Selecting CP 5613 A3 / CP 5623 for CM 1243-5 PROFIBUS Communication at 430 m

1. Problem Overview

A SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU equipped with the CM 1243-5 communications module must communicate over PROFIBUS DP to a WinCC Runtime Advanced V16 station (PC-based HMI/SCADA) installed in a Dell or Lenovo industrial PC. The physical separation between the PLC cabinet and the HMI PC is 430 m, which is the central sizing constraint because PROFIBUS segment length is bounded by the selected baud rate and the cable characteristics.

The decision space covers:

• The PROFIBUS master on the PC side (CP 5612 / CP 5613 A3 / CP 5622 / CP 5623)
• The PROFIBUS cable type (6XV1830-0EH10 FC Standard Cable GP or equivalent)
• The achievable baud rate at 430 m, which dictates whether a repeater, OLM, or fiber segment is mandatory
• The HARDNET-PB DP software license required to operate the PC as a DP class 1/2 master under WinCC Runtime Advanced V16

This reference gathers the cable-length limits, the order numbers, the licensing, and the TIA Portal / SIMATIC commissioning steps required to bring the link up reliably.

2. CM 1243-5 PROFIBUS DP Master – Technical Summary

The CM 1243-5 (article number 6GK7243-5DX30-0XE0) is the PROFIBUS DP master module for the SIMATIC S7-1200 family. It plugs into the left-hand bus of the CPU and is configured from TIA Portal V13 SP1 or later. Refer to the official SIMATIC CM 1243-5 Operating Instructions for full parameter ranges.

The CM handles cyclic data exchange with DP slaves and operates as a Class 1 master. For Class 2 diagnostics from a separate PC (for example, the WinCC station), a CP 5xxx card on the PC side is the correct hardware.

3. PROFIBUS Cable-Length vs Baud Rate – Why 430 m Forces a Lower Baud

PROFIBUS DP segment length is bounded by the signal rise-time budget and the cable attenuation. The values most commonly used in field engineering, taken from the IEC 61158 / IEC 61784 PROFIBUS specification, are summarized below.

At 430 m, 500 kbps is not achievable on a single copper segment. The next lower standard baud, 187.5 kbps, supports up to 600 m and therefore accommodates the 430 m run without any repeater or media converter.

If the application cannot tolerate 187.5 kbps (because of, for example, a high-speed drive profile), the engineered options are:

1. Add an RS-485 repeater (e.g., 6GK1500-3AA00) at the 400 m mark and continue with 500 kbps on the second segment.
2. Convert to fiber with an OLM/OLP pair (e.g., 6GK1502-3AB10 OLM/G11) – single-mode fiber can carry PROFIBUS over kilometers.
3. Add a second CP card on the PC – one CP stays at 187.5 kbps on copper for diagnostics, the other is routed via OLM if fiber is present.

4. PROFIBUS PCI / PCIe Card Selection on the PC Side

The WinCC Runtime Advanced V16 station (6AV2104-0FA05-0AA0, 2048 PowerTags) requires a SIMATIC NET CP that exposes a WinCC-compatible DP channel. The four candidates identified in the original question are compared below.

Recommended selection:

• If the PC has free PCI slots (older Dell/Lenovo industrial models): use the CP 5613 A3 (6GK1561-3AA02). It is the current generation PCI card and supersedes the obsolete CP 5612A2. It supports DP class 1 and class 2 masters, which is exactly what a WinCC Runtime Advanced station needs to integrate with the CM 1243-5.
• If the PC is a modern PCIe-only platform: use the CP 5623 (6GK1562-3AA00). It is functionally equivalent to the CP 5613 A3 but on PCIe X1, and is the long-term lifecycle solution.

Both cards ship with the SIMATIC NET PC software on a USB stick or DVD. The CP 5623 is referenced in the SIMATIC NET V16 manuals and is fully compatible with WinCC Runtime Advanced V16. The CP 5613 A3 is referenced in WinCC RT Professional V16 architecture slides, which explicitly recommend pairing a CP 5613 A3 with a Hardnet PB DP V15 license for this scenario.

5. HARDNET-PB DP Software License

PROFIBUS on the PC side does not work with stock Windows drivers. Siemens bundles a SIMATIC NET software stack and a license that authorises the CP to act as a DP master (class 1 or class 2). For this scenario, the order number is:

The license is keyed to the CP card. It enables:

• DP-Master (Class 1) for cyclic data exchange (DP-V0)
• DP-Master (Class 2) for diagnostics (DP-V1 acyclic)
• PG function (routing S7 frames between PROFIBUS and Ethernet via the station)
• S7-communication over PROFIBUS, which WinCC Runtime Advanced uses to read S7 tag data from the CM 1243-5 / S7-1200 backplane

6. Cable Specification – 6XV1830-0EH10

The SIMATIC NET PROFIBUS FC Standard Cable GP (article 6XV1830-0EH10) is the violet-jacketed Type A cable designed for the longest runs. Key data:

At 430 m the cable attenuation budget is well inside the 187.5 kbps specification. The PROFIBUS FC cable must be terminated at both ends with the integrated 220 Ω terminating resistor (switched on) or with active PROFIBUS connector terminators (6GK1500-0FC10).

