardware to a Project

Scenario
In this lab, you will create a new project for the 1756-L85E controller in slot 0 and then use
Module Discovery to add all of the I/O modules existing on the backplane.

Practice
It’s your turn to try it:

1. Open the Studio 5000 environment.

2. Under the Create category, select New Project:

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3. Within the New Project dialog, select the Logix project type, the 1756-L85E controller,
name the project Module_Discovery, and click the Next button:

4. Set the revision to 32, the chassis to 1756-A10, the controller slot number to 0, and click
the Finish button:

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5. When the new project opens, go to the top ribbon menu, expand Communications, and
select Who Active.
6. Expand the EtherNet driver, download to the 1756-L85E controller, and place the
controller into the Remote Run or Remote Program mode:

Note that, for Module Discovery, we do need to be online with the controller. However, the
controller may be in the remote run, remote program, or program modes.
Currently, the I/O Configuration only contains the chassis and controller. We would like to
add the I/O modules that are located on the backplane:

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7. Within the I/O Configuration of your Controller Organizer, right-click the Backplane and
select Discover Modules:

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When the Select Module Type window appears, it will be on the Module Discovery tab and
it will automatically begin browsing the backplane to discover which modules, if any, are
installed.
8. Verify that, when the application finishes browsing, your Select Module Type dialog
appears similar to the following:

Notice that, in addition to catalog numbers, we are also presented with the revision of the
firmware installed in each module. To the right, the modules that can be added online will
have a Create button. In the lower left corner, there is a checkbox that, when checked, will
close this window once a module has been created. Let’s go ahead and add the first I/O
module.

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9. Within the Select Module Type dialog, click the Create button to the right of the 1756-
IB16IF module located in slot 03:

We notice that, in the New Module dialog that appears, the application has automatically
configured the module type, the firmware revision, and the slot number of the I/O module.
So, we have saved a lot of clicks and time by using this feature.

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Of course, we can modify elements of the configuration if we’d like. For, example, we could
click the Change button and modify the electronic keying or the connection data. For this
simple example, we will just maintain this configuration.
Although we do not have to name these local modules, let’s go ahead and provide a name
for the module anyway.

10. Type Input_Module_3 into the Name box and click the OK button:

When we add hardware modules online, there is some potential risk due to the fact that the
module will suddenly be controlled by the controller and it could cause unintended
behavior in the physical system. Thus, we are prompted to confirm our actions.
Furthermore, we are provided the opportunity to inhibit the module. When inhibited, a
module will be blocked from communicating with the controller and, therefore, the
controller will not yet have the ability to influence the module.
In this example, our I/O modules are not wired to any physical devices, so we can go
ahead and add them without inhibiting them. Just be aware that not every situation is the
same, and we must assess the risks whenever we add modules online.

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11. Keeping the Inhibit module connection(s) checkbox unchecked, click the Yes button to
confirm the addition of the module:

The module is now in our I/O Configuration and ready for use in our logic, just as if we had
added it offline. Let’s continue adding the remaining I/O modules.
If the Close on Create checkbox was checked when we clicked the Create button, the
Select Module Type dialog will have closed. If it was not checked, the dialog will still be
open.

12. If the Select Module Type dialog closed, reopen it by right-clicking the Backplane and
selecting Discover Modules again.
13. Using what you have learned, add the remaining I/O modules that are located in slots 4, 5,
and 6, naming them as desired.

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14. After adding all of the available I/O modules, verify that your I/O configuration appears
similar to the following:
Note: Your module names may vary based upon the names that you entered.

So, we see that adding modules using Module Discovery is much easier and quicker than
adding them manually offline. Although all of these modules were local, we can also use
Module Discovery to add devices that are on another network, such as the Ethernet
network. However, we should note that not all modules may be created online. For
example, motion drives may not be added while online.

15. Take your project offline.

16. Save your project.
17. Close your project.

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