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Kirby K.

scary transition from LM90 to ME

12 posts in this topic

Our IT department (which is there to help us?) has forced us to change over to the greatest and latest: Proficy ME ver. 5.0; and of course getting updates is like pulling frogs teeth... especialy for me seeing that I'm a mushroom (3rd shift worker). Anyway.... everytime that I have need to look at the logic of a machine, I go get the laptop, go sign out the key (hard key for ME) startup the computor, open ME and ... about 20 minutes of waiting around I'm able to make target, upload, change to programer mode, download and then I get this warning stuff that gives me a nice warm wet feeling: Uploading from the connected device Uploading: CONFIG VERSION Uploading: REF MEMORY ALLOC Uploading: RACK SLOT CONFIG Uploading: I/O CONFIG Uploading: SNP ID Uploading: _MAIN.dec Uploading: _MAIN.pdt Uploading: FAULTS.pdt Uploading: FIS.pdt Uploading: HMI.pdt Uploading: MAIN.pdt _MAIN.pdt Processed successfully. FAULTS.pdt Processed successfully. FIS.pdt Processed successfully. HMI.pdt Processed successfully. MAIN.pdt Processed successfully. Building block: _MAIN.... Size of Logic Binary File = 157 Bytes Successfully processed. Building block: FAULTS.... Size of Logic Binary File = 1134 Bytes Successfully processed. Building block: FIS.... Size of Logic Binary File = 270 Bytes Successfully processed. Building block: HMI.... Size of Logic Binary File = 543 Bytes Successfully processed. Building block: MAIN.... Size of Logic Binary File = 1948 Bytes Successfully processed. ---------- Upload from PLC completed ---------- Importing Hardware Configuration... Importing Folder File... Importing Smart Store... Importing Variable File... Importing block _MAIN... Importing block FAULTS... Importing block FIS... Importing block HMI... Importing block MAIN... Warning 8099: Variable [R00167] was automatically aliased to [R00166[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00108] was automatically aliased to [R00106[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00083] was automatically aliased to [R00082[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00078] was automatically aliased to [R00076[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00059] was automatically aliased to [R00058[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00029] was automatically aliased to [R00028[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00026] was automatically aliased to [R00025[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00053] was automatically aliased to [R00052[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00035] was automatically aliased to [R00034[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00168] was automatically aliased to [R00166[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00158] was automatically aliased to [R00157[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00134] was automatically aliased to [R00133[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00146] was automatically aliased to [R00145[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00128] was automatically aliased to [R00127[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00030] was automatically aliased to [R00028[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00014] was automatically aliased to [R00013[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00002] was automatically aliased to [R00001[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00159] was automatically aliased to [R00157[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00092] was automatically aliased to [R00091[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00023] was automatically aliased to [R00022[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00161] was automatically aliased to [R00160[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00129] was automatically aliased to [R00127[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00086] was automatically aliased to [R00085[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00080] was automatically aliased to [R00079[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00071] was automatically aliased to [R00070[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00068] was automatically aliased to [R00067[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00062] was automatically aliased to [R00061[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00056] was automatically aliased to [R00055[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00005] was automatically aliased to [R00004[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00003] was automatically aliased to [R00001[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00205] was automatically aliased to [R00203[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00170] was automatically aliased to [R00169[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00140] was automatically aliased to [R00139[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00149] was automatically aliased to [R00148[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00104] was automatically aliased to [R00103[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00101] was automatically aliased to [R00100[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00024] was automatically aliased to [R00022[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00162] was automatically aliased to [R00160[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00122] was automatically aliased to [R00121[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00096] was automatically aliased to [R00095[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00074] was automatically aliased to [R00073[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00072] was automatically aliased to [R00070[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00050] was automatically aliased to [R00049[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00044] was automatically aliased to [R00043[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00032] was automatically aliased to [R00031[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00006] was automatically aliased to [R00004[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00017] was automatically aliased to [R00016[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00107] was automatically aliased to [R00106[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00105] was automatically aliased to [R00103[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00131] was automatically aliased to [R00130[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00097] was automatically aliased to [R00095[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00077] was automatically aliased to [R00076[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00075] was automatically aliased to [R00073[2]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00143] was automatically aliased to [R00142[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00152] was automatically aliased to [R00151[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00089] was automatically aliased to [R00088[1]] Warning 8099: Variable [R00065] was automatically aliased to [R00064[1]] The selected memory was successfully uploaded from the connected device Oh, it gets better... so I'm doing some changes to a TCP and the program tells me that I cant use a chosen %RXXXX because its used somewhere else. Huh? So I go looking and I cant find it being used anywhere. So I spend another 1/2 hour or so looking and find that it was "aliased". Why do these PLC company's have to make things so difficult? There was nothing wrong with LM-90. And I miss it... Oh, so whats with this 'Warning 8099..' stuff? Anyone seen this before? I've got about 150 or so PLC's to update. And its just getting plain scary.

