Devices & Frames

Device

A device represents a physical or logical unit on a connection. There can be multiple devices under a single connection.

Creating a Device

Menu: Runtime → Connections → Select Connection → Devices → New Device

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Device name
Description	No	Description
Scan Time	Yes	Read period (ms)
Scan Type	Yes	Read type (Periodic, OnDemand)

Device Structure (Example)

{
  "id": 453,
  "name": "Energy-Device",
  "connectionId": 153,
  "dsc": "Energy monitoring simulated device",
  "scanTime": 2000,
  "scanType": "Periodic"
}

Field	Description
scanTime	Read period in milliseconds. 2000 = reads every 2 seconds
scanType	Periodic = continuous reading, OnDemand = reads only when requested

Scan Time Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended Scan Time
Fast-changing data (power, current)	1000 - 2000 ms
Medium-speed data (temperature, pressure)	3000 - 5000 ms
Slow-changing data (energy meter)	5000 - 10000 ms
Status information (on/off)	1000 - 3000 ms

Tip

The shorter the scan time, the more network traffic increases. Optimize according to your requirements.

---

Frame (Data Frame)

A frame is a data block read from a device. Each frame defines a specific address range. Variables reside within frames.

Creating a Frame

Menu: Runtime → Connections → Connection → Device → Frames → New Frame

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Frame name
Description	No	Description
Readable	Yes	Is this frame readable
Writable	Yes	Can variables in this frame be written to
Scan Time Factor	No	Device scan time multiplier
Minutes Offset	No	Timing offset (minutes)

Frame Structure (Example)

{
  "id": 703,
  "name": "Energy-Frame",
  "deviceId": 453,
  "dsc": "Energy monitoring frame",
  "isReadable": true,
  "isWritable": true,
  "scanTimeFactor": null,
  "minutesOffset": null
}

Readable / Writable

Setting	Description
Readable = true	Frame is read periodically (monitoring)
Writable = true	Values can be written to variables in this frame (control)
Both = true	Both read and write (most common)
Readable = false	Write-only frame (setpoint sending)

Scan Time Factor

Sets the frame’s read period as a multiple of the device scan time:

• Device scan time = 2000ms, Frame scan time factor = 3 → Frame is read every 6000ms
• null or 1 → Read at the same period as the device scan time

Tip

You can reduce unnecessary network traffic by using scan time factor for frames with slow-changing data.

---

Hierarchy Summary

Connection: LOCAL-Energy (LOCAL, 127.0.0.1)
└── Device: Energy-Device (scanTime: 2000ms, Periodic)
    └── Frame: Energy-Frame (readable + writable)
        ├── ActivePower_kW (Float, kW)
        ├── ReactivePower_kVAR (Float, kVAR)
        ├── Voltage_V (Float, V)
        ├── Current_A (Float, A)
        ├── Frequency_Hz (Float, Hz)
        ├── PowerFactor (Float)
        ├── Energy_kWh (Float, kWh)
        ├── Temperature_C (Float, °C)
        ├── Demand_kW (Float, kW)
        └── GridStatus (Boolean)

This structure is the same for a MODBUS connection — the only difference is that protocol-specific parameters (slave ID, start address, register count, etc.) are added.