Resolving SINA_POS Invalid Data Type in TIA Portal V14

Resolving SINA_POS "Invalid Data Type" Error in TIA Portal V14 with SINAMICS S110 over PROFINET

The SINA_POS function block shipped with the Siemens DriveLib library is the standard programming interface for commanding positioning moves on the SINAMICS S110 basic positioning drive over PROFINET. When porting a project that was originally built against TIA Portal V13 SP1 or V13 SP2 into a V14 environment, many integrators encounter an "invalid data type" compilation error on the SINA_POS instance data block or on the input connector at the setpoint slot. This article documents the root cause, the two official Siemens workarounds, the underlying HW_IO mechanism, and a full commissioning verification procedure.

1. Problem Description

During compilation or online download of an S7-1200/S7-1500 program that contains an instance of the SINA_POS function block, the TIA Portal V14 compiler reports a type-mismatch error similar to the following:

[Error]   Block "DB_SinaPos" instance generation failed.
[Error]   Input "HWIDSetpointSlot": Type "HW_IO" expected, "WORD" supplied.
[Error]   Block compilation aborted: 1 error(s), 0 warning(s).

The error is raised by the TIA Portal PLC code generator when the symbolic I/O address of the SINAMICS drive's setpoint slot is wired to a plain WORD or INT tag rather than to a variable declared with the system type HW_IO (hardware identifier). The block signature shipped with the DriveLib V14 FB requires a hardware identifier at input HWIDSetpointSlot. Older V13 SP2 projects typically passed a plain INT tag, which was accepted by the V13 SP2 FB signature but is no longer type-compatible with V14.

1.1 Symptoms Observed in the Field

• Project compiles cleanly under TIA Portal V13 SP2 / V13 SP1 but fails immediately under V14.
• PLC goes to STOP with diagnostic buffer entry referencing SINA_POS instance DB.
• Error reappears after every Compile > Software (rebuild all blocks).
• Updating only the firmware of the S7-1200/S7-1500 CPU does not clear the error.

2. Root Cause Analysis

The SINA_POS function block is delivered as part of the DriveLib package and is regenerated on import to match the active TIA Portal version. Between V13 SP2 and V14, Siemens tightened the type checking on hardware identifiers used for direct I/O access. Concretely:

1. V13 SP2 signature: HWIDSetpointSlot : WORD
2. V14 signature: HWIDSetpointSlot : HW_IO

The V14 compiler rejects a value of type WORD at an input declared HW_IO. Because the block instance is regenerated each time the project is upgraded, simply re-importing the V13 SP2 FB into a V14 project will not fix the project – the regenerated block adopts the new signature, and the existing instance data block then mismatches the FB signature at compile time.

Two equivalent solutions are officially supported:

• Workaround A (project-level): Replace the WORD/INT tag wired to HWIDSetpointSlot with a variable explicitly typed HW_IO, sourced from the device configuration's hardware identifier of the SINAMICS S110 setpoint telegram slot.
• Workaround B (library-level): Download the latest DriveLib package from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal and replace the locally installed library; then recompile.

3. SINAMICS S110 PROFINET Integration Requirements

The SINAMICS S110 is a single-axis servo drive with built-in basic positioning functionality (EPos). Over PROFINET it exposes its setpoint and actual-value interfaces through telegram slots configured in the device view of TIA Portal. The S110 PROFINET control unit (CU305 PN, FW ≥ 4.4 for full EPos basic) supports the standard PROFIdrive telegram types listed in the table below.

For EPos operation with SINA_POS, the default telegram is 111 (Siemens-specific positioning) or telegram 7 (standard PROFIdrive positioning). The setpoint slot address that must be passed to HWIDSetpointSlot is the hardware identifier of this telegram slot as assigned by TIA Portal during device configuration.

3.1 Hardware Identifier (HWID) Explained

A hardware identifier is a 32-bit system tag, type HW_IO, generated by TIA Portal for every I/O submodule, telegram slot, or submodule head. It is the runtime address handed to the PROFINET stack when RDREC/WRREC or direct slot access is performed. SINA_POS uses the setpoint slot HWID to issue WRREC writes to the drive's acyclic parameter channel and direct slot reads for cyclic PZD exchange.

The HWID can be retrieved from the device configuration by selecting the telegram slot and reading the value from the System Constants / Constants tab, or by inspecting the generated PLC tags under PLC > PLC tags > Default tag table.

4. Pre-Upgrade Audit Checklist

Before applying either workaround, validate the following:

1. Drive FW ≥ 4.4 SP3 on the CU305 PN (required for full EPos basic compatibility with DriveLib V14).
2. PROFINET device name assigned to the S110 (e.g., s110-axis1) and matching the topology.
3. Telegram type in the device view matches the drive parameter p0922 (or in Starter/SIMOTION Scout, the configured telegram).
4. DriveLib package version is recorded (Help > Installed software > Add-ons).
5. CPU firmware of the S7-1200/S7-1500 is compatible with TIA V14: S7-1200 ≥ FW 4.2; S7-1500 ≥ FW 2.0.

