RS Logix 5000 to External PC

[KORE USA 0]

Hi, 

New here. I'm trying to determine the best way to take a variable input on an HMI and pass it through the PLC to an external PC. At the PC I need to put this variable number into a VBA in MS excel to be passed to a Fanuc CNC. I have the part complete from excel to the Fanuc CNC. I just need some direction on the other portion. 

What is the communication going to be from the PLC to a PC?

How do I establish this communication?

What suggestion are there for developing the application on the PC? 

Obviously I am very new to this and trying to learn. This link https://www.instagram.com/tkmsusa/  is to the cell we are building for loading a CNC with pallets via a Fanuc robot. 

Thanks!

[Ken Roach 194]

Why include a PC in the link at all ?   I realize that you have an Excel application handy, but if your Fanuc CNC controller supports an EtherNet/IP protocol connection directly to the Logix family controller, that would be a more reliable link.

If you want to pursue getting the tag data from the Logix controller into your VBA container (Excel), look at the RSLinx Classic DDE examples in the RA Knowledgebase.

[KORE USA 0]

3 hours ago, Ken Roach said:

Why include a PC in the link at all ?   I realize that you have an Excel application handy, but if your Fanuc CNC controller supports an EtherNet/IP protocol connection directly to the Logix family controller, that would be a more reliable link.

If you want to pursue getting the tag data from the Logix controller into your VBA container (Excel), look at the RSLinx Classic DDE examples in the RA Knowledgebase.

The PC needs to be there because there are three .dlls from Fanuc called FOCAS that allow you to read and write from the control. 

Can the PLC hold these dll files and execute them?

I'll take a look at the Knowledgebase. THANKS!

[arj3090 5]

If your FOCAS DLLs can be used in a .NET application, you can add them to AdvancedHMI, then use the AdvancedHMI CLX driver to read/write the PLC data and use FOCAS in the application to pass the data to the CNC.

But I agree with Ken, if you could get a direct connection between the PLC and CNC, you will have more reliable communications.

 

[KORE USA 0]

On 10/19/2017 at 4:09 PM, arj3090 said:

If your FOCAS DLLs can be used in a .NET application, you can add them to AdvancedHMI, then use the AdvancedHMI CLX driver to read/write the PLC data and use FOCAS in the application to pass the data to the CNC.

But I agree with Ken, if you could get a direct connection between the PLC and CNC, you will have more reliable communications.

 

What is involved in writing this application? Where does one start?

[arj3090 5]

From this video, it seems the FOCAS dll can be used with VB.NET 

 

Therefore you can download the AdvancedHMI base package, import the FOCAS DLL into the AdvancedHMI solution, then follow the example in the video and go by same examples for AdvancedHMI to move the data to/from the PLC. I would give more exact examples, but I do not have the FOCAS dll.