rlp122

MrPLC Member
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Everything posted by rlp122

  1. /rant on I never have understood the problem with learning a new PLC system. To me they are all just like different remote controls for TV's. Physically they all appear different, but all have the same control buttons and do the same basic functions. Everyone seems to get hung up on, "It's not _____." (Fill in the blank with that persons favorite vendor.) Ladder logic is ladder logic. Function blocks are function blocks. The only thing that is different is the programming GUI. Once the GUI is learned and the nuances of minor differences learned, what is really the difference between brand A and brand B? IMHO, not a lot. Some GUI's make programming a bit easier, some make debugging a bit easier, but I have yet to find any one vendor who does a great job at all of the things a programming package needs. Most people know AB. Why? Because they have the largest market presence in the States. In Europe it's Siemens. In Japan, Mistubishi. Each of those brands is the "best" according to people in those markets. Why? Because that brand is the leader. /rant off Back on topic I can't say I would be happy trying to keep all of that up to date, but it isn't the end of the world. The first major plant I worked in didn't have prints or any set standards. What it did have was the best learning environment in the world for instrumentation. I learned more in two years than I would have in ten if they had been standardized.
  2. DL-230 program access

    I have never seen what you are describing and I've been using AD stuff for over 10 years. Version 3 of Directsoft is over 6 years old, but the troubleshooting isn't much different than the new stuff other than a few minor issues. I think you need to contact AutomationDirect Tech Support. It's free and they can figure out what is going wrong in your setup. 1-800-633-0405 or email.
  3. DL-230 program access

    It sounds like you have the OEM edition of Directsoft. You might want to give Automationdirect.com a call and see what your options are.
  4. Burner Management

    Ya see, this is why so many folks don't post in forums. I made a statement that was to the best of my ability and you slam me so hard I bounced a mile. Your post could have been made in a much more informative manner and not nearly so sarcastic. You are right, I mainly work with liquid and gaseous fuels. I have worked with solid fuel, but not very often. Usually it has been wood burning, never coal. I missed him saying coal. My bad. I'll try to refrain from posting in your areas of expertise Paulengr because obviously you are the master who is unable to teach.
  5. Burner Management

    I have to echo what the others have said. There is a reason that Honeywell/Fireye are the leaders in this field. Burners are notoriously fickle creatures. They have a tendancy to explode if not operated correctly. A Honeywell/Fireye controller will help ensure that you don't have to stand up in court and explain to Fred's family why you went the cheap route and designed your own. It will also help keep the judge from throwing you in jail and taking all your assets as well when the burner does fail due to the PLC not working as you intended. Just my two cents...
  6. Unkown PLC Module

    You might want to try Quantum Automation. They have a few oddball Koyo parts that AutomationDirect doesn't carry. (714) 854-0800
  7. More accuracy in analog readback

    The easy way is to use an implied decimal. This means shifting your scaling slightly to make an extra digit that is implied as a decimal point. Since the upper limit of the analog card is 4095, you can: LD V2000 * Analog value MUL K4090 * 409 * 10 to make an implied decimal place DIV K4095 * Divide by the card resolution OUT V2100 * Output address for scaled number
  8. CPU Not Going to Run Mode.

    My guess would be that the base power supply is weak. This is pretty common on 305 bases that are over 12-15 years old. You can get a new base from Automationdirect.com.
  9. TMR DL405

    The accumulated values will be TAx, where x is the number of the timer. For timer T0 the accumulated value will be TA0. For a TMR, yes, K10 would be 1 second. To make the timer variable, place a v-memory address such as V2000 in place of the k10. This would allow you to put the timer preset into V2000 and use a HMI or other means to change it.
  10. RTD fluctuations

    It could be noise. Or it could be the card is actually bad. I know that the thermocouple cards will do this same thing if the voltage between the channels exceeds 5 volts. The resultant differential pops a circuit designed to cancel common mode noise causing the readings to spike at random intervals. I do not know if the RTD card has the same circuit or not.
  11. C-More Micro Graphics Panel

    Sure you can. Look under the Setup -> PLC to Panel menu. Go to the PLC->Panel tab and there is a place for a setup word. If you use V2000 as the starting setup word, the screen color word will be V2002 .
  12. DL105 Software

    It is listed as the DL130 in the list. DL105 is the PLC family name, DL130 is the PLC model.
  13. Trouble shooting SR-20-EX

    Offhand, I'd say either it has lost the program or is just toast. Either way it you might be out of luck. That looks to be pretty old. It isn't shown on the Koyo current parts list. It was made from December of 1992 to April of 1995. It was programmed by a software package called Kostac CAD and it isn't supported by Directsoft so getting support from AutomationDirect isn't likely. It looks like unless someone has a copy of Kostac CAD handy, you may have to replace it with a different PLC.
  14. Looking for Koyo CPU SU-6M

    AutomationDirect will not have a direct cross for the SU-6M.
  15. Honeywell RM7890A Burner Control

    I think this might be what you are referring to. See pages 5-8.
  16. Some of the Kostac PLC's can be programmed by Directsoft which is available from Automationdirect.com. You will need to check the model number of the Kostac against the Directsoft compatibility chart ot see if it will work or not.
  17. DL06 RS-232C Networking

    Short RTS and CTS together instead of running them to the opposite PLC. Also be sure that you are conditioning the WX rung with a NC SP116. If you have more than a single communications instruction, you must use some method of sequencing them so that only one communications instruction can be active at one time.
  18. Paint Transformers?

    At the last company I worked for, we painted ours all the time with no ill effects. As long as we prepped the surface properly the paint adhered fine.
  19. DCM Module to Logix5555

    It depends on which DL205 cpu you have and what ports are available on it. MODBUS RTU is the likely serial protocol, so you need to check the Logix 5000 and see if it supports MODBUS RTU natively as either Master or Slave. It might be possible to do MODBUS TCP/IP. If so then again depending on the DL205 processor, you might be able to add a H2-ECOM100 to the DL205 rack to do this.
  20. Screening Help

    Screening at both ends gets you a ground loop. From my past experiences and after reading enough articles on screening (grounding to us yanks). The general concensus seems to be to screen on the end that creates the signal. This is of course my humble opinion on a subject that I have had many discussions and arguements over.
  21. Actually you can program in mnemonics, you just have to do it in a text editor then import it into DirectSoft. Unfortunately you don't get error checking until you go to import though. Personally I can't think of a single reason to torture myself by programming in mnemonics... Belch!
  22. handy programmer A-21 P

    It looks like DirectSoft software will program it. At least according to HOST Engineering's FAQ page. You can get this from AutomationDirect.com or if you are in Chile, from the South American VAR.
  23. K-Sequence protocol is a proprietary format. However, you can get the Directnet protocol from which K-Sequence is derived here.
  24. Password DirectLogic 405

    If the password is lost to a Directlogic PLC, the PLC must be sent in to AutomationDirect. AutomationDirect will clear the password free of charge. The password clearing process does involve clearing the program and user memories, so you should have a backup of the program if possible. There are three levels of password protection available. 1. None 2. Program locked, User memory accessable(Password starts with a "A" followed by seven numbers) 3. All memory locked So the only way you can see the ladder is with option 1, no password protection.
  25. Error setting up D450 port 1

    Try updating to the newest build. It should fix the problem.