Steve Bailey

Terminals 17 and 18 are for the external supply required to power the outputs. If it is still showing voltage after you turn off a breaker, it sounds like that breaker doesn't interrupt all DC power. You need to check the wiring diagram for your system to find the supply for those terminals. 

To expand upon NevergoldMel's response, when you set the update rate too fast you are asking the HMI for more than it can deliver. It will queue up the pending requests until the queue is full and then discard subsequent requests. The act of queuing and discarding requests takes up time that could be better spent providing data. While it may seem counter-intuitive, slowing down the update rate can often result in better performance. If you really need fresh data samples twenty times per second, a PanelView HMI is probably the wrong tool for the task.

If the original programmer chose to not include the project file in the download from Proficy Machine Edition to the Quick Panel, you're out of luck.

Either you or someone from your school should contact the local distributor for GE PLCs. They may be willing to give you a distribution CD for Proficy Machine Edition. When you first install Proficy it will run for four days unlicensed but otherwise fully functional. After four days you can uninstall/reinstall to reset the four-day clock. You could try running Logicmaster under a DOS emulator like DOSBox. My personal experience is that your best bet would be to run it on a computer that has a real serial port. I have not had good luck maintaining communications between Logicmaster and the PLC when going through a USB/serial converter. The same converter has no problems when using Proficy.

Are you using a RS485/RS232 converter? They get their power from the port. Check for 5VDC between pins 5 and 7 on the 25-pin port on the power supply.

Being programmed with Logicmaster would not prevent serial communications with Proficy. Of course, the hardware configuration of the port could have been changed from the default settings of 19200 baud 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, odd parity. Check to make sure that Proficy is set to communicate with your PLC target through the correct serial port. Also, RSLinx has an annoying habit of not relinquishing the serial port even when you're not running RS Logix. If you use RSLinx on the same computer as Proficy, you may have to manually shut it down.

Both models are out of production. Replacement parts are available at Cimtec. https://www.cimtecautomation.com/parts/c-37-ge-automation-and-controls.aspx  

All of a sudden I'm getting notifications that someone is liking many of my old posts. A couple dozen since 26 July and most of them came in today. Anyone else seeing this? Any ideas why?

The people I'm seeing aren't posting anything (unless one of the moderators deletes their posts before I see them). All they are apparently doing is clicking on the "Like this" icon in all of the posts in topics in which I've participated in the GE section of the forum. As a consequence every time I visit the forum I see multiple notifications. When I drill down I see that the same four culprits are always responsible. I'm wondering if there is some vulnerability in the forum software if all posts in a topic have been liked. And since the common denominator to the notifications I've seen is that I'm a participant in that topic, I'm concerned that my personal data could be exposed. That's primarily why I was asking if any other members have seen the same pattern of activity in topics they're involved with.

Seven more likes since I started this thread. The likes are coming from LucasHex, Brantsi, Galenstaf, and Ridgefage. all of whom became forum members on 25 July and none of them have posted anything.

I don't have much experience with the ladder logic in the Fanuc PMCs. I only have hands-on experience with a few and in those cases there was also a PLC involved so I never had to modify the ladder in the PMC. The part programs in those controllers are written in G code.

Will you be working with GE/ GE Fanuc PLCs or the ladder logic in the CNC controllers? GE and Fanuc went their separate ways at the end of 2012. The biggest hurdle to overcome when moving to a new brand is the tendency to try to make the new platform behave like the one you're already familiar with and the frustration when it refuses to. The GE 90-30 is similar in capability to the SLC500 platform. The Rx3i is similar to the CompactLogix. The VersaMax platform is similar to the Micrologix line. The curveball you're most likely to encounter first is that timers in GE don't have a .TT or a .DN bit associated with them. You place a coil instruction following the timer and that serves as your .DN bit. If you absolutely, positively have to use the .TT bit, it is the most significant bit of the third %R address associated with the timer. Also, the first of the three %R addresses used by the timer corresponds to AB's .ACC word and the second %R address corresponds to AB's .PRE word. I have many years of experience with GE products, so if you come across some logic that you can't figure out, post it here and I'll try to help. Feel free to contact me by private message if your client objects to posting the code to a public forum.

VersaMax micro is probably insufficient for your needs, but there is a modular VersaMax option. Rx3i is also viable. Both are programmed using Proficy Machine Edition software. If you use a GE Quick Panel HMI, the program for it can be included in the same project as the PLC program.

The IT person and the plant controls person need to work together to resolve the issues and you need to see each other as peers working toward a common solution. Too often, the PLC person views the network as similar to the plant-wide electrical distribution network. Just plug in that cat5 cable and you're good to go. Too often the IT person views all packets on the network as being of equal value. So if that update of the state of the inputs gets lost, there'll be another coming along shortly.

