Chris Elston

Hi tommyt! Thanks for checking out mrplc.com. Register and stick around awhile.... Back to the question... Basically I would use two counters if it was me. I would use one counter to roll over another.          countup ----------| |------------------------------------|C5:0          |                                                             |pre 9999   |                                                                                                            c5:0/dn ----------| |------------------------------------|C5:1          |                                              |              |pre 9999   |                                              |                                              ---- ---------(RES C5:0) c5:0 would be my 1-9999 number, when that counter was DONE, I would single shot a count up on C5:1. Which represents the 10,000th place digit. So if C5:1 has a 34 in it, and C5:0 has a 5678, then my total number would be: 345,678 Then you can use TWO compares if you need to check for a greater than 40,000 or something like that:                                                             bit to come on when number is higher than                                                                                              40,000 --------------------------|GRT           |------------|GRT             |-----------(   )                                 |c5:1.ACC  |               |C5:0.ACC    |                                 |40            |               |0                 | Hope that helps.

Does anyone have a Siemens PLC sample they would be willing to put in the archive? Please contact me before you upload if you do.

Try this: Make sure the system has been booted from the correct system disk (for example, use the ID command to display the system identification). Change the program so that it does not attempt to attach the robot. Also try moving the robot to a "cradle" position that you know is a "safe" position. Sometimes on power up if the SOFT LIMITS within the robot are made already, then you get an error right away that could result in an error 622 "No robot connected".

Anyone here ever controlled some remotelly located digital I/O with your SLC 5/05 via ethernet only? I've looked at opto22 board with an ethernet connection to control some I/O. But I also wondered if AB had something standard like a FLEX I/O module that will talk on ethernet that I am missing. Any suggestions would be grateful. I just want to be able to control some I/O through I guess would be a TCP/IP message from the SLC 5/05 to my ethernet device to convert that to turn on some outputs or read some inputs back. My application requires this type of communication via spec, so it can not be changed to controlnet or devicenet, just to let you know. Thanks.

Do you have any suggestion using your product in conjunction with an A-B SLC 5/05, OPTO-22, and automationX? Something down the lines of: SLC 5/05 sends a digital signal using a digital output card to OPTO-22 snap in I/O module. OPTO-22 input snap in I/O receives signal, and transmits or (repeats) signal to another OPTO-22 output snap in I/O module across ethernet...etc... That's about the direction we are going, short of researching Control Logix as Ken Roach suggests above.

I got some questions: Is your application Open Loop or Closed Loop control? In other words, do you have encoder feedback? What is the HSRV module commanding? Some sort of a dumb drive?

Ken, So if I use a FlexLogix controller I should be all set to control some I/O using Ethernet? I am not tied down to a SLC, I can be flexible and use any logix family controller. I am assuming I can find some more information on this topic in AB KB? Thanks everyone for the insight.

Wait a second...you didn't say you ALREADY had a devicenet network working in your first post. So you already have all the tools to configure devicenet then? I thought you would incure extra un-needed cost by using devicenet.

You can post the RSS file here on the board, and we can open it, and save it as a PDF file for you. If you want.

Based on what you have described, it seems to me it would complicate matters devicenet v.s. DH-485. With device net, this is what you will have: A Scanner card that you will have to "map" some I/O from the M files (m files...those "hidden" back plane bits) to some N or B files in your program that you can use. Then you can use the N or B files in your program to and from the panel view. You'll have to purchase Device Net Manager software (RS Networks) to even configure your panel views. With DH-485, you don't need any other software except Panel Builder, RS Logix, and RS Linx. Sounds like your AB guy is getting fat in the wallet. Doing DH-485 for a small network such as yours should be no problem, personally, if you have not spec'd the PLC's yet, I would lean toward SLC 5/04 and DH+ panel views, but there is nothing wrong with DH-485. Once you create a tag with panel builder, it's mapped DIRECT to the bit or integer in your program using DH-485, of course you have to have your node mappings correct in panel builder from panel view to SLC or Micro. So in general, your extra cost would be for device net: 1. Scanner card for each PLC system. 2. Extra cost for a device net panel view, cause they cost more money than DH_485 ones. 3. RS Network software to "map" your device net bits. 4. Device net programmer interface, unless you already have one...RS-232 to Device Net... 5. Extra code (your engineering time) in your logic to convert device net stuff to N or B files and make a spread sheet so you can keep track of all those bits too. Going with DH-485 you'll need 1. an AIC module for SLC or AIC+ for Micros Nothing else is required to communicate SLC/Micro to panel view. Just create a tag, type your bit or integer when you create your tag, select the correct "Target" node (since you have multi PLC's in the network)...done... Speed wise? Sure device net might be faster, but for what you are doing, I can't see that much screen lag caused by DH-485. That's why I recommended DH+ if you could, just for more speed. You won't need any AIC modules if you have DH+, but then again you can't use micrologix on DH+ either....

mrplc.com is running on FreeBSD unix flavor and runs quite well except for hardware issues, or high speed links to our servers, etc. like when the phone company unplugs our DS-3 connection to the world for a couple of days for no reason.....anyway... I have used Linux for a long while now, but I struggle with Linux and controls / automation. I don't know of too many PC based software and allen bradley stuff that runs fair on Linux. You might want to follow closely over at http://www.control.com. There are a bunch of Linux egg heads over there that might give you better information. Linux itself ROCKS, it's just the other people that are wanting to help support it by re-writting code, such as Rockwell software..... let me know how you fair out.

