jhughes

Ken Roach you are a stud! Through the serial port I was able to reset the ethernet daughter card which re-established communications (Module Properties, Module Info Tab, Reset Module button). It did not reset or affect the controller or any other functions. When you click the Reset Module button it will give you a warning about disrputing communications and the possible adverse affect it could have on your process. I debated it for a second and decided to go the YOU WON'T KNOW IF YOU DON'T GO route and hit selected OK. All is good and I have properly documented for next time. Thanks for all the input.

I was able to verify the IP, Subnet and Gateway through the Port Config Tab. I refreshed to make sure I was looking at the right data and all was correct. I hit "Set" just to make sure with no luck. I will try through RSLinx. I went out and checked the status indicators. The LNK and the MS appear to be good but the network status indicates "The port has an IP address, but no CIP connections are established." Not sure exactly what that means or if it is normal but I am looking up info now.

I have looked around the forum and found some topics that touch on this but I haven't found what I need yet so here I go: I have a CompactLogix L35E that communicates via ethernet to a Panelview 1000 as well as a SCADA system. This system has been functioning properly for several years and we have connected to make adjustments and calibrations with no issues. I went to connect yesterday and Logix 5000 showed me an error in which i foolishly did not read and cancelled. I am not sure if it happened due to the error or something else but the whole system dropped off line. Now the L35E will not communicate with the Panelview nor can i Ping it (the PV pings fine). I changed the switch just in case but no improvement. I connected via the serial cable and uploaded the program and verified Ethernet port properties (IP, Subnet mask, Gateway). All looks good. I have no errors and the L35E shows activity on the MS, NS and LNK indicators. I tried to refresh and Set the comms again but still nothing. Here's the rub. I need to keep this system running if at all possible so i have not tried cycling power to the L35E nor going to program mode and back to run. If it is not communicating with the Panelview I have no sure way to get it running again other than forcing bits through the logic. Is there something I am missing or does any one have any ideas? This is the first time I have seen something like this happen on a system that has been operating. Not sure where to go next.

I have a small control panel with a Horner HMI/PLC combo that has a limited power source (120vac, 10 amp max). The panel runs a small torque limited stepper motor that takes a direct 120vac 5 amp supply. Is an EStop switch with the 120volt supply sufficient as a means of disconnect for this purpose? Do I need a disconnect switch on the device as well? It seems redundant on a panel that is 12" x 12". When the Estop is pressed power to the remainder of the cabinet is disconnected.

Thanks all. It looks like my first step is to find a UL shop that I can work with. This is a pain in my a** but it is a good opportunity to add to my repertoire and resume at the expense of the company. I guess there is a silver lead based paint lining.

I have recently been thrown into the fire on getting some control panels we have built internally UL listed. This is new territory for me. Can anyone give me some in sight on what I am about to get into? I know I can order the UL requirements but they are incredibly expensive. Are there any resources to access these without purchasing? Are there any arguments as to the importance of acheiving this? All input welcome.....I am a UL virgin.

AB 1336 Plus series drives were some of the best ever built. I worked in plant for 8 years where 500+ of these units ran 24/7. Very few failures, unfortunately most of the 1336 series is discontinued. The Power Flex series is alright Don't like Baldor much, good drives not a configurable as AB or ABB (at least not the units I worked with) ABB is solid. Had a boat load of issue with ACTech. (might be AZTech)

I am going to set up an RS 485 network for several groups of PLC's (Horner APG HE XT 105). The PLC connection is an RJ 45 jack. Does anybody have any preferences for daisy chaining the cable around for this type of connector. There are a lot of things I could do, (ie terminal block and a RJ45 pig tail) but would like to know if any one has any experience with a method or product they have had particularly good luck with. There will be 7 PLC's on the network with about 400 feet of cable using Modbus RTU protocol. Look forward to hearing some feedback.....

"PLC LAW #11 Spares should not sit of the shelf. They should be used for training and tesing." PLC Law #11.1 [11.2 2014 EDITION] - Make sure you load the correct program in the spare before powering up in a production machine. True story - SLC 5/04 programmed in the trainer and swapped into production machine after a processor fault. Only my tech didn't load the machine program. There wasn't anything good about that, several mechanical parts later we were back on track.

How about my 2 personal favorites - A stick to beat away the nosy people who insist on standing right behind me and looking over my shoulder. And a lock box to keep the same people from liberating my favorite tools when I step the other side of the machine. The stick actually serves to help both of these issues. I prefer a piece of 3/4 pipe with cap ends that looks similar to a pipe bomb. Other than that I think I have seen everything covered I would normally use.

