Knowing Red Lion's Data Station means you know it's been around for a long time, since 2004, to be exact. It has proven to be extremely popular due to its simple interface and ability to communicate with hundreds of industrial brands. This series is similar to the Data Station and Modular Controller in that it allows for expandable IO modules but adds Cloud connectivity. However, this is not a Data Station; rather, it is part of Red Lion's new FlexEdge line. The DA50 and DA70 models in this range both have interchangeable communication sleds that can be tailored to any application. In this road test, we look at the smaller DA50.

The DA50D's modular design makes it as simple as replacing a field-installable sled to design for compatibility with rapidly evolving communications standards. The FlexEdge platform, powered by Crimson®, allows connectivity to virtually anything in your system, regardless of the brand of PLC or other equipment specified.

It is simple to provide powerful and secure networking to any industrial application when advanced networking capabilities are at the core. FlexEdge, powered by Crimson® 3.2, enables point-and-click connectivity to virtually anything in your system, and new equipment operating within existing infrastructure means capital budgets are kept in check. FlexEdge adapts and scales easily as applications change. Users can add up to ten hot-swappable I/O modules with high-density analog, discrete, PID, relay, and SSR capabilities. To incorporate LTE cellular, Wi-Fi, Serial, Ethernet, and/or USB capabilities, connect up to three field-installable communication sleds to the FlexEdge controller.

First Impressions

Unboxing the DA50 reveals that it is very light, with a high-temperature thermoplastic housing. Surprisingly, the DA50 can withstand temperatures of up to +75°C, and it's extremely thin, with a width of just 50mm (Din Rail) - much smaller than the Data Station before it. When mounting the DA50, you'll notice a tool-free thumb-sized lever to help secure it to the Din Rail. When you look at the physical unit, you'll notice a blank rectangle sled covering the front, as well as dual Ethernet and serial ports. There's also a cool-looking LED bezel that runs all the way around the front edge and changes color depending on system status.

Getting Started

To see the web page, we insert an ordinary SIM card into the 4G modem, an SD card, and connect the programming USB and Ethernet. When we turn it on, the LED surround flashes bright blue as it boots, then changes to a very happy green to let me know it's healthy and running. Nice. It's now time to get Red Lion's Crimson 3.2 software.

Software and Configuration

The DA50 is configured using Red Lion's free Crimson 3 software, which can be downloaded from the internet and offers 300 different protocols. If you've never used this software before, it's very easy to use, with helpful popups when you hover over things. It certainly simplifies the process of configuring the DA50. This was demonstrated when we connected an ABB VSD directly to an Emerson PLC, which is normally time-consuming... but not with the DA50. Select both the Emerson and Modbus protocols from the list, then define the Emerson registers before dragging and dropping the Modbus registers to create a graphical table of data passing bidirectionally. Simple! There is no need for function blocks, poll cycle coding, error buffer considerations, or port configuration.

It was just as simple to set up a web server to remotely access a dashboard or webpage. Tick the web server function box, then drag and drop graphical elements and tags to create SCADA-like displays. Data logging and alarm events are also easily dragged and dropped.

For our Crimson test bench configuration, we also enabled OPC UA, Azure Cloud Connector to pass MQTT data, and the mail manager to configure SMS and email alarms.

Main Features

The PLC and VSD were automatically polled by our test configuration, with the Ethernet and RS485 serial LEDs flashing and data flowing as soon as we turned it on. We could see the webserver in action by using the DA50's IP address, and we could see the VSD speed change instantly as we ramped up the motor. I received an SMS and an email when we exceeded our setpoint speed of 1000 rpm. Furthermore, the CSV Data Log was attached to the email alarm, so I could review what happened right away, or I could remotely download the data log from the web page. Finally, we opened the Azure cloud dashboard to see that the VSD speed was also trending nicely.

Final Verdict

In terms of hardware, the DA50 sled carriage supports one flexible connectivity option, such as 4G, WiFi, or adding serial ports. With technology changing at such a rapid pace and 5G not far away, it's nice to know it's somewhat future-proofed. If one sled carriage is insufficient, the larger DA70 has three slots to accommodate the most connected situations.

Primarily, the DA50 is a protocol converter that supports over 300 protocols. But the FlexEdge line is unique. Brand-agnostic protocol conversion, real-time viewing, and historical log access are simple, and with the option for Cloud connectivity via MQTT protocol, you don't need an engineering degree to do it.