New Forest Electronics, SDA-02, Modbus

Analyser adds Modbus over serial line protocol

News Release from: New Forest Electronics
13/04/2006

New Forest Electronics has upgraded its model SDA-02 handheld serial data analyser to handle the "Modbus over Serial Line" protocol. (The Modbus protocol is popular in Industrial communications, often being used over RS485/422 links).

The new “Modbus over Serial Line” feature helps the user in three main ways: It displays and analyses monitored Modbus messages in an easily viewed way, with automatic validation of CRC/LRC, and instant display of RTU timing errors; It allows the user to conveniently define and transmit test messages in Modbus format, without having to calculate CRC/LRC values; It can download captured data to a PC, so it appears in Modbus format.

It works with either “ASCII” or “RTU” (binary) transmission mode framing. The facility is provided on all new SDA-02 analysers and is available as a firmware upgrade to those sold since May 2005.
An application note is available which explains the facility in full.