Schneider Magelis — Vijeo Designer 'Equipment Offline'

Schneider · intermediate · 25 min

A Magelis/Harmony HMI showing equipment offline in Vijeo Designer almost always has a Modbus Unit ID, serial-parameter, or IP mismatch between the driver equipment and the real device. Check the configuration, not the panel.

ℹ️ Vijeo Designer exposes an offline flag you can read on-screen: the system variable @sys:1 = 2 means the driver timed out talking to that equipment. Use it to confirm the panel is trying and failing, then fix the mismatch.

Confirm it's a driver timeout

On a Schneider Magelis / Harmony HMI running Vijeo Designer, an 'equipment offline' condition means the driver attempted to communicate with the configured device and timed out. You can confirm this on the panel: the system variable @sys:1 for that equipment reads 2 when the driver is offline. That tells you the panel is trying but the device isn't answering — now find the mismatch.

The number-one cause: Modbus Unit ID mismatch

The most common cause of Vijeo Designer communication errors (including 'Invalid PLC Family/Model/Type' and offline equipment) is that the Modbus Unit ID of the server device is different from the Unit ID defined in the Modbus Driver Equipment in the Vijeo Designer project. Confirm the device's actual Modbus address/Unit ID and set the Driver Equipment to match.

Serial vs. Ethernet checks

Serial (Modbus RTU)

  • Verify transmission speed (baud), parity, stop bits, and the slave equipment address all match the device.
  • Confirm the cable is in the correct port (COM1 vs COM2) that the driver is configured to use.

Ethernet (Modbus TCP)

  • Ensure the HMI IP and the slave device IP are not the same and are on the same subnet.
  • Confirm the Unit ID configured for the TCP device is correct.

Other causes

  • Wrong protocol / path — the driver in Vijeo Designer is set for a protocol or path that doesn't match how the device actually communicates.
  • Register mismatch — the panel reads registers/addresses the device doesn't map; align the addresses between target and slave.

Step-by-step

  1. Read @sys:1 for the equipment to confirm the offline (timeout) state.
  2. Match the Modbus Unit ID in the Driver Equipment to the real device address — the top cause.
  3. Serial: verify baud/parity/stop/address and the physical COM port.
  4. Ethernet: verify distinct IPs, same subnet, and correct Unit ID.
  5. Protocol/path: confirm the driver matches the device's actual protocol.
  6. Registers: correct any address/register mismatch.
  7. Download the corrected Vijeo Designer project and confirm the equipment comes online (@sys:1 returns to the online value).

Verify

Once corrected, the equipment status clears to online and tags update live. If @sys:1 still reads 2, the driver is still timing out — recheck the Unit ID/address first, then the physical layer.

Key points

  • Vijeo Designer's @sys:1 = 2 for an equipment means the driver timed out (offline) — confirm the panel is trying and failing.
  • The top cause is a Modbus Unit ID mismatch between the device and the Modbus Driver Equipment in the project.
  • Serial: match baud, parity, stop bits, slave address, and the correct COM port (COM1 vs COM2).
  • Ethernet: distinct IPs on the same subnet and the correct Unit ID for the TCP device.
  • Also check for a wrong protocol/path or a register/address mismatch, then re-download the project.

Codes and symptoms

@sys:1 = 2 — Driver offline (timeout)
The Vijeo Designer driver attempted to communicate with the equipment and timed out.
Invalid PLC Family/Model/Type — Modbus configuration mismatch
Commonly a Modbus Unit ID mismatch between the device and the configured Driver Equipment.