Resolving IM-151 Profibus BF/SF Not Reachable in TIA V13

Problem Overview

Adding a Siemens ET200S station on an IM 151-1 HIGH FEATURE (6ES7 151-1BA01-0AB0) to an existing PROFIBUS DP network that is configured in TIA Portal V13 produces a hard bus fault that survives every physical-layer correction. The fault signature is reproducible and tooling-driven, not wire-driven:

• IM 151-1 interface module: BF LED steady ON, SF LED dark
• PM-E power module (6ES7 138-4CB10-0AB0): SF LED steady ON
• S7-300 CPU 315-2 PN/DP (6ES7 315-2FH13-0AB0): SF LED steady ON, BF1 LED flashing at 2 Hz
• TIA Portal V13 Online: the IM 151 device is marked "Not reachable" or shows a red fault badge
• No process I/O is exchanged with the ET200S

Reducing the station to one CPU and one IM 151 with one DI and one DO does not clear the fault. Cable replacement, terminating-resistor toggling, address re-check and empty-slot elimination have no effect. The root cause is not on the copper - it is a configuration-tool compatibility gap in TIA Portal V13 against an older IM 151-1 article number. The wire, the terminating module, the PM-E and the I/O modules are all valid and functional.

Affected Hardware Configuration

The configuration below reproduces the symptom in TIA Portal V13 (all updates up to and including Update 9 on V13 SP1). Every article number is a real Siemens catalog number; none is faulty. The project compiles, downloads, and the CPU enters RUN - only the IM 151 remains offline.

LED Diagnostics Matrix

Interpret the LEDs at the IM, the power module and the CPU before touching the configuration. The combination of states rules out the physical layer and points at the engineering-tool layer.

The reported pattern (IM BF steady + IM SF dark + PM SF steady + CPU SF + CPU BF1 flashing) is the canonical signature of a slave that is on the bus electrically but receives no valid parameterisation frame. That is what happens when the master's configuration packet does not match the slave's GSD-Ident number, which is exactly the case with a TIA V13 project that has been forced to use the 1BA02 in place of the 1BA01.

Root Cause: TIA Portal V13 HSP Gap for IM 151-1BA01

The IM 151-1 HIGH FEATURE 6ES7 151-1BA01-0AB0 was the first High Feature revision of the ET200S interface module. It pre-dates TIA Portal's hardware catalog coverage. TIA Portal V13 ships with a Hardware Support Package (HSP) whose supported-module list is documented in the official Siemens FAQ "Which devices and modules are supported by STEP 7 Professional and WinCC Professional in the TIA Portal?" The 1BA01 article number is not in that list; the listed High Feature article is 1BA02. The hardware catalog may render the 1BA02 as the closest match, but its module-firmware descriptor and the diagnostic interface (DPV1 records 0/1) are not bit-compatible with the 1BA01.

When the project is compiled and downloaded, TIA V13 generates a parameterisation frame addressed to the 1BA02 Ident number. The physical 1BA01 on the shelf receives the frame, parses the Ident number, sees that it does not match its own GSD-Ident, and rejects the frame. The slave stays in the "wait for parameterisation" state, drives BF steady ON, and never answers. The master in turn logs a station-failure event and the BF1 on the CPU flashes. This is why the IM's BF is steady (no parameterisation in progress) and not flashing (which would indicate parameterisation in progress with no process-data handshake).

Why the GSD workaround fails on TIA Portal V13

Importing the 1BA01 GSD from Siemens Entry ID 652154 and configuring the IM as an "Other PROFIBUS device" / DP slave loads the correct Ident number into the project. In TIA Portal V13 the IM becomes online-visible, the master is configured, and the project compiles. After download the IM still does not come up. The reason is that the V13 DP-master runtime uses HSP-driven diagnostic records; the GSD-only import path bypasses those records, and the CPU's diagnostic buffer logs 39B1 Station failure / 39C1 DP master parameterisation error repeatedly. The frame is well-formed, but the master's diagnostic integration does not match the legacy GSD profile. The GSD path is a dead end on TIA V13; the same GSD works correctly in STEP 7 V5.4 / V5.5.

