4next MDB-E User manual
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OWNERSHIP AND CONDITIONS
The information in this document may be subject to change without notice. Unless otherwise specified, any reference to
companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places and events mentioned in this
document is purely coincidental. No association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail
address, logo, person, place or event can therefore be inferred from it. Compliance with all applicable copyright laws is
the sole responsibility of the user. Due to all rights covered by copyright, no part of this document may in any case be
reproduced or inserted into a reproduction system or transmitted in any form and by any means (in electronic, mechanical,
photocopy, as recording or otherwise) for any purpose, without the written permission of 4neXt S.r.l.s.
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GRAPHIC DESIGN
MARKETING
DEVELOPMENT
1. Descrizione Generale
It therefore allows all devices equipped with a serial
port to communicate with software or cards on
Ethernet communication.
MDB-E also acts as an RS232 / RS485 converter.
Thanks to the NFC (Near Field Communication)
interface, the configuration is very simple and
practical. A dedicated APP allows you to read,
modify and set all device parameters.
The galvanic isolation of the serial ports guarantees
protection for all connected devices and it
guarantees isolation from the rest of the system.
MDB-E works independently from the protocol by
connecting all the protocols based on TCP / IP with the serial ones in a
completely transparent way. This simplifies the configuration and installation of
the bridge.
This Ethernet - Serial converter has been specially designed for industrial
environments, equipped with 10-30Vdc extended range power supply.
It does not need any additional software for configuration.
MDB-E is a bidirectional converter between the Ethernet communication channel
and the RS232 and RS485 serial channels.
Contenuto della
confezione
MDB-E can be purchased in
the following versions.
Single product:
P/N: MDB-E
•n. 1 MDB-E
•n. 1 Quick Start
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SAFETY INFORMATION
2. Technical features
GENERAL
SOFTWARE
Ethernet 10/100 MB/s
ModBus TCP/ModBus RTU on RS485 conversion
RS485 optoisolated
ModBus TCP/ModBus RTU on RS232 conversion
RS232 optoisolated (Rx, Tx, GND)
ModBus RTU RS485/RS232 conversion
Serial communicazion speed up to
115.200 bit/s
Bidirectional protocol conversions on all channels
Easy and quick configuration through APP
Default parameters:
IP: 192.168.1.101 DHCP disabled
9600 bps
MECHANICAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
IP41 plastic case for DIN guide
Operating temperature: -20°C ÷ 60°C
Size: 18 x 90 x 60 mm, 1 DIN
module
Relative humidity: from 0 to 80% without
condensation
Storage temperature: -40°C ÷ 60°C
ALIMENTAZIONE E CONSUMI
Power supply: 10-30 VDC
Average consumption: 30mA
•The use of radio devices may be inappropriate near electronic equipment.
•Do not install the MDB-E near medical devices such as pacemakers or hearing aids. MDB-E can
interfere with the proper functioning of these devices.
•MDB-E must not be used on board aircraft.
•Do not install MDB-E near oil stations, fuel depots, chemical plants, explosion sites as MDB-E can
disturb the operation of technical equipment.
•MDB-E can generate interference if used near television, radio or personal computers.
•In order to avoid possible damage, we recommend the use of accessories tested and specified as
compatible with MDB-E.
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3. Quick Start
3.1 Power supply
Connect MDB-E to a 10-30 VDC power supply (Fig.1).
N.B. MDB-E is protected with polarity inversion but for correct operation the
polarity must be respected.
3.2 RS232 & RS485 serials
MDB-E allows you to bridge both an RS485 and an RS232
serial. The terminals for the connections of the serial ports
are as in Fig. 2.
3.3 Ethernet
For connection to the Ethernet network, the MDB-E is equipped with the RJ45 connector
on the front panel (Fig. 3). When connected to an Ethernet network, the status LED
turns green. When there is communication, the green LED flashes.
3.4 Access and configuration
MDB-E is equipped with an integrated WEB server, therefore it can be configured using
a standard browser. To access the configuration pages, type the IP address of MDB-E
from the browser of your PC, tablet or smart phone.
The device from which you connect must be within the same network as MDB-E (Par.
2.1).
Fig. 1
Power supply connection
Fig. 2
RS232 & RS485 serial
connection
Fig. 3
Ethernet connector
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Fig. 4
Verifica indirizzo IP de proprio PC
Fig. 5
Login browser screen
3.5 Network IP address
The default IP address of MDB-E is
192.168.1.101.
If you network is of the same IP class: 192.168.1
..., go to paragraph 2.3, otherwise follow the
instructions from point 2.2 to set the correct IP
address.
If your network To identify the IP class of your network, run the IPCONFIG command
from the command prompt. In Fig.4 on the side, the IP address of the PC is 192.168.1.5.
It belongs to the same class / network as MDB-E, as the first 3 numbers (192, 168 and
1) are the same.
It is therefore possible to reach MDB-E from the PC browser.
If the network is NOT of the 192.168.1 class, you can proceed in 2 ways:
1. Set MDB-E to work in DHCP (see paragraph 2.2);
2. Set a valid IP on the MDB-E
3.6 Configuration and settings
MDB-E is equipped with an NFC interface that allows the configuration of all system
parameters via the iBridge APP.
