GX IEC developer help req'd (Lots of it)

[Thorny 0]

Hi Everyone I have already posted this in reply to some one else but thought I wouls start a new thread, I am a "Technician" in support of Maintenance at a company in the UK, I have experience mainly in Modicon and AB but I am currently working with Mitsubushi as this is the chosen PLC for the company, my question is about GX IEC which seems to be used mostly in Europe. If I try to communicate with an A series FX1 or whatever with GX IEC without the program currently running from HDD, ie just a straight Serial connection, the only upload from PLC I can get is in List mode not ladder as in MM+ or GX Dev, can I convert this to ladder ? as I have taken over from the previous Tech who didn't feel the need to back up progs or just took them with him when he left! I realy need to back up all the PLC's here as there is not any archive material or Hard copies that I can find, I have been told that most of the Progs were written and downloaded using GX IEC and you need the original program running on HDD before you can connect and monitor, is this correct ? also if I connect using GX Developer (Not IEC) I get ladder but it looks as though most of the function blocks are broken down making a huge prog and difficult to follow, any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated. (Thanks guys to TW Controls and Collin Carpenter who replied to this on a previous thread) As an add on to this from previous posting I have traced the previous Technician who now works for a controls system integrator near by, it seems he left the company I work for after a bust up with the Works Engineer. Anyway he sent me the details of the systems house who installed the software for the major PLCs (Vacuum furnaces) and I have now got 8 MM+ versions (although the code has been heavily moded since) that I can import to GX IEC which will help, as for the rest (16 "A" PLC's) I am constructing I/O maps where ever possible with the use of the Scematics or documenting the GX dev programs from the same. Wish me luck guys and if anyone has any utils or tips I'd be glad to here them. Regards to all Thorny

[naing 0]

Hi, May the following link be helpful for your needs. Mitsubishi Automation

[Colin Carpenter 10]

Sounds like your 16 A series PLCs are pretty old. If that is the case, then I'd be tempted to dig out a copy of DOS Medoc as this will almost certainly talk to those old PLCs and do the initial code and name list work in DOS Medoc, for the following reason. IEC developer works in a different way to DOS Medoc, in that it is "Name" based programming as opposed to "Address" based programming. To cut a long story short, upload programmes from PLCs using DOS MEDOC. Edit the Name Lists as far as you can in DOS MEDOC, then export to IEC (easily done) then convert to graphics. Trust me, you'll save a lot of headaches doing it this way, because at the end of the day, you'll end up with IEC graphical code using Names not Addresses. Also, there is a magic utility for comparing text files showing differences between them , then re-synchronising, which is much easier to work with using MEDOC print files. Another tip .... ask the original guy how much he wants to let you have all the software versions that he probably still has somewhere