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Once you understand what is happening it will not be so scary. BTW... so long as you only have 'Warnings' and not 'Errors' you can keep going. This is PME's way of handling Arrays that were not always considered Arrays in the development system that this was converted from, probably LM90. In the above example %R143 is the same PLC address offset as %R142[Array Offset 1] (142 + 1 = 143) This is probably a timer or counter with %R143 as the 'Preset' and %R142 the 'Accumulator' When selecting an address for adding logic use %R or %M without an offset number, this will let the software select the next highest address available, give it a descriptive Name and you will no one will care what address is used.

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Thanks Russ, this is what I had thought happened. However it still doesn't make me feel good about it. Logic master was easy to run, fast and did everything that I would ever need to do. Now I have a program that takes forever to load, is difficult to navigate and has too many bells and whistles. One of my favorite quotes is "if it aint broke, dont fix it" ........ well GE fixed it alright.

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oh...come on now where is your open mind? I think PME is great. Of course I thirst cut-copy-steal to save time programming new machines. I guess that's why I like it so much, found out about Toolchest the other day which is another nice feature too. Keep at it, it will grow on you.

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Open mind'ness is a way of life where I work. I use a company computor that is shared with 5 other electricians and a engineer. So you never know what its going to look like when you open it up. I have yet been able to connect with logic equal. I like the idea of 'change management' but we dont use that yet. Another scary thought... IT will probibly have control of that feature when we do.

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Back in the days when I was selling PLCs, I once had a customer who ordered a Dell Latitude "PLC Programmer" from me so as not to have to go through IT for a new laptop.

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Didn't/don't you use .sde files with logicmaster. I keep an entire file of them for this same reason. My thought is if you (or someone else) did it good once it must be good to use again.

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I'm liking Proficy too, I am just out of college, and learned on AB. Tranistioning to Proficy has been relatively easy coming from RSLogix500. I have LogicDisaster on my computer too.......ugh a program where you can't use a mouse? And is a DOS based program....just a little out dated. Even with Proficy, it seems that GE is still playing catch up. I am using Siemens Step 7 and RSlogix5000 as well and both seem to be farther ahead of Proficy. Don't forget, Ver 5.0 is old, it's up to 5.5 Proficy opens up fairly quickly for me, a large project <30sec, it's easy to get online, and easy to download my changes, easy to troubleshoot, easy to jump around within the logic. Sounds like your lappy could have other issues slowing the process down. Spend some time with it, and it's pretty easy to get around. Once thing I have done is customize the windows that open up. I mainly just use the Navigator Window and the Feedback windows open. Open the toolchest only when I need too. Gives me pretty much all the info I need to see.

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I understand your pain. We just switched to PME from Versa pro. I see you said you are running ver 5.0. You really need to get upgraded to 5.5 as there are way too many problems with 5.0. They are also up to sim 8. After doing a couple of projects I have started to see the benefits of it. Good luck.

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As of 09/17/06 GE Fanuc is on Version 5.5 ServicePack 2 of Proficy ME. SP 2 includes all SIMS through SIM-11. You can get SP2 from Global Care: http://globalcare.gefanuc.com/ Edited by RussB

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Just a note, we have updated to the latest version, working on getting more ram (its on order) and also working on getting a software -vs- hardware key. Our supplier says that it is an unusual request for the software key, but I dont understand why anyone would want the inconvience of plugging a pci key in everytime you want to use the software. I've also had problems with it working (just a little loose in the socket). Anyway, haven't had much time to work with it lately as I'm on a project with a AB 1500 and 4 Cognex Insite cameras. The latter being another great peice of software.. .. challenge. So with a little luck and a little less hair, I hope to be back working with ME in a few weeks. (Hope they dont change it by then).

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Interesting. We had the usb keys before as a solutions provider and had nothing but troubles with them. After talking with tech support we determined it was only with ME. We have new ones comming to us. The biggest advantage is that I can set up a standard laptop configuration for the service department and no matter what happens I don't lose the licenses. I also have several loaner computers and testbay computers and I don't have to have 50 licenses, just move them around as needed.

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