gravitar

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Everything posted by gravitar

  1. You know.. the potential is there for me to learn a lot.. but I must confess, I'm on my fourth week in this place and I'm still not really sure what I supposed to be doing. So far I've just been watching from the sidelines, doing clerical/office work, calling vendors, writing memos, etc.. they keep on telling me about this job and that job that needs to be done.. Great, I think.. I'll actually get to wire something up or make a change in a program, and be able to show that I'm actually good for something. My boss keeps on telling me that "my time is much too valuable" to do an electrician's job, and they'll just hire a contractor to do that. AARRGGH!! I hate to come right out and tell the guy "BUT I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!" but the fact of the matter is, I'm not making very good use of my time or the money they're paying me to be there. Probably the only things I've done that are worthy of a controls guy are to argue with maintenance about the safety features they aren't implementing, and argue with another controls guy about how a simple, passive sensor manifold is NOT a remote I/O block :) The project manager asked if we could do something and he had the nerve/stupidity to tell him we couldn't because "those fixtures were wired up with a special Remote I/O to DeviceNet adapter.." Give me a break dude, if you're going to lie to the guy, at least make it believable! But anyway, I'm quickly gaining the reputation as the new guy that likes to make trouble for everyone,so I'm wondering if I should just start keeping my mouth shut and collecting my paycheck..
  2. In fact, it isn't even accurate to call that an ethernet port. It does use an RJ45 connector just like the ones that are used for ethernet, but the RJ45 connector has been used for many, many different things over the years. 10/100BaseT ethernet and DH485 are just a couple of them. I don't think I would go so far as to say that anything would be damaged by plugging an ethernet cable into the DH485 port (believe me.. lots of people have tried it!) but you sure wouldn't be able to communicate.
  3. Thank you for all the insight you've all provided. I agree, it'll be a good learning experience if nothing else. Hopefully I'll at least be able to figure out what hole to plug the programming cable into on all these different PLCs! (Who would've figured that you program a GE PLC through an unmarked hidden compartment on the power supply.. I felt pretty foolish a couple weeks ago when I figured this one out!) Anyway, in my opinion, it's true, "Ladder Logic is Ladder Logic", regardless of brand. But I suppose you could say that about the languages we speak and write tooc, couldn't you? English.. Spanish.. French.. German.. They all use nearly all the same symbols. They all branched from the same origin. They're all used to accomplish the exact same tasks. So it should be a trivial matter to master them all, shouldn't it? But wait.. what about all the regional/national customs that you would have to master too? Well I'm running into that too. Like I said, I wouldn't expect to "program" the power supply. I didn't realize that when you're online, you have to sit and wait for the ladder to "update" before you REALLY know what's turned on and what's not, and sometimes you have to wait a LONG time (even though it's on ethernet.. go figure). I wouldn't have guessed that, even though the HMI and PLC are programmed withy the same software package, you can't do both at the same time. I think Ron hit it on the head when he said that the decision-makers probably don't even think about the PLC. They see a machine, a machine makes parts, and that's that. I'll try to get a handle on what's installed where and what software is needed for it, as a first step. Whether or not I'll have any luck making anyone consider that there's another way, is anyone's guess!
  4. Disconnect switches and the NFPA79

    That sounds like what I'm looking for. Although that doesn't mention distance, the load center that feeds this equipment is not in direct line of sight of the control panels. Part of another workcell is blocking it. Thank you!
  5. Any users of Eplan P8 ?

    He was probably saying that HE, with HIS present skillset, could work faster in autocad. I know I could. Now, if I were to get the opportunity to work extensively with EPlan and master it, I'm sure the reverse would be true. Especially for GM or another company that is fully committed to it, because they have a fully customized version specifically geared to their standards.
  6. Any users of Eplan P8 ?

