Safe Monitoring Software

[Colin Carpenter]

I've just come back from a site where a load of laptops have been released from the finance department and have been snapped up by the engineering department with a view to each engineer having his own laptop so that he can (as well as other things) monitor Mitsubishi programmes, mostly ladder, and mostly written with MEDOC. Is there any software that anyone can think of that will allow monitoring of the ladder logic and addresses, just like MEDOC does, but that will not allow changes (online or otherwise) to be downloaded to the PLC. The possible consequences of 20 laptops in untrained hands doesn't bear thinking about

[Crossbow]

My recommendation is to upgrade them to GX-Developer or GX-Developer-FX. When installed, GX-Developer has a 'monitor only' option. By selecting that box in the install process, no changes can be made, only online connections to monitor an existing program. That would be the best bet. Otherwise, the GOT1000 operator interfaces support ladder monitor for FX, A, or Q. You didn't say which PLC family.

[Colin Carpenter]

Thanks ... the GX developer option sounds to be the way to go. I hadn't realised you could disable the "write" capability at installation time. I believe it can also directly import DOS MEDOC files as well?

[Crossbow]

Yes. During the installation there is a check box for monitor only mode, and there are two check boxes to install 'Convert from MEDOC' and 'Convert from MEDOC (printout file)'. You'll be all set with GX-Developer.