S.M. No.

: SNTI/SM/020
Rev. No. : 00
Effective Date : 10-Jan-2008

ABB 800xA Engineering

Communication CPU
Expansion CEX-bus
S800I/O’s on the
Electrical ModuleBus

RCU link
connection

Fiber opticale
Ethernet ports COM 3-4 ports ModuleBus

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 1 of 36

 The Industrial IT System 800xA is a comprehensive process automation
system. It covers operation and configuration of continuous and batch
control applications. As such, ABB controllers are not new to Tata Steel
but ABB AC 800 M controllers have been introduced in Tata Steel around
year 2005 at various plants of Tata Steel, like in Sinter plant 3 and 4, New
Bar mills and H Blast Furnace. This system might find its application in
many more plants because of its robust control ability and easy
adaptability to Field Bus systems. Profibus _DP and Foundation Field Bus
technology have been easily integrated with ABB AC 800 M Controllers
working satisfactorily at SP # 3 & 4. Integration of AC 800 controllers
with Foundation FieldBus , Profibus, Module Bus and other
communication technologies make this AC 800 controllers a DCS in true
sense where the control is fully distributed up to the field devices level.
Therefore a strong need of training on this ABB control technology
has been been felt from various plants of Tata Steel. This study material
mainly covers the hardware portion and concept of structures and can be
used for SNTI regular training on ABB DCS programming & Maintenance
(Course Code- SEPE97) and has been designed for the plant engineers/
technicians who are involved in ABB 800 M Controller Engineering
activities and its day to day maintenance activities. Field Bus has been
kept away form the scope of this study material as Field Bus itself is a
subject and should be dealt with separately with proper emphasis.

Prepared by Approved by

Akhilesh K Karn Mr. S Bhowmik

Manager, EEI Group Head - EEI

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 2 of 36

Sl. No. Topic Page #
1. System 800xA Architecture 4
2. Aspect Object Concept…………….. 5
3. AC 800 M Hardware 8
4. Engineering Workplace 22
5. Concept of structures 26

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 3 of 36

 System 800xA Architecture
The Industrial IT System 800xA is a comprehensive process automation system.
It covers operation and configuration of continuous and batch control
applications.

Process and
Logic Control

Asset
Optimization

Motor Control
Centers System
800xA S88 Production
Management

Information
Management

Instrumentation
& Drives

Advanced Control
And Industry Solutions
Safety

Within System 800xA there are a number of Core Functional Areas. These are:
• Operations
• Engineering
• Control and I/O
• Production Management
• Batch Management
• Manufacturing Management
• Information Management
• Safety systems
• Asset Optimization
• Device Management

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 4 of 36

 Aspect Object Concept
A central problem in plant operations, as well as asset life cycle management, is
the need to organize, manage, and have access to information for all different
aspects of a great number of plant and process entities.

The Aspect Objects architecture is a cornerstone of the Industrial IT concept. It

provides:
• A consistent, scalable concept that integrates Process Control & Automation,
Substation Automation and Safety products.
• Information-centric navigation – a consistent way to instantly access all
information without having to know how and by which application the
information is handled.

Aspects and Objects

These entities, or real world objects, are of many different kinds. They can be
physical process objects, like a valve, or more complex, like a reactor. Other
examples are: products, material, batch procedures, manufacturing orders, and
customer accounts.
• They are called Aspect Objects

Each of these real world objects can be described from several perspectives. Each
perspective defines a piece of information and a set of functions to create, access,
and manipulate this information.
Examples are: graphic, alarm, trend, report, order definition, mechanical layout
etc.
• We call this an Aspect of the object.
It is necessary to be able to implement these aspects using many different
applications, both existing and new, from ABB, third parties and customers. It is
desirable to be able to do this without changes to the applications.
It is not reasonable to require that all these different applications be aware of each
other. Still, the applications must cooperate to provide an integrated view and
functionality of the object.
Examples are: Graphics Builder for graphics, Auto CAD for mechanical layout,
SAP for order handling etc.
• These applications are called Aspect Systems, which implements one or
several Aspect types.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 5 of 36

 Intuitive Navigation
Quick access to displays and information is provided with web browser tools.
Favorites, history lists, shortcuts, and hot keys provide navigation through a
process production facility quickly and accurately. Use of the right mouse button
provides access to additional details via a context menu

Objects

Alarm

Aspects

Machine Drawing

Engineering-
Specification

Live-Video

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 6 of 36

 Single Node System
A Single Node System is intended for very small applications, where all 800xA
server and workplace functionalities reside in a single PC.