    GM has established EPlan as the standard, internally and externally, for electrical drawings. If you're a machine tool supplier to GM, you are expected to have EPlan P8 and someone on staff that is qualified to use it. GM-employed engineers have to get the certification, too. They put on a 4 day "crash course" on the basics of EPlan to try to get everyone up to speed. Of course, you can only get your feet wet in 4 days, it takes much longer than that to master it. I took the course, and I can understand why they consider it good business to make everyone use a tool like EPlan. Does it make sense for everyone to stop using autocad though? probably not. Yeah, I know, autocad was meant for mechanical drawings, and us electrical guys are forcing it to do something it wasn't meant to do. But by the same token, spreadsheets were only supposed to be for accountants and we make pretty good use of those, too.
  7. PV1000 Upload problem

    Also, if you're having trouble with an upload or download, you can bypass that process entirely by inserting an ATA flashcard in the slot in the back and commanding the terminal to upload or download to the card from the config screen.
  8. Any users of Eplan P8 ?

    I took the GM CCRW classes last winter, and it does look like a pretty good package. Like everyone else, I'm quite used to Autocad, but I can see how a program like EPlan would be better suited to controls design. It makes sense, I suppose, for GM to impose this upon their supplier base. Unfortunately I never did land a GM-related job though, so I was never able to put it into practice!
  9. Hello! I was given a project that I am going to need some advice with. We have a ControlLogix system that is connected to a VersaView CE terminal (running RSView ME runtime) via ethernet. The terminal gets eight inputs from the CLX that, depending on which signal is high, we need to display a graphic image on a video projector. The Versaview terminal does not have an external VGA port. Because of that, we think we're going to have to add a PC to the cabinet to select the image and display it. The images can be in any format that is most convenient.. BMP, JPG, even powerpoint slides. So my question is, what would be the best way to go about triggering the images? Would it make more sense to upgrade the versaview to something with a VGA port? thanks!
  10. About 1761-NET-ENI

    So let me get this straight, the OLDER firmware has better functionality than the newer one?! I haven't tried it myself, but I don't see why you wouldn't be able to put the older FW on there if you wanted to.
  11. interesting question. I think the lines have blurred in recent years. How would you guys classify regular AC induction motors that are connected to a VFD that features sensorless positioning? Is the motor "regular" or servo depending on what is driving it?
  12. This seems like it would be a really common question, and I apologize if it has been answered here before but I just can't seem to find what I need. What I've got is a CLX processor and an ENET module connected to a Versaview running XP and RSView. I need now to bring up graphic images on a second monitor, triggered by the CLX. I can do this pretty much however i want.. powerpoint was suggested, i'm thinking about just writing a VB program though. So heres my question.. what is the best/easiest/cheapest way to pull one integer (or 4-8 bits) from the CLX over the ethernet link? Does the version of Linx that RSView uses help me? Do I need to buy some other software? And as a secondary question, do you think it would be easier to automate the slide display in powerpoint, or am i better off just trying to write the thing myself?
  13. Well my project was the smallest of the small, and it worked out well. They've got real good tech support, without which a VB newbie like me surely would have failed!
  14. New Laptop

    Two words: Panasonic Toughbook
  15. wouldn't he just want a good old PIC module?
  16. I don't think the toolkit program is new but it was never well publicised. The last place I worked for had it.. It's almost like leasing the software (all of it :) rather than buying it. If you need access to ALL RSI products it is a good way to go. If your development work is limited to only a few families of products, then it might not make financial sense. and like you said, it does not cover transferring runtime licenses to your customers.
  17. The safety glasses thread

