Panasonic MEWTOCOL
MEWTOCOL is the communication protocol used by the FP series PLCs from Panasonic (formerly Matsushita) of Japan.
Supported series: FP-X / FP-XH / FP0R / FP2 / FP-Sigma / FP7
You will frequently encounter these PLCs on small packaging, food, and pharmaceutical lines.
Registration Form Entries
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| IP address | IP of the PLC | 192.168.0.120 |
| Port | MEWTOCOL port | 9094 (standard / varies by model) |
| Station number (station) | Station in a multi-PLC environment | 1 (usually 1 for a standalone unit) |
On the PLC side, in Control FPWIN / Pro7 go to [Communication Settings] → enable MEWTOCOL/Ethernet or MEWTOCOL7, then check the port.
The FP7 supports both the newer MEWTOCOL7 (binary) and the legacy MEWTOCOL-COM (ASCII). The gateway auto-negotiates either one, but the port and enable/disable state must match the PLC settings exactly.
PLC Address Notation for Tags
Panasonic memory areas and their short notation:
| Notation | Area | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
DT100 | Data register 100 | Most common, 16-bit |
LD100 | Link data register | 16-bit |
FL100 | File register | 16-bit |
WX5 | External input word | 16-bit (16 X bits) |
WY5 | External output word | 16-bit |
WR5 | Internal relay word | 16-bit |
R0.0 | Bit 0 of internal relay 0 | 1 bit |
X0 | Input bit | 1 bit |
Y0 | Output bit | 1 bit |
T0 | Timer | |
C0 | Counter |
Bit / Word Notation
<area><number>→ word / bit (determined automatically by area)R<number>.<bit>→ bit position within a relay (hex 0–F)<area><number>:<data-type>→ explicit data type (e.g.DT100:REAL)
Data Type Matching
| PLC value | Data type | Type modifier | PLC address example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bit (R, X, Y) | Boolean | (leave empty) | R0.0, X0, Y0 |
| 16-bit integer | Integer | (leave empty) | DT100 |
| 16-bit unsigned | Integer | UI | DT100 |
| 32-bit integer (DT100+DT101) | Integer | DW | DT100 |
| 32-bit float | Float | REAL | DT200 |
| 64-bit float | Double | LREAL | DT300 |
| String of N words (= 2N characters) | String | STR[N] | DT500 |
Panasonic PLCs also store 32-bit values across two words (DT100 = lower, DT101 = upper). Make sure the extra word is available.
Common Problems and Solutions
| Symptom / message | Possible cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "Connection refused" | MEWTOCOL/Ethernet disabled | Control FPWIN → Communication Settings → enable the port |
| "Wrong station" | Station number mismatch | Enter the station value exactly as set on the PLC |
All values 0 | Wrong area code / number | Verify the same address works in the FPWIN Watch window |
| 32-bit values look wrong | Width not specified | Specify DW / REAL in the type modifier |
| Bit position notation error | The bit position of R0.0 is hexadecimal (0–F) | Use a single hex digit, as in R0.A |
Frequently Used Examples
| Tag name | PLC address | Data type | Type modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run signal | R0.0 | Boolean | (leave empty) |
| Counter | DT100 | Integer | (leave empty) |
| Temperature | DT200 | Float | REAL |
| Cumulative run time | DT102 | Integer | DW |
| Batch name | DT500 | String | STR[10] |
More Detailed Examples / Automated Registration
See the MEWTOCOL examples in Advanced — REST API.