Aspect Server
Connectivity Server
Workplace (Client)

Automation Network

Controllers

Fieldbus

Field devices

The system has only one PC node, within which all servers as well as the client
applications are installed. Only a few controllers can be connected and
applications are small.

Redundancy
System 800xA provides the highest degree of fault tolerance to meet the most
demanding application needs for maximum system uptime.
Optionally redundant I/O, controllers, control networks, fieldbus networks,
Connectivity Servers, Aspect Servers, and Operator Workplaces with automatic
switchover provide the required functional integrity to meet the most demanding
process needs.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 7 of 36

AC800M Hardware
The CPU consists of a base plate TP830 and a replaceable processor module
PM8xx with various speed and memory combinations.
The CPU is a Motorola Processor and runs at 48MHz for PM851..PM861 and at
96MHz for PM864..PM865.

Fuses for
Modulebus and
CEX-bus

CPU Baseplate

The base plate TP830 is the housing for the module termination board. It is where
the majority of the external connections take place.
• Two built-in RS-232 serial ports:
COM3 with modem support
COM4 intended as tool port for Control Builder
• Two built-in Ethernet ports (IEEE 802.3, 10BaseT with TCP/IP):
CN2 used for redundancy or routing
• Built-in Modulebus for direct I/O communication
• Built-in CEX-bus (Communication Extended Bus)

NOTE! In a configuration with redundant CPUs, COM3 and the

electrical ModuleBus cannot be used.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 8 of 36

Different Processor Units
The key differences between the different CPUs are memory and frequency, also
some can only be used in stand alone mode and others can be used in redundant
mode.

Redundant Redundant
PM864 PM865

Redundant
PM861

PM860
PM856 32MB
32MB
PM851 96 MHz 96 MHz
SIL2
16MB
48 MHz

8MB
48 MHz
8MB
24 MHz
8MB
24 MHz

Start Modes
The controller may be started with the following start modes:

Mode Invoked by Description

Warm Power Off/On with a Applications restart with retain values.
Init battery backed up
CPU
Cold Press Init < 2.5 s Applications restart with cold retain values.
Init
Reset Press Init > 3 s or Applications are deleted in controller.
until Run LED
flashes

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 9 of 36

Unit Description On-line Redunda
replacem ncy
ent
PM851 24 MHz (48MHz for communication) / 8 Mbytes RAM No No
1 Ethernet port, 1 Serial port and 1 tool port.
Application speed is half of PM860. Maximum one
CEX bus module.
PM856 24 MHz (48MHz for communication) / 8 Mbytes RAM No No
2 Ethernet ports, 1 Serial port and 1 tool port.
Application speed is half of PM860.
PM860 48 MHz / 8 Mbytes RAM No No
2 Ethernet ports, 1 Serial port and 1 tool port.
PM861 48 Mhz / 16 Mbytes RAM Yes Yes
2 Ethernet ports, 1 Serial port and 1 tool port.
Singular or redundant.
PM861A Same as PM861 but can use redundant Yes Yes
communication unit CI854A, CI860 and BC810.
PM864 96 Mhz / 32 Mbytes RAM Yes Yes
2 Ethernet ports, 1 Serial port and 1 tool port.
Singular or redundant. PM864 is 50% faster than
PM861 in executing an application.
PM864A Same as PM864 but can use redundant Yes Yes
communication unit CI854A, CI860 and BC810.
PM865 96 Mhz / 32 Mbytes RAM No Yes
(PA/HI) 2 Ethernet ports, 1 Serial port and 1 tool port.
PM865 can be used in an AC 800M High Integrity
system.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 10 of 36

 Battery
The memory is backed up by an internal or an external battery. You should mount
the battery when the CPU is up and running with a loaded application.

Internal External

The backup time varies depending on CPU type and battery types.

CPU Type Internal Battery External Battery

min time (hours) min time (weeks)
PM851/PM856/PM860 48 4
PM861 36 4
PM864 36 3
PM861A 118 12
PM864A 235 24
PM865 HI 235 24
PM865 PA 235 24

NOTE! A Compact Flash card can be used for non-volatile storage

of application and data.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 11 of 36

 AC 800M Ports
Here is a detailed description of the communication ports of the CPU:

Communication CPU
Expansion CEX-bus
S800I/O’s on the
Electrical ModuleBus

RCU link
connection

Fiber opticale
Ethernet ports COM 3-4 ports ModuleBus

External expansion units for communication are attached to the CEX-bus.

