Hi there
The engineering staff at my place of work recently purchased 3 unique machines with control logics plc's and the programs were done with RSL5000.
The people who built the machines have password protected the actual plc program.
I know it sounds underhanded but I assure you my intentions are only to troubleshoot the machines as it is inevitable that they will "Go Down" at some point.
I'd like to know if there is a way to upload the program "even without the comments"?
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks in advance

We don't talk about workarounds for password here. You should look under the user agreement.

Have you asked for the password? Is there still money owed on these "unique" machines? There are several reasons that a firm will password a project. The 3 that I see the most are.
1 First year claims
2 Safety issues
3 Proprietary code.
Please ignore the mispellings on a cell phone, way past bedtime.

As JAK has already eluded to, password discussion is forbidden here. Your only two options are to talk to the manufacturer or take it up directly with Rockwell

I must heartily second my esteemed colleagues and agree that password work arounds are vorboten.

That said, if this is RSLogix 5000 you do have some legitimate options for support.

The Controller Tag Database should still be available and you should be able to validate that your sensors are working.

If this OEM has built a worthwhile system then some of the internal tag names should also be useful for troubleshooting.

One last thought - Get your AB distributor to confirm that the program is really password protected and not in SFC or Structured text which are not supported by basic logix 5000.

I didn't realise this was such a touchy subject.
Like I said before I'm not trying to "steal" anyones thunder here just trying to keep my factory running and not have people going home instead of working.
We've tried to approach the builder but to no avail.
I wasn't involved in the purchase but I am expected to keep these machines running 24/7
I know it's not your problem but I just thought if we could see the logic sometimes it's easier to troubleshoot.
These machines were built in the USA and we are using them in Canada....
I guess that's Why the Chinese are winning....I'm sure they don't have these problems.
Just a thought.

One thing you can do is upload and save the program although you won't be able to view it, you can load this into another CPU should your current one fail.

I'd also recommend having a "cost of ownership" talk with your powers that be. Engineering may have saved money in their budget by buying "locked" code from this vendor, but over the life of use the case can be made for the cost being higher when you cannot debug.

You are in a tight spot, but your annoyance is misplaced.

Your issue is with the engineering group who failed to secure rights to the code for these machines, and the management who expects you to keep them running without the access to the automation controllers.

If you're looking to beat the Chinese to the bottom in a race of moral deficiencies, you're going to have to do a lot better than simple disregard for copyrights and contracts.

Let's say the situation is that your company was offered the source code but didn't want to pay for it, thinking you could unlock it or do without. If you then access that code, you are the direct agent of a theft that you and your management have committed together.

Since you would be stealing intellectual property from an American company, you could personally be held liable for the import taxes on its value. The principle of taxing illegal transactions is well established on both sides of the border. Want to pay the GST on the code that your bosses didn't buy ?

Rockwell will always come down on the side of their paying customer; the OEM who built the machines relies on Rockwell's protection technology to help protect the enforceability of the contracts they sign with their customers.

In my career, I've solved a lot of problems for people who ignored my previous advice and warnings. It comes as no surprise to me when those people continue to ignore my warnings and bring me more problems to solve.

If that's how you like to operate, or if that's what you feel you need to do to keep bread on the table, then you'll continue. But maybe this is your opportunity to not let the manure roll downhill.

BTDT and I have one right now. The difference for me is that I have a paid support contract with the OEM. They have a direct dial-in connection, so they can tell me what's wrong & how to fix it. I did get them to give me a PDF of the program printout (program's too big to comfortably keep a paper copy) so I can quickly scan the I/O for a few complex faults.

I hope for your sake that you can get along with the OEM and come to a resolution at some point. Trying to troubleshoot while blindfolded sucks!

Hey Guys.
Thanks for all the great advice!
Sorry If I sounded like I was taking my frustrations out on your replies about the "Password" Rules.
It's not easy when your not at the table in these decision making meetings.
Obviously I'm not alone.
I will take your advice and use it to try and make the best of a bad situation.
Like I originally said I'm just trying to keep people working....that's my job.....
Keep up the good work guys...


P.S. Removed by TW, no jokes before my morning coffee....Let me know ....HaHa...Just kidding