FINS Route (Omron)

FINS Overview

The FINS route enables communication with Omron PLCs (CJ, CS, CP, and NJ/NX series) using the FINS (Factory Interface Network Service) protocol. It supports both TCP and UDP transport, multiple memory areas, and bit-level access.

FINS is Omron’s native protocol providing fast, efficient access to PLC memory. For newer NJ/NX series, consider OPC UA as an alternative.

Basic Syntax

DEFINE ROUTE OmronPLC WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
        WITH LOCAL_NODE 0
        WITH REMOTE_NODE 0
    ADD MAPPING ProcessData
        WITH EVERY 500 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG Temperature
            WITH ADDRESS "100"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/temperature"

Connection Configuration

FINS_CONFIG Parameters

string

required

Target Omron device IP address.

integer

FINS protocol port. Default: 9600.

string

Protocol type: TCP or UDP. Default: TCP.

integer

Local node address (0-255). Default: 0.

integer

Remote node address - target PLC (0-255). Default: 0.

integer

Connection timeout in seconds. Default: 2.

integer

Number of retries for FINS communication. Default: 5.

integer

Polling interval in milliseconds. Default: 200.

Connection Examples

TCP Connection
UDP Connection

Standard TCP connection (recommended):

ADD FINS_CONFIG
    WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
    WITH PORT 9600
    WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
    WITH LOCAL_NODE 0
    WITH REMOTE_NODE 0
    WITH TIMEOUT 2
    WITH RETRIES 5

TCP transport for FINS is currently in development. Use UDP for production deployments.

UDP for lower latency:

ADD FINS_CONFIG
    WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
    WITH PORT 9600
    WITH PROTOCOL "UDP"
    WITH LOCAL_NODE 1
    WITH REMOTE_NODE 0
    WITH TIMEOUT 2

UDP requires proper node addressing and may have firewall considerations.

Memory Areas

Omron PLCs organize data in different memory areas:

Memory Type	Code	Description	Access
`CIO`	0	Core I/O and work area	Read/Write
`WR`	1	Work area	Read/Write
`HR`	2	Holding area (retentive)	Read/Write
`AR`	3	Auxiliary area	Read-only
`DM`	4	Data Memory	Read/Write
`CNT`	5	Counter values	Read/Write
`TIM`	6	Timer values	Read/Write
`EM`	7	Extended Memory	Read/Write

DM (Data Memory) is the most commonly used area for user data. CIO is typically used for I/O and internal relays.

Data Types

Data Type	Description	Size
`BOOL`	Boolean (single bit)	1 bit
`BYTE`	Unsigned 8-bit	8 bits
`SINT`	Signed 8-bit integer	8 bits
`USINT`	Unsigned 8-bit integer	8 bits
`INT`	Signed 16-bit integer	16 bits
`UINT` / `WORD`	Unsigned 16-bit integer	16 bits
`DINT`	Signed 32-bit integer	32 bits
`UDINT` / `DWORD`	Unsigned 32-bit integer	32 bits
`LINT`	Signed 64-bit integer	64 bits
`ULINT` / `LWORD`	Unsigned 64-bit integer	64 bits
`REAL` / `FLOAT`	32-bit floating point	32 bits
`LREAL` / `DOUBLE`	64-bit floating point	64 bits
`CHAR`	Single character	8 bits
`WCHAR`	Wide character	16 bits
`TIME`	Time duration	32 bits
`DATE`	Date value	16 bits
`TOD`	Time of day	32 bits
`ASCII`	ASCII string	8 bits
`STRING`	String value (configurable `STRING_SIZE`)	Variable

TAG Configuration

Complete TAG Example

ADD TAG ProcessTemperature
    WITH ADDRESS "100"
    WITH BIT_ADDRESS 0
    WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
    WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
    WITH STRING_SIZE 256
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/process/temperature"
    WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "plc/process/temperature/write"
    WITH WRITABLE "true"
    WITH SCALING 0.1
    WITH OFFSET 0
    WITH UNIT "°C"
    WITH DECIMAL_PLACES 2
    WITH MIN_VALUE -50
    WITH MAX_VALUE 500
    WITH DEADBAND 0.5
    WITH PUBLISH_MODE "JSON"
    WITH DESCRIPTION "Main process temperature sensor"

