JamesT

I've managed to find version A of the Kinetix 3 manual, which presumably is from the time of Series A and it doesn't mention the 1203-usb at all. Current version of the manual is E (and never distinguishes any content between Series A & B), and has change bars next to the 1203 stuff in Table 1 - Kinetix 3 Drive System Overview but not in other places where the 1203 is mentioned (so it's probably just that table that was updated at this revision). I can't find any version in between A and E so not sure exactly when the rest came in. I don't even know the date of the previous version from the back cover, because they have incorrectly stated which manual it supersedes. Not the worst error I've found in the manuals since I've been looking at these drives, but I am surprised how many errors there are in them. As you say, getting the 1203 working was a side issue, as it seemed like it may help to get the firmware updated. Ultraware does have the option to update the firmware over RS232, but it refuses. It seems odd that you can download the newest firmware but there is no way to use it. Perhaps they didn't add the ability to update firmware until a version later than 2.00, but that would seem very short sighted. If you do bump in to anyone who might be able to shed some light on this it'd be great to know, but I think it's probably time to give up trying to update the firmware on these. I do I appreciate all the help though, so thank you for looking at this with me.

Hi, Can anyone advise on how to upgrade the firmware on Kinetix 3 drives (2071-AP8 Series A)? There is a firmware update option in Ultraware, but when I try that it says something like f/w version does not support upgrade. Is it actually possible to upgrade them at all? You can download new versions from the AB website, which suggests it must be possible. They currently have v2.00, and latest version is v2.23. I know these are old drives, but they still work so might as well get some use out of them. Thanks, James.

Not so much wanting more features, as making sure it has less bugs. The release notes list half a dozen fixes, one of which has to do with configuring serial communication (which may be relevant here???). Maybe these aren't an issue and I know there is an argument for 'if it's not broken don't fix it'. I'm starting to wonder if the combination of being Series A and the existing firmware version mean that the drive simply doesn't talk to RSLinx/CCW/etc. Maybe I need to try and find an older version of the manual and see if PC connection with a 1203 was only added after a certain point.

I'm glad the little adventure of fixing the 1203 is over, but sadly it didn't improve my connectivity issue, I'm just back where I was previously. The PC side of things is configured correctly (as per the manual and my screenshot above). Do you know how the 1203 itself should be configured? I have it as RTU Master with Node Address of 1. The drive is also configured with a node address of 1. This combination of settings is the only one that makes the status light blink green (which, as you say, is a good sign). But still I get no DSI node show up in RSLinx.

That manual's for an ethernet adapter. I assume you meant drives-um001_-en-p.pdf If so, that's exactly the setup I've got on the PC end.   I may now have destroyed the 1203-usb though. The documentation doesn't say what mode the 1203 should be in for the Kinetix 3, I previously found that only RTU Master appeared to work (flashing green diamond), but I decided to try the other options again in case I got a better result in another mode. Having tried a couple of different modes, latterly RTU Passthrough, the 1203 seems to have given up. When it powers up I get a flashing red diamond for a few seconds, then a solid green. It no longer responds on the serial terminal. I wouldn't have thought selecting the wrong protocol could cause physical damage, but it looks like it's dead now. An expensive mistake, unless anyone has any suggestions on how to recover the 1203? Maybe it was already on its way out, and that's why it wasn't letting me connect in the first place.

Thank you both for the suggestions. I've tried RSLogix but no joy, still can't get the drive to show up in RSLinx so RSLogix can't talk to it. I don't see the 1203 in RSLinx at all, which is probably the reason I can't get anywhere with RSLogix or CCW. The 1203 seems happy, if I set the mode to RTU Master and the node address to match the driver (just using the default of 1) the comms light blinks green constantly and the tx & rx blink occasionally when RSLinx browses. If I change the node address at either the drive or 1203, and not at the other end, they stop talking and I get a red flashing comms light. Then changing the other end to match again it goes back to green flashing, so I'm fairly sure they genuinely are talking to each other ok. The driver diagnostics in RSLinx look ok too, equal number of packets sent and received, no timeouts or bad packets. The only thing I can think of that's an issue is the manual does say I should set the drive node address to 248 but that's not possible - the max value is 247. There is no other controller in use, the setup is just Kinetix 3 <-> 1203-USB <-> PC.

Sorry, but which project are you referring to? If you mean a Connected Components Workbench project I've tried that as well, but can't get the drive to talk to it at all. CCW connects with a 1203-usb and the manual says to set the drive node address to 248, but the drive will only allow values up to 247! As a result (I assume) the drive doesn't show up in RSLinx (even though the 1203 recognises it and the green light is blinking). I was hoping that might be fixed in the firmware update. Ultraware is using an rs232 connection and connects fine.

Yes, they are all running version 2.00, confirmed on the display and through Ultraware. Trying to go to v2.23. It's downloaded and the .hex file extracted. It's at the point I try to upload it that it says it can't be upgraded. See the screenshot...