    Yeah, common sense and regulations seem to mix like oil and water in many cases. I'll tell you one thing though, as nice as it would be to have better vision, I'm glad I wear glasses because even when I'm not in an "OSHA governed" environment, it seems like more often than not I'm somewhere that needs eye protection! I just figured this time around I'd look beyond the plain old ones and find something a little more comfortable to wear and see out of. There's some pretty nice ones on the page sleepy mentioned, but it doesn't look like they're serving the americas yet! I did find some good ideas though. I'm gonna see if anyone in my area has these: http://www.titmus.com/catalog/snakewear/SW06.html
  18. Hello all, just thought I'd ask and see what you guys are wearing! Sideshields have always bugged me for some reason, and I see guys walking around with glasses that have the sideshield moulded right into the main lens. I have been trying to find glasses like that in my optical prescription, but as of yet have not found what I am looking for.. There's a great selection for those lucky enough not to need prescription glasses but not much to choose from for us poor souls that actually need the darn things to see!
  19. Update: I searched through old messages and found where BobLFoot mentioned using an Automated Solutions Inc. OPC driver. I downloaded their 30-day trial of ASComm.NET, and lo-and-behold, I was reading integer values out of the PLC in minutes! Now all I need to do is strip out all the dialogue text from the sample application and graft it onto my qui8ck 'n dirty VB program. Thanks for the heads-up Bob!
  20. PICO CONTROLLER PROG CABLE

    If memory serves, the Pico cable has a little circuit board with circuitry on it. Unfortunately you are probably stuck buying the A-B cable.
  21. Well the customer replaced the HMI with a VersaView terminal running full-blown XP and sporting two PCI ports. (they must not have been impressed with my second-PC idea!) I installed a PCI video card into one of the slots, and now I've got the XP desktop spread across both screens. I've got RSView displaying on the LCD panel and powerpoint on the secondary display, and I think I've found a shareware utility to lock the two programs into these screen positions at bootup so now we're finally getting somewhere! The last piece of the puzzle is how to take an integer or group of bits from the CLX processor so that I can choose which image to display on the second screen. I was orignally thinking I would write a small VB program to do this.. Would the task be simpler if we keep powerpoint around, or should I just stick with my instincts and write the whole thing from scratch? What would be the best/cheapest/easiest way to get my data out of the processor? Is the version of RSLinx that comes with RSView sufficient for me to hot-link from VB to an integer value in the PLC? Or do we need to buy some other software to do this?
  22. Another update: I went over to see one of these at the local distributor, and there's no PCI slot. Looks like the option slot the brochure mentioned is a PCMCIA slot! So I'm thinking the video card add-on is ruled out. And funny you should mention the slide show, it just so happens that Mac & Mac has a slideshow presentation using several coordinated projectors much like you describe, but it was done using "professional" equipment and surely cost a "professional" price. It's a bid dated today.. I think they did it in the late 80s. For this job though, I think they want to maintain the flexibility of a bitmapped graphic image. Which is a pity, because I'm sure slide projectors could be directly triggered using discrete I/O. Actually, right at this moment I'm leaning toward finding a discrete input board for a PC and using that to initiate the image selection. It would be more elegant to do it over ethernet, but I think discrete I/O might be the simplest and easiest way to do this.
  23. Update: I just called tech support at our local distributor and they said that WinCE doesn't have the drivers installed to recognize the second video card. and, there's no way to transfer the RSView ME runtime license to another computer. So I guess I'm back to wondering if I can trigger the image selection on a slave PC. This might be the perfect time for me to try to gain some Visual Basic skills!
  24. Naturally I'm looking for the simplest/cheapest solution, which I'm going to assume is Clay's idea. If it turns out that this doesn't work well or at all, then we will have to look at a full blown PC. I forsee that adding quite a bit to the cost of the project though, as I'm sure that we can't transfer the runtime license from the versaview to the PC. I agree that a projector doesn't sound like the best choice. I think that's a battle for a different day though. Once I can give them a VGA signal, they'll be able to use it however works best. I'm not sure I'm at the point yet where I can use an ethernet-based media converter. I think you need to have a VGA signal to convert, first. If there were a software-only solution that works in CE, then we'd be in business.
  25. Whenever anyone mentions that they're in the market for a notebook, I feel compelled to mention the Panasonic Toughbook line. They're kinda pricey if bought new, but used ones are plentiful and reasonably priced. I use a CF-28 that has a PIII-1000 processor, 512MB, 160GB drive, and 13.3" touchscreen. It probably sounds a bit light on performance, but I have found that it is fast enough for just about anything you can throw at it. And it has a wealth of connectivity.. 3 PCMCIA ports, 2 mini PCI ports, serial, parallel, and USB.