WAGO Cloud is a cloud platform that can collect and analyze data from multiple devices by using the PFC Controller, and remote monitoring and management of your PFC Controller. The user-interface is very user-friendly, and Configuration isn’t that difficult. However, the documentation is scarce, so I would like to supplement various things from this article series.

By the way, it is possible to try WAGO Cloud during the 30-day trial period.

Thanks!

I would like to say thanks to Wago Japan Co., Ltd that rented the 720-8215 PFC Controller to me for this article.

Wago Japan

PFC Controller750-8215 was lent by Wago Japan Co., Ltd. WAGO was started in 1951, a German company that has supported the field with the technologies of PUSH WIRE and CAGE CLAMP, and have contributed to industries around the world with terminal block technology. WAGO also has a PLC LINEUP, offering automation solutions with an emphasis on openness and flexibility.

Wago Japan Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Koto-ku, Tokyo.

https://www.wago.co.jp/

Reference Link

Here is the reference link for E!COCKPIT operation.

Wago#e!COCKPIT Installation

Wago#e!COCKPIT Your First Program!

Wago#Using E!COCKPIT to update the CPU Firmware

Project#Profinet Connection wtih TwinCAT PN Controller x Wago 720-8215 PN Device

Wago#750-8215 And E!COCKIT As a CANOPEN Master

Big Concept

This is a rough concept when not only WAGO Cloud but also PFC Controller uses other IOT Services.

E!COCKPIT provides a dedicated IEC 61131-3 library that allows direct programming of data to be sent to the Cloud Platform in PLC Runtime.
A Linux Application runs behind the PFC Controller and sends and receives PLC Runtime data to and from the Cloud Platform.
MQTT is used behind the Linux Application to send the data to each Cloud Platform.
Finally, Data monitoring and alarms application are implemented on Cloud Platform.

Data Protocol

With Cloud connection, you can transfer Cloud with multiple protocols from PFC’s PLC program (750-8215 used this time). In other words, the PFC CPU uses the IEC library in the PLC program and sends data to any Cloud application from MQTT via the Linux application.

Note that one Connection cannot access multiple Data Protocols at the same time.

WAGO Protocol

Wago Protocol allows you to easily send data from your PLC to your Cloud application. The Wago Protocol is compatible not only with Wago Cloud but also with various Cloud Platforms. for example,

WAGO Cloud
Azure
AWS
IBM Cloud
MQTT For AnyCloud

Native MQTT

You can also launch MQTT Client on PFC CPU and publish/subscribe data to MQTT Broker. for example,

AWS
SAP IoT Services
IBM Cloud
MQTT For AnyCloud

Sparkplug

You can also launch MQTT Client on PFC CPU and publish/subscribe data to MQTT Broker.

IEC Libraries

WagoAppCloudはICE 61131ライブラリでE!COCKPITからPLCプログラムを作成しデータをCloud Platfromに送信できます。

FbCollectionLogger
FbCollectionLogger_2
FbCommandConfigurator
FbCommandConfigurator_2
FbCommandListener
FbCommandListener_2
FbStatus_WagoProtocol
FbStatus_WagoProtocol_2

Linux Application

A Linux application runs behind the PFC, handles data exchange between the PLC and the Cloud application, and implements the IEC library (WagoAppCloud) in the PLC program. MQTT Protocol is used between PFC and the Cloud application, and encrypted with TLS (Transport Layer Security). The Linux Application provides the following information.

Device Information
PFC specification information is defined in Linux Application when connecting to Cloud Application.
Device Status
Linux Application is PFC state transition in Cloud Application.

And Wago Protocol Caching can be set to RAM or SD Card from WBM (Web Based Management).

IEC Application

Telemetry is the process of collecting data and sending it to other applications for monitoring and analysis, which E!COCKPIT implements with the Function Block “FbCollectionLogger”. That Function Block can send data to the Cloud in two ways.

Cyclically Data Exchange
Sending data cyclically to a Cloud application and Sample Interval is a parameter used when sending data cyclically.
Event Base
Sending data by some state Trigger and Sampling Data Mode, Collection Trigger, and Variable Trigger are parameters used when sending data with Event Base.

Be Careful!

When collecting data in a PLC program, it is necessary to clarify the structure of variables, variable names, and the cycle of publishing data. Especially for the Publish cycle, Be careful about the collection cycle of each data, and define the collect and publish cycle times with RETAIN.

