Build, activate, and validate one portable chiller-plant project.
Use one .modbussim project to compose compressor, circuit, economizer, water-confirmation, I/O, protocol, alarm, and monitoring logic without duplicating fixed logic views.
Detailed integration and test guide
Download the Word guide for field preparation, file purposes, migration, I/O assignment, the three reference plants, and the complete validation checklist.
Download Word guideFollow the workflow order
The workflow below covers system preparation and testing. Engineering permits authoring; Starter permits it for learning and evaluation. In Test, open and activate an existing prepared project and run its saved scenarios. Select I/O modules and compressors first. Define the shared System design, establish controller-facing communication, complete Equipment and Protocol, then review and activate the project before opening its Plant Test.
Use Live System as the source
The wizard reads the active compressor count, model, refrigerant, and behavior. Correct missing behavior or device configuration before synchronizing; identical compressors should resolve consistently unless an intentional per-unit override is present.
Configure protocol channels, endpoints, Unit IDs, and map profiles
Create one or more Modbus TCP or RTU channels, assign each endpoint a Unit ID, and select its register-map profile. Separate endpoints can represent independent PLCs, remote I/O racks, compressor controllers, or other controller-facing modules.
Bind physical, virtual, or loopback adapters
Bind each Modbus TCP endpoint to the intended network interface. A virtual adapter can act as the controlled Modbus TCP bridge between external PLC modules and the simulated plant; a loopback binding keeps local commissioning isolated from the plant network.
Exchange external-controller commands and feedback
The external PLC writes commands into mapped coils or registers, while ModbusSim returns proofs, measurements, states, alarms, and calculated plant feedback. Verify direction, scaling, byte order, update timing, and ownership for every mapped point.
Repeat controller and I/O modules cleanly
Add multiple PLC, protocol, or I/O instances without copying the complete plant. Give each instance a distinct endpoint, Unit ID, map, and system assignment; tune counts and links to match the modular equipment design.
Compose the plant topology
Assign up to eight compressors to up to eight refrigerant circuits. Add shared flash-tank economizers to a circuit, or assign a heat-exchanger economizer independently to each compressor. Optional pump, water, alarm, and protocol modules remain visible only when configured.
Assign physical I/O to logical roles
Map each logical role to an exact channel such as DI-1, AI-2, AO-1, or DO-1 on the selected I/O module instance. Water Confirmation can use a digital proof, analog flow, or both; thresholds, validation delay, and failure action belong to the portable project.
Configure economizer behavior
A flash tank belongs to circuit slot A or B and uses mass-flow level control. A heat-exchanger economizer belongs to the assigned compressor and may use stepper output, optional interstage solenoid, pressure and temperature inputs, calculated superheat, and editable proof delay.
Edit parameters, mappings, links, and logic
Tune system behavior directly in the project: edit constants and parameters, map POINT references, connect module links, and express rules such as IF DI-1 Then Enable DO-2. The compiled graph remains reviewable before activation.
Choose wizard-managed or detached custom modules
Keep standard modules wizard-managed so topology changes remain synchronized. Detach a module only when a custom controller or equipment design needs independent mappings, parameters, or logic, and review that custom branch explicitly before activation.
Check output ownership and conflicts
Compile detects duplicate or incompatible writers before runtime. Packed registers use mask-level ownership so independent bits can merge safely; an intentional higher-priority Plant Test stimulus may temporarily supersede a System Integration output, which must recover when the stimulus is released.
Compile and activate safely
Apply topology changes the draft only. Compile checks references, required I/O, assignments, units, and limits. Review the compiled revision and fingerprint before activation. The running plan stays unchanged when validation or migration fails.
Hand the active project to Plant Test
Open Plant Test from the active .modbussim project and run its stored phases, Alarm/Fault Injection scenarios, and acceptance criteria. Control Quality Monitor can explain live signals and timing, but it complements rather than replaces the Plant Test runner and its recorded outcome.
Validate examples and port customer projects
Use the supplied water-cooled flash-tank, one-circuit air-cooled heat-exchanger, and two-circuit air-cooled projects as engineering baselines. Each current .modbussim file carries its Plant Test scenario. For support, send the final project, report, screenshots, application version, I/O map, expected result, and actual result—never credentials.
Integration, simulation, and testing
Select one of the overlapping pictures to bring that localized workflow stage to the front.