Hello all,

I just got a call from work about a problem they are having with a printer. We have a Primus Sterilizer that has a SLC 5/04 connected to a PanelView 1000, and it has a ribbon style printer hooked up to the PanelView. Here is the issue. The Sterilizer fucntions normally mechanically, and the SLC seems to work fine, Cycles parameters, values and setpoints all function normally on the PanelView. However as its going through its functional sequence it is supposed to print out all the parameters and values for that particular cycle, and continues on to the next one. The problem is that the printer is not printing all the cycles, and not all the parameters and values. Kinda makes me think that I have a corrupted RSLogix 500 file in the CPU or in the PanelView. I'm thinking that all I should have to do is Download the RSLogix 500 file to the SLC, and try that. Are the "to print" files located in the PanelView. I need some input.

Thanks

John B.

First of all do you have a Standard Panelview or a Panelview Plus?

I don't believe it is a corrupt Plc or Panelview file. Have you verified that the printer functions? I would suggest disconnecting the printer from the Panelview and plug the Panelview into your computer. Use some monitoring program such as the Hyperterminal to see what the Panelview is sending out over the serial port. There are better serial monitoring programs than the Hyperterminal, you can find some of the in the Downloads Section. I just say the Hyperterminal because in is probably already installed on your computer.

If your RSLogix program became corrupted some how, the processor 99% of the time will fault.

The Panelview has a list of Print Only Objects that can send data to a printer and IIRC, the SLC can route data through the PV connection and then to the printer.

I would first suspect the obvious: a cable from the PV to the printer could be damaged and hardware handshaking could be lost.

If you could post the PV program, we should be able to tell you how its interacting with the printer.

Well I stand corrected this a PanelView 900 not a 1000. We have 8 of these Sterilizers, all but this one was changed to a 1000 series. Here is the PB32 program

TW--I have not been into work yet. I'll try the obvious first like you suggested with the Printer cable. It does the same thing that my Epson used to do on my PC at home so I'll start there. I'm going to be under the gun in the morning to get this resolved since this is holding up Validation and Production.

Thanks

I am not seeing any print only objects so the SLC must be routing the information through it

Looks like your printer is connected to Channel 0 of the SLC. Look at Ladder 42 - PRINTOUT. Does that sound right or is there something else hooked to that port?

I would start with the Jstolaruk's cable suggestion then connect a computer to Channel 0 of the SLC and monitor the serial strings coming out.

I'll do that TW. Makes me want to hop in the truck, and go hookup to it right now. work is less than 20 min away.

Jstolaruk-- Thanks for the advice

I'll post what I find tomorrow

John B.

It's late, tomorrow's another day, and fresh eyes bring fresh ideas. Sleep on it

I haven't pushed that much data out the serial port with the AWA instructions but I was wondering if there was a possibility that the port's buffer could be overflowing? And shouldn't a subequent AWA instruction be triggered by the DN bit of the previous.

I realize this ia a stretch because the program worked previously but if the cable checks out okay, I would start looking at the status bits of all of those AWA instructions to see if they are completing without errors.

Possible. My next question would be how long has this been in service

Problem solved. I found a faulty cable connection to the SLC. I replaced the cable, and the printer since a PM was due on the unit anyway. Ran serveral cycles with no issues. The unit has been in service for 8 yrs

Thanks for the help fellas.

John B.