Integrating Cole Parmer - Measuring Device with Tulip, Connected via Ethernet

Support, Troubleshooting, & Help
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How can I get data into tulip application from Cole Parmer -Measuring Device connected via Ethernet?

Cole Parmer Device - ETHERNET PORT SETTINGS
Procedure:
Select < Ethernet> communication port, next set appropriate values:
• DHCP - Yes – No
• IP - 192.168.0.2
•Subnet - 255.255.255.0
• Default - 192.168.0.1
CAUTION!
Above settings serve information purposes only. Transmission parameters should be selected in accordance with the settings of customer’s local network.

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Hi Abhishek,

Good question. Since your Cole Parmer device uses Ethernet, the best way to bring data into Tulip is through an Edge Device using a TCP or Ethernet-based driver. Tulip Edge devices can communicate directly with equipment on the same network.

First, check your device manual to see which protocol it uses for communication, such as Modbus TCP or a custom TCP protocol. Once you know that, you can select the right driver in Tulip:

  • If it supports Modbus TCP, use the built-in Modbus driver on your Edge device.

  • If it uses a custom TCP protocol, you can use the Generic TCP driver or develop a custom driver using the Edge SDK.

Make sure your Cole Parmer device and the Tulip Edge device are on the same subnet so they can reach each other. You can use the IP settings you shared as a starting point, but confirm them with your local network configuration.

If you can share the exact Cole Parmer model number, I can point you to the most fitting driver or setup steps. In some cases, contacting Cole Parmer support for protocol documentation helps confirm which communication method will work best with Tulip.

1 Like
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Model: Cole Parmer TB-800-1000.
Link for the model: Cole-Parmer TB-800-1000 Precision Toploading Balance with Touchscreen, 1000g x 1mg, External Calibration from Cole-Parmer India

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Link for documentation: Cole-Parmer TB-800 Balance Series Manual

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Hi Amit,

Thanks for sharing the model and manual links. From the TB-800-1000 documentation, it looks like the balance uses a serial command protocol that can also run over Ethernet as a virtual COM port or TCP stream. It doesn’t appear to support Modbus TCP natively.

To point you to the right setup, could you confirm a few details?

  • Will it connect to a PC running Tulip Player or a Tulip Edge Device (Edge IO or Edge MC)?

  • Is it using DHCP or a static IP, and on the same subnet as Tulip?

  • Do you just need to read weight data, or also send commands like tare or zero?

If it’s a simple readout, the Generic TCP or Serial (Player Only) driver should work depending on where it’s connected. Once you confirm the connection type and goal, I can outline the right driver and configuration steps.

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Hi Nicolo,

Thanks for the detailed follow-up.

  1. The balance will connect to a PC running Tulip Player.

  2. It is configured to use DHCP.

  3. We need to read weight data and also send commands like tare and zero.

Given this setup, could you guide us on the appropriate driver and configuration steps?
Also, if we go with the Serial (Player Only) driver, could you please share how we can send commands and receive responses using that driver? Any examples or documentation on the communication format would be really helpful.

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Hi Amit,

Thanks for the update. Since the balance will be connected to a PC running Tulip Player and you need to both read weight data and send commands like tare and zero, you can use the Serial (Player Only) driver. The TB-800 uses a serial command protocol, and when the Ethernet driver from Cole Parmer is installed, the balance appears in Windows as a virtual COM port.

Steps:

  1. Install the virtual COM port driver so the scale shows up as a COM port in Device Manager.

  2. In Tulip Player settings, enable the Serial Driver.

  3. In your Tulip app, use the Serial Connect function to connect to that COM port. Set the baud rate, data bits, stop bits, and parity according to the Communication Protocol section of the TB-800 manual.

  4. Use Send to send commands. For example, the TB-800 uses ASCII commands that end with carriage return + line feed:
    S\r\n (send weight once)
    T\r\n (tare)

  5. The scale will send back a text line for each reading. Tulip will receive that through the Serial Message event, where you can display the value or store it in a variable.

Serial Driver documentation: Serial driver
TB-800 Communication Protocol (command list): https://pim-resources.coleparmer.com/instruction-manual/10102-00-22-cole-parmer-tb-800-balance-series-manual.pdf