noxcuses

It's happened to me a few times when the Axis Properties panel is open. Other than that is has been stable.

When the machine is powered up, one of the head units will Intermittently not connect to the power unit. Sometimes everything will operate normally and at some point will disconnect from power unit. AB replaced one head unit already due to it failing to boot. When I tell tech support of the issue, they tell me to reseat the head unit. After reseating a dozen times I'm starting to wonder how robust this will be or do I just have a bad unit.

I'm curious to know if anyone has or had any problems with Kinetix 6500 servo drives?? My excitement of commissioning a new system with a Compactlogix L30ERM and Kenitix 6500 drives is fading due to weird issues. I've completed several Kinetix 6000 projects with few problems, so I'm hoping this not due to bugs, etc. Has anyone implimented a K6500 system? How did it go?

I'm working on a couple systems using the new 5370 Compactlogix processor. AB is on the right track with changing the CIP connection counting scheme. A point I/O rack can have a mix of digital, analog, and specialty modules and only count as 1 "Node" Connection. You don't have to pay attention to TCP or CIP connections anymore. Anything that is configured in the I/O tree (given an IP address) only counts as 1 node connection. The processor models have connection node limits that determine cost. My suggestion would be to go with Point I/O on all new projects. They are inexpensive enough to keep some on hand as spares without upsetting the bean counters. Flex I/O cost will start to rise in the future as AB tries to direct customers to Point I/O.

I would not go with any of the Ultra drives. Since those aren't AB's current technology, the price will continue to increase. I've had good luck with the Kinetix 300 drives. They are less expensive than a Ultra 3000 and have Ethernet/IP. You can set it up for Step and Direction to use with the SLC stepper card. If you ever decide to upgrade to EIP, it will be compatable.

I saw a Rockwell powerpoint of the new Compactlogix controllers which was very exciting. It looks like RA is stepping up the horsepower and model selection in the Compact line. The bad news is the current controllers will not be included in versions of RsLogix 5k after version 20. You will be able to buy, but no more firmware updates. Has anyone heard when the processors will be available? I have several projects in the next couple months that I'd hate to use the current futureless processor on.

I checked my logic first thing today and noticed I didn't have a Synchronous Copy.. Changed it and problem went away. It's funny how little things like that can sometimes bite you.. Thanks Ken you hit a bullseye on this one!!!!!!

I was working on a project Friday and had something happen that I can't get off my mind (hate when that happens because I think about it all weekend). I'm adding a PLC to an older shaft driven machine to trigger some outputs based on shaft position. I decided on a CompactLogix L23E PLC and a 10-bit single turn absolute grey code encoder. I've done this same type of setup many times in the past with good results. After wiring the encoder into the IQ16F input card, I get 0-1024 as expected when the encoder is rotated. To trigger outputs I use a LIM instruction with a High/Low value going to the output. What is puzzling me is that when I rotated the encoder, the output would flicker when it wasn't supposed to. The output flickers when the encoder reaches 256, 512, and 768. If the LIM instruction was set to Low=550 High=700, the output flickers on at 256, 512, and 768 even though it is outside the LIM range. I can turn the encoder very slow and see the count go up correctly, but the output will still flicker on at those intervals? I've checked the wiring and the Grey code conversion logic and it seems to be correct??? I know this is one of those things that hard to figure out without seeing.. Hope someone has an idea???

I got a AB Pico with real-time clock. It does exactly what I need! Thanks!!

I'm looking for a industrial 7-day programmable relay to turn on heaters for a production line. My goal is to program the relay to close at certain times depending on the day of week and time. I've had a hard time finding an industrial, din rail mount device to do this. Has anyone use anything like this? If so, what brand, etc.. Thank you for the help!

I had a similiar problem with the AC Tech SMVector drives. I found that the drive produced so much noise that it was messing up the analog output module. It would cause all kinds of weird output values to appear even though the program value hadn't changed. I added a loop isolator which helped but ended up changing the drives to AB. Also, Changing the carrier frequency in the drive help reduce the noise. I made sure everything was grounded and used sheilded cable everwhere, but still had noise when the drive was running. I ended up swapping the drives with a AB PF40 and problems went away.

The belt from the gearbox to the drive pully is a timing belt.. Also the conveyor belt is actually a timing belt with a near zero stretch rating. I'm going to measure the drive rollers with a caliper instead of using the printed specs. Hopefully there will be a variation.

I have a Kenetix 300 setup that is indexing a belt 15" each cycle. I calculated the index pulses based on drive pully diameter and gear box ratio. It indexs exactly 15" which makes me feel my calculations are correct. The problem is that over time the stop position drifts about 1/8" over 50 or so indexes. Since the belt is position dependant it is a really big deal. I'm running out of ideas on what could be causing this. During setup, tuning the drive was very difficult. The autotune function would give vastly different gains each time I ran it. The belt moves freely with no snags or binding points throught the entire travel. After manually tuning it runs smooth as silk.. Can the tuning still be off causing the positioning error??? Any suggestions?

The AB PanelView Plus are very expensive when compaired to Automation Direct and Red Lion. Automation Direct has a 8" screen that is just the right size for most applications and only cost $999. For a basic HMI, It's really hard to beat. If I need to do any scripting, communications, or advanced functions I go with the Red Lion G3. It's software takes a minute to understand, but is very powerful. If AB cut their prices in Half I'd consider using PV+, otherwise I'm sticking with AD and Red Lion.

Thank you for the info! I was hoping to use the L23, but with 7 devices on the network it's a little too close for comfort.