Extraction Of Data From Legacy Controller

Legacy equipment can pose significant challenges for manufacturers. On the one hand, it is equipment that – for the most part – functions well and gives operators the comfort of familiarity. On the other hand, it may be outdated and incapable of integrating with newer technologies.

It was not feasible to collect much-needed data from an older programmable logic controller (PLC) that lacked modbus connectivity. This data was essential for process control and Overall Equipment Effectiveness tracking. PLC was more than 15 years old, neither its hardware nor its coding could be changed because it was validated by certified authority. This posed significant challenges for extracting the necessary data.

We offered the best of both worlds by incorporating new edge devices that allowed for better productivity tracking without requiring the legacy controller to be changed in any way with the help of our Interface Converters.

GIC’s RS232 to RS485 converter helped to convert data from PLC on the serial side to Modbus and then communicate it to the end devices to collect critical data. This made it possible to collect the required data from legacy PLC without any modifications.