POWER LEADER™ Ethernet Gateway
Chapter 1 – Introduction
1
Chapter 1 – Introduction
1–1 Overview
The GE POWER LEADER™ Ethernet Gateway
(catalog number PLENETG01), shown in Figure 1,
is a microprocessor-based device that connects one
to four RS485-based Modbus Remote Terminal Unit
(RTU) networks to an industry-standard, high-
speed Ethernet network. Up to 31 Modbus RTU
devices can be connected to each of the Modbus
RTU networks.
Figure 1. POWER LEADER Ethernet Gateway.
The Ethernet Gateway works with GE’s Power
Management Control System (PMCS), a
comprehensive power management software
platform that acts as the ‘host’ to RS485 networks
attached to the Ethernet Gateway. A special part of
the PMCS called the Dynamic Data Exchange
(DDE) server is a database that records the
addresses and configurations of all attached
devices. The Ethernet Gateway serves as a pass-
through device, interpreting the addressing
information and routing queries from the host to
the Modbus RTU networks and passing answers to
those queries from the attached devices back to the
host.
The Ethernet Gateway strictly conforms to the
Modbus RTU protocol, providing the capability to
tie the supported Modbus RTU devices into an
Ethernet network. Table 1 contains a partial list of
devices that are compatible with the Ethernet
Gateway and conform to the Modbus RTU
standard.
Device
Description
EPM 3710
Full-function, three-phase electronic
meter with optional pulse initiation,
waveform capture, data logging, and
protective relay outputs.
EPM 3720
Full-function, three-phase electronic
meter with optional pulse initiation,
waveform capture, data logging,
protective relay outputs, and harmonic
distortion measurements.
Multilin 269 Plus
Motor Management
Relay
Protection for medium-voltage
industrial motors and associated
mechanical systems.
Multilin 565 Feeder
Management Relay
Complete time-overcurrent phase and
ground protection by monitoring feeder
phase current and ground current.
Fanuc 90/30 PLC
Programmable logic controller (PLC)
for applications from simple relay
replacement to midrange process
control.
Fanuc 90/70 PLC
Programmable logic controller with
multiple processors and programming
capabilities for large, high-speed
applications.
Modbus
Concentrator
Maps addresses of up to 32 attached
POWER LEADER communications
network (commnet) devices to
equivalent Modbus addresses for use
with the Ethernet Gateway.
Table 1. Examples of Modbus RTU compatible devices.
NOTE:
PMCS is certified for use with power
management components manufactured 5/13/96
or later. If your system interfaces to: 1) any trip
units, meters, or relays manufactured prior to
5/13/96, or 2) any Spectra RMS™ Circuit Breakers
with MicroVersaTrip PM™ Trip Units, please
contact the POWER LEADER Customer Support
Center at 1-800-843-3742.
As mentioned in Table 1, the Modbus Concentrator
allows integration of POWER LEADER commnet
devices with Modbus RTU-compatible networks for
use with the Ethernet Gateway. See Section 3–5 for
more details on the integration of commnet devices
into Modbus networks.
Figure 2 illustrates a typical Modbus RTU network
connected to a high-speed Ethernet through an
Ethernet Gateway.