Your variable setup is asking for trouble. You may be getting away with it, but in my opinion it is a ticking time bomb. The 90-30 timer is a 16-bit instruction. It uses an array of three 16-bit WORD variables. You can't turn it into a 32-bit instruction by assigning an array of three 32-bit DWORD variables to it. From the variable list you posted I infer that you've done that for other timers beyond the one you cited. If the HMI allows the operator to enter a value that results in a timer preset greater than 32767 you'll get incorrect results. My suggestion is to get rid of those DWORD arrays assigned to timers and restrict your usage to WORD arrays.

If you can post the addresses you're using or a readable screenshot, I'll try to see if I can duplicate your issue. I can't read the address for the variables at IN1 and Q of the MUL_DINT instruction nor for those at the PV of the TMR_TENTHS or the address of the timer function itself. And what time period are you trying to use? Are you setting a preset of sixteen minutes or does the accumulated time revert back to ten minutes when it reaches sixteen instead of timing to the desired value? If your employer will permit it, post a copy of your project file and I'll check for address overlaps elsewhere in the code. Also let me know what version of Proficy Machine Edition you're using

You chose not to display the addresses in your screenshot, but I expect your problem may arise from an address overlap. The MUL_DINT instruction writes to two consecutive %R addresses. If those two addresses are also used by your TMR_Tenths function that could be the source of your problem. Refer to my answer at PLCTalk.net

I just checked the manual and it says to reconnect the new power supply within 20 minutes, not 30 minutes as I said earlier. Of course that assumes that you have been diligent about replacing the batteries over the years. If the battery on the failed power supply is discharged, you may have already lost the program in that PLC. I wasn't aware that Unico offered a Genius interface for their drives. You learn something new every day.

The battery that maintains the RAM memory is located on the power supply. There is also a capacitor on the baseplate that will maintain RAM for a few minutes. The old manuals used to say 30 minutes max. If you can change from the old power supply to the new quickly enough you won't lose the program. That's as long as the battery in the bad power supply is still good. I can't blame your supplier for trying to convince to upgrade. That's an old system consisting of several obsolete components. The 90-30 manual publication number is GFK-0356. The manual for the Genius Comm module is GFK-0695. You said you have three racks, but the CPU model you cited does not support expansion racks. Are there three CPU313s each with CMM302 or CMM301 modules? If so, you may have a crude redundant system.

They are both obsolete. Both were introduced in 1990. The 90-30 is similar in size and capability to the SLC 500. The 90-70 compares to the PLC5. If you are already familiar with the basic concepts of PLCs you should not have great difficulty learning your way around the GE 90 series. Just try not to get frustrated when the things you are accustomed to doing under RS Logix have to be done differently under Proficy Machine Edition.

The port on the power supply is RS485. I've never seen a laptop with anything other than RS232. RussB posted a pin chart for a "cheater" cable that usually (but not always) works. You can search the posts for it. Is that what you're using? RS485 is a differential signal and more immune to noise than RS232. Another thing to check is to make sure no other application is using the serial port. RSLinx used to be notorious for not relinquishing the serial port even when RSLogix wasn't running.

Default serial port settings, to which it should have reverted when you removed the battery and shorted the capacitor, are 19200 baud, 8 data bits 1 stop bit, odd parity. What are you using for a cable and RS485/RS232 converter? The converter gets its power from the port. Pin 5 is +5 VDC, pin 7 is GND.

It sounds to me like there are two issues at play. First, which PLC is controlling the I/O and second, which PLC Citect believes to be in control. There are six %S memory bits which you can use to determine the situation. They are: #PRI_UNT (%S00033) which is true in the PLC designated as the primary.  #SEC_UNT (%S00034) which is true in the PLC designated as the secondary.  #LOC_RDY (%S00035) which is true when the PLC is ready to the active unit.  #LOC_ACT(%S00036) which is true when the PLC is the active unit.  #REM_RDY (%S00037) which is true when the other PLC is ready to the active unit.  #REM_ACT(%S00038) which is true when the other PLC is the active unit.  An example situation: PLC A is the primary PLC, Citect is monitoring it, but PLC B is controlling the I/O. #PRI_UNT is true, #SEC_UNT is false, #LOC_RDY could be either state, #LOC_ACT is false, #REM_RDY is true, #REM_ACT is false. I don't know the details of how CItect handles redundant PLCs, but I have to assume there is a mechanism to switch between which PLC it considers the one in control. The one in control being the PLC that Citect sends HMI commands to.

Send me a Quick Designer backup to stephen dot bailey2 at Verizon dot net. I'll import it into a newer version of Quick Designer and then into Proficy. Tell me what version of Proficy Machine Edition you're using so I don't import into something too new for you.

There will be negligible impact on the PLC scan time. Genius bus scan time is generally comparable to PLC scan time and only one datagram can be processed per bus scan.