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"How To" Tips for
Babel Buster 485 (& 232)

How to I set up the Modbus registers in Babel Buster?

Each network variable will have a Modbus register associated with it. You create this association by entering the three parameters illustrated below. The "Unit" is sometimes referred to as address, slave address, slave ID, etc. It is the device number on the Modbus network. The format tells us how to interpret the data, and this is determined by the manufacturer of the Modbus equipment we are interfacing. (If Babel Buster is acting as a slave, we can decide based on the network variable whether we should use signed or unsigned, or floating point.)

The Reference is the Modbus register number. The first digit tells us what type of register this is. Anything in the 40,000 range is a holding register. If your Modbus device's documentation simply refers to "registers" and they start counting at 1, that "1" would be referenced as 40001. Other documentation may say they start at address zero. Address zero is the same as register reference number 1, and both translate to 40001.

For more information about Modbus and the register numbering defacto standard used, click here.

Where do I find the network variables?

Babel Buster contains a number of objects. The object number is shown in the top right corner. Any changes made on the top half of the screen apply to this object. An object refers to a LonWorks network variable and the single instance of mapping a Modbus register to that variable. Click the up/down arrows to scroll through the list of available objects.

The LonWorks network variable type may be changed by selecting a new type from the drop-down list, then clicking Change Type. This process takes several seconds.

You can get the value of the network variable by clicking Get NV. This will show the value most recently read from the Modbus register if the object is a nvoFromModbus object. If the object is a nviToModbus object, you can set the value by entering a number and clicking Set NV. This will result in writing to the Modbus register.

Where do I start?

Step 1. Connect to your network interface. There should be an interface shown in the Network Interface window such as LON1. Click the Connect button to connect. If you do not see a network interface listed or have trouble with this step, stop now, and click here for more help. NOTE: The USB status may say "In Use". If this is the case, another application is using the network interface. Multiple applications cannot use the same network interface. Close the other application and try again. If you are using an interface other than USB, you will not see the "In Use" message but the same problem still exists. (This also means that if you leave the configuration tool open and try to go back to that other application, it will not succeed. This is a LonWorks driver issue, not a problem Control Solutions created.)

The log window upon successful connection to the network interface will appear something like this. At this point you are only connected to the network, next you need to connect to Babel Buster.

Step 2. Press the "Install" button on Babel Buster (this is also known as the service button which generates a service pin message). You should see a service pin message in the log window. Now click Get ID. The Neuron ID and program ID should appear in the windows to the left at the bottom of the screen. You are now connected to Babel Buster; however, none of the other windows have lit up yet.

Step 3. Click the Get All CP's button. This will begin a long sequence of "read memory" requests which are observed in the log window. The configuration tool is reading all of the configuration information out of the Babel Buster. Once this process is complete, all applicable windows will light up and you may change configuration parameters.

Where do I get more information?

The complete guide to using the Babel Buster configuration tool is found here:
Click here to view online help for this tool.

The User Guide may be found here (pdf).

Some of the frequently asked questions are answered here:

My Babel Buster isn't talking. Now what?
Trouble connecting your network interface? Click here.
Can I upgrade firmware in a Babel Buster?