Modbus Mechanic
Cross platform GUI tool for reading and testing MODBUS TCP and RTU instruments
Overview
Frustrated by the lack of GUI Modbus testing tools available that could interpret data types (float, unsigned int) I built this application on top of the JLibModbus library.
Modbus Mechanic aims to be a tool that can quickly read a float32, unsigned int16, unsigned int32, or raw hex from an instrument without the need for anything other than the dependant jar files, and the java runtime environment. It also aims to be 100% driverless. It is a work in progress.
This is a project that is evolving, so suggestions to improve coding conventions are welcome. I'm sure there are opportunities for improvement within my code.
My testing capabilities are limited, so if you notice a problem, please open an issue.
JlibModbus is a seperate, independant project that this application depends on.
Quickstart
If you don't have Java installed, head to adoptopenjdk.net to download and install the Java runtime. Then, download & extract the latest release and double click ModbusMechanic.jar.
RTU scanner
The RTU scanner tool allows scanning of the entire RTU network for active nodes. This is useful if there is a slave device on the network for which the address is not known. For best results, the scanner should be the only master on the network.
Gateway
The gateway function allows exposing an RTU network to a TCP network. TCP master devices can send Modbus transactions to the machine running ModbusMechanic, and ModbusMechanic will obtain a response from the RTU network if possible.
Running Gateway in GUI
The gateway function is available from the GUI in the tools menu.
Running the Gateway on a headless box
The gateway can be run on a headless machine by specifying a config file. A config file may be generated one of two ways.
- Using the GUI - Go to the tools menu and select Gateway. Specify the settings and click Save Settings. The cfg file will be generated.
- Manually - Create a file in the following format. comport must be specified. Other parameters may be omited if defaults are acceptable.
comport=COM1
tcpport=502
baud=19200
parity=0
databits=8
stopbits=1
allowmonitor=0
| Attribute | Descrtiption | Default |
|---|---|---|
| comport | The name of the com port. On Linux this is the name of the serial port in the /dev directory, not the full path. | Nothing |
| tcpport | Port on which the TCP slave of the Gateway will be accessible. | 502 |
| baud | Baud rate for the serial port. | 9600 |
| parity | Parity for the serial port. 0=None 1=Odd 2=Even 3=Mark 4=Space | 0 |
| databits | Data bits for serial port. 5-8 are acceptible. | 8 |
| stopbits | Stop bits for serial port. 1=1 2=2 3=1.5 | 1 |
| allowmonitor | Allow remote frame monitor via telnet 0=no 1=yes | 0 |
- Launch ModbusMechanic with the -gateway argument followed by the path to the config file. Example on Linux for config file named "gateway.cfg".
$ java -jar ModbusMechanic.jar -gateway gateway.cfg
Monitoring frames on a headless gateway
Enable remote frame monitoring (see above) and connect to the gateway's IP address with a telnet client. You will be able to see frames as they would be displayed in the watch window.
Bridging to other protocols
This functionality is still available in ModbusMechanic, but is being moved to a stand alone project ProtocolWhisperer
My language localizations are wrong, how can I report errors?
I am using automated translation to do localizations and am not a native speaker of all localizations. As a result, the terms in certain languages describing certain functions may be wrong. If you run across lingustic errors and would like to report them, please open an issue.
Dependencies
This project depends on the JLibModbus library and the PureJavaComm library for serial functionality. It depends on EtherIP for CIP functionality.
https://github.com/kochedykov/jlibmodbus
https://github.com/nyholku/purejavacomm
https://github.com/EPICSTools/etherip
Building from source
This is a NetBeans project. It can be built by pulling it in the NetBeans IDE or manually compiling. The project requires the JLibModbus jar. Serial functionality requires the PureJavaComm and JNA libraries.
Guide
https://scifidryer.github.io/ModbusMechanic/
Latest release
Completed features and planned features in GUI
- Read holding registers
- Read input registers
- Read coils
- Read discretes
- Write holding registers
- Write coils
- Slave stress test with custom packet crafter
- Data interpreter
- Word and byte swapper
- RTU bus monitor
- Gateway
- Bookmarks
- Master simulator
- Slave simulator