If your device runs Modbus RTU and your customers are asking for EtherNet/IP, you probably already know that the two protocols don't share a data model. Modbus exposes registers, EtherNet/IP uses assembly objects. To make one talk to the other, someone has to define exactly which Modbus registers map to which EtherNet/IP assembly data, at what addresses, in what format.
Without the right tooling, that’s a firmware engineering problem.
Protocol Mapper is built to solve it.
Protocol Mapper is a free tool that allows you to build Modbus RTU to EtherNet/IP mappings yourself.
With Protocol Mapper, you can configure your parameters, assign your registers, validate on real hardware, and load the mapping directly to a GRID45-EIP module from your bench. All without having to go back and forth with an engineering team. Simply define the map the way your application needs it, load it to your hardware, and test it before anything ships.
Two Steps: Configure And Map
The entire workflow consists of two steps:
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Configuration - Set your Modbus RTU parameters (baud rate, parity, stop bits, unit ID, timeouts) alongside your EtherNet/IP device identity settings (vendor ID, product name, product code).
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Mapping - Assign Modbus registers to EtherNet/IP input and output assemblies, register type, starting address, length. Protocol Mapper validates as you work, with address-range checks running in real time to catch any errors before they’re loaded to the device.
When your map is ready, load it to a connected GRID45-EIP directly from the desktop app and test it on real hardware.
Map Once, Ship Forever
Once the map is validated, send it to Grid Connect. We’ll create a custom part number with your configuration built in, allowing for easy, pre-configured orders with your map already in place
Use Case: How A Flow Meter Manufacturer Added Ethernet/Ip
When a thermal mass flow meter manufacturer's customers started requesting EtherNet/IP connectivity, the company faced a challenge: their devices ran Modbus RTU and EtherNet/IP was unfamiliar territory.
Their team didn’t have prior development experience with EtherNet/IP, nor did they have the bandwidth to take on a large firmware project. So, one of their engineers sat down with Protocol Mapper and started working through creating a mapping using the setup video.
What he found was that the system offered “Pretty straightforward UI. If you know Modbus RTU, you know what those options are."
Working one register at a time, he was able to map 86 Modbus registers (flow rate, temperature, totals, device configuration parameters). Everything was validated as he went.
The result was a working EtherNet/IP prototype on real hardware, validated from his bench. He sent the completed map to Grid Connect, and that map became the configuration for every unit his company ordered going forward.
As he put it, "Everything just kind of works."
Try Protocol Mapper Today
Protocol Mapper puts Modbus RTU to EtherNet/IP mapping in your hands. Best of all, it’s free.
Choose the option that works best for you: in browser for prototyping, or download the desktop app (no license required) to load configurations directly onto a connected GRID45-EIP.
While Protocol Mapper currently only works with the GRID45-EIP. Support for additional hardware and protocols is in the works. Follow us on LinkedIn find out when new devices and protocols are added
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