Stumped the BAND today...found an AB problem.

[Chris Elston 79]

Hey guys...check this out. I've got a NEW MicroLogix 1500 LRP Panel View 300 DH-485 AIC+ Win2K Pro Dell laptop RS Linx 2.3 version pro My network connection is as follows: I connected a DIN cable from DIN port of AIC+ to DIN port of Micrologix 1500, configured for DH-485. I have a phoenix type connector from AIC+ to RJ-45 (phone type) to my Panel View 300 (DH-485 model). I am programming using a CP3 cable plugged into AIC+. My RS Linx driver is configured as PIC. If your networking is running, panelview talking to micro ok, just plug into your CP3 cable without RS Linx running while your laptop running win2k pro is connected to other end ...your network will died and give you a 612 ERROR on the panel view. Start RS Linux, click on the PIC driver, and your network starts up again, panel view talks to micro no problems. Shut down RS linx without unplugging your CP3 cable and your network will die, 612 ERROR. Start RS Linx and your network will start up again, then unplug cable without shutting down RS Linx. Your network will be fine. I stratch my head on this one for a long time, making sure I wasn't smoking anything funny the previous day..... and finally picked up the phone and called my AB rep. Wabash Electric. They replicated this same problem. Wabash Electric called AB, and AB replicated the SAME PROBLEM. I am told so far they pinned it down to Windows 2000 or Windows XP PIC driver. If you have Windows 95 or 98, you don't have this problem. There is no WORK-A-ROUND, other than a power down and power up to get your network back. Make sure your CP3 cable is disconnected from your laptop. I'll keep you guys posted if I get any new drivers or anything from AB. It would kewl to know if any of you out there can replicate this problem too.

[Guest Bowen]

So by just plugging in the cp3 to the AIC, will terminate the network? Hmm, that's strange. Are you running ACPI on the Win2k? I'm wondering if it's somehow killing the token on the network as it cuases major problems with running a PIC. Strange how they would say it's a PIC driver problem when you said it was killing the network when RSLinx wasn't running. Edited 3 May 2003 by Bowen

[Guest Guest_Ken Roach]

I'm not too surprised by this behavior of the 1747-PIC/AIC driver under Windows 2000/XP, though I have not experienced it myself. In order to get beneath the Windows NT/2000/XP Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) enough to get the handshaking right for DH485 timing on a standard PC serial port, RSI had to get creative and substitute a modified serial driver for the standard serial driver under Windows. When you create a 1747-PIC driver in RSLinx, the software "swaps in" the new low-level driver. The driver doesn't get removed until you remove it from the RSLinx driver configuration.... even when RSLinx is shut down ! You'll find that other applications cannot use the serial port when RSLinx has a PIC driver configured; Modbus, Palm HotSynch... they'll all report a port conflict. Probably what's happening is that the dormant 1747-PIC serial port driver is keeping the handshaking lines tied permanently low until RSLinx starts up. When you plug the PC into the network without RSLinx running, the handshaking line stays low and the PC port takes over "transmitting" on the network... and never stops. Moments later, the token rotation watchdog on all the other devices declares a network fault. The simple thing to do is to not connect your CP3 cable until you have RSLinx running. I sure hope that USB-PIC makes it's debut this summer.

[Chris Elston 79]

Ken, That's a great explaintion, but you know what makes it even worse? If I plug my laptop into the network without RS Linx running, the network will die, if I unplug my CP3 from the network, the network will NEVER restart.....that's what sucks. I either have to power down and power up the PLC, or I have to startup RS Linx, click the PIC driver to make it start polling, then the network will come back up. Then UNPLUG my CP3 cable before I shutdown RS Linx. So that is my warning to all. Make sure you unplug the CP3 cable before you shutdown Linx, otherwise your network will not restart.

[autocontrolit 0]

I know this is an old thread, but I had this problem myself. If you reserve the comm port for the PIC driver exclusively it should cure the problem. You can do this when you set-up the PIC driver. You will not be able to use this port again for another driver even without RSLinx running until you delete the PIC driver from the RSLinx topic configuration.