7. TIA Portal / WinCC Configuration Sequence

1. Install SIMATIC NET V16 on the WinCC Runtime PC. This installs the CP 5613 A3 / CP 5623 driver, the HARDNET-PB DP V16 license enforcement, and the Station Configuration Editor.
2. Insert the CP in the PC station using the Station Configuration Editor. Assign index 1 (or 2 if a second CP is present). The configured name and index must match what is later bound in WinCC.
3. Transfer the license using Automation License Manager. Without the license key the CP runs in demo mode (only ~10 minutes of operation per boot).
4. In the TIA Portal project, add the S7-1200 with the CM 1243-5 in Devices & Networks. Configure the CM as PROFIBUS master with baud rate 187.5 kbps, profile DP-V0 or DP-V1 as required, and address the S7-1200 CPU on PROFIBUS (default for CM is automatically chosen; pick a free master address, typically 2).
5. Connect the WinCC Runtime Advanced station in TIA via the HMI connection type. Pick S7-1200/S7-1500 as the partner and select PROFIBUS as the access point if the HMI is to talk to the PLC over the CP card.
6. Compile and download the PC station from TIA Portal into the WinCC PC. The downloader writes the Station Configuration Editor database.
7. Run WinCC Runtime Advanced and verify that the configured connection shows Connected status. From the WinCC project tree, use the Connections > Status diagnostics to confirm the S7-1200 is reachable.

8. Verification and Acceptance Tests

After the wiring is complete and the project is downloaded, perform the following checks in sequence.

9. Troubleshooting Matrix

10. Sizing Worksheet – 430 m PROFIBUS Link

Use this worksheet to size the components before ordering:

Cable run               : 430 m (one continuous segment)
Baud rate required      : _________ kbps
Max segment @ baud rate : _________ m (from table in §3)
Margin check            : (max – run) >= 0 ?  OK / NOT OK

If NOT OK -> add repeater at ____ m, OR lower baud, OR add OLM.

Cable                    : 6XV1830-0EH10 (Type A FC Standard GP)
  Length ordered (10 % slack) : 430 m × 1.10 = 475 m, round to 500 m drum
Connector quantity        : (number of stations) + (spare 2)
Terminating resistors    : active at the two far ends only

PC-side CP               : CP 5613 A3 (6GK1561-3AA02)  –OR–  CP 5623 (6GK1562-3AA00)
HARDNET license          : 6GK1713-5DB16-0AA0 (V16, matches SIMATIC NET V16)

WinCC station            : 6AV2104-0FA05-0AA0 (WinCC RT Advanced V16, 2048 PT)

11. Safety, Shielding, and Routing Notes

• Route the PROFIBUS cable in a dedicated, continuously bonded metallic tray or conduit; do not share with VFD power cables. Maintain at least 200 mm separation from 400 V power, more if parallel for long distances.
• Bond the shield at both ends with 360° EMC glands. For very long runs in harsh EMC environments, use equipotential bonding conductors (typically 16 mm²) between the two grounding points.
• Inside cabinets, keep the PROFIBUS cable at least 100 mm from the 24 VDC power tracks and away from contactor coils. Add RC snubbers on the coil side of contactors that share the cabinet.
• Do not exceed the 4 N per contact mating force on PROFIBUS connectors; if the run is in a vibration area, use the 6GK1500-0FC10 with a vibration-resistant locking mechanism.
• When commissioning the WinCC station, do not run the 24 VDC into the CP/CM connector body – the connector provides the bus terminator only and the cable shields enter via the housing strain relief, not the signal pins.

12. Field-Proven Recommendations

1. For a single 430 m copper PROFIBUS link, the simplest working design is: CP 5613 A3 or CP 5623 + HARDNET-PB DP V16 + 6XV1830-0EH10 + 187.5 kbps. This is well within the cable's capability, no repeater needed.
2. For future-proofing, prefer the CP 5623 on PCIe – the CP 5613 A3 is still active but PCI slots are disappearing from industrial PCs.
3. For very long future runs (> 600 m) or harsh EMC environments, switch to OLM/G11 with fiber at the 400 m mark and continue PROFIBUS on copper after the OLM, or run the entire 430 m as fiber with OLM pairs at each end.
4. Always size the WinCC Runtime Advanced V16 power-tag count to match the actual variables; the 6AV2104-0FA05-0AA0 (2 048 PT) part is fine for most < 1 500 tag installations.
5. Document the baud-rate and the bus parameters in the project documentation – 187.5 kbps with default bus parameters is acceptable, but record the actual TSL, TSET, min TSDR, max TSDR values from TIA in the as-built drawings.