Plant Floor Terminal T30C panel

[acpi 11]

Hello,

One of my customer has a cardbox machine controlled by a PLC-5. On a DH+ port of this plc there's a T30C panel.

This panel is totally obsolete and he asked me to replace it.

I'm not an expert of PLC-5 plc but I know how to connect it and get the program. But for the panel I'm in the fog.

I found nothing about it on Rockwell website and almost no informations on the web.

It seems this panel was made by Xycom for AB but I can't find a manual about it.

If someone here know those panels and could tell me what software to use, how to upload  from the panel or any useful informations it will be cool.

Thanks.

JC

Edited 2 April by acpi

[pturmel 160]

Wow!  I thought I was old enough to know about all the old AB stuff.  But not that one, sorry. You might need to take pics of every screen and start from scratch.

[BobLfoot 302]

Your Part Number is most likely 1784-T30C.

I've never seen one, but RA has a case study on someone who repalced one here --> https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/company/news/case-studies/optima-control-solves-obsolescence-issue-with-s88-solution.html

Good Luck it should be a fun job.

[acpi 11]

Morning,

The reference is 1784-T30C indeed but there's nothing about it on Rockwell website, it's like it has never existed

30 years ago I've installed a Xycom 2000 panel that look like a lot the AB one and there was a DOS software but it seems its different with the T30C.

I found messages on another forum from a guy that had worked with thoses panels and he talk of hyperterminal to get and send configuration to the panel. That sound really primitive, even for a 90's product...

I think I'm going to start from scratch by finding tags that are displayed but it will be fastidious as I don't have the source code of the plc.

JC

[pturmel 160]

3 hours ago, acpi said:

I don't have the source code of the plc.

Oy!  That will make it extra difficult.

I'd toss the PLC out, too.   (Or sell it on EBay for mega bucks.)

[acpi 11]

Hi,

Well, in a perfect world plc and hmi should be replaced by brand new Siemens hardware cause it's more common in Europe especially in cardboard industry but we aint living in a perfect world and I have to deal with prehistoric AB stuffs

JC

[pturmel 160]

2 hours ago, acpi said:

replaced by brand new Siemens Rockwell hardware cause it's despite Siemens being more common in Europe

Fixed that for you.

Siemens is as bad as Microsoft when it comes to vendor lock-in and other monopolistic behaviors.  Not to mention being extremely unfriendly to 3rd party use of their protocols.

Going to modern Rockwell would also let you use their conversion tool for PLC5 => Logix.  Not the cleanest conversion, but saves a ton of engineering work.

[acpi 11]

Hello,

I knew I’d tickle the patriotic fibre by speaking of Siemens in a Rockwell forum

It's normal but your vision is skewed cause I guess you work with them all the time.

I work with AB/Rockwell mostly to backup programs or help the maintenance guys to find the a machine fault. Sometimes I install a new plc when customer specifically ask for Rockwell stuff. It happens once every 10 years...

The rest of the time I work at 80% with Schneider and Siemens. If I had to convert the PLC-5 I should buy a licence for ControLogix (€€€) ControlLogix configuration (€€€) and if I want a support I will have to pay in addition a techconnect contract (€€€). So ok there's a conversion tool but if I add all the extras costs I could spend a lot (by lot I mean tons) of hours of engineering and I will be cheaper anyway with Siemens at the end.

I prefer to sell programming hours cause it goes in my pocket (my boss's pocket to be exact) and not in Rockwell's pocket.

But it's pure spéculation cause this plc won't be replaced, mostly because it's reliable (good point for AB) whereas it's not the same story for the panel and its cathodic tube.

Have a nice weekend

JC

 

[BobLfoot 302]

replacement units can be bought fot 5-6k --> https://www.radwell.com/en-US/Buy/ALLEN%20BRADLEY/ALLEN%20BRADLEY/1784-T30C

and since radwell repars them, they can probably poit you to the software to maintain.

[BobLfoot 302]

I did find the user manual in the RA Knowledgebase —> https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/23631/loc/en_US#__htighlight

@pturmel does this bring back memories?

[BobLfoot 302]

Skimming the manual the conversion will be more or less straight forward.

But a lot of reverse engineering what each graphic looks like from the codes.

The device is similar to the Dataliner DL-40 which I converted to Panelview Plus back in 2010.

[pturmel 160]

On 4/6/2024 at 10:11 PM, BobLfoot said:

bring back memories?

Nope.  Never touched it.

On 4/6/2024 at 10:34 PM, BobLfoot said:

Dataliner DL-40

I remember these (with horror).

[acpi 11]

On 06/04/2024 at 4:11 AM, BobLfoot said:

I did find the user manual in the RA Knowledgebase —> https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/23631/loc/en_US#__htighlight

@pturmel does this bring back memories?

Morning,

Thank you for researching. That confirm what I thought, it was certainly very difficult to work with this panel

JC

[IO_Rack 181]

On 4/7/2024 at 0:39 AM, pturmel said:

On 4/6/2024 at 10:34 PM, BobLfoot said:

Dataliner DL-40

I remember these (with horror).

I think we still have a keyboard buried in a cabinet somewhere.