node-red-contrib-cip-suite

node-red-contrib-cip-suite

Comprehensive Node-RED nodes for Allen-Bradley and CIP-capable devices via EtherNet/IP. Covers the full spectrum from modern ControlLogix to legacy SLC500/PLC-5, plus advanced CIP objects for motion, energy, time sync, security, and more.

Supported Hardware

Platform	Protocol	Notes
ControlLogix (L6x, L7x, L8x)	CIP Symbolic	Slot-based backplane routing
CompactLogix (L1x, L2x, L3x)	CIP Symbolic	Typically slot 0
Micro800 (Micro820/850/870)	CIP Symbolic	No backplane — enable Micro800 mode
SLC 500	PCCC over CIP	File-based addressing (N7:0, F8:0)
MicroLogix (1100/1400)	PCCC over CIP	File-based addressing
PLC-5	PCCC over CIP	File-based addressing
Third-party CIP devices	CIP Raw	Any EtherNet/IP device with CIP objects

Installation

cd ~/.node-red
npm install node-red-contrib-cip-suite

Or search for node-red-contrib-cip-suite in the Node-RED Palette Manager.

Node Overview

All nodes appear under the CIP Suite category with a grey CIP icon.

Core CIP Nodes

Node	Type	Description
cip-endpoint	Config	Shared TCP session to a Logix PLC. Auto-reconnect, Micro800 support, multi-hop routing.
cip-read	In/Out	Read tag values. Supports bit access (Tag.5), array elements (Tag[3]), array ranges (Tag[0..9]), UDT/structures, batch reads, and polling.
cip-write	In/Out	Write tag values. Supports bit-level writes (atomic via CIP 0x4E or software RMW), arrays, UDT partial merge, batch writes.
cip-browse	In/Out	Discover tags on the PLC. Glob/regex filtering, UDT detection, program-scoped tags.
cip-subscribe	Out	Continuous cyclic multi-tag scanning via readTagGroup(). Deadband filtering, report-by-exception, runtime reconfiguration.
cip-controller	In/Out	Read controller identity, mode, fault status, keyswitch, tag count. Runtime commands: run/program/test/reset.
cip-raw	In/Out	Send raw CIP service requests. Supports Multiple Service Packet (0x0A). Full response parsing with human-readable status codes.
cip-discover	In/Out	UDP broadcast ListIdentity for network device discovery. Standalone — no endpoint required.

Legacy PCCC Nodes (SLC500 / MicroLogix / PLC-5)

Node	Type	Description
cip-pccc-endpoint	Config	Raw TCP session with EtherNet/IP + PCCC encapsulation. Transaction-based request/response matching.
cip-pccc-read	In/Out	Read PCCC addresses: N7:0, F8:0, B3:0/5, T4:0.ACC, S:1/5. Multi-element reads, polling.
cip-pccc-write	In/Out	Write PCCC addresses with bit-level read-modify-write support.

Advanced CIP Object Nodes

Node	CIP Class	Description
cip-io-scanner	Class 1	Implicit I/O via ForwardOpen + UDP. Cyclic data exchange with remote I/O, drives, servos.
cip-security	0x5D	CIP Security Object — TLS/DTLS status and security profile reading.
cip-sync	0x43	IEEE 1588 PTP time synchronization — grandmaster discovery, offset monitoring, PTP enable/disable.
cip-motion	0x42	Motion Axis Object — jog, moveAbsolute/Relative, home, stop, enable/disable, gear ratio, axis status polling.
cip-energy	0x4F/0x4E	Energy Object — power/energy monitoring, electrical measurements (V/A/Hz/PF/THD), energy mode control.
cip-file	0x37	File Object — firmware upload/download with fragmented transfer, file directory listing, metadata access.
cip-param	0x0F	Parameter Object — device parameterization, discovery scan, read/write with scaling support.

Tag Addressing

CIP Symbolic (Logix)

Format	Example	Description
Simple	MyTag	Read/write a tag
Bit access	MyDint.5	Read/write bit 5 of a DINT
Array element	MyArray[3]	Single array element
Array range	MyArray[0..9]	Read elements 0-9 via fragmented read
Program-scoped	Program:MainProgram.MyTag	Tag inside a program
Batch	msg.tags = ["Tag1","Tag2"]	Multi-tag read via TagGroup

PCCC (SLC/MLX/PLC-5)

Format	Example	Description
Integer	N7:0	Integer file 7, element 0
Float	F8:5	Float file 8, element 5
Bit	B3:0/5	Bit file 3, element 0, bit 5
Timer	T4:0	Full timer (CTL/PRE/ACC)
Timer sub-element	T4:0.ACC	Timer accumulator only
Counter	C5:0.ACC	Counter accumulator
Output/Input	O:0/3, I:1/0	I/O with bit access
Status	S:1/5	Status file with bit
String	ST9:0	String file
Long	L10:0	Long integer file