3.7 Login and authentication
Once the IP address has been defined, type it on the
browser. It will then be possible to access the MDB-E
configuration and consultation pages.
The first screen (Fig. 5) is the username and password
authentication page.
The default values are:
Username: admin
Password: admin
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Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Connection scheme
Reading the QR code below you can access the WEB page of MDB-E:
4. IP settings
Associare un indirizzo IP definito a MDB-E.
1. Connect MDB-E to PC directly.
2. From the Windows menu select Settings (Fig.1).
3. Choose Network and Internet (Fig.2).
4. Choose Ethernet (Fig. 3) and the menu will open (Fig. 4).
MDB-E WEB page
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Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
5. Click on “Change adapter options”. A tab with all the network resources will
appear (Fig.5).
6. Position the mouse on Ethernet, press the right button and select "Properties".
7. From the Ethernet properties menu (Fig.6), select “Internet Protocol version 4
(TCP / IPv4) and press the “Properties” button which will be enabled in the
meantime. The screen in Fig. 7 will open.
8. Make a note of all the settings present that you will need later for the reset.
9. Set the IP address on 192.168.1.101
10. Set Subnet mask to 255.255.255.0 and confirm with OK.
11. At this point you can open the WEB browser and type 192.18.1.101 to
configure MDB-E.
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Fig. 8
Login browser screen
Fig. 9
12. Log in with username and password.
Default values are:
Username: admin
Password: admin
13. Select “Network” from the Configurations menu to
set the MDB-E network parameters in accordance
with those of your Ethernet network. For example, if
in the original screen of Fig.7 the IP address was
192.168.10.1, set MDB-E to 192.168.10.101 (Fig.9).
14. Save the new MDB-E configuration.
15. Restore the values on the PC.
16. MDB-E is ready to be used in the same network as your PC.
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Fig. 5.1
Bridge mode selection screen
5. Programming
Main menu
5.1 Bridge
After logging in, you access the configuration menu. The first screen, the
one shown in the figure below, allows you to choose the working mode
of the Bridge.
The options are:
•Ethernet –serial: MDB-E acts as a converter between the Ethernet
channel and both serial channels simultaneously. This means that devices
on RS485 or a device on RS232 can be connected indiscriminately. Not
at the same time.
•Radio - Ethernet, serial: In this configuration, the radio communication
module is activated if present. It is necessary to have a pair of devices
to ensure that they transmit the received packets to each other. The
device equipped with the radio module is identified as NetLink.
•Serial-Serial: In this mode the protocol conversion is performed
between the RS232 communication channel and the RS485 channel.
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5.2 Communications
The communications menu allows you to set all the communication parameters
for the various channels. In detail there are the following sections:
•RS485: for the parameters of the RS485 serial channel (communication
speed, number of bits, stop bits and parity).
•RS232: for the parameters of the RS232 serial channel (communication
speed, number of bits, stop bits and parity).
•ModBus Serve: the port used by the ModBus server (MDB-E) which,
combined with the IP address, forms the socket on which MDB-E listens
to receive ModBus TCP packets.
•ModBus Client: an additional ModBus TCP client that can be updated
with the transferred data.
•Radio: this section allows you to set the parameters of the two NetLinks
that exchange information via radio.
o The transmission frequency must be the same.
o Local address: it is the address of the NetLink that is being
configured.
o Remote address: it is the address of the NetLink that will receive
commands via radio.
Fig. 5.2
Communications parameter settings
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5.3 Network
It allows you to enter the parameters of the Ethernet network to which MDB-E is
connected in order to communicate with the servers for sending data. These are in detail
the parameters to be configured:
•DHCP: it allows you to determine whether you should use the network DHCP server
to assign the IP address or not;
•IP address: the static IP address assigned to MDB-E. If DHCP is enabled or Dip-
Switch 2 is set to ON, the IP is not the one displayed;
•IP network mask: the subnet mask or netmask allows you to determine the range
of IP addresses within a subnet;
•IP gateway: IP address of the reference gateway;
•HTTP server port: http server port when different from standard 80 or 8080.
Fig. 5.3
Network settings
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5.4 Password
Set the passwords for access to the MDB-E configuration page.
5.5 Info
The info menu displays the hardware and software information relating to the device.
The Update firmware button allows you to update the device's firmware. We
recommend to check on the website at https: https://www.4next.eu/en/prodotto/ethernet-
serial-converter/ if the firmware is updated to the latest version.
Fig. 5.4
Access password change screen
Fig. 5.5
General information screen
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DEVELOPMENT
6. Return and repair
following information:
•Company name and customer data (address, tel, fax, email)
•Contact person
•Point of purchase
•Product data, P / N and S / N placed on the back of each product or on the original
box
•Detailed description of the fault or anomaly detected
4neXt will send the RMA number with which the customer can send the material for
repair. The products must be shipped carriage paid.
If the material arrives without the factory seals it will automatically be considered "out of
warranty”.
The return for repair or replacement must be authorized in advance by requesting the
RMA number.
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