Chris Elston

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Posts posted by Chris Elston

  2. Posted

    I am using an Acuity Visionscape Express Vision System board in an NT 4.0 SP6 box. I am not a VB guru by no means, but here is what I am trying to do. The Vision board comes with some standard Active X controls which are pretty slick. One of the calls is I can read and write to a "virtual I/O" point. I'd like to monitor an OUTPUT from one of these virtual I/O points to trigger an event in my own VB code. Trouble is, since VB is event driven, the virtual I/O point on the vision board is not driven by a user, but rather the board itself. So my question is, is there an VB events or controls I can use that can monitor another Active X control for change of state? Here was my two thoughts: 1. Make an event triggered timer, this would act as a "heartbeat" I assume. After each timer expire, run the subroutine to "read" what the state of the virtual I/O point is on the vision board. This would work, but I'd rather trigger an event on change of state from the virutal I/O point. 2. Somehow read the virtual I/O point in "realtime" to a lblMyVirtualPoint.Caption. Then use the event On_Change to trigger my change of state subrountine. Any thoughts or suggestion? Or pointers in the direction along the lines of some control or active x component I can use to monitor or do some "realtime" monitoring?

  3. Posted

    I have an Ultra Drive 100 application. It's a pin dereeling machine. I have a photo eye that I use on the pins to home my Ultra drive, so basically it homes to the centerlines of the NON dereeled pins. Then after home, I index the motor to each pin center lines. Of course using the index function in the ultra drive, after about ten hours of running, I get the increamental error, because the ultra drive is told to index to the position that it was last at by the value I told it to move. But my question is, since my homing photoeye sees the centerline of every pin anyway, could I change the mode from indexed mode to registered mode? How does that work? My understanding is everytime the photoeye is seen, or in my case the centerline of the pins, will the motor stop? Let me try and explain. 0 to 1000 pulses is my index. 0 to 1000 pulses is my so called pin centerline if I change to registered mode, Let's say at 0 to 980 pulses, my photoeye comes on, at position 980 from the encoder, while in registered mode, will the motor STOP at 980 instead of finishing the 1000 pulse move because it saw the registered mark first? Maybe I understand this because I never used a servo with registered marks before like a cartoning or paper printing machine.... How will the motor react over a time period?

  5. Posted

    I have a need to remotely locate a computer montior 100 feet from the CPU unit, don't know if I will get this or not... I've located a 100 feet SVGA extension ($89.00), but I know that the video will not be that great on the other end because of past experience with "ghosting" using extension cables of 25 feet. I've also had MAJOR color loss at 25 feet...using a supposed "high quailty" SVGA cable. (monitor looked all REDISH) Has anyone ever connected a monitor 100 feet or more before? What hardware did you use? Did you have to use another signal protocol? Like BNC or something like that? Or did you find an Amp box for SVGA? Is this possible or out of the question? I thought of using a TV instead of using a monitor, but STILL the image would look pretty ugly on a TV...ugh... If I went this route, it would flow like this: SVGA signal to a TV/SVGA convert box ($169.00 at Rat Shack) that gives me composite RCA. Take the RCA into an RF inject box ($39.99 at Rat Shack) that gives me a coax output on Channel 3. Tune my TV to channel 3, run a 100 feet coax cable instead of SVGA. Any ideas?

  8. Posted

    What CSV sheet was you using? One that you made or one that you downloaded from MrPLC? You might want to open up a program, then do a CSV EXPORT from the PLC to CSV format. Then open up the CSV and take a look at the formatting of the CSV sheet. Once you understand or see how many commas you need, that should work. I know the sheet at MrPLC is formatted for SLC500 only. I don't think it will work for Control Logix PLC.....Hope that helps, or maybe I am way off base....

  9. Posted

    Steve, Right here at MrPLC! Jay, our Omron buff, uploaded some bitmaps in the Omron OI section, but those are just normal BMPs so you can use them in the Panel View too. Check it out: http://www.mrplc.com/cgi-bin/code/filedisplay.cgi?category=oiomron Scroll down to: Gauge and Selector Switch Bitmaps 1.0 and Bitmaps for Omron OI 1.0 Make sure you thank Jay for the BMPs! And don't forget to register for the board too, we would like for you to stick around awhile.

  10. Posted

    For a serial connection you'll need the AIC+ as chrisbramall suggests, not the AIC module. There is a big difference. So make sure you don't get those two part confused. But All you need from the AIC+ module to the serial port of the SLC is a CP3 cable. I think the number is 1747-CP3. I don't have an AB catalog handy to verify. I'll check the catalog on MONDAY, unless someone beats me to it.