Interfaces are replaceable online under power.
• Programmable RS-232 ports for COMLI (data transfer), MODBUS and
S3964R
• Ethernet ports for Control Network or third party MMS
• Module Bus ports for optical or electrical connection to I/O.

A Compact Flash (CF) can be inserted to the card slot located at the front of AC
800M controllers.
The card will be activated and read after a long controller reset (or power failure)
and your application(s) can be loaded into the controller without performing an
application download from a Control Builder station.
NOTE! Compact Flash cannot be used in an AC 800M High
Integrity controller.
Prepared by: A K Karn Page 12 of 36
 800M High Integrity
AC 800M can easily be configured for usage in safety critical applications. The
main components of such a system are PM865, SM810, SS823 and the S800 I/O
High Integrity system, running a High Integrity version of Control Software.
The PM865 processor unit has higher HW fault tolerance, compared to PM864.
The added functionality on PM865 includes:
• Double over voltage protection on internal voltages
• Additional watchdog timer updated with data from SM810
• Increased oscillator supervision
• Support for S800 I/O High Integrity system
• Support for SM810
• Increased system diagnostic and online self tests.
The main function of the SM810 is to act as a monitor for the HW and SW
execution of PM865 and these two modules together are a SIL2 compliant system
according to IEC61508 and TÜV qualification is pending. The SM810 is running
a SIL2 certified operating system and have a very high degree of self-diagnostic.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 13 of 36

 Communication Interface Units : General description
This section presents a number of communication modules that can be connected
to the CEX bus.
The table below is a summary of the interfaces (for details refer to hardware
manual):

Unit Description On-line Redund

replacem ancy
ent
CI851 PROFIBUS DP-V0 communication interface unit. No No
CI851 has been replaced by the CI854 communication interface.
CI853 RS-232C serial communication interface unit. No No
CI854 PROFIBUS DP-V1 communication interface unit. No No
Redundant Profibus cabling possible.
CI854 PROFIBUS DP-V1 communication interface unit. Yes Yes
A Redundant Profibus cabling and redundant interface cards.
CI855 MasterBus 300 communication interface unit for the AC 800M. Yes No
CI856 S100 I/O system communication interface unit. Yes No
Up to five S100 I/O racks can be connected to one CI856 where
each I/O rack can hold up to 20 I/O boards.
CI857 INSUM communication interface unit. Yes No
CI858 Communication interface for ABB Drives using DriveBus. No No
CI860 Fieldbus Foundation HSE communication interface unit. Yes No
Not possible to use in AC800M HI.
CI862 TRIO blocks (remote I/O) communication interface. Yes No
Manages the channel data for the AC 800M controller.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 14 of 36

 S800 I/O Connections: I/O Connection Possibilities
I/O units are connected in two ways:
• Modulebus (electrical or optical)
• Profibus DP
An I/O cluster consists of one CI830 or TB820 and a number of I/O modules.
Max. 12 I/O modules can be included in one I/O cluster.
S200 or S900 I/O can only be connected through Profibus DP.

The optical modem TB820 acts as an adapter from optical to electrical

Modulebus. A maximum of 7 optical modems can be connected to the CPU.
The Profibus slave CI830 can be also be supplied with an adapter TB810 to
extend the Modulebus by optical cable.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 15 of 36

 S800 I/O Connected with Modulebus
• Max. 96 I/O modules
• 1 base cluster
• 1-7 I/O cluster
• 1-12* S800 I/O modules/cluster
• Optical Modulebus
• Simplex or Duplex, plastic / HCS glass fiber

max. 2.5 meters

Base cluster

Modulebus
extension

Termination
TB807
I/O cluster 1
TB820
Optical modem

I/O cluster 2 I/O cluster 3 I/O cluster 4

Duplex
Simplex max. 15 or 200m
max. 15 or 200m

Note that the TB820 is not visible in the Project Explorer. The I/O cluster is only
indicated by the position of the I/O modules e.g. I/O modules in cluster number 3
have positions from 301 to 312.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 16 of 36

