Rubix iO-16: Overview

Rubix iO-16: Overview

Hardware overview

Power Supply Requirements



Power Supply Wiring

The IO Module is powered by a 24v AC or DC power supply on the `24 AC/DC POWER` terminals as shown below.
  

Mounting

The RIO-16 is designed to be mounted on electrical DIN rail, either mounted vertically or horizontally.  
Do not mount controller where will it is exposed to very high or low temperatures, liquids or high humidity. 


Hardware Configuration




Select Switches

There are several physical onboard switches that must be configured correctly for proper communication and functionality. These switches are located under the front cover of the Rubix iO Module. To remove the front cover, use a flat blade screwdriver to gently pry the cover off at the cover join line.
There are several switches under the cover of the Nube-iO iO Module that are used to set the Input (UI) and Output (UO) type configurations. 

Input Type Select Switches


Output Type Select Switches

Communication Parameters

In order to communicate via Modbus the IO Modules must be configured correctly.  The Modbus ID/Address, Baud Rate, and Parity must be configured correctly to communicate over the Modbus RS485 Network. 

Operation Mode

This setting configures the Operation Mode of the Rubix IO Module. 
  1. When using a wired RS485 Modbus network the IO Module should be configured to RS485 Wired Mode. 
  2. When using Wireless Modbus over LoRa, the IO Module should be configured to LoRa Wireless Mode (LoRa wireless is only available on LR type IO Modules).
  3. When using the IO Module as a wireless Modbus Passthrough (to extend to a wired 3rd party Modbus device via LoRa wireless), the IO Module should be configured to RS485 -> LoRa Passthrough Mode (LoRa wireless is only available on LR type IO Modules).

Device ID/Address

A Modbus Device ID/Address is assigned to each device on the (RS485) network.  Each device on the network must have a unique ID/Address; duplicate addresses may cause issues for communication with these devices. 
The Modbus Device ID/Address on the Rubix IO Modules is set using DIP Switches 1-7 on the Left DIP Switch Bank.  See table below for more information.

Baud Rate

The Baud Rate is the speed that the Modbus RS485 network communicates at.  All devices on the same modbus network must be configured to the same Baud Rate.  The Rubix IO Modules supports 3 Baud Rates (9600, 19200, and 38400).  
The Baud Rate on the Rubix IO Modules is set using DIP Switches 3-5 on the Right DIP Switch Bank.  See table below for more information.

Parity

Parity is a communication parameter that must be consistent on all devices on a Modbus network.  The Parity on the Rubix iO Modules is set using DIP Switches 6-7 on the Right DIP Switch Bank.  See table below for more information.

DIP Switch Settings

The Left Bank of DIP Switches (labeled SW2) is used to set the address of the IO Module.  The value is set as a binary number (lowest digit is DIP 1) minus 1.  
See table below for reference.  1 is DIP switch UP, and 0 is DIP switch DOWN
Note: DIP switch 8 must remain ON/UP/1 for normal operation.
Use an online binary calculator such as this to work out dip switch addressing. The value is set as a binary number (lowest digit is DIP 1) minus 1, and is read backwards. See example below

Modbus Addressing Example:
To set the Rubix iO-16 to a Modbus address of 7 using the binary calculator, we first select the 'subtract' operation and minus 1 value. The result gives us '110'. The last value of the result is DIP switch  1 setting (0/down), the middle value of the result is DIP switch 2 value (1/up), and the first value of the result is DIP switch 3 value (1/up). DIP Switches 4 to 7 will be set to 0/down. 
The dip switch setting for address 7 on the Rubix iO-16 (from 1 to 7) will therefore be 0110000 (down, up, up, down, down, down, down).


Left Bank [1-7]

Switch
Address
0000000
1
1000000
2
0100000
3
1100000
4
0010000
5
1010000
6
0110000
7
1110000
8
0001000
9
1001000
10
......
1111110
64.
1111111
128
The Right Bank of DIP Switches (labeled SW1) is used to configure various functions of the IO Module.  
See the table below for reference. 1 is DIP switch UP, and 0 is DIP switch DOWN
Note: DIP switch 8 must remain ON/UP/1 for normal operation.

Right Bank [1-2]
SwitchOperation
00RS485
10LoRa Wireless Mode 
01Modbus Passthrough
11Factory Reset

Right Bank [3-5]

Switch
Baud Rate
000
38400
100
9600
010
19200

Right Bank [6-7]

Switch
Parity
00
None
10
Even
01
Odd

Port selection on Rubix Platform

When connecting to the Rubix iO-16, either through direct wired or wireless mode, use the following ports on the Rubix Platform:



Connection TypePort Selection
Wired/dev/ttyAMA0
Wireless/data/socat/serialBridge1


Reading and Writing Modbus Registers

Modbus Value Points are divided into two categories Input Value Points, and Output Value Points:  
  1. Input Value Points are used to READ the values of the Universal Inputs (the units of these values depend on the associated Modbus Configuration Point).   
  1. Output Value Points are used to WRITE values to the Universal/Digital Outputs; writing to these points will change the physical output terminals (the units of these values depend on the associated Modbus Configuration Point).
The following table details the Modbus points used to read/ write the Universal Input (UI) and Universal Output (UO) values on the Rubix Platform. Note that the Onboard Select Switches must also be set correctly in order to read properly (as per the 'Hardware Configuration' section above).

DATAREGISTER NOMODBUSDATA TYPEMATH
UI
Temp1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Input Registerint16x /100
0-10 V201, 202, 203, 204
205, 206, 207, 208
Input Registerint16x /100
4-20 mA301, 302, 303, 304
305, 306, 307, 308
Input Registerint16x /100
Pulse Counter401, 403, 405, 407
409, 411, 413, 415
Input Registerunit32
open-closed1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Discrete Inputbit1 / digital
open-close Hold101, 103, 105, 107
109, 111, 113, 115
Discrete Inputbit1 / digital
UO
0-10 V1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Holding Registerint16x * 100
on-off1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Coilbit1 / digital

    • Related Articles

    • Rubix CE: Overview

      Rubix Computer Edition (CE - Overview) Rubix Platform CE is Nube iO's new desktop software designed for offline programming and product management. Built to be fast, lightweight and portable, it allows users and technicians to configure and modify ...
    • Rubix iO: Installation and User Manual

      Please download the document attached below.
    • Rubix iO: Datasheet

      Please download the document attached below.
    • Rubix Compute: Overview

      Hardware Overview Power Supply Requirements Power Supply Wiring The Nube-iO Rubix Compute Gateway Controller is powered by a 24v AC or DC power supply on the `24 AC/DC POWER` terminals as shown below. Wiring Diagram: Mounting The Rubix Compute 5 is ...
    • Rubix CE: Setting up points for a Rubix Compute iO (RCIO)

      The below article demonstrates how to set up the local inputs and outputs on a Rubix Compute iO (RCIO) only, pictured below. Note: This does not work for an Rubix Compute 5 Step 1: Ensure that the 'driver-rubix-compute-io' application has been ...