Confirmation Procedure

Confirm the support gap before changing the configuration tool. Five checks take three minutes and rule out physical-layer and configuration-slot causes.

1. Open the project in TIA Portal V13 and select Options > Support Packages. Confirm that the latest HSP is installed (HSP 0180 or later for V13 SP1 Update 9). Older HSPs do not improve support for the 1BA01.
2. In the hardware catalog, expand Distributed I/O > ET200S > Interface modules > IM151-1 High Feature. Read the article number rendered in the catalog pane. If the article is 6ES7 151-1BA02-0AB0 only, the 1BA01 is not in the catalog - the support gap is confirmed.
3. Open the device properties of the IM 151 in the project, then the Catalog Information tab. The Order Number shown there is what the project will use to build the parameterisation frame. If it is the 1BA02, the 1BA01 on the bench will never come up.
4. Cross-check with the FAQ 67585099. The 1BA01 is absent on the supported list.
5. Capture the diagnostic buffer of the CPU 315-2FH13. The buffer typically contains one or more entries with Event ID 39B1 (Station failure), sometimes 39B2 (Station return) followed immediately by 39B1, and a 39C1 (DP master parameterisation error) after a download. The 39C1 confirms the parameterisation-frame Ident mismatch.

If all five checks pass, the wire and the IM firmware are fine. The fault is in the tool chain. Move to the solution.

Solution Path A: Configure in STEP 7 V5.4 / V5.5 (recommended)

The 1BA01 is fully supported in STEP 7 V5.4 with Service Pack 5 (or later) and in STEP 7 V5.5 with Service Pack 2 (or later). Commission the ET200S in V5; once it is running, either keep the V5 project or migrate it into TIA Portal V13 with a V5 project migration.

Prerequisites

• STEP 7 V5.4 SP5 or V5.5 SP2 installed on a separate engineering station. TIA Portal V13 and STEP 7 V5 may coexist on the same machine; the V5 install does not corrupt a TIA project.
• The GSD file for the 1BA01 (download from Siemens Entry ID 652154).
• An MPI or PROFIBUS programming cable to download to the CPU 315-2FH13. A PC Adapter USB (6ES7 972-0CB20-0XA0) is the typical choice.
• Read/write access to the CPU 315-2FH13. Clear know-how protection or supply the password before download.

Step-by-step

1. Launch SIMATIC Manager and create or open the V5 project. If the current project is a TIA Portal V13 project, create a new V5 project - the V13 → V5 reverse migration is not supported by Siemens.
2. Install the GSD: Options > Install GSD File. Point to the 1BA01 GSD (commonly SIEM80BF.GSD). Restart HW Config when prompted.
3. Insert a SIMATIC 300 station. Place the CPU 315-2FH13-0AB0 on slot 2. Place a 24 V power supply on slot 1 (for example 6ES7 307-1EA01-0AA0).
4. Drag the IM 151-1 HIGH FEATURE (article 6ES7 151-1BA01-0AB0) from the catalog onto the PROFIBUS(1) subnet of the CPU.
5. Double-click the IM 151 and set the PROFIBUS address to 4 in the properties. Open the device configuration and place the modules in the same order as the physical station:
   • Slot 1: 6ES7 138-4CB10-0AB0 (PM-E DC24V)
   • Slot 2: 6ES7 131-4BF00-0AA0 (4 DI)
   • Slot 3: 6ES7 132-4BF00-0AA0 (4 DO)
6. Verify that 6ES7 193-4JA00-0AA0 (TM-P15N23-01) is the last physical module in the station. Save and compile (Station > Save and Compile, Ctrl+S).
7. Download the hardware configuration to the CPU using the PROFIBUS interface. Use the online interface selection PC Adapter (MPI/DP) if downloading over PROFIBUS, or the Ethernet interface if a PN link exists.
8. Watch the LEDs. Within 2 to 3 seconds after download the IM 151 BF should go OFF, the SF should remain OFF (or pulse briefly for the slot check), the PM SF should go OFF, and the CPU BF1 should extinguish. The diagnostic buffer should log a single 39B2 (Station return) and no further 39B1 entries.

