Chris Elston

Thanks Ken! Perfect, and makes sense.

I dunno. I don't have a status word configured. And it's not connected to the Anybus Gateway, so it's not like it "senses" the gateway and would know it's technical limits. It seems more like it's something to do with RS Logix or some "rule" I haven't heard about or learned yet. But I like your theory!

I concur....I hate Siemens....yucky....

Why not just get an Express Port RS-232 card? I have used StarTech.com stuff for some time. I like their 2 PORT card, so I can program two different serial devices at the same time, or use the second port to do some "sniffing" Single Port: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839158033 Dual Port: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839158019

If you can post a picture of it, that might be helpful. At least for me.

I have sample from a ML1100, not a string though.. http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=683 I dunno if that is what you want or not. The original Cognex JOB file is there as well as the MSG READ block. But I am not reading a STRING, I am reading a FLOAT. But I dunno if that helps or not.

So after nearly TWO YEARS or longer of media lock down, two days ago, reThink finally released their robot public for everyone to see. The biggest hype was that they had developed a robot that could work along side humans at a low cost. That published cost is $22,000. What do you guys think? Would you integrate or use Baxter on your production floor? Oh wait...there is no integration required. That means us Controls Engineers will soon be obsolete. http://www.heartlandrobotics.com/ See youtube video on front page.

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I write or set an UNLATCH to make sure it's ZERO going into the bit shift. I doubt it will ever be possible for the bit shift to load a "1", but by me setting the unlatch, I am sure it's going in as a zero. That's me being parniod...sorry about that. Also, this is why it's good to post in an open forum because you get other ideas from other great programmers in the group. One thing I have learned, there are so many ways to program a PLC, everyone has their own style and concepts, and I never view one style or method as "wrong". Thanks for sharing BobLFoot!

That pretty much sums it up for me: "I was excited to read about it, but reading the description and watching it move left me disappointed. " As an automation guy, I was expecting a break through in robotics or something. I mean the human co-exist and trying to eliminate safety is break through, but the speed and accuracy is not impressive right now.

That is correct. Since I am using this bit shift to track good/bad part status, I always load a ZERO because, I want my station to run and set the bit to "1" which means good. Also when the station runs, I always set it to false or "0" until the station is complete, and sets it true again. I dunno if you studied the animated gif file I made...I took while to make that dumb thing, but I figured it would be a good way to see how the parts move through the machine and what the bit shift is doing. As far as the logic question you asked, you would just create a DINT word and access it at bit level. Since the 5000 PLC is a 32-bit processor, you actually get more bits in your shift than a 500 based PLC, where you can only move or shift 16 bits at a time. I dunno if that helps or not.

FIFOs are nice, but Bit Shift's are easier. Have you looked at a Bit Shift Concept for tracking? Here is an article I wrote to try and describe the concept. http://www.mrplc.com/kb/index.php?article=71 See if that will work for your machine.

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Are you talking about an "AOI" add on instruction function block? AOI's last I knew, could only be edited offline.

Ok just as a followup.. DO NOT PURCHASE these if you are using them for Pulse Output.... They are great for a standard NPN to PNP or PNP to NPN...but even though they are rated for 120 KHz of switching frequency, they destroy the wave form. Here is the Micrologix 1400 PTO output direct from the PLC. Now, here is what the wave form looks like after it goes through this PNP to NPN converter... I do have them checking into this..and if it's resolved, I will post back what the fix is..but this will not work as is. You can not have your wave form destroyed like that...LOL...

I am using a Micrologix 1400 for PTO purposes. The problem here is I don't think I can use the PTO output for the device I am trying to control, because it appears to me the pulse signal is NPN method. Unfortunealy, it also appears to me the 1400 BXB Model FET outputs are only PNP. Figures...because all the other models of Micrologix are Sink or Source configuration except the FET OUTPUT "BXB" model.... Can someone double check me? If I am right, I need some kinds of a high speed optocoupler to convert the PTO FET output from the Micrologix +24VDC signal to an open collector NPN -24V signal. I just need to drive the amplifier with a Pulse and Direction Signal. Does anyone have any recommendations? I am not sure the frequency yet, but I hope no faster than 10 Khz. Any smaller optocoupler recommendations? to this Open Collector drive

Well.. I dunno if this HELPs or not. But can you create a PROGRAM? Then script what you want to do? Then assign a button to run your program? Kindalike this?

I purchased some of these, I'll you know in a couple of days how they work....

How long ago did you install V18? If it was recently. Did you have Windows restore running? If so, fire that up...go to the calendar, and click on one of the BOLD dates previous to the jacked up V18, and restore your system. It might be a messed up registry entry or something. That's normally what I do to get rid of hung software.

Thanks for the find. I found some too, that are rated for 15 KHZ. These should work too. Phoenix Contact Switching amplifier - DEK-TR/INV - 2964319. But yours are rated for 120 KHZ..not bad...thanks!

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I'll allow this post because of the "engineering" jobs. But please try to post jobs more specific to the users here. I am glad we can help people find employment, I wanna support that but keep it ON TOPIC. Thanks.

I might have. If I find some, I'll see if I can share them.

Yeah...this would be what I saw. http://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/ca/m117-ca510_-en-p.pdf Only it was Seimens. I have never used this for conveyors. I did it a bit old school back then....wire tray...motor contactors, and home runs. It would have been CHEAPER I assume, than this way.

I think I have some old code with conveyors, I'll see what I can dig up as a sample. Typically I treated it as a whole system, but softstart or softstop. Like a Cycle Stop. I ramped up the conveyor from upstream all the way backwards. Then when the last motor was running, I had a global bit that said "RUNNING". Once the conveyor was running, then I enabled all supporting automation. Most of the time, I wired the overload contact on the overload for the three phase motors. The old school overloads, are heat style that would pop. I would alarm for those. VFDs or servo motors are in a different boat. A plain jane, three phase motor that would run a conveyor, had a contactor, and an overload attached to the contactor. When I designed a motor cabinet, typically all the three phase motors where home runs all the way back to the control panel. It's been awhile since I designed a large conveyor system that had 20-30 three phase motors on it, but back then all the motor contactors, overloads, and fusing was in a single cabinet. I never designed a distrubted power system. I have seen recently at GM plant, that 3 phase power and single phase power now is run through a trunk cable that looks like a bigger version of a devicenet trunk cable but I am not familar with that power distrubition. It looked interesting. there was not a wireway on the system I saw, rather this 3 phase trunk cable, that hit these smaller motor control boxes. It looked like a product of Siemens, with a built in disconnect, overload and fieldbus connection to each motor. To me, this type of a design pushed out all the motor contactors needed from the cabinet out to the conveyor. Typically, I only had a manual motor on and off, and monitored in the overload tripped or not on the HMI. Or a graphic that I also had an input bit that was across the motor contactor so I knew when the motor contactor was on, I would use that in a graphic to make a motor turn "green" in a color to indicate it was running. Estops on conveyor, I normally always used a PULL CABLE. A pull cable e-stop on both sides. There are two types ones that remain tight, or loose ones. It depends on what you need it for and how dangerous the conveyor is. Hope that helps some.