  12. Posted

    Let me hook a brotha up! This site has very good information: Hardware Book Online I dunno for sure what you are trying to connect but here is a sample diagram from the above link: http://www.hardwarebook.net/cable/serial/nullmodem9to9.html

  15. Posted

    Veger, To answer your orginal question. What you have there should work if you want to use a FIFO LOAD. Using a bit to load as you have posted in your example. I see nothing wrong with your thinking. And your example code you have posted makes good sense and should work just fine for what you are tracking. (The one bit either on or off in the FIFO for the parts traveling...) But just as 93ltl said, becareful about using FIFO on a conveyors. If you have ANY operators around they could remove a product and throw your whole FIFO out of wack. I've seen this happen a few times. Even my original reply using a BIT SHIFT could be thrown out of wack if a product is removed. Which is simpler than a FIFO LOAD for what you are tracking, could be the same problem. I think it's great the you want to try new instructions to track your product. That's the only way to learn and understand how to use the code, it learn by example or learn by doing. Eject      Bad                                                   B9:0/0 ---| |-----| |----(OSR)--------------------------------------------(L)--- *Latch the BIT you want to shift to indicate a failure                                                 Make Photo and unload Photo                           ---| |--------------------------------------------------|File =#B11:0 |control = R6:0 |Bit Address = B9:0/0 |Length = 1 *Whatever condition advances the next part, you shift the condition of B9:0/0 into B:11/0 Make Photo and unload Photo                                                                  B9:0/0 ---|/|----(OSR)----------------------------------------------------(U)--- *Unlatch the condition of BIt shift after you moved tracking bit                                              Photo                                                        Bad Part                                                 B11:0/10 ---| |---------------------------------------------| |-------------( )-----                                              |                                              |                                              |                 Good Part                                                 B11:0/10                                               ----|/|-------------( )----- *Start reading the 10th bit of the B11:0 file to watch the status of the TEN PRODUCT on the conveyor

  17. Posted

    Jay, Yeah I know. He has a nice website for Omron and Siemans information! I use Google translator to read his site. (Thanks to my wife for telling me about this kewl feature). It takes a little bit to chew on it and show it in english, but I think you'll see it's pretty kewl. Also google hacks up the site pretty bad, but if you are really wanting to read something, you'll be able to make it out. http://translate.google.com/transla....&u=http :D

  18. Posted

    Thanks for the detailed reply Ken. I don't have an analog or "Trigger" events on device net, so I am going to give it a run for the money. I understand what you mean about 5 nodes not amounting to much traffic. And 1 sec to know that we lost the heart beat on a slave device is not that critical on this project, but valuable information and pointers should I require to have a slave device that can't stand 1 sec of comms loss from the scanner. Again thanks for your "AB" insight and wisdom.

  19. Posted

    I am getting ready to write some new code for a device net project I've got going. Here is what I got: AB Device NET Scanner Numatics 2002/2004 series Com Modules (5 NODES) with about 100 I/O each. Numatics says that they support all configuration of device net. In the past, I've only used POLLED. I've come to wonder if CHANGE OF STATE is better, seems like it would not tie up the network traffic so much. Has anyone got any words of wizdom configuring my device net for CHANGE OF STATE vs POLLED, like I always have before? In past, most device net capable devices that I have used, for example some SMC valve stacks, ONLY support POLLED, so I was forced to use POLLED configuration. Using Numatics 2002/2004 series com modules opens up a new door to try CHANGE OF STATE configuration. My device net system is running a digital I/O layout with a bunch of air driven valves for automation. Just mainly watching for an input, then turn on an output. Thanks for your comments regarding CHANGE OF STATE vs POLLED.

  22. Posted

    It seems like it could be very simple. No different that using a bar code reader. I have seen swipe card readers that are RS-232. So you can just read the ASCII strings that come from the swipe card. Never done it before, but seems possible. If you can find an RS-232 swipe reader, I don't see any problems. Patch that baby in the front port of the 5/03 and give those ASCII read commands a run for their money in your ladder.

  23. Posted

    Tell you what happened to me... I started going to a Purdue campus extension here in Indiana for a EE program. But they did not cover any PLCs or robotics course, only circuit level design jargon. But I learned basic electronics, and a programming language so I understood the basics of programming in general. I think the thing that really applied is when we learned the 7400 family of chips. All the AND, NOT, an OR logic gates you could make using the 7400 TTL logic chips?. Then I looked around and found that ITT had an Automation Manufacturing Engineering Bachelor degree. I would never wish this upon anyone else, because of the NON credit transfer to other colleges, and the cost to go was outrageous, but the last part of the year was spent with Allen Bradley PLC?s and learning the IRB 1400 ABB robot. The school owed a brand new IRB 1400. So I switched schools and earned my bachelors at ITT in Automation Manufacturing Engineering. My work place accepted my Bachelor Degree from ITT like I had finished with a Bachelor Degree from Purdue. They didn?t seem to mind. Some will say that a Bachelor from ITT is not as good as a Bachelor from Purdue, but I learned more about the field that I wanted to learn about at ITT than I would have ever done so at Purdue. The courses at ITT did not cover any panel views or SCADA I you are going to have to know this stuff to get the job done at your work, then make the place you work fork over the bill to go to these MINI seminars as I would call it to learn any panel view or SCADA like RS VIEW 32 classes. Our Allen Bradley rep does a great job coming around offering classes at their location. Nominal costs are around $800 per class and generally last 3-4 days. Most of the time, my place of employment has sprung for these seminars, or you just become a ?WING IT? type guy?Like the rest of us. You never know what you are doing, until you try. Now on the FLIP SIDE, I have a good (younger) friend who said that Purdue now offers more classes in PLC and Automation that they ever have before, which when I went, was ZERO CLASSES, so that might mean they offer two or three classes. My friend said he learned how to program PLC?s and learn DDE, and did a small RS VIEW 32 project in his class, which I was impressed with that once he told me. So if you live close to Purdue, check there on the automation classes they offer. That is my advise.