Password protect micrologixs 1200 plc program

[Guest Guest_kcor]

Is there a way to password protect a program in a micrologixs 1200 plc. Just finished a prototype press that has a lot of safety items designed into the controls and want to allow techs in the field to go on and monitor, but not be able to modify or download. Have ordered a memory card for the 1200 and plan on having it set up to load the program from the memory card upon power up. thanks

[panic mode 246]

i never needed to password protect my work so someone else should be able to answer that. i'm just curious to find out if you followed press standard since you mention using regular plc doing safety functions.

[DGR 0]

Go to Controller Properties under your Project tree and you'll find a tab labeled Passwords.

[TimWilborne 108]

I know DGRs reply answered this topic but I am just curious I don't have a copy of RsLogix 5 anymore but I recall in it you could password protect individual data files so there values would be masked too. I looked in RsLogix 500 and don't see it. Does it not have this feature?

[Ken Moore 23]

Enhanced PLC-5's have 4 levels of password protection, you can set it up so that each class has different levels of access, the older models do not support this feature. SLC's and the ML's only have one level, you either have full access or none

[TimWilborne 108]

Ok. I knew I had seen it in RsLogix 5

[gravitar 3]

I don't think you'll have read-only access with that.. Come to think of it I'm not sure there's a way to let people "see but not touch" on a SLC/ML.. If the EEPROM can be "locked" like on a SLC, you'd have some defense against people making permanent changes atleast.

[Wordman 0]

PLCs are NOT control reliable!

[gravitar 3]

true that

[gravitar 3]

Not to get off on a tangent BUT.. I spend 99% of my time in a welding/assembly shop but I do get to go over to the company's stamping plant from time to time. Yesterday was one of those days, as several guys were struggling with a new Aida 1600T transfer press we recently acquired. I recalled this thread as I was digging through the program.. It was controlled by two "seemingly normal" SLC 5/04s operating more or less in parallel. Well, it was more like a master/slave configuration but critical functions did require both SLCs to be in agreement. That reminded me of a brand-new Minster press that my last employer bought 4 years ago.. it was controlled by a single 5/04.. and several secondary presses they had that were retrofitted with redundant fixed SLCs. The reason why I mention this is, although it is generally stated that PLCs are not "control reliable", they CAN be used to control presses and meet OSHA regulations. I'm not saying I know what has to be done to achieve that, only that seeing companies like Aida and Minster do it is proof enough for me!

[Guest low on the pole]

If you look at the properties on the program ladder files you can uncheck online edits, and password the whole program in controller properties. We have eagle presses with reduntant processors that have to agree with each other. None of our presses came in password protected or protected files in them.

[Wordman 0]

Yeah you can use PLCs for control and meet OSHA regulations no doubt. But you are required to use external control reliable means to ensure that one signle faliure does not comprimise the safety of the system. To acheive the highest safety category, it would most likely would be acheived by redundant saftey relays and postive acting interlocks and switches and light curtains, etc,which would cut out the control power so the PLC is not relied on to make this decision. Again, I don't know the specifics of any of all of your systems, but unless you are using a saftey PLC with monitoring inputs and safety outputs, the PLC itself isn't control reliable. Also, just because an OEM built it, doesn't mean it's 100% right. I'd never take that for granted. Our manufactering engineers buy machines all of the time that aren't even close to meeting OSHA/NFPA requirements.