 S800 I/O Connected with Profibus
• Max. 24 I/O modules / I/O Station
• 1 base cluster
• 1-7 I/O cluster
• 1-12* S800 I/O modules/cluster
*The memory size in the CI830 and bus load in CI830 or TB820 limits the
no. of
I/O modules/cluster
• Max. cluster length 2.5m (electrical modulebus)
• Optical modulebus, Simplex or Duplex

CI830
Profibus slave

with CI851
TB810 Profibus
master

Base cluster

Max. 2.5 meters

TB820 I/O cluster 1
Optical modem

I/O cluster 2 I/O cluster 3 I/O cluster 4

Duplex
Simplex max 15 or 200m
max 15 or 200m

NOTE! CI830 is going to be replaced by CI801 in the future to

support the HART protocol.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 17 of 36

 ABB Range of I/O Units
The following I/O types can be connected to an AC 800M system:
• S800 modular I/O
• S800 modular I/O with intrinsic safety (IS)
• S800L I/O
This is a compact I/O with an integrated I/O and terminal unit. The I/O
cannot be replaced on-line.
• S200 I/O
This I/O must be connected through an APB12 ProfiBus module.
• S900 I/O
This I/O must be connected through a CI920 ProfiBus module. The I/O is
suitable for use in hazardous areas.
• S100 I/O
This I/O must be connected through communication module CI856

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 18 of 36

 MTU – Module Terminal Unit
The S800 I/O unit is attached to an MTU, Module Terminal Unit. A number of
MTUs are available. They can however be divided into two major groups,
depending on the physical layout:
• Compact / 1 connection per channel
• Extended / 3 connections per channel

Compact Extended
NOTE! Mechanical key protection prevents wrong I/O module
type from being inserted.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 19 of 36

 Hardware Redundancy: Controller and I/O Redundancy
Use of redundancy will reduce the maximum number of S800 channels. Each
cluster may contain up to 12 single S800 I/O units or up to 6 redundant S800 I/O
units.

CEX -bus splitter

BC810

Redundancy Redundant S800

Redundant I/O as direct I/O
Link Cable
PROFIBUS CI
CI854A

Redundant or Singular
S800 I/O

Optical ModuleBus
Cable

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 20 of 36

 Redundant Modulebus I/O Connections
When you use redundant IO module configuration, the maximum number of IO
modules in one cluster is 6 pairs.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 21 of 36

 Redundant Profibus I/O Connections
When you use redundant IO module configuration, the maximum number of IO
modules in one cluster is 6 pairs.
• TU846 is used for Redundant I/O modules
• TU847 is used for non redundant I/O modules
• CI840 is connected to CI854 Profibus master

TU846 or TU847

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 22 of 36

 Engineering Workplace / Plant Explorer
Engineering Workplace / Plant Explorer is the tool that is primarily used for
800xA system configuration. The Engineering Workplace is the workplace used
for all project work done by application engineers.
The Project will exist in the Aspect Integrator Platform but the control part of it
will use Control Builder as an aspect system for its configuration. Therefore when
a new project is created we work partly in the Platform and partly in the Control
Builder.
NOTE! Before you start, make sure that the ‘System’ is ‘Up and
Active’

What is a Workplace?
This is the working environment for a particular group of people who might wish
to access the system. In a newly installed system there are 4 default workplaces
provided, intended for various users.
• Engineering Workplace
• Operator Workplace
• Plant Explorer Workplace
• Two Screen Plant Explorer Workplace
In a delivered system there may be more. A delivered application is likely to have
a workplace tailored to the requirements of the customer.

The main difference between the Engineering Workplace and the Plant Explorer
Workplace is that only the Engineering Workplace allows you to use advanced
tools such as Function Designer and Bulk Data Manager.
NOTE! The system extension “Engineering Base” must be loaded
to have the Engineering Workplace available.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 23 of 36

 How to Start the Engineering Workplace
You can access the Engineering Workplace by right-clicking on “My ePlant” on
your computer desktop and then select ‘Engineering Workplace:

Another method is to navigate through the Windows menu structure from the
Start button as shown below:
Start | Programs | ABB Industrial IT 800xA | System | Workplace

The Workplace logon screen has two selection panes:

• The ‘System’ selection pane
• The ‘Available workplaces’ pane
In a typical plant there will be only one System available. This will be the system
that was built for the application.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 24 of 36

 Browse the Aspect Directory
Plant Explorer is used to browse and navigate in the Aspect Directory. It is used
to create and manage Aspect Objects.