Configuration

cip-endpoint

Setting	Default	Description
IP Address	—	PLC IP address
Port	44818	EtherNet/IP port
Slot	0	Backplane slot (ControlLogix)
Timeout (ms)	5000	Connection timeout
Retry (ms)	5000	Reconnection interval
Micro800	off	Enable for Micro800 (skips ForwardOpen, uses UCMM)
Routing Path	—	Multi-hop routing (e.g. 1/0/2/192.168.1.1)

cip-pccc-endpoint

Setting	Default	Description
IP Address	—	PLC IP address
Port	44818	EtherNet/IP port
Timeout (ms)	5000	Connection/request timeout
Retry (ms)	5000	Reconnection interval

cip-io-scanner

Setting	Default	Description
Target IP	—	I/O adapter / drive IP address
Port	44818	EtherNet/IP port
RPI (ms)	100	Requested Packet Interval (cyclic rate)
Input/Output Assembly	100 / 150	Assembly instance numbers (see device EDS)
Config Assembly	0	Optional config assembly instance
Input/Output Size	32	Application data size in bytes (excl. Run/Idle header)
UDP Port	2222	Local UDP port for implicit I/O
32-bit Run/Idle header	on	Prepend the Run/Idle header on O→T. Required by the ODVA AC/DC drive profile — leave on for PowerFlex drives, or they stay idle and ignore the output assembly
Electronic keying	off	Add an Electronic Key segment to the connection path. Off = no key ("don't check identity"), the most compatible choice. Enable only if a strict target rejects an unkeyed connection, then fill in Vendor ID / Device Type / Product Code / Major+Minor revision (from the device EDS). The compatibility bit accepts compatible revisions instead of an exact match

The produced/consumed assemblies are addressed with Connection Point path segments and the connection is opened with the transport direction set to Server (0x81) — both required by stricter drive firmware such as the PowerFlex 525.

Drive Control (PowerFlex 525)

A PowerFlex 525 is controlled with implicit (Class 1) messaging via cip-io-scanner — not with the tag nodes (it has no Logix tags). The drive's native assembly instances (verified against a working PLC→PF525 capture) are:

Setting	Value
Output Assembly / Size	2 / 4 (Logic Command word + Speed Reference word)
Input Assembly / Size	1 / 8 (Logic Status word + Speed Feedback + datalinks)
Config Assembly	6
RPI	100 ms (the PLC requests 0 and the drive negotiates ~98 ms)
32-bit Run/Idle header	on
Electronic keying	off (enable only if the drive refuses the unkeyed connection)

These native instances (Output 2 / Input 1 / Config 6) differ from the generic ODVA AC-drive assemblies (20/70). Send the 4 output bytes as a Buffer in msg.payload (bytes 0-1 = Logic Command, bytes 2-3 = Speed Reference, little-endian). Toggle the drive between Run and Idle with msg.command:"run"/"idle" (or msg.run:true/false).

Device parameters (read/write) use explicit messaging via cip-param (Parameter Object 0x0F), not cip-write. Confirm the exact assembly numbers, Logic Command bit map, and Speed Reference scaling against PowerFlex publication 520-UM001 — they differ between the ODVA AC-drive assemblies (20/70) and the PowerFlex-native ones.

Features

Connection Management

• Auto-reconnect with configurable retry interval
• Connection metrics — response times, error counts, uptime tracking
• Micro800 mode — bypasses UnconnectedSend, uses direct UCMM messaging
• Multi-hop routing — reach PLCs behind ControlLogix backplanes

Backpressure Protection

All nodes skip subsequent requests while a previous one is in-flight, preventing PLC overload.

Atomic Bit Operations

Write nodes support CIP Read-Modify-Write service (0x4E) for safe bit manipulation without race conditions.

