About FloPro/FloNet Ethernet Device Communications

FloPro is a program that runs on IBM PC compatible computers and lets them perform functions similar to PLCs. FloPro can communicate with a host computer via a special interface card across 10/Base-T Ethernet physical interconnections. This card is referred to by its model number (IPN-200) or as a FloNet card. The physical network it communicates across may be referred to as the Ethernet or as FloNet.

The FloPro/FloNet Communications option and the FloNet cards communicate across a 10/Base-T Ethernet standard physical layer in loose compliance with the UDP/IP protocol standard. As noted in the FloNet Specification for IPN-200 FloNet Interface Board document, the FloNet card's flash ROM area holds all the firmware involved with network communications. FloPro itself merely polls the FloNet card to see if a command packet has arrived from a project on the CIMPLICITY host computer.

The physical communications link between a CIMPLICITY computer and the processors running FloPro is a 10 MHz Ethernet network with a twisted-pair connection to each FloNet card.