Universal Communication Modules (UCMs)
To view the list and specifications of all available UCMs, visit: https://handbook.enapter.com/modules.
Hardware UCMs
Introduction
To enable the physical communication level between your endpoint device and Enapter EMS we use Universal Communication Modules (UCM in short) — small independent DIN-rail mountable controllers capable of wireless (802.11a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz) and wired (Enapter LINK) communication.
On a hardware level, every UCM implements one major industrial communication standard. These standards define how to transmit information over the wires. Different standards require different UCM models.
Physical communication standards provide a basis for the higher level concept — communication protocols. Protocols define what exact information is being transmitted and, for example, which format is used for the data inside. In some cases, the same protocol can run on top of different communication standards, for example, Modbus RTU runs on RS-232 and Modbus TCP runs over Ethernet.
On a software level, UCM implements an Application Programming Interface (API) which allows to request, receive and process information from a connected device.
Built-in UCM firmware provides an isolated execution environment that can run custom user-defined Lua script. The script uses the communication API to implement data exchange with the connected device. While UCM firmware is managed by Enapter, the Lua script is also a part of a blueprint.
Where to buy
TBD
How to connect to Enapter EMS
TBD
Software UCMs
There is also Virtual UCM — a 100% software implementation of the hardware Enapter UCMs that runs on personal computers. It enables easy integration of devices using any protocol running over TCP/IP (Modbus TCP, HTTP, OPC UA, etc.), but also, if the PC is officially supported, can work directly with the computer’s built-in hardware.