5. Workaround A — Create a Proper HW_IO Variable

This is the recommended, project-level fix because it works regardless of which DriveLib build is currently installed and avoids dependency on external updates.

5.1 Create the HW_IO Tag

1. In the TIA Portal project tree, expand the S7-1200/S7-1500 PLC and open PLC tags > Default tag table.
2. Add a new tag with the following properties:

   Name:        s110_SetpointSlot_HWID
   Data type:   HW_IO   (system type, type "HW Submodule ID")
   Address:     (leave blank — HWID is assigned by the device config)

3. Right-click the tag and select "Set as PLC constant" if you want to hard-wire the value, or leave it as a tag if multiple axes are present.

5.2 Source the HWID from Device Configuration

1. Open Devices & Networks and select the SINAMICS S110 PROFINET node.
2. In the device view, click the telegram submodule slot (e.g., telegram 111 submodule).
3. Open Properties > System constants (or in older TIA builds, Properties > General > Constants).
4. Locate the constant named HWIDSetpointSlot or similar; note the numeric value (e.g., 259).
5. Assign this value to the tag created in 5.1. Alternatively, drag-and-drop the constant directly onto the SINA_POS input — TIA Portal will auto-create an HW_IO tag in the process.

5.3 Wire the Tag to SINA_POS

Open the SINA_POS instance DB or the FB call in your program. Replace the existing tag at input HWIDSetpointSlot with the new s110_SetpointSlot_HWID tag:

// Before (fails under V14):
"DB_SinaPos".HWIDSetpointSlot := 258;        // plain INT literal — invalid

// After (compiles cleanly):
"DB_SinaPos".HWIDSetpointSlot := "s110_SetpointSlot_HWID";  // HW_IO

5.4 Recompile and Download

1. Right-click the S7 program > Compile > Software (rebuild all blocks).
2. Confirm that no errors reference the HWIDSetpointSlot input.
3. Download to the CPU; the CPU should leave STOP mode without the type-mismatch diagnostic.

6. Workaround B — Update the DriveLib Package

If multiple projects in a fleet exhibit the same fault, the cleaner remedy is to upgrade the DriveLib package installed in TIA Portal. The latest DriveLib V14 SP1 package contains the corrected SINA_POS FB with full V14 signature compliance and additional diagnostic outputs.

6.1 Download and Install

1. Open the Siemens Industry Online Support portal and search for "DriveLib" entry ID 109475044. This is the canonical KB article for the DriveLib positioning blocks and lists every compatible TIA Portal version.
2. Download the DriveLib V14 SP1 (or later) self-installing package.
3. Close TIA Portal completely (no hidden instances).
4. Run the installer as Administrator; restart the PC when prompted.
5. Re-open TIA Portal and verify the new library appears under Libraries > Project library > Global libraries.

6.2 Update the Project

1. In the project tree, open the global library containing the old SINA_POS.
2. Right-click the block > Update.
3. Choose "Replace all instances" so existing instance DBs are regenerated against the new signature.
4. Compile the project; the type-mismatch error should disappear automatically.

7. SINA_POS Interface Reference (V14 Signature)

The input and output interface of the V14 SINA_POS FB (per Siemens manual section 5.1.5 of the DriveLib documentation) is summarized below.

7.1 Input Interface

7.2 Output Interface

8. Telegram Configuration Procedure (SINAMICS S110)

To ensure the telegram slot HWID is stable across recompiles, follow this procedure when first wiring the S110 to the project.

1. In Devices & Networks, drag the SINAMICS S110 from the catalog (search "6SL3") onto the PROFINET network.
2. Click the S110 node and switch to Device view.
3. In the device catalog (right pane), navigate to PROFINET IO > Submodules and select Telegram 111 (or 7 for standard PROFIdrive).
4. Insert the telegram submodule into the appropriate slot (typically slot 1).
5. Verify the parameter list in the inspector matches the drive FW (use Compare values).
6. Compile and download the device configuration. TIA Portal will now generate the HWID constants under PLC > PLC tags > System constants.
7. Note the HWID; for example, on a typical configuration you may see:

   s110_Telegram111_HWID  HW_IO = 264

9. Verification and Commissioning

After applying either workaround, run this verification sequence to confirm correct operation:

1. Compile clean — no type errors referencing SINA_POS.
2. Online > Go online with the CPU; verify connection is established and CPU is in RUN.
3. Monitor AxisEnabled — should toggle TRUE when the drive returns ZSW1 bit 0 = "Ready to switch on".
4. Run a homing sequence (ExecuteMode = 3) and confirm the drive reaches the homing reference without Error flagging.
5. Execute a relative move (ExecuteMode = 0) at low velocity (e.g., 1000 LU/min) and confirm AxisPosition tracks the commanded move.
6. Trigger CancelTraversing mid-motion and confirm the drive decelerates along the configured ramp.
7. Check the S110's STARTER / Web server diagnostic page — the cyclic PZD exchange should be active (p8812 = topology, no F08501 diagnostic).

10. Common SINA_POS Error Codes

The ErrorID word on the SINA_POS output returns DriveLib diagnostic values. Some frequently encountered codes:

11. Frequently Asked Questions