Limit

For RAM, samples can be collected in the fastest 100ms.

In the case of SD-CARD, samples can be collected in the fastest 1s.

The fastest Publish cycle is 1s.

Ports

As mentioned before, the PFC Controller uses MQTT to send data to the Cloud application, so we use Port 1883 (unencrypted data) and 8883/443 (encrypted data). Before connecting PFC Controller to the Cloud application, reconfirm whether Data Traffic is not blocked by Firewall settings.

Cache Mode?

As mentioned before, The cycle time depends on the Cache Mode that is used in the CPU, but I will explain what the Cache Mode is. Linux Application normally writes the data received from the PLC program to Cache and then sends it to the Cloud application.

If data is successfully sent from Cache to Cloud, the data will be deleted in Cache. Conversely, if transmission fails due to a network problem, the data will accumulate in the Cache.

However, if the network failure becomes longer and the Cache Max Size is reached, the PFC Linux Application will delete the oldest data sequentially according to the First In First Out rule. Then the data will be lost.

RAM Mode

RAM MODE is the default mode -It has a maximum Size of 3 MB, and all data will be lost if power is lost. According to Wago’s manual, the PLC program is still in the development stage and Cache Mode is strongly recommended to be RAM Mode.

SD Card Mode

Conversely, it is important to ensure that data to be sent to the Cloud is not lost due to network failures, and in SD Card Mode data is kept even if the power supply is lost.

Be Careful!

The Lifetime of SD Card

SD Cards have a lifespan, and the number of times they are read and written reduces that lifespan. The WAGO Manual recommends using a Wago SD Card or Microsd Card. Check the manufacturer’s Data Sheet when selecting an SD Card.

Class

Use at least a Class 10 SD card. It takes an unexpected time when the PFC CPU with accumulated cache data starts up.

Speed

Since the read/write speed of an SD Card is slower than RAM, WAGO’s Manual recommends a minimum collection period of 1000ms, too short a period will result in data loss.

Requirements

Web Browser

Controller

PFC100 Controller>Firmware v11
PFC200 Controller>Firmware v11
PFC XTR Controller>Firmware v11

Other

Internet Connection
E!COCKPIT

Function Block

FbCollectionLogger

By using this Function Block, you can send the current values of variables to the Cloud. When creating a program, it is necessary to organize the variables that you want to send to the Cloud into a “Collection” array, and pass the memory address of the array to FbCollectionLogger.

Note that FbCollectionLogger should call in the Background Task cyclically. (task priority 15).

The maximum number of Collections is limited to 10 with gMAX_COLLECTIONS in default and can be changed from the parameter list ‘Param’.

VAR_INPUT

Variable	Type	Description
pCollections	POINTER TO ARRAY [0..(gMAX_COLLECTIONS – 1)] OF typCollection	collection list Pointer・Memory Address
dwCollectionsCount	DWORD	The numbers of collection

VAR_OUTPUT

Variable	Type	Description
oStatus	WagoSysErrorBase.FbResult	The result of Function Block

typCollection (STRUCT)

Variable	Type	Description
dwCollectionId	DWORD	Collection unique ID
sName	STRING(80)	Collection Name
pVariableDescriptions	POINTER TO ARRAY [0..(gMAX_VARIABLES – 1)] OF typVariableDescription	Array addresses of typVariableDescription and variable information are stored.
dwVariablesCount	DWORD	Number of variables contained in pVariableDescriptions
eSamplingDataMode	eSamplingMode Default=eSamplingMode.LIBRARY_DEFAULT_AUTOMATIC
pPublishInterval	POINTER TO TIME	Time interval to publish dataIt will be 1s even if it is set to <1s. (if Sampling Mode = LIBRARY_DEFAULT_AUTOMATIC)
pSampleInterval	POINTER TO TIME	Time interval for collecting dataRAM Mode=minimum 100msSD Card Mode=minimum 1000ms
xCollectionTrigger	BOOL	Trigger to send all variables to Collection when using Event Base
ltTimeStampUTC	LTIME LTIME#0ns	Optionally, it will be a UTC Timestamp.Runtime is automatically generated if not set.
typState	typLoggingState	Indicates the state of internal variables and collections
typContext	typInternalContext	internal variable

typVariableDescription (STRUCT)

Variable	Type	Description
dwTypeId	DWORD	Catalog of variables
eValueType	eVariableValueType	Data type and size of variable
pAddress	POINTER TO DWORD	the address of the variable
sTag	STRING(80)	Tag name displayed on Iot Platform
sUnit	STRING(5)	Units displayed on Iot Platform
xVariableTrigger	BOOL	For use with Event Base, True=send the data

Create An Account!

