416NHM30030A Schneider Electric PCI Modbus Plus Adapter Card

Description

Product Model: 416NHM30030A

• Product Brand: Schneider Electric
• Product Series: Modicon / Modbus Plus Interface Adapters
• Product Features:
  • Single-port Modbus Plus (MB+) PCI adapter card for host PC / automation system
  • Supports 5 V and 3.3 V PCI signalling, driver software included/on-board adaptors.
  • Legacy product with disclaimer: discontinued June 2014, end-of-service date 31 Dec 2022.
  • Suitable for connecting Modicon racks or MB+ network segments in automation systems, via a PC or host.

Product Role & System Fit

In many industrial control systems—especially those built around the legacy Modicon architecture and the Modbus Plus (MB+) network—the 416NHM30030A serves a very specific but important role. It is not a PLC processor or I/O module. Rather, it is a host interface adapter, designed to insert into a PC or automation host via a PCI slot and provide a single-port connection to the MB+ network. This allows the host, whether a PC-based HMI, an industrial PC or a supervisory controller, to act as a network node on the MB+ network, exchange data, or supervise I/O racks and remote modules.

When you have an installed base of Modicon PLC racks, remote I/O, and MB+ network wiring, the 416NHM30030A becomes the bridge between the PC world and the fieldbus. For example: a production line’s OPC server or MES interface might use this adapter to tap into the MB+ network and collect diagnostics, alarms or I/O data from the Modicon equipment. Without such an adapter, you would need a gateway or extra network card—adding both cost and complexity.

In a retrofit scenario, you may find a machine still using MB+ network segments. Rather than redesigning the network or migrating the whole architecture, adding the 416NHM30030A card in a PC allows continued integration, monitoring, or logging of the network with minimal disruption. Because Schneider Electric lists this part as “discontinued” (Dec 2014) and with EOS (31 Dec 2022) support, you should plan for spare-part coverage

If your automation system uses Ethernet/IP, Profinet or newer bus standards, you may consider a modern gateway instead—but for MB+ networks and legacy Modicon systems, this card remains relevant.

Technical Features & Benefits

Let’s dive into key technical attributes of the 416NHM30030A and translate what they mean for systems engineers.

Single-Port MB+ PCI Interface
The 416NHM30030A offers a single connection (one Modbus Plus network port) via PCI. That gives you one network socket to hook into the MB+ bus. In practice this brevity means simpler installation (fewer ports to manage) and cost containment—but also less redundancy (so plan accordingly).

Dual Voltage PCI Support (5 V / 3.3 V)
The card supports both standard 5 V and 3.3 V PCI signalling. That flexibility helps when plugging into older or newer PCI slots, or when the host PC uses lower voltage signalling. This ensures broader compatibility in host hardware.

Driver Software & Legacy Support
Because this adapter is a network interface card, the availability of drivers and host-software support is important. While the manufacturer lists the product as discontinued (and no direct replacement), refurbished units are still available, often with driver packages included. However, when integrating into new systems, check that the host OS supports the legacy drivers—Windows XP/7 era drivers may not work on modern OS without workaround.

Legacy Bus Compatibility & Integration
For systems using Modicon MB+ (a twisted-pair token ring network used in older Modicon PLC systems), this adapter is the direct interface from PC to bus. This means you can reuse existing bus wiring, racks and I/O modules—saving cost. In many manufacturing installations, replacing the entire bus is expensive; maintaining compatibility is a major benefit.

End-of-Service: Lifecycle Considerations
The 416NHM30030A was officially discontinued in June 2014, with an end-of-service (EOS) date of 31 December 2022 according to Schneider Electric’s documentation.  What this means: spare-part availability is limited, you may face driver or OS compatibility issues, and you should plan for migration or stocking spares if you continue to use it.

Real-world benefit: using this adapter means lower upfront cost for legacy network integration. However, you must manage lifecycle risk—stock a spare, verify driver support, and ensure your project budget includes future migration.

Technical Specifications Table

Note: Specifications are drawn from legacy documentation and surplus listings—always verify the revision of the board, driver compatibility, host OS support, and physical network wiring before deployment.

Installation & Maintenance Insights

Deploying a legacy card like the 416NHM30030A requires attention to host PC configuration, driver compatibility, network wiring and future availability considerations.

Host PC Setup

• Ensure the host PC has an available PCI slot compatible with 5 V or 3.3 V signalling. Some newer PCs only offer PCI-Express or 32-bit/64-bit slots; adapter compatibility must be verified.
• Before inserting the card, download and install appropriate driver software. Because the product is discontinued, drivers may need to be sourced from archives or the automation community.
• On initial power-up, check that the adapter is recognized in Device Manager (Windows) or host OS equivalent. Ensure that the driver version corresponds to the OS version.
• Once recognized, ensure the MB+ network port is physically wired and terminated per Modicon network specifications (twisted-pair token ring, impedance termination, ring continuity).

Network Wiring & Configuration

• The MB+ network must be configured correctly: correct ring termination, node addressing, data rate settings and ring topology.
• When connecting the adapter card, ensure that the host PC’s network port aligns with the rest of the network (speed, node number, token ring parameters).
• Because the adapter offers a single port, consider network resilience: if the host PC must remain connected 24/7, plan for backup or redundancy—loss of host may disrupt monitoring.

Lifecycle & Spare Strategy
Given the adapter is discontinued and EOS has passed, it is wise to stock a spare unit, ideally matched in revision and driver version. If the board fails and you must wait on a used/refurbished unit, downtime may be significant.
Check the part’s physical condition: inspect capacitors, slot connector pins, external port wiring for wear, dust or oxidation. For refurbished units, test compatibility with your specific software stack before deploying into production.

Software & OS Compatibility
Legacy drivers may only support older Windows versions (XP/7). If you are migrating to Windows 10/11 or other OS, test the adapter thoroughly. Virtualization or older hardware may be necessary. Alternatively, consider migrating the network to a newer standard (Ethernet-based) if continued long-term support is required.

Maintenance Checklist

• Inspect card seating and connectors annually—loosened PCI cards can cause intermittent faults.
• Monitor host PC diagnostics: error counters, MB+ network faults, token ring metrics.
• Periodically backup driver/configuration settings, so a replacement board can be configured quickly.
• Label network port, node ID, wiring path and ring connection so future maintenance can track the legacy interface.

If you treat this card as a critical legacy interface, good maintenance + stock strategy will save downtime later.