Automated Car Wash Simulation using Allen Bradley equipment

[PLC_Student 0]

Hi everyone, I am working on my senior design project to graduate with an Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) degree. If I don't get these issues resolved, they might not let me graduate yet! I have had a couple of PLC classes, but all we did was learn theory and run a Ladder Logic simulation program. I have read some of the forums and tried to find some answers, and it seems that there are a lot of knowledgeable people that reply to the postings; so I signed up. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated; so let me get to the details... Hardware and Software: *Allen Bradley CompactLogix L32E *Allen Bradley PanelView Plus 600 *RSLinx Classic *RSView Studio ME *RSLogix 5000 Main Issue: PanelView Plus 6oo is not operating properly; maybe this is because I don't have my OPC server configured correctly through RSLinx. I keep getting errors such as, "Failed to add item 'whatever' to data server," and "Problem writing value '0' (or '1') to item:: whatever." The Ladder Logic program itself is working almost 100%, so I am not too concerned with it. I am concerned about the PanelView. I was able to run the HMI simulation through RSView ME Station, and I was able to, for example, start the car wash by clicking on the button that I had made and that I had related to the PLC tag that starts the wash. But when I downloaded this same HMI program to the PanelView and tried to PUSH the button, I only got errors, and I have tried many times using slightly different settings and such. Attached is a Word document that contains some of the errors that I have received. I named the OPC server "drier" because I was trying to make a small HMI program to test the operation of the car wash's drier by pushing buttons on the PanelView screen (attached). Thank you so much to everyone that has read about my issue and to those willing to try to help me out! _Jeff_ communication_issues.doc

[tomalbright 0]

You won't get much help on designing, but it looks like you are nearly there! I am pretty sure that RSLinx needs to be "Enterprise" for RSView ME? I haven't used it with a PLC5, just with CLX. You have to set up the path between the PV and the PLC, and Classic, IIRC, won't let you do it. I need some confirmation of that...

[PLC_Student 0]

Thanks for replying!.... Well, it was working previously. This project has been done by various students, and each one is supposed to add something to it or improve it in some way. Earlier this year, I was running the program from the previous student, and the PanelView+600 was working well, each item that I touched on the PV screen would initiate the related function, such as starting the wash. During that time RSLinx Classic was being used; so I assume that it should work, since it was working. However, a couple of things have changed since then: first, after a few times of running the program, the overhead brush crashed on the car, and I had to fix some of the hardware (after this happened, the HMI program seemed to freeze up or something, because I don't think it has worked since then, even though everything works when initialized from the PC even now). Second, The PLC software (now Vers. 13.04, 15.02, and 16.03 are all installed) and firmware (now Ver. 15.4) were both updated, and the firmware on the PanelView was updated to ver. 4.0 (software was updated to ver. 4.0). I hope this info helps to clarify the situation. Edited 19 May 2008 by PLC_Student

[finfin 0]

I think RSlinx Enterprise is part of the RSView Studio package. If you look down the you will see: RSLinx Enterprise then branching off of that you will see Communication setup. That sounds like where your problem lies. You need to double click the Communications menu and setup a shortcut (Prob already done) and point the "local" and "target" tags to point where the Processor communication resides. I think once this is correct the other errors will go away. Do you tag addresses have a shortcut defined?

[PLC_Student 0]

I'm not really sure what you mean by having shortcuts defined for my tag addresses, but I guess that doesn't really matter because, using your advice and a piece of very similar advice from another forum, I have fixed the problem!!!! Thank you so much!!!!..... you have helped to save me hours of searching for the answer, and I can now move on with the project!