Structure Selector Aspect list

Object list Faceplate

Graphic display

Aspect Preview

T = 67 C

Browse the
aspect server

Aspect Directory

Plant Explorer is based on the concept of Windows Explorer. When viewing a

structure, objects are in the left-hand window (pane) and aspects of the selected
object are in the right-hand window (pane).

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 25 of 36

Context Menus
By right-clicking on an object, the corresponding aspects will appear. Each object
has certain aspects available, which can be different from one object to the other.
Also the aspects have a context menu to handle the aspects themselves

Aspect Context Menu:

Used to handle the aspects

Object Context Menu:

Used to handle the objects

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 26 of 36

 Concept of Structures
The Aspect Object concept allows organization of objects and aspects into
different structures, depending on which context is to be viewed. Structures are
the graphical representations of the relations that exist between different aspect
objects.

Plant Explorer organizes the 800xA system into Structures that can be accessed
from the pull-down menu in the upper left-hand window.

NOTE! The same object can be seen in different structures.

There are 19 structures by default. The use of these structures will vary from
system to system depending upon the needs of the person(s) that are configuring
and using the system.
The majority of time we use only a few of theses structures, which are marked in
blue:
• Control Structure
• Functional Structure
• Location Structure

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 27 of 36

 Structures used for Application Engineering
These are the main application structures of the 800xA system. These structures
are primary structures, because it is assumed that most Application Engineers will
perform most of their work within these structures.

Functional Structure
The Functional Structure describes the functionality of the plant. It is used to
structure the plant into systems and subsystems according to how the plant
equipment operates together.
By this it can also be used to organize displays, alarm sectioning and other
functions that are related to the structure of the plant.

It is built up by placing aspect objects according to their hierarchical relations.

The objects relate to the process and are linked with the Control Structure.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 28 of 36

Control Structure
The Control Structure contains the networks and nodes that are used to control
the process that is the equipment of the system. It is also used to organize the
process control environment in the system.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 29 of 36

 This structure contains control networks, control projects, applications,
controllers, stations, different types of sub-objects (like I/O boards and process
objects as well as signals assigned to different objects within this structure).

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 30 of 36

 Location Structure
The Location Structure is supplied to help the user identify the geography or
location of the objects in the plant. This structure must be built with the
knowledge of what buildings, rooms and locations that exist in the site.

NOTE! The Location Structure is optional for most projects.

Library Structure
The Library Structure is used to categorize and store reusable entities.
It contains all object type libraries and its versions. The object types of these
libraries are stored in Object Type Structure.
It contains the templates for such object types as the Alarm and Event List
configuration, History Logs, and Trends.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 31 of 36

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 32 of 36
 Object Type Structure
Almost all aspect objects are instances of an Object Type. The intent is to make it
possible to create and efficiently re-use standardized solutions to recurring
problems.
An example would be a control valve. Rather than create a new and unique
Aspect Object for every valve in your plant, it would be more efficient to create a
few valve types. When you needed a particular solution, you would use an
instance of one of your valve Object Types.
When you use an instance of that object type, the aspects that are pre-defined for
that object type are automatically instantiated and associated with the new
instance.

Structures used for Administration: User Structure

The User Structure holds the defined users and user groups allowed to work in
the system. You define user roles in the Configuration Wizard.
All users must have a related Windows user account. The user aspect primarily
contains information about a user and what the user is allowed to do within the
system (his user role).

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 33 of 36

 Workplace Structure
The Workplace structure is used to define and create the layout of the screens for
user interface to the system. This includes workplaces for operations,
maintenance, management etc.
The workplace objects types of aspect that can be placed here are numerous, and
they control the layout and function of a workplace, for example tool bars and
menu items.

Service Structure
The Service Structure holds the services. A service provides a function in the
system, for example, the Basic History service is associated with Log
configuration.

The services are arranged into “Service Groups” and within any group there may
be one or more “Service Providers”. One or more services can run on a server
node.

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 34 of 36

 Maintenance Structure
The Maintenance Structure is used to define and work on Backups, System
Configuration Versions, and Synchronizations.

Additional Structures
Other structures that contain important information or may require a one-time
configuration for the system include:
• Admin Structure
• Aspect System Structure
• Node Administration Structure
• Graphics Structure

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 35 of 36

Prepared by: A K Karn Page 36 of 36