If a long-term TIA Portal project is required, the V5 project can be migrated: in TIA Portal V13 SP1 (Update 9 or later) choose Project > Migrate project. The IM 151-1BA01 migrates as a known device, and the project can then be maintained in TIA Portal. Migration requires the source to be V5.5 SP2 format with all relevant HSP installed in TIA.

Solution Path B: Replace the IM 151-1BA01 with a TIA-Supported Variant

When the customer policy is "TIA Portal only" and the V5 detour is not acceptable, replace the 1BA01 with a 1BA02 or a newer IM 151-1 variant that is on the TIA V13 supported list. The mechanical footprint, backplane bus and terminal assignments are identical - the swap is drop-in. Confirm the order number against the TIA Portal V13 catalog and the FAQ 67585099 before ordering.

The 1BA02 accepts the same parameterisation slot layout as the 1BA01 for the modules in this configuration (PM-E, 4DI, 4DO). No rewiring and no terminal-block rework is required. Only the GSD-Ident on the diagnostic block changes, which is transparent to the application.

PROFIBUS Physical-Layer Verification

Even after a tool-level fix, verify the physical layer. Bad termination produces the same BF signature and can mask a clean configuration. The checks below take ten minutes and rule out the wire before any further work is done.

1. Terminating resistors. Set the terminating resistor on the DP-master connector (X2 of the CPU or a 6ES7 972-0BA12-0XA0 connector) to ON. Set the terminating resistor on the very last physical PROFIBUS node to ON. All other nodes must be OFF. The 193-4JA00-0AA0 terminating module on the ET200S terminates the backplane bus, not the PROFIBUS cable - it is not a substitute for the cable terminator.
2. Cable type. Use PROFIBUS DP cable type A (Siemens 6XV1 830-0EH10 or equivalent). Impedance 135-165 ohm, capacitance < 30 pF/m, loop resistance < 110 ohm/km.
3. Cable length vs baud rate. Use the table below to verify that the segment length is within spec for the configured baud rate.
4. Shielding. Bond the cable shield to ground at both ends, and to intermediate cabinet ground bars where the cable enters a new cabinet, using EMC glands or Siemens PROFIBUS connectors that expose a 360-degree shield clamp. Floating shields at one end produce intermittent BF under vibration or EMI bursts.
5. Address switch. The IM 151 address switches (1..7 = address bits) must match the address in HW Config. Address 0 and addresses above 125 are illegal on PROFIBUS DP. The "bottom DIP" (the second switch block under the address) is the "no address change at power-up" / service-mode switch - it must be OFF for normal operation. Setting it to ON places the IM into firmware-update / no-parameterisation mode and leaves BF steady.
6. Connector torque. Re-tighten the PROFIBUS connectors to 0.6-0.8 Nm. A loose connector on a vibrating cabinet is a common source of intermittent BF.

If a longer distance is required, use a PROFIBUS repeater (6ES7 972-0AA02-0XA0). Each repeater restarts the segment-length budget on its far side. Do not chain more than three repeaters between any two nodes; beyond three, token rotation exceeds the PROFIBUS timeout and BF reappears as a logical-layer fault.

ET200S Backplane Verification

The IM 151-1 backplane bus has its own rules. The conditions below all produce "IM BF steady + PM SF steady" and must be excluded.

• Missing terminating module 6ES7 193-4JA00-0AA0 on the last slot. The IM sees an open backplane and reports bus fault. The PM SF LED lights up because the backplane diagnostic is reported on the PM.
• Empty slot in the configuration. If HW Config has no module at a slot that physically has one, the IM reports slot mismatch and the module that does not match produces SF.
• Slot with a 4DI in HW Config but a 4DO physically. The module reports "incorrect module type" and the IM drives SF.
• Power module under-voltage. If L+ drops below 19.2 V (24 V minus 20%), the PM generates diagnostic and the IM de-asserts DP communication. Measure L+ at the PM terminals with the station loaded.
• Module insertion order. The PM-E must be in slot 1. Plugging a PM into slot 2 is mechanically possible but invalid; the backplane arbitration fails and PM SF goes on.