By golly Gerry is correct! I thought this was the program that had the plastics AB module inside. I'll take a look around and see if I can find another program we hacked into. Generally we hack these programs up to intergrate our automation, like robotics that handle LOAD and UNLOAD to the mold machines....oh well...Gerry got me with my pants down.... ....At least you still got to see the general layout of the program.

Silly question, but is the N10 data file created in the PLC? By default, N10 does not exist, unless you created it yourself. Try N7:0? See if that reads the integer file...

Sorry Jay , here you go!

Well again, I did not write it, but from my observation of the program it does not slow the PLC at all because if you disable a SUB ROUTINE at the "Main" ladder, the PLC will not even scan the section "sub routine" of ladder. However you do EAT more memory in the PLC to retain all that extra code that is not being scanned. So if you are crunched for memory space in your PLC, you might have a problem, otherwise there should be no effect of scan time in your PLC program based on what I see Autojectors has done to their program.

I do know that Autojectors tried to make ONE PROGRAM to fit all...a concept that is hard to write code for. So there are bits you turn on in MAIN program to enable certain sub programs. For instantance: Ours is a ROTARY table, so the bits are turned on to enable the logic to control a rotary table. If we had a shuttle instead of a rotarty table, then bits in the main would have to be changed to enable that portion of the program so that a shuttle device would function. Good Luck.

Gerry, I happen to have an AutoJector Mold machine program. I did not write this, but you can check it out. It uses a PLASTIC module. Or a mold inject module card that Allen Bradley makes. I forgot the part number, you could probally open the program and view the I/O config to see which card it is. The password to access the program is 1248. We might have hacked at the program a bit, so I doubt it's original from AutoJectors anyway, but atleast you can see what you want. The file is a zip attached to this reply.

Have you been to the Download Code section of MRPLC? There are TONS of example programs in there. Check it out! Please post questions, we love answering them! This program would be a good one for you to look at: Indirect Addressing - Pallet Tracking "Brick Yard 500" 1.0 It's in the Allen Bradley PLC section of Download Code, scroll down to find it.

Is there anyway to step through the logic using IA SCARA software when progamming? Like if I have a robot program, and I have a series of moves MOV1 then MOV2 then MOV3. Can I tell the software to step through the program, instead of selecting POINT1 then CRTL-M to tell the robot to move to POINT1 and so forth? Or am I the only one that really wants them to update their software?

Just wondering what the rest of you did with your old RS Software CD-ROM's? They aren't really any good without activation, but could they be given to someone else? I have older RS View, RS Linx, RS 500 CD-ROMs growing out my ears... I was using them as coasters for while, but now I have enough of those. Then I have a neighbor who has a Golden Retriever that likes freezbies...and man we just go to town, throwing CD-ROMs and he brings them back until he has it nawwed so bad you can't even read the words RS Software anymore...he he he..

Thanks everyone for the get TIPS! I guess what I was getting at was I thought VersaPro sucked, and was wondering if there was anything better. After much research, this is what I found out. VersaPro 2.03 QuickDesigner 3.60 Are the latest versions as others have said, but I also found out that GE will not support those two software's anymore. The new software will be Simplicy (sp?) Machine Edition. But you have to purchase "Modules". We will need to purchase a "PLC Module" for the 90-30 and a "Quick Designer Module" for the Total Control screens. I've used this Simplicy software once, and I liked it. One of the advantages I hear is that you can share all your tags...that's very nice.

Is there any other software that will program GE 90-30 besides Versa Pro? Also, is there any way to look at the USED BITS in a GE memory map somewhere using Versa Pro? Like in AB RS Logix, I can look and see what bits I have already used once. What is the latest version of Versa Pro? I have version 2.0 I know alot about AB stuff, but still learning GE stuff.

From Chris via e-mail: comments: I am triing to find some sort of label printer to interface with a SLC 5/04 to print out lot #'s. We want the SLC to produce the lot #'s after every batch. Is this possible, dose anyone have any sugestions on how to do this or if thier is a good printer to easily interface with a SLC?

Anyone else notice this? I've have my program saved on the hard disk, and then I'll go offline to make some changes. Once I get my changes done, I forget to download the next time I connect to the PLC, but I hit the "Online" button. RsLogix 500 ver 5.20.00 did not detect that my offline version was different than my online version in my PLC and it let me go "online". Ofcourse my offline changes are not viewable....but here is the KICKER.....once online, if you disconnect, RS Logix 500 asks you do you want to save and upload data tables. I did this, and ofcourse all my offline changes I just made previous to going online had been lost because the now online copy in the PLC will over write the offline copy on my hard drive. Lucky for me I had a backup copy. I don't remember this happening in the past verions, I was always warned if the online copy did not match the offline copy. Is this a feature I need to enable now in version 5.20.00 or is this a bug or what? I've been able to recreate this problem three times in a row as described above. Let me know your feeback. Hardware specs: SLC 5/03 Windows 2000 Pro SP1 (dell) Rslogix 500 ver 5.20 RsLinx 2.30.02 build 79

I would say it depends on how you got your rig connected. If you are connected "direct" from PC to PLC, then might as well use direct drivers "DH+ or DF1" etc...if you are trying to access the PLC from across the plant ethernet, you might not have any choice but use OPC. Speed wise, you limited to your connection. So if you are trying to talk OPC on an AB protocol, there's not really a speed advantage that I know of.