Connectivity & Protocols
ZPLC provides built-in support for standard industrial automation protocols, allowing your controllers to interact with field devices, SCADA systems, and cloud platforms.
Board Capabilities
Protocol support depends on the physical capabilities of your target board. ZPLC categorizes boards into three levels of connectivity:
- Serial-only: Supports protocols like Modbus RTU via UART/RS-485.
- Wi-Fi capable: Supports TCP/UDP protocols (Modbus TCP, MQTT) over wireless networks (e.g., ESP32-S3).
- Ethernet capable: Supports TCP/UDP protocols over wired connections (e.g., STM32 Nucleo/Discovery).
The IDE automatically filters available protocols based on your selected board profile.
Supported Protocols
ZPLC natively supports:
- Modbus: Both Modbus RTU (Serial) and Modbus TCP (Network).
- MQTT: Standard MQTT publish/subscribe messaging for IIoT integration, including profiles for Sparkplug B, standard brokers, AWS IoT Core, and Azure IoT Hub.
Configuring Connectivity
Connectivity is defined in your project's zplc.json file. Through the IDE, you can:
- Configure Modbus RTU/TCP networks (baud rates, IP addresses, node IDs).
- Set up MQTT broker credentials and certificates.
- Map internal PLC variables directly to Modbus registers/coils or MQTT topics via Communication Bindings.
The runtime handles the underlying protocol dispatch automatically while your PLC logic is executing.