Crossbow

www.sea.siemens.com Siemens Energy & Automation trial versions only, you need to buy full packages

You can't. You need to buy WinCC Flexible as it is a commercial product. There is no such thing as a free or trial version.

Well the guys in my group at work have one, but loaned it out to a customer to test. When it comes back I want to try it out. It's actually priced the same in the US as the QJ71E71-100 card is. I've worked with Modicon PLCs in the past and would like to see what I can do with the Modbus-TCP and a Q...

I know of the card... I haven't had a chance to work with one yet. What are you trying to do? (Also, do you have the GX-Configurator-MB software to assist in configuring the card?)

The old DOS based MEDOC software has been distributed around the Internet, although according to Mitsubishi it is not released as a free to distribute package. It's simply obsolete software. You can download a 15-day limited version of GX-Developer from www.meau.com, that's the current software. After that you'd need to buy a license. As for simulators, GX-Simulator is available from Mitsubishi, but it's not a free package.

File Name: FX Programming Manual II (JY992D88101D) File Submitter: Crossbow File Submitted: 19 Dec 2005 File Category: Manuals, Tutorials Mitsubishi FX Programming Manual II Part number JY992D88101 Rev D April 2003 Click here to download this file

You have plenty of timers and counters available in the FX1N (256 of each to be exact). You can certainly use a 1 second pulse (address will be M8012) and a counter, or use a timer address of T0 thru T199 which are 100 msec timers. If you give T0 a preset of 10, that's one second. Timers are coded as output coils, but instead of a Y address for an output, you put T0 K999 (space between Tx and preset, K indicates numeric constant, so this would be a 99.9 second timer). Hope this helps. Be sure to download the FX Programming Manual II (JY992D88101D) from the downloads section here and look at Chapter 4 for more detail.

The FX1N-BAT is a module that plugs into the memory card area and extends the internal capacitor backup to something like 200 days. The program is stored on EEPROM, so it never gets lost. But this extends the memory backup for the RAM section of the PLC memory.

You don't say how the PLCs are connected to the PC. You should be able to use the default settings for comm if you are using the built-in serial port and an SC09 to connect the PC. If your PC is connected to the RS485 network, make it's port settings match the settings for your RS485 network you already configured.

You can use the new (even the larger size) with the old motion controller as long as you adjust the ppr scaling in the amplifier...

Write your own latching relay... When the timer completes turn on a bit, and have that bit latch itself on until the input is pressed. If you're looking at the (L) output in the software, that's not latched in the sense that it's locked on, it just means that it's state is backed up and restored by the PLC after a power failure. See code below...

E200 does not support expansion cards. I would recommend the CC-Link option myself. Connect an FX2N-16CCL-M master to the PLC closest to the PC and FX2N-32CCL slaves to the others. Then if you're not already using a comm board on the PLC, consider the FX2NC-ENET-ADP and FX2N-CNV-BD to connect the PLC closest to the PC to Ethernet so you can talk to it from the PC. This is much cheaper than a CC-Link board for your PC. Not sure where to direct you for the text messaging end of it. But if your PC has a modem, you could always consider using PCAnywhere to access it from a remote computer. Another option would be to replace the PLC closest to the workshop with an FX3U, and use it's new FX3U-ENET module. This module allows for the sending of emails. I can send an email to my cell phone and it comes in as a text message. As long as it has access to a mail server, it would allow you to configure emails from the PLC to send to your cell phone. Not sure about incoming messages yet though. Haven't worked with the FX3U-ENET yet.

Actually, the HC-MF and MR-J2 are obsolete. The J2 servos were replaced by the J2 Super. You should consider replacing them with an HC-MFS13 and MR-J2S-10A (note the S in part number to designate Super). You will need to replace both the amplifier and the servo motor. One thing to keep in mind, the J2 Super uses a 131072 ppr encoder, while the J2 I believe was 8192. So in the amplifer setup software you should change the scaling on the pulses per rev so you don't have to reprogram your entire machine... The new motor also does not have a keyway in the shaft.

You're going to need a USB to Serial adapter. I got one from CP Technologies (CP-US-03) from www.tigerdirect.com and it's worked with every PLC software I've tried.

Well one thing that might help is if you give more info about the application and the parts. Two way valve is not very descriptive. What size? What kind of control (discrete on/off or analog position)? Another that would help is if you told us where you are located. Perhaps someone locally can help you. I know the company I worked for would not ship internationally.

I'm not sure what the Micro 84 used for programming, before my time. But I would think there is a cheaper solution than the Quantum. Look at Compact or Momentum, Quantum's too big for any application that fit in a Micro 84.

Wow Panic... how do you really feel? ;) I have heard from good source that in the future there will be a single file format for GX-Developer. I agree that the ZIP support in WinXP isn't great, and trying to explain to customers that they need to send the entire directory, not the file. Some day, when all is well with the universe, our life will be easier.

For an HMI for Mitsu or AB, check out the Mitsubishi E-Series. The E-Series has drivers for just about any PLC, and it can talk to 2 different vendor PLCs at the same time, making it an excellent solution if you need to make 2 different vendors' equipment share data. I've got a demo in my office of an AB talking to a Mitsu and another Mitsu talking to a Modicon, and all of them are sharing data over Ethernet.

Fastrak Softworks also offers a PLC Workshop for Siemens S5 package that runs well under Windows XP. It's cheaper than Siemens version too. The best link I've found for Siemens manuals and downloads is: http://support.automation.siemens.com

I would strongly recommend using a laptop and GX-Developer software. Windows-based programming is so much easier than the old programming consoles. Also, you'll want to check out www.meau.com about the discontinuation of the old large-rack A series PLCs. You'll want to talk with someone about an upgrade strategy to get that system moved forward before parts availability becomes an issue. Look for the A Series Transition Center link on the left, or pick Products, PLCs, A-Series.

Sounds like you should try to find an updated copy of the Microsoft Visual Basic Runtime Library to install. The software should have updated those things when it was installed, but maybe it didn't.

That means you controller was programmed with Concept in the IEC languages. The 11302 and 11303 processors do not have enough memory, so to support the IEC languages, you load a stripped exec which is IEC only. If you do not need the program that's in the PLC, you can use the Exec loader and download the latest 984LL firmware to it. If you need to access the IEC program, you need the Concept programming software, not Proworx.

I'd have to dig up the CD with the manual, but there is a list of reasons that would apply. I'll find the manuals on the TSX Micro and post them later today.

When I write PLC programs for work and the customer paid for the programming time, they own the code. When I do it for my employer and don't make the customer pay for development time, the code is mine. It comes down to who paid for it.