TAG Parameters

Address Configuration

string

required

Word address in PLC memory (e.g., 100, 200, 500).

integer

Bit address for bit-specific data types (0-15). Used for BOOL values within a word.

string

Memory area: CIO, WR, HR, AR, DM, CNT, TIM, EM. Default: DM.

string

required

FINS data type: BOOL, BYTE, INT, UINT, DINT, UDINT, LINT, ULINT, REAL, LREAL, ASCII, STRING.

integer

Size of string for STRING types. Default: 256.

Value Transformation

double

Multiplier for value transformation. Default: 1.0.

double

Offset added after scaling. Default: 0.0.

integer

Decimal places in output. Default: 2.

Filtering

double

Minimum allowed value.

double

Maximum allowed value.

double

Minimum change to trigger publish. Default: 0.0.

Publishing

string

required

Topic where PLC values are published. Subscribe here to receive sensor data.

string

Topic to send write commands. Publish a value here to write it to the PLC.

string

Output format: VALUE_ONLY or JSON. Default: VALUE_ONLY.

string

Engineering unit for documentation.

string

Human-readable description.

Write Configuration

boolean

Allow writing to this address. Default: false.

Addressing Examples

Word Addressing

Access data at word level:

ADD TAG DataWord100
    WITH ADDRESS "100"
    WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
    WITH DATA_TYPE "INT"
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/dm/100"

Bit Addressing

Access individual bits within a word:

ADD TAG Bit0
    WITH ADDRESS "100"
    WITH BIT_ADDRESS 0
    WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
    WITH DATA_TYPE "BOOL"
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/dm/100.0"

ADD TAG Bit15
    WITH ADDRESS "100"
    WITH BIT_ADDRESS 15
    WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
    WITH DATA_TYPE "BOOL"
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/dm/100.15"

32-bit Values

32-bit values span two consecutive words:

ADD TAG FloatValue
    WITH ADDRESS "200"
    WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
    WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/float"

REAL and DINT types use two consecutive words (e.g., DM200 and DM201).

Event-Based Operations

For on-demand FINS operations (not polling), use the EVENT syntax. Publish a message to SOURCE_TOPIC to trigger the operation; the route executes it and publishes the result to DESTINATION_TOPIC.

Supported Operations

Operation	Description	Query Parameters
`READ`	Read from a memory area on demand	`memory_type`, `address`, `data_type`, `count`
`WRITE`	Write a value to a memory area	`memory_type`, `address`, `data_type`, `value`

Query Parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
`operation`	Operation type: `READ` or `WRITE`	`READ`
`memory_type`	Memory area: `DM`, `CIO`, `WR`, `HR`, `AR`, `TIM`, `CNT`, `EM`	`DM`
`address`	Word address in the memory area	`100`, `200`
`data_type`	FINS data type	`REAL`, `INT`, `UINT`, `DINT`, `BOOL`
`count`	Number of consecutive values to read (READ only)	`10`
`value`	Value to write (WRITE only)	`25.5`, `100`, `true`

Read Example

Read a REAL value from DM area on demand:

ADD EVENT ReadDM
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "fins/commands/read"
    WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "fins/responses/read"
    WITH QUERY "{operation: READ, memory_type: DM, address: 100, data_type: REAL}"

Write Example

Write a REAL value to DM area on demand:

ADD EVENT WriteDM
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "fins/commands/write"
    WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "fins/responses/write"
    WITH QUERY "{operation: WRITE, memory_type: DM, address: 200, data_type: REAL, value: 25.5}"

Complete Examples

Read values from DM area:

