Application note

Technical collection
How to access circuit breaker
information from your PC ?
Equipment, diagrams and configurations required
to communicate with the circuit breaker over an
Ethernet network
Application note

Introduction
The technical and management departments of industrial and tertiary plants need all the information available
from the equipment and key points on the electrical network, in order to:
p reduce energy-related costs,
p avoid outage times,
p optimise equipment operation.
The electrical network data can in fact be recovered and stored by connecting the circuit breaker to the Ethernet
network. Energy supervision software is then used to monitor, in real time, the status of the network, the quality of
the energy and the reliability of the supply, in order to be able to react quickly in the event of an alert and prevent
critical situations.
1. Accessing circuit breaker information from the PC
Description
Circuit breaker information can be accessed over the Ethernet
network already installed in the building. The circuit breaker is
connected to a Modbus interface module (IFM), which is itself
connected to an Ethernet gateway. The circuit breaker
information can then be accessed from a PC connected to the
network via the Ethernet port.
The circuit breaker, fitted with an electronic trip unit with
energy measurement, provides the following information:
p the circuit breaker states (open, closed, tripped);
p the measurements: (I, V, f, P, E, THD, etc.) with associated
minimeters and maximeters;
p
operating assistance information (trip history, maintenance
indicator, timestamped events, etc.).
When the different products (IFM, EGX, PC) have been
configured, the various application software programs can be
used to process the information received from the circuit
breaker.
RCU is a software program that can be downloaded from
www.schneider-electric.com and used to view the information
received from the circuit breaker.
Powerview is a software program that is used to view and edit
reports.
ION-Enterprise is a software program that is used to view and
edit reports and provide an in-depth analysis of the electrical
measurements. It is a solution that is simple to implement.

Configuration
Configuring the IFM (Modbus interface module)
The default configuration (Auto-Speed sensing = YES) is
appropriate in most cases. In this configuration, the Modbus
interface automatically detects the Modbus communication
parameters (speed and parity).
Configuring the PC
To communicate between the PC and the Ethernet EGX 00
gateway, you will need to set the Ethernet communication
parameters (IP address and subnet mask).
The IP address of the PC and the EGX must be in the same
range and the subnet mask of the PC and the EGX must be
identical.
To access the Ethernet communication parameters from the
PC, proceed as follows:
p Go to “Control panel”, double click on “Network
connections”, double click on “Local Area Connection”, select
“Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”, then click on “Properties”.
The user defines the address of the Modbus slave via the two
thumbwheels on the front panel of the module (address by
default).
If the default configuration (Auto-speed sensing = YES) is not
suitable, the Modbus communication parameters can be
changed via the RSU software (downloadable from www.
schneider-electric.com).
p In the “Alternate Configuration” tab, select “User
configured”, then enter a different IP address 169.254.xxx.xxx
(for example 169.254.0.22) which is different from the default
address used for the gateway (169.254.0.10).
p
Enter the subnet mask 255.255.0.0.
Configuring the EGX (Ethernet gateway)
The default configuration is as follows:
Speed 10T/100Tx Auto
IP address 169.254.0.10
Subnet mask 255.255.0.0
Default gateway 0.0.0.0
Si la configuration par défaut de l’EGX ne convient pas, alors
le paramétrage de l’EGX se fait en utilisant votre PC à l’aide
du navigateur web en tapant l’adresse par défaut :
http://169.254.0.10/
User name = Administrator
Password = Gateway

Diagram
blue
Testing
Communication over Ethernet can easily be tested via the
RCU (Remote Control Utility) software. This software, which
can be downloaded from www.schneider-electric.com, is used
to display the electrical variables (I, V, f, P, E, THD, etc.). The
RCU software requires the EGX gateway and Modbus slave
addresses to be declared.
Declaring the EGX gateway IP address in the RCU
software
In the main “set-up” menu, go to the “PC communication
parameters” sub-menu, select the TCPIP-Modbus Channel
and enter the default IP address of the EGX 00
(169.254.0.10).
4
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Declaring the address of the Modbus slaves in the RCU
software
In the main “set-up” menu, go to the “Device declaration” submenu
and enter the address displayed by the two
thumbwheels located on the front panel of the Modbus
interface module (address ).

Products used
Product Description Cat. no.
Compact NSX100N -pole breaking unit LV49006
Micrologic Electronic trip unit with energy measurement: Micrologic 5.2 E LV429095
BSCM Breaker Status Control Module LV434205
NSX Cord Wire length L = 1.3 m LV434201
IFM Modbus interface module TRV00 0
Power supply Power supply module 200-240 V AC / 24 V DC 54444
EGX 00 Modbus/Ethernet communication gateway EGX 00MG
Conclusion
Accessing circuit-breaker information from a PC is a simple solution that makes it possible to:
p optimise capital expenditure by using the Ethernet network connection already installed in the building and the
Ethernet port fitted as standard on all PCs,
p
reduce operational expenditure due to cost optimisation resulting from the benefits of energy efficiency.
5

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www.schneider-electric.com
As standards, specifications and designs change from time to time, please ask for confirmation
of the information given in this publication.
This document has been printed on ecological paper.
Design: Schneider Electric
Photos: Schneider Electric
Printed:
07-2009
© 2009 - Schneider Electric - All rights reserved