Admin HTTP Endpoints

• GET /cip-endpoint/:id/browse — browse tags from a deployed endpoint
• GET /cip-endpoint/:id/metrics — connection statistics (response times, error counts, uptime)

Status Indicators

Color	Shape	Meaning
Green	dot	Connected / OK
Yellow	ring	Connecting / warning
Red	ring	Error / disconnected
Blue	dot	Operation in progress

Docker Simulation Environment

A multi-profile PLC simulator is included for development and testing.

docker compose up -d

Services

Container	Description	Port
plc-clx	ControlLogix simulator	44818
plc-cplx	CompactLogix simulator	44819
plc-micro	Micro800 simulator	44820
plc-mlx	MicroLogix simulator (PCCC)	44821
plc-plc5	PLC-5 simulator (PCCC)	44822
drive-powerflex525	PowerFlex 525 drive — implicit Class 1 I/O	44823 (TCP) + 2222 (UDP)
node-red	Node-RED with pre-loaded test flows	11880

Simulator Profiles

Each profile provides a realistic tag set:

• ControlLogix — 10 tags (BOOL, INT, DINT, REAL, STRING, program-scoped)
• CompactLogix — Same as CLX
• Micro800 — 24 I/O tags (10 DO + 14 DI, all BOOL)
• MicroLogix — PCCC registers (N7, F8, B3, T4, C5, S)
• PLC-5 — PCCC registers
• PowerFlex 525 — no tags; implicit Class 1 I/O only (assemblies: Output 2 / Input 1 / Config 6). Models the drive's strict Forward_Open acceptance — the connection is granted only when the produced/consumed assemblies use Connection Point path segments and the transport is Server + Class 1

Simulated CIP Services

Service	Code	Description
RegisterSession	0x0065	Session establishment
ForwardOpen/Close	0x54/0x4E	Connected messaging
ReadTag	0x4C	Read tag values
WriteTag	0x4D	Write tag values
GetInstanceAttributeList	0x55	Tag browsing
GetAttributeAll	0x01	Controller identity
GetAttributeSingle	0x0E	Single attribute read
ExecutePCCC	0x4B	PCCC over CIP
MultipleServicePacket	0x0A	Batch operations
Implicit I/O (Class 1)	—	Cyclic UDP assemblies for the PowerFlex 525 drive profile (ForwardOpen + UDP 2222)

Quick Start

# Start everything
docker compose up -d

# Open Node-RED
open http://localhost:11880

# View simulator logs
docker compose logs -f plc-clx

# Stop
docker compose down

Example Flows

Pre-built flows are included in examples/:

• basic-read-write.json — Simple read/write operations
• full-test-flow.json — 6 tabs covering all simulators and node types

Import via Node-RED: Menu > Import > select file.

Testing

npm test

Tests cover:

• Tag name parsing (bit, array, range, program-scoped)
• Bit manipulation (getBit, setBit, buildBitMasks)
• CIP status/type name resolution
• PCCC address parsing (all file types, sub-elements, bit access)
• PCCC command building and response parsing
• CIP path building (8-bit/16-bit segments, attributeId edge cases)
• Forward_Open framing — strict PowerFlex 525 acceptance (transport byte, Connection Point vs Instance segments, electronic key parsing)
• cip-io-scanner end-to-end — the real node drives the PowerFlex 525 simulator over TCP ForwardOpen + cyclic UDP I/O, asserting the connection establishes and data flows both directions

To exercise implicit I/O manually without Docker, run the drive simulator directly and point a cip-io-scanner node (Output 2 / Input 1 / Config 6, sizes 4 / 8, Run/Idle on) at 127.0.0.1:44818:

npm run sim:pf525

API Reference

cip-read Output

{
  "payload": "<tag value>",
  "tagName": "MyDint",
  "dataType": "DINT",
  "timestamp": 1710000000000
}

cip-write Input

{
  "payload": 42,
  "tagName": "MyDint"
}

cip-subscribe Output

Single tag:

{
  "payload": 42,
  "tagName": "MyDint",
  "dataType": "DINT",
  "changed": true,
  "scanRate": 1000,
  "timestamp": 1710000000000
}

Multi-tag:

{
  "payload": { "Tag1": 42, "Tag2": 3.14 },
  "tags": [
    { "name": "Tag1", "value": 42, "type": "DINT", "changed": true },
    { "name": "Tag2", "value": 3.14, "type": "REAL", "changed": false }
  ],
  "scanRate": 1000,
  "timestamp": 1710000000000
}

cip-raw Input

{
  "service": 14,
  "classId": 1,
  "instanceId": 1,
  "attributeId": 1,
  "data": null
}

Multiple Service Packet:

{
  "requests": [
    { "service": 14, "classId": 1, "instanceId": 1, "attributeId": 1 },
    { "service": 14, "classId": 1, "instanceId": 1, "attributeId": 7 }
  ]
}

cip-pccc-read Output

{
  "payload": 1234,
  "address": "N7:0",
  "fileType": "Integer",
  "timestamp": 1710000000000
}

Dependencies

• st-ethernet-ip ^2.7.5 — EtherNet/IP protocol driver

Requirements

• Node.js >= 16.0.0
• Node-RED >= 2.0.0

License

MIT