TIA Portal HSP Mechanism

Understanding how TIA Portal resolves a device during compile helps to interpret the failure cleanly. The compile process follows a deterministic chain:

1. The hardware catalog entry is matched to the Order Number string in the device properties. The order number is the primary key; display name is cosmetic.
2. The matching entry resolves a module type identifier, a module firmware descriptor (for HSP-installed devices), and a GSD reference (for legacy GSD-installed devices).
3. During compile, TIA generates a DPV0 parameterisation frame containing the slot layout and the GSD-Ident (a 16-bit value, vendor-specific) for each slave.
4. At download, the frame is written to the master's DP interface. The master transmits the frame on PROFIBUS. The slave compares the received GSD-Ident against its own; if they differ, the slave stays in "wait for parameterisation".

The IM 151-1BA01 GSD-Ident is 0x80BF (visible in the GSD file header as GSD_Revision and Ident_Number). The 1BA02 has a different Ident number, which is why parameterisation fails even though the slot layout is identical. The HSP can be updated in TIA via Options > Support Packages > Install HSP; the latest HSP for V13 SP1 Update 9 is HSP 0270 (or later) - none of them add 1BA01 support, which is by Siemens design (the article has been retired).

Commissioning Verification

Run a deterministic verification after the configuration fix and the physical-layer pass.

1. Power-cycle the ET200S. Within 3 s the IM 151 BF and SF must be OFF, the PM SF must be OFF.
2. In TIA Portal V13 (or V5) open Online & Diagnostics on the IM 151 device. The status field should read "OK" and the slave state should be "Data exchange".
3. Force a bit in the DI module and verify it in the PLC tag table. Force a bit in the PLC tag table to the DO module and verify the corresponding output is at 24 V referenced to L-.
4. Read the CPU diagnostic buffer. There should be a 39B2 (Station return) entry followed by no further 39B1. The cyclic DP status word (in STL: L PIB 0 / L PED 0 of the configured I/O area) should be 0xFF / 0xFFFF / 0xFFFFFFFF depending on width.
5. Run the station for 24 hours and re-check the buffer. A re-occurrence of 39B1 within 24 hours points back to the physical layer (loose connector, ground loop, EMI) rather than the configuration.

Migration Path to ET200S PROFINET (long-term)

If the plant is moving from PROFIBUS to PROFINET, the equivalent device is the ET200S with an IM 151-3 PN. The I/O modules, terminals and the mechanical form are identical - only the interface module is replaced. The same PM-E, 4DI and 4DO modules are used. This path removes the PROFIBUS cable and the V5/TIA configuration question simultaneously.

For stations that must remain on PROFIBUS but need a TIA-only toolchain, the recommended target is IM 151-1 HIGH FEATURE 6ES7 151-1BA02-0AB0.

Quick Diagnostic Procedure (5-minute field check)

1. Read the order number on the IM 151 label. If the last block is 1BA01-0AB0, you are in the TIA V13 support gap. Skip to Solution A or B.
2. If the order number is 1BA02, go to physical-layer checks.
3. With the CPU online in TIA V13, open Online & Diagnostics on the IM 151. The Module information tab shows the actual article and the configured article. If they differ, the diagnostic block is wired correctly and the project is the problem.
4. Disconnect the bus connector at the CPU side. The IM 151 BF should remain ON, the CPU BF1 should go steady (bus disconnected at the master). If the CPU BF1 changes to a different pattern, you have a wiring problem between CPU and IM.
5. Reconnect. Re-check. If BF1 returns to flashing and IM BF stays steady, the IM is not answering - tool/configuration layer.

Fault Code Reference

When the diagnostic buffer shows 39C1 after a download and the IM stays at BF steady, the fix is the tool-side one (Solution A or B), not the wire.

FAQ