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TIA Portal Setup

This page gets the RobCo device into your TIA Portal project, connected to the PLC, and proves that data is actually flowing.

Import GSDML into TIA Portal​

The following two files need to be in the same directory:

  • GSDML-V2.45-RobCo_Gmbh-ModularRobot-20250731.xml
  • GSDML-079e-0001-Favicon.bmp

Import the RobCo GSDML file by clicking

  1. Options → Manage general station description files (GSD)
  2. Navigate to the right directory → select GSDML and click install.

Now the device can be projected, i.e. added to your network.

Add Device into Project​

  1. In the top of the project tree go to Network view
  2. Locate the RobCo device from the Hardware catalog: Other field devices → PROFINET IO → I/O → RobCo GmbH → RobCo Devices → RobCo Modular Robot
  3. Drag-and-drop it into the network view and connect the PLC and the I/O device by dragging a line between their (green) PN/IE ports.
warning

The following IP address ranges are reserved for internal use and must not be used for any other purpose:

  • 192.168.3.0/24
  • 192.168.4.0/24

Please ensure these subnets are not assigned within your network configuration.

Upgrade an existing GSDML installation

  1. Menu navigation: go to Options → Manage General Station Description Files (GSD) → navigate to the folder containing the newer .gsdml file → install the file.

    The date of the new .gsdml file must be more recent than the currently installed one.

  2. Device configuration: open the Device Configuration → select the device → go to Properties → General → Catalog Information → click on Change revision.

warning

Upgrading in place only works if there are no changes in the input/output Variables. Otherwise, delete your existing device and import a new one — see Add Device into Project.

Connect PLC with RobCo Control Unit​

To connect the devices (this also applies after a physical replacement of the Control Unit), the PLC needs to see the correct Profinet device name of the Control Unit. The IP address does not matter — it is the Profinet device name that needs to be set correctly. The IP address of the Control Unit is then set from the PLC itself, which allows an easy device replacement.

The Control Unit device name can be set via TIA Portal with the following steps:

  1. In the TIA Portal project tree, go to the PLC → Distributed I/O → PROFINET IO-System → RobCo [RobCo Modular Robot]
  2. Right-click → Online & Diagnostics → Functions → Assign PROFINET device name
  3. Update the list, select and check the device (its LED flashes), then → Assign name

The Control Unit should then be detected by the PLC, the IP settings will be applied, and the communication should go to normal operation.

Minimal Viable Project​

To check the communication, a watch table can be generated to observe the first bit of the first input address (most likely %I68.0 if no other Profinet device is connected). In RobFlow, a Profinet Boolean Variable is needed which can be switched True/False. The state must be seen directly in the watch table.

Next​

Import the datatypes so the raw addresses become named structures — Import .udt in a TIA project. For what each type is for, see Datatypes.