Access this link to create a Wago Cloud.

https://www.wago.com/global/open-automation/cloud-automation/automation-wago-cloud

For first-time users, click Register now to apply for a Wago Cloud account.

Enter your Email address and press the ”Send Verification Code” button to get the verification code.

Then the screen is changed and waiting the Verification Code.

Check your email and copy and paste the code from Wago’s email.

Press Verify Code.

Enter the user information, agree to the terms and register as a user with the Register button.

Done! Your account has been successfully registered and the screen is changed to the Wago Cloud Home Page.

Configure WorkSpace

A Workspace is an Area that manages devices connected to Wago Cloud and can be shared with other Wago Cloud Users. Please note that one device can only be associated with one workspace. And there are two permission levels in Workspace.

Workspace Administrator
You can manage and set up the Workspace.
Workspace User
Default User and can only view the workspace.

When the account is first created, there is already a “My workspace”.

Add Devices

Click the Device Management button.

The Device Management screen is displayed.

A new workspace has been created.

Press New>Devices to create a new device.

Click OK.

Enter the Device name and Create it.

Done! Next, you need to set the Device information according to the PFC Controller.

Controller Side

Configure Wago Controller

Check IP

If you don’t know the Wago Controller’s IP, check the IP with software such as Advanced IP Scanner or Wireshark.

Cloud Connectivity Setup

Access the WBM of PFC Controller (Https://yourPFCControllerIP) and there is an item of Cloud Connectivity. It will list the connection status of PFC Controller and Cloud Application.

Click Connection1 and configure the connection settings for PFC Controller and Cloud.

Enabled

First, put an Enabled Checkbox.

HostName

Device ID

Activiation Key

Reboot

Finally, apply the settings with the Submit button and reboot the PFC Controller.

NTP Client

Next is the NTP Client settings. PFC time information is important for the cloud connection, and if the time information is not correct, a Certificate authentication error will occur when connecting to the Cloud Application.

Click Ports and Services>NTP Client.

Check the Service enabled checkbox and set Time server1 to 216.239.35.8.

216.239.35.8 is Google’s NTP Server.

Interface Setup

By connecting to the Internet, PCF Controller can link with Cloud Services and time server synchronization. The X11 and X12 of the 750-8215 used this time are Profinet Interfaces, so there is a possibility that the settings will be overwritten by the PN Controller, so please refrain from using X11 and X12 as IOT Ports.

Click Configuration>Networking>TCP/IP Configuration.

I will use X1 this time, and I change the setting of X1 to DHCP Mode and connect it to my home Router.

Check

The State of the Controller added earlier from WAGO Cloud has changed to Connected.

The status is changed to Connected in PFC Controller>Cloud Connectivity>Status>Connection1のCloud connection.Done!

E!COCKPIT

Add WagoCloudApp

Import Library from the Library Manager in E!COCKPIT.

Search WagoAppCloud and Add it into your project.

PROGRAM

Here is the program to initialize the variables of Collections and variableDescription.

PROGRAM PLC_PRG
VAR
Counter :INT;
Var1:WagoAppCloud.typVariableDescription;
Trigger:BOOL;

Logger :WagoAppCloud.FbCollectionLogger;
Status:WagoSysErrorBase.FbResult;
END_VAR

VAR RETAIN
tSampleInvTime :TIME:=T#1S;
tPublishInvTime :TIME:=T#5S;

END_VAR

VAR
MyCollections:WagoAppCloud.typCollection;
END_VAR

Counter:=Counter+1;
Var1.sUnit:=’mm’;
Var1.pAddress:=ADR(Counter);
Var1.eValueType:=WagoAppCloud.VVT_INT;
Var1.sTag:=’Counter’;
Var1.dwTypeId:=1;

MyCollections.dwCollectionId:=1;
MyCollections.dwVariablesCount:=1;
MyCollections.sName:=’MyCollections’;
MyCollections.pPublishInterval:=ADR(tPublishInvTime);
MyCollections.pSampleInterval:=ADR(tSampleInvTime);
MyCollections.pVariableDescriptions:=ADR(Var1);

Logger(
pCollections:=ADR(MyCollections)
,dwCollectionsCount:=1
,oStatus=>Status
);