Ken Moore

Does it matter if the termination resistor is on or off?  Have you tried another cable?

WinCC Basic supports an Ethernet/IP channel, so it can easily communicate with various Rockwell PLCs. What version of WinCC are you using?

These folks have an adaptor that may work for you. https://www.plccable.com/siemens-6gk1571-0ba00-0aa0-plc-s7-usb-to-mpi-profibus-dp-ppi-32-64-bit/

The 414 was the smallest version I think. We are running 417's and 410's at my current employer. But we are using them with PCS7, not your plain Step-7. If they were programmed in Europe, good chance it's all Statement List (think Machine language). If in the USA usually mostly ladder with a few function blocks.  We do have a LOT of S7-300's running around here, most have been migrated to TIA porta, but some are still at Step-7 classis.  Bob, do you have a PC with a Siemens comm card in it? OR is it a Siemens PG (Siemens laptop for programming, has Profibus port built in)? Based on the age, there is a good change the 443-1 comm card communicates with the program PC/laptop using ISO, not tcp/ip. ISO is a Siemens protocol that communicates over ethernet, but uses MAC addresses.   The last/latest version of Step-7 classic is 5.6, but 5.5 was around for a long time.    If you get on line, we can talk about Object Blocks (OB's) the difference between Functions and Function Blocks. And you will get you first exposure to Data Blocks. Siemens is different, but allows a lot of customization, you can do almost anything with them, but they do not have as many built in instructions as the newer CLX's do. Also, for standard machine control, with mostly discrete inputs/outputs and logic. The Siemens units are much faster than the PLC-5's.   Edit: Almost forgot, the S7-400's have an accumulator, so anytime you read or write data to another device, the bytes are swapped.   Also all addressing is in Bytes.  

Do you have a profibus cable tester?

Depends on the size of the system. How many stations, how many plc's?

I have a few PanelViews setup on a single DH+ network, 4 SLC 5/04's, 3 PanelViews, 1 KF2, and 1 Clx chassis. The control logic chassis was added last year as an ethernet/DH+ bridge, so that we could tie everything to an OSI-PI historian. I can see the Panelviews in RsLinx, no problems, I can connect and program the 5/04's from my office now. However, I recently wanted to make a minor change to one of the PanelViews, and I can browse to the Panelview, and the download starts, but then faults out with a fail to respond message. Is what I'm trying to do possible? Can you remotely program DH+ PanelViews via a CLX bridge? Am I missing a setting somewhere? thanks, ken

You are on the right track. Way back when... there wasn't any setup screens. You read the manual, and typed in the configuration to various words of the Block Transfer. Later, Rockwell made the software nicer and added the software setup screens, and gave you the ability to add the ladder logic. So..if you have an older application that was written before the software enhancements, good chance the hardware  configuration was never setup.     I have never did one on the fly, but I think you should be able to do it. Just make sure you enter in the information exactly like it is listed in the Block Transfer.

Try browsing to the web page of the EN2T cards. They show a lot of information about connections and such, might give you a clue.  

I cannot help myself, I quit smoking one year ago today. I was a 1.5 pack a day smoker for about 30 years. I know this is not PLC related, but I think it is note worthy. If anyone wants to exchange stories, now is the time. BTW, I used the cold turkey method.

Is it possible to add and a configure an additional column in the Trend statistics section, I would like to show the slope of the section selected for statistics. -thanks, ken

Remove the module and examine the pins on the back, I have seen a bent pin cause similar issues.

Contactors must have hermetically sealed contacts, or be in purged enclosures.

Has anyone seen this connector before, mfg. website, anything would be greatly appreciated. It is the gray portion shown in the photo. 6 connections wide, 4 deep. thanks, Ken

When you do the calculations for an enclosure, what do you use for the heat source values. Some vendors give a BTU/Hr for their devices, but many do not. I have used various estimations over the years, but was wondering what other folks did. On some panels, I use the power inputs, and the conversion efficiencies to determine estimated heat generation, but I never liked that method. What do you use to determine if an enclosure needs a fan or air conditioner for heat removal?

The OPC server should be able to support more than one client. Does your application use the server client arrangement? I have had OPC servers sending data to an HMI and a historian on two different boxes many times. I don't know off hand how many clients the kepware can handle at once. Plus the about of data and the polling time will influence the number of clients also.

Hi Folks, I am looking for a DIN Rail mounted 24VDC fiber switch. I need two multi-mode ports and one single-mode ports all fiber connections are (ST). I was using an Elinx from B&B Electronics, model EIR203-2MT-ST, but they have been discontinued. Can anyone point me to another brand? I have a request in to N-tron, but haven't heard anything yet. thanks, Ken M.

Can you post your program? That way others can view your code and perhaps spot the cause of your fault.

Outstanding!!!!!

First, how fast are the pulses, and how long are they on and what is the scan time of your PLC? High speed pulses of short duration require special I/O modules. I suspect this is kind of slow, and normal input cards will work, but it is something to look at.

Use a compare. IF current value > stored value THEN stored value:= current value; EndIF; In ladder use a compare and if the current value is higher, move the current value into the stored value register. You will need a "reset" to clear the stored value at the beginning of a new test.

To get a meter that will hold up in Sea Water, you are going to need an exotic alloy. Believe me I know, was in the US Navy for over 8 years. Sea water has high chloride concentrations, so Stainless last no time. You need some type of nickel alloy such as Monel ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monel ). Naval Bronze will last a while but will get will erode over time. What is the application a sea water distillation plant?

WOW the The RTA unit is going into my bag of tricks, thanks Uncle Ken.

You could do it in ladder, with labels and jumps.

Will the starting and ending N registers be constant? If so, then you could use a for next loop and indirect addressing with a compare to check if each register is equal to zero or not.