SLC 5/04 ... Connect Laptop & PanelView at the same time

[obieronkenobie]

My SLC 5/04 is currently connected to a PanelView 1000 having only the RS-232 and using the SLC's bottom RS232 Port.  The PanelView Cable we can disconnect and connect a laptop, go online and troubleshoot problems, BUT we have to disconnect the laptop and reconnect the PanelView to operate the machine.

Question:  Which of the other two Ports on the 5/04 could I use for the laptop connection leaving the PanlView connected?
Also what cable to use on the 8-Pin Programming Port or the 3-Pin DH+ Port?

[Joe E.]

The other 2 ports are the same DH+ (Data Highway Plus) network. You would need a DH+ gateway or adapter of some kind to use it. The AB 1784-U2DHP is expensive and not very robust (we bought 3 and had them all 3 fail at random times with no visible damage and no obvious mistakes made on our part).

There is an aftermarket alternative that we haven't tested, but it's almost as expensive as the AB unit. We've had very good results from their other communications adapters:
https://www.plccable.com/allen-bradley-1784-u2dhp-alternative-usb-to-data-highway-plus-dh-anc-120e/

We have a few of the ProSoft AN-X2-AB-DHRIO gateway modules configured to convert Ethernet/IP to DH+. They're expensive too, but they've proven to be far more reliable than the U2DHP. If you have a ControlLogix PLC anywhere nearby, you can add a 1756-DHRIO module to that chassis, run DH+ cabling to the 5/04, and access the 5/04 via the ControlLogix backplane. When I started here, the maintenance laptop cart had a 7-slot ControlLogix chassis attached to it with an -ENBT and a -DHRIO module for just this purpose. That's a pretty expensive route to take, though, if you don't have those parts just laying around looking for something to do.

[obieronkenobie]

Thanks for that! 

We bought that 1784-U2HHP but found out we needed a gender-changer because the PLC has a female round 8-pin as does the Adapter.

That three-cable aftermarket Alternative would probably have the MALE 8-pin but WOW almost $1000 ... may get that.

I like the 1756-DHRIO Gateway idea and will pursue that! 

Thanks again!

[Joe E.]

Interesting....our U2DHP adapters plugged right into the PLC. What is that black cable from? This is what we have:

https://www.plccable.com/allen-bradley-1784-u2dhp-new-2018-usb-to-data-highway-plus/

We paid less than that for them, but not much.

[obieronkenobie]

The black cable is the  1784-U2DHP you first mentioned but ours came from Amazon

[obieronkenobie]

I have a very similar cable you linked to but can't get it to work ... maybe driver issue.  Just bought the FC2A-KC2 with USB on one end and the 8-Pin male on the other.

[Joe E.]

6 minutes ago, obieronkenobie said:

The black cable is the  1784-U2DHP you first mentioned but ours came from Amazon

The cable in the photo has a "www.plccable.com" label, which is the company I linked to in my post above. I would think that the cables would be gender-compatible, though. The PLC5s, SLC 5/04s, and DH/RIO modules we have in service all have the same female connector on them and the AB cable plugs straight into all of them with no issues. I do remember at one point (probably when we bought the ProSoft modules) that we had to also buy small adapters to go from the 9-pin d-sub connector to the round quasi-mini-DIN connector.

[obieronkenobie]

I certainly have the adapters and various cables and have tried any combination of drivers, Auto-Configure or manually, either way, with no success. 

I'm looking at the EtherNet/IP Gateway and have priced one at Keathley Patterson for $2139

Thanks for your suggestions!