I have not used this equipment either but I feel your pain in the Vader suit. Good Luck, I will be interested to follow this thread to see how you make out.

Horner has a really nice unit called an OCS. You can pick them up from Omega. I have used several of them recently and have been pleasantly surprised. You can get them with up to 4 analog I/O and around 10 discrete I/O. They support Modbus RTU, ENet, serial comms.....pretty flexible and are user friendly. They start at around $450 and run up to about $1000 if you get all the bells and whistles. BTW-I have been a hard core AB guy for 15 years or so, I like these Horner units. Documentation is not as good but tech support is pretty strong.

I have recently done this "the hard way". I just used a counter (1-5) and 5 registers. I used the counter to sequence a write function through the 5 registers and ran an average of the 5. But my real interest is in the use of the PID the Schop suggested. How would that work?

It turns out the controller I am using (Horner OCS-XLe series) has a Micro SD memory slot that will support up to 2GB cards. The card can be used to store and retrieve data in .csv format using a data log function. I have purchased one and will begin setting up an array. Most integrators I have talked to have not heard of this controller but I gotta tell you I have have been pleasantly surprised and impressed. Coming from an AB environment I find it very simple to use, and extremely cost effective. One sour note- documentation is not well organized and the search function does a poor job. I have talked with their tech support guys and they are aware of this and are working on it. http://www.heapg.com/Pages/Products/products_OCS_X_xle.html

I agree with paulengr in that the Estop is not always a good answer. Human nature is unpredictable to the extent that you have to rely on somebody being there (and paying attention) to hit an Estop if they don't "run or freeze". I've seen a high speed wire winder torn to heck as the operator watched (while standing next to the Estop). I have always done everything I could to build safety mechanisms into the equipment as much as possible. My rule of thumb is do what ever I can to make sure safety (machine and human) is a mandatory function and not option. If it is optional then sooner or later someone is going to opt not to use it. Allen Bradley used to have some good information in their safety products catalog. It had a nice spreadsheet to determine what schemes would be appropriate and I think it also listed some governing body sources. I don't currently have one and haven't seen one in a while but you might check it out.

I worked in a facility where we were driving several 25 and 30 hp motors at 300 feet (AB 1336 Plus). CABLING will definitely make a difference. We had reflected wave issues causing high currents before we changed to mfg spec's cables and grounding properly. Also spending the time to tune the motor helped us lower our amperage.

We are working on a historian package and in the end this is what they will rely on. However, we are a start up facility and it will be a ways off yet (the building housing the servers does not even have a foundation). For the short term I was able to get them to consent to viewing a min/max by calendar day. The comments about the seconds was more in jest, (albeit true) sorry for stirring that one up. I have looked at some of the programming examples provided and think I have some good ideas now. ALSO, it appears that some of the measurements will be somewhat time dependant so I can increase my sample frequency during critical times and decrease in others. Example: we will be measuring water temp in outside reservoirs, the water will be warmest just before dusk and coolest just before dawn (we are in New Mexico so this is pretty steadfast). I will get back to the rolling min/max because it has become a challenge now, but with a start up facility i have many other things to get done first. I will repost to let you know how it shakes out. THANKS FOR ALL THE INPUT

If I ask the scientists that are requesting this they will say every second is the resolution they need. Sorry but water does not change temp that fast.....but try explaining that to a bunch of scientists who are never wrong. I am thinking of running an hourly min and max and storing it on the hour. This would allow me to do a quick compare and then keep the min and max hourly and then compare with the other 23 values.

I have felt for awhile that this was the case. Thanks.

I am new here (first post) so if I offend by showing my ignorance please excuse me. I have worked with AB for the last 15 years and have recently been shifted to other platforms. I have a Horner XLE controller that I have been working with but I don't think my question is brand dependant. I have been asked to give a Min and Max value, let's say temperature, over what I have heard referred to as a "rolling 24 hour period". So what they want to see is the Min and Max for the last 24hrs regardless of when they walk up to the controller. I think I can do this by creating a database of registers (keeping the 10 highest and lowest values) and comparing new values and shifting the data in the table up or down based on the compare outcome. My issue is that if I only keep a few values I may end up throwing out values that don't fall in the top ten at the time compared but may fall in once some of the top 10 time out. The only thing I can think of is to create this huge database which I am reluctant to do because they want the same functions for 6 other measurements. Oh yeah and a time/date with each value. Any ideas? Has anyone else run into this? I am just looking for some ideas. Thanks.