DEFINE ROUTE OmronBasic WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
        WITH LOCAL_NODE 0
        WITH REMOTE_NODE 0
    ADD MAPPING DataMemory
        WITH EVERY 500 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG Temperature
            WITH ADDRESS "100"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/temperature"
            WITH SCALING 0.1
            WITH UNIT "°C"
        ADD TAG Pressure
            WITH ADDRESS "102"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/pressure"
            WITH UNIT "bar"
        ADD TAG Counter
            WITH ADDRESS "104"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "DINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/counter"

Read CIO and Work areas:

DEFINE ROUTE OmronIO WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
    ADD MAPPING IOStatus
        WITH EVERY 100 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG DigitalInputs
            WITH ADDRESS "0"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "CIO"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/io/di"
        ADD TAG DigitalOutputs
            WITH ADDRESS "100"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "CIO"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/io/do"
        ADD TAG WorkBits
            WITH ADDRESS "0"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "WR"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/work"

Access individual bits:

DEFINE ROUTE OmronBits WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
    ADD MAPPING BitStatus
        WITH EVERY 100 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG StartButton
            WITH ADDRESS "0"
            WITH BIT_ADDRESS 0
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "CIO"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "BOOL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/buttons/start"
        ADD TAG StopButton
            WITH ADDRESS "0"
            WITH BIT_ADDRESS 1
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "CIO"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "BOOL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/buttons/stop"
        ADD TAG MotorRunning
            WITH ADDRESS "100"
            WITH BIT_ADDRESS 0
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "CIO"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "BOOL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/motor/running"
            WITH WRITABLE "true"
            WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "plc/motor/running/set"

Read timer and counter values:

DEFINE ROUTE OmronTimerCounter WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
    ADD MAPPING TimersCounters
        WITH EVERY 500 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG Timer0
            WITH ADDRESS "0"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "TIM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/timer/0"
            WITH SCALING 0.1
            WITH UNIT "s"
        ADD TAG Timer1
            WITH ADDRESS "1"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "TIM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/timer/1"
        ADD TAG Counter0
            WITH ADDRESS "0"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "CNT"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/counter/0"
        ADD TAG Counter1
            WITH ADDRESS "1"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "CNT"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/counter/1"

Read and write process values:

DEFINE ROUTE OmronControl WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
    ADD MAPPING ControlLoop
        WITH EVERY 200 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG ProcessValue
            WITH ADDRESS "200"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "control/pv"
            WITH UNIT "°C"
            WITH PUBLISH_MODE "JSON"
        ADD TAG Setpoint
            WITH ADDRESS "202"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "control/sp"
            WITH UNIT "°C"
            WITH WRITABLE "true"
            WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "control/sp/write"
            WITH MIN_VALUE 0
            WITH MAX_VALUE 100
        ADD TAG Output
            WITH ADDRESS "204"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "control/output"
            WITH UNIT "%"
        ADD TAG AutoMode
            WITH ADDRESS "206"
            WITH BIT_ADDRESS 0
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "BOOL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "control/auto"
            WITH WRITABLE "true"
            WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "control/auto/write"

Read retentive data from HR area:

DEFINE ROUTE OmronHolding WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
    ADD MAPPING RetentiveData
        WITH EVERY 5 SECONDS
        ADD TAG TotalRuntime
            WITH ADDRESS "0"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "HR"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "DINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/stats/runtime"
            WITH UNIT "seconds"
        ADD TAG ProductionTotal
            WITH ADDRESS "2"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "HR"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "DINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/stats/production"
        ADD TAG LastErrorCode
            WITH ADDRESS "4"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "HR"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "UINT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/stats/error"

Continuous monitoring with on-demand read and write events in the same route:

DEFINE ROUTE FullFINSSetup WITH TYPE FINS
    ADD FINS_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT 9600
        WITH PROTOCOL "TCP"
        WITH LOCAL_NODE 0
        WITH REMOTE_NODE 0
    
