PL

ProtoLink 1.1.0

Troubleshooting

A practical checklist for launching the local web UI and diagnosing Modbus TCP/RTU connections

Local UI does not open

  • Make sure the app is running.
  • Open http://127.0.0.1:8000 manually.
  • Check http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/healthz - expected status ok and version 1.1.0.
  • If port 8000 is busy, close the other process and restart ProtoLink.

Modbus TCP does not respond

  • Check IP/host and TCP port, usually 502 or the value from device documentation.
  • Verify network, VPN, or VLAN reachability.
  • Check Unit ID and register type: coils, discrete inputs, input registers, or holding registers.
  • Lower count and increase timeout on unstable networks.

Modbus RTU is silent

  • Check COM/serial port, baudrate, parity, stop bits, and byte size.
  • Check Unit ID 1..247 and close other apps that may hold the port.
  • Check A/B wiring, GND, adapter power, termination/biasing, and cable length.
  • Increase timeout and lower count for slow devices.

COM/serial port is not visible

  • Windows: check Device Manager and CH340/FTDI/CP210x or vendor driver.
  • Linux: look for /dev/ttyUSB* or /dev/ttyACM*; add the user to dialout and log in again.
  • macOS: for outgoing serial connections usually choose /dev/cu.* instead of /dev/tty.*.

Values look wrong

  • Verify 0/1-based addressing in the device documentation.
  • Select the correct register type and function code.
  • For multi-register values, check byte order and word swap.
  • Compare HEX and DEC to separate data format issues from wrong addresses.

Writes fail

  • ProtoLink supports single and multiple writes for coils and holding registers.
  • The device may block writes to a specific address or require another mode.
  • Check value ranges, register type, and value lists for multiple writes.

Information to collect before asking for help

  • OS and ProtoLink version
  • screenshot of the TCP/RTU form
  • host/port or COM parameters
  • Unit ID, address, count, register type
  • error text from activity log
  • /api/healthz result
  • device model and register map excerpt

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Open the download page and choose the version for your platform.

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