[finfin 0]

[PLC_Student 0]

Hey guys, I have been really learning a lot about PLCs and how to set up the communications, but I have hit another wall in the project. To make a long story short, I have upgraded the HMI software and firmware to version 5 (now called FactoryTalk View Studio rather than RSView studio). I am able to successfully download my HMI programs to the PV+600 using ethernet cable, but when I try to press the buttons to activate various functions I keep getting an error saying that the "item 'whatever' is no longer available". My RSlinx seems to be configured correctly, but I keep having a problem within the RSlinx Enterprise Communication Setup screen. I realize now, since you guys helped me out last time, that I must create a shortcut for each device (the PC, the PLC, and the PV+600), and I was able to do that before. Now, however, I can only click "apply" when I create a shortcut linked to the computer. I can see the PV+ and the PLC in the same screen, but when I try to create a shortcut linked to them, "apply" is dulled out and impossible to click, and I get an error stating the path cannot be used and I should select a different path. I tried everything within each network tree: the paths and the devices. And like I said, the PC (not the PV+ or the PLC) was the only one I could create a link to in the local tab of the communications screen. Any advice would again be greatly appreciated! Thank You, Jeff

[Ken Roach 194]

Back up a little bit. RSLinx Enterprise Shortcuts should be defined only to the Controllers that you are communicating with from FactoryTalk View ME. You should definitely not have a shortcut defined that points to the computer you are using, or to the PanelView Plus terminal. It had never occurred to me to create a circular shortcut definition, so I cannot say what effect that might have on RSLinx Enterprise. Either way: delete any Shortcut in both your Local and Remote (now called Development and Runtime, right ?) tabs in RSLinx Enterprise that point to the PV+ terminal or back to your own PC. Save and reboot. Now create just one shortcut that points to the controller. Make sure it doesn't point just to the Ethernet daughtercard; browse down through the CompactLogix system virtual backplane to the CPU itself.

[PLC_Student 0]

Thanks, Ken. I'll give it a try and let you know. (By the way, on Ver 5.0 local=design and target=runtime)

[PLC_Student 0]

I cleaned up the shortcuts, and now I only have one, which is linked directly to the cpu of the PLC (I copied this info from the local to the target tab as well). Then I tried testing the runtime application, but I kept getting the following error, "Failed to load tag runtime server". Perhaps I don't have my server configured correctly. What do you think? Thanks!

[finfin 0]

That happened to me just this morning, out of the blue. I rebooted and it was OK.

[PLC_Student 0]

Hey, thanks! I rebooted, and it fixed that error for me too. I'm think I still have some communication setup issues though... I'll let you guys know here soon what the problem is now (I think I'm getting pretty close to having everything resolved with ver 5.0!) ok... here are the errors I have been getting (attached file Word document).... errors_may29_1pm.doc

[PLC_Student 0]

Please see the attached document to see how I am set up and what I did wrong (thanks!). _Jeff_ errors_may29_1.15pm.doc

[PLC_Student 0]

I think I'm so close, but I can't quite figure out what the problem is. Does anyone know what those errors mean and how I can fix them?

[gmferg 1]

Forget about RSLinx Classic, it's not used at all for FactoryTalk View. It looks like you have the path defined correctly in RSLinx Enterprise. Looking at the errors, it looks like you're addressing your tags incorrectly. You've defined the path RSLinx Enterprise as "plc". Your tags are addressed: ::[MainMenu]Program:MainProgram.xxxx :okokok:[trythisplease]Program:MainProgram.xxxx Your tags need to be addressed like this: ::[plc]Program:MainProgram.xxxx The name within [] needs to be the one you defined in RSLinx Enterprise. At this point you have two options: 1) Re-address all your tags with ::[plc]. 2) Delete "plc" from RSLinx Enterprise and create "MainMenu" with the same path to your PLC and re-address the :okokok:[trythisplease] tags.

[PLC_Student 0]

Hey gmferg, Thank you so much for taking the time to read of my issue and give me advice. In just a few moments you provided for me the solution, which makes since now that I think about it, for a problem I've been working on all day. I did just as you said and deleted "plc" and replaced it with "MainMenu". Then I created a new runtime file and tested it on the PC, and I was able to click and engage various functions. I haven't tried downloading it to the PV+600 yet. If I get stuck there I'll let you guys know, but I don't think it will be a problem now. I only addressed one tag the other way I believe; so that should be really easy to fix as well. Thanks Again! Jeff

[PLC_Student 0]

I just finished getting that last problematic tag assignment fixed. I did so by deleting my OPC server, "trythisplease", and I created a new OPC server called, "MainMenu". Then I found my PLC tag in the tag browser through the MainMenu folder that I had just created.