product

Falcon
PLC Bridge · Serial Data Gateway

Installed physically between the HMI and the PLC. The original communication keeps running while the Falcon decodes every frame, turning field data into structured tags that can be sent onward.

serial · primary support ethernet · in development din rail 24 VDC
operating principle

Two ways to wire it in.

Choose by site constraints: fully passive listening, or inline so you also gain bidirectional control.

mode a · passive tap
HMI PLC LINE NEVER BROKEN FALCON READ-ONLY
  • — Zero risk: no timing impact, a Falcon fault cannot affect the line
  • — Ideal when you only need collection, reporting and utilisation
  • — Cannot issue write commands
mode b · inline relay
HMI FALCON R / W STORE & FWD PLC REMOTE R/W · TCP / MQTT
  • — Remote writes supported, restricted by allow-list
  • — Store-and-forward buffering and a command queue
  • — Installation requires briefly opening the existing line
internal data chain

From raw bytes to meaningful tags.

Inside the Falcon, raw serial bytes are processed into data points you can plot on a dashboard directly.

  1. Frame segmentation

    Frames are split by protocol rules and silent intervals — for Modbus RTU, the 3.5-character gap.

  2. Protocol decoding

    Station ID, function code, address and data length are parsed, then CRC or LRC is verified.

  3. Tag mapping

    Register addresses map to named tags with data type, byte order, scaling factor and engineering unit.

  4. Change detection

    Records are produced only on value change or sample interval expiry, cutting uplink traffic sharply.

  5. Uplink

    JSON is published over MQTT topics or a TCP connection. While offline, records queue locally and backfill on reconnect.

tag map / example
40001 uint16 ×0.1 °C temp_zone1 40002 uint16 ×0.1 °C temp_zone2 40010 int32 ×1 pcs count_total 40012 uint16 ×0.01 MPa pressure_main 40020 bitmask — — alarm_word bit0 → alm_overtemp bit1 → alm_estop bit2 → alm_door_open 40030 uint16 ×1 — machine_state 0=idle 1=run 2=alarm 3=setup

A draft tag map can be generated automatically from captured frames and HMI screen information, then confirmed by an engineer.

specifications

Technical specifications

Planned specifications. The shipping configuration is confirmed on the quotation.

serial interface · primary
Interfaces5-pin European-style terminal block, supports RS-232 / RS-422 / RS-485
Ports2 (HMI side / PLC side) — required for inline mode
Baud rate1200 – 115200 bps
Frame format7/8 data bits, none/even/odd parity, 1/2 stop bits
Protocol decodingModbus RTU / ASCII; additional vendor protocols being added
ModesPassive tap / inline relay
ethernet interface · in development
Planned supportModbus TCP and capture of Ethernet-based HMI/PLC traffic
Statusin development
TimingRegister your requirement — pilot-site equipment is prioritised
uplink / hardware
UplinkMQTT (TLS supported), TCP, local REST query
PayloadJSON tag points with timestamp and quality code
Offline bufferLocal queue with backfill on reconnect
Power24 VDC (industrial standard) / USB Type-C 5V
MountingDIN 35 mm rail
Operating temp.-20 – 80 °C
IndicatorsTAP/INLINE mode, serial communication, communication error, power

Comms settings unknown?

The built-in serial toolkit finds baud rate, parity and slave IDs for you.

How it works →

Data captured — now what?

Hand it to an AI agent and get a remote HMI plus dashboard within the hour.

The workflow →

Want your equipment assessed?

Send the models and interface and we will tell you whether it fits.

Contact us →