Logic Master 90 programming

Hi All,

it's been 8 yrs since i last do a PLC job and now i totally forget how to use the logicmaster software . i have a GE Fanuc Series 90 Micro PLC and the logic master software.

Very basic question but yeah now i am a totally newbie here, how do i download the program from PLC to PC? i need to check if the PLC still has the program since it stops working. the "RUN LED" is not lighted when i started the equipment.

kindly re-direct me if same thread has been posted already.

all the best..

thanks,

Joey

Logicmaster is old, DOS-based software, but if it is the only tool available to you....
Odds are good that there is no program in the PLC. Do you have a backup?
You will need to run Logicmaster on a computer that has a real COM port. Don't expect good results with a USB/serial converter.
From the first screen that comes up after you start Logicmaster, first make sure that selection for "Micro" is highlighted. If it isn't press SHIFT + F1 to highlight it. Then select F1 for the programming module of the software. From there, the next screen you will see depends on a few factors.
If you have a good serial connection between your computer and the PLC, AND if you have a program file on that computer that matches the name of the program in the PLC, you will be automatically connected to the PLC and you will see if the version of the program in your computer matches what is in the PLC.
If the computer can't connect to the PLC or if you don't have a matching program file, Logicmaster will bring you to a screen where you need to select an existing program file or create a new one.
Once you are in Logicmaster with a program file selected, press SHIFT + F7 (labeled "setup"). From there you can try to go online with the PLC.
SHIFT + F9 (labeled "utilty") is where you can pull the program from the PLC to your computer (load) or send your program from the computer to the PLC (store).

There are only a few things that you need to remember to effectivly use LM90 software:
1) READ the screen
2) Alt-H gives you the online help
3) Esc backs you up one menu.
A few good to know things but READ the screen and these are obvious:
1) The numbered Menu corresponds to the function keys.
2) The row above is the Shift+Function key
3) Alt-K gets you a list of shortcut keys.

The rest is easy, just READ the screen.

Thank you very much Steve & Russ, now it all came back to me. i was successful in communicating with the PLC and good thing there is still a program inside. i was able to get a back-up program. but still is a mystery to me is why it suddenly stopped when i don't even see any recorded fault on the PLC and on its IO. i put it into RUN mode and all is working fine now but still i want to know the root cause why it stopped? should there be a hardware malfunction?

You should be able to go to the fault tables and see what happened..
Record faults and then clear them...after you have verified date and time on the plc.
I would also go in and set the Time/Date so you get an accurate record of future faults.....and if you using date/time functions in your logic.

Hi Nathan,

that is actually my problem because i haven't seen any recorded fault both at PLC and IO. i put the PLC into RUN mode and it functions well but after 15 minutes it stopped again. i re-examine the fault table and found none then put it in RUN mode again to see if the same thing will happen but thankfully it is running well until today but i haven't solved the question on why it stopped suddenly.

thanks,

Joey

The reason for the PLC suddenly stopping is most likely a hardware problem.

You can make it a little easier to recover by making a change in the hardware configuration. There are three choices for power-up behavior, RUN, STOP and SAME. SAME is the default setting and means that when power is applied the PLC will resume operation in the state it was in when power was removed. Change this setting to RUN and the PLC will attempt to power up in the RUN state. Then whenever it stops running you can recover by cycling power rather than having to connect with Logicmaster.
Its worth checking the setting anyway. Its possible that it is set to STOP and that you're experiencing brief power outages. One other unlikely possibility. Check for any SVC_REQ instructions in the program. Executing a SVC_REQ code 13 shuts down the PLC.

You should verify that all of the modules are still properly contained. I have seen a lot of the older systems with the modules top hook or bottom latch broke and a slight vibration can cause a problem like this.
When you looked into the Fault Table did you remember to look at both the CPU fault table AND the I/O fault table?

thank you all for the inputs. i learned a lot. @RussB, yes i did take a look both at CPU & IO and no recorded fault in the table. the PLC is still running smoothly for 2 days now and i will continue to monitor if the same scenario will happen.

appreciate your help guys. thank you very much.

Joey

Hi again masters,

seems like my PLC goes into STOP mode every time i power it OFF for 1 hour or more. i've tried shutting it down for 30mins and turn it ON and it still RUNS but when i shut it down for 1hr the RUN LED does not light and i have to reconnect to the PLC to RUN it manually.

what could be the problem of this PLC?

thanks in advance for your replies..

Joey

It still sounds like a hardware problem. The Series 90 Micro does not have a battery. Instead, it uses a "super capacitor" to back up RAM and keeps a copy of the program and hardware configuration in flash memory.
Probable cause of your problem is that when the power has been off longer than an hour the super cap discharges and upon restart the program must be loaded from flash memory. For some reason, after being loaded from flash memory, the PLC won't go into RUN mode.
Have you tried any of my suggestions from post #7?