    ADD MAPPING ProcessData
        WITH EVERY 500 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG Temperature
            WITH ADDRESS "100"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/temperature"
            WITH UNIT "°C"
        ADD TAG Pressure
            WITH ADDRESS "102"
            WITH MEMORY_TYPE "DM"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/pressure"
            WITH UNIT "bar"
    
    ADD EVENT ReadDM
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "fins/commands/read"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "fins/responses/read"
        WITH QUERY "{operation: READ, memory_type: DM, address: 200, data_type: REAL}"
    
    ADD EVENT WriteDM
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "fins/commands/write"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "fins/responses/write"
        WITH QUERY "{operation: WRITE, memory_type: DM, address: 300, data_type: REAL, value: 0}"

The MAPPING continuously reads temperature and pressure from DM. To trigger an on-demand read, publish any message to fins/commands/read. To write a value, publish to fins/commands/write.

Memory Area Details

CIO - Core I/O

Used for I/O mapping and internal relays
Words 0-99: Typically input/output modules
Words 100-999: Work bits and internal relays
Addresses are PLC model dependent

DM - Data Memory

Main user data storage
Typically DM0-DM32767
Best for process data, setpoints, configuration
Retentive (battery-backed)

HR - Holding Area

Always retentive data
Survives power cycles
Use for counters, totals, settings
Typically HR0-HR511

WR - Work Area

General purpose work bits
Non-retentive (cleared on power cycle)
Fast access for temporary data

TIM/CNT - Timers and Counters

TIM: Timer present values
CNT: Counter present values
Values are 16-bit unsigned
Timer values often in 0.1s units

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

Verify IP address is correct
Check firewall allows port 9600
Ensure PLC Ethernet module is configured
Try both TCP and UDP protocols
Verify node addresses match PLC configuration

Node Address Errors

LOCAL_NODE should be unique on the network
REMOTE_NODE is the target PLC’s node number
Check PLC’s FINS settings for correct node configuration
For direct connections, try 0 for both nodes

Memory Address Errors

Verify address is within valid range for memory type
Check MEMORY_TYPE matches where data is stored
For 32-bit types, ensure two consecutive words are available
BIT_ADDRESS must be 0-15

Timeout Errors

Increase TIMEOUT value
Check network connectivity
Verify PLC is in RUN mode
Reduce POLLING rate if reading many tags
Try TCP instead of UDP

Write Operations Fail

Ensure WRITABLE is “true”
Verify memory area is writable (not AR)
Check PLC is not in monitor mode
Verify value is within data type range

Next Steps

Modbus TCP

Universal industrial protocol support.

Industrial Overview

Common patterns for all industrial routes.

Quick Start

Developing and Managing Coreflux

Coreflux MQTT Broker

LoT Language

Product Updates

FINS Overview

Basic Syntax

Connection Configuration

FINS_CONFIG Parameters

Connection Examples

Memory Areas

Data Types

TAG Configuration

Complete TAG Example

TAG Parameters

Addressing Examples

Word Addressing

Bit Addressing

32-bit Values

Event-Based Operations

Supported Operations

Query Parameters

Read Example

Write Example

Complete Examples

Memory Area Details

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Modbus TCP

Industrial Overview

​FINS Overview

​Basic Syntax

​Connection Configuration

​FINS_CONFIG Parameters

​Connection Examples

​Memory Areas

​Data Types

​TAG Configuration

​Complete TAG Example

​TAG Parameters

​Addressing Examples

​Word Addressing

​Bit Addressing

​32-bit Values

​Event-Based Operations

​Supported Operations

​Query Parameters

​Read Example

​Write Example

​Complete Examples

​Memory Area Details

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Modbus TCP

Industrial Overview

FINS Overview

Basic Syntax

Connection Configuration

FINS_CONFIG Parameters

Connection Examples

Memory Areas

Data Types

TAG Configuration

Complete TAG Example

TAG Parameters

Addressing Examples

Word Addressing

Bit Addressing

32-bit Values

Event-Based Operations

Supported Operations

Query Parameters

Read Example

Write Example

Complete Examples

Memory Area Details

Troubleshooting

Next Steps