AD hardware/software opinions

Hello guys,
I just posted this over at the Automation Direct Forum but thought I would put it here also to see if I could get some opinions from AD users on this site.....I know there are a few on this site.

I am just getting started with Automation Direct, I came from a Allen Bradley
background and would like to get some AD users opinions on a few things.

I work on a ship and they have started converting our factory in stages, so far they have done stage 1 and they used a DL06 - 205 with a DoMore processor.

Is this the product that most of you who use AD would choose to use for a factory automation platform or would you choose the newer Productivity PAC?

General question I know but just curious as to what those of you familiar with AD will say and why.

Click to expand...

Thanks in advance for any input.
BCS

BCS,
I, like you came from AB background. I purchased the new AD P2000 Starter Kit. It is a good kit and the price is great. I have done some programming with it and find the Productivity Software very intuitive to use. The tag based programming is great and if you have used Studio 5000 in AB you will be able to move right to the Productivity with little trouble.

I think that AD has a good product that might give some of the other guys a run for there money. If I were you I would look at the starter kit and maybe re-write some of your DL stuff in the Productivity Suite and see if you like it. I think you will.

I have never used Productivity, but I am a big fan of the Do-more. I have done some very advanced data work with it. I really like the ability to write custom protocols for serial or TCP, as well as custom data blocks and program/tasks.
I found my share of bugs when Do-more was brand new, but Host Engineering bent over backwards to get fixes out.
You can check out forum.hosteng.com for the engineers that build it.

Bullzi said:

BCS,
I, like you came from AB background. I purchased the new AD P2000 Starter Kit. It is a good kit and the price is great. I have done some programming with it and find the Productivity Software very intuitive to use. The tag based programming is great and if you have used Studio 5000 in AB you will be able to move right to the Productivity with little trouble.

I think that AD has a good product that might give some of the other guys a run for there money. If I were you I would look at the starter kit and maybe re-write some of your DL stuff in the Productivity Suite and see if you like it. I think you will.

Click to expand...

Hello,

Thanks for the feedback,
I am leaning the same way from what little I have looked at, but since I really don't know either product that well I don't want to pass judgment on one or the other too quickly.

They already have a DL06-205 with a DoMore processor on the first stage of the large project on this vessel. (and actually have these as stand alone all over the place) So just trying to figure out if it would be best to go back and change the first stage that has been done to Productivity at this point before we proceed on, and then use Productivity on down the line.

Or should we just keep going with the DL06-205's with DoMore processors?

Or should we leave whats here and install Productivity from here on out.

But looking from the outside at the Productivity it just seems like a much more modern system that my be closer to equal to what I have been using with AB.

How about talking between PLC's can you talk directly (or) (read/write) (produce/consume) between the DoMore and the Productivity?

Is it easy enough to do this between 2 DoMore?

Or would it be much simpler to do this between 2 (or more) Productivity.

Just throwing question I have on my mind out there, I am researching this myself also as time allows, but would like to hear from those of you who have use the product and have experience with it.

I have some productivity stuff on order now, so will have something to test drive soon.

BCS

jawolthuis said:

I have never used Productivity, but I am a big fan of the Do-more. I have done some very advanced data work with it. I really like the ability to write custom protocols for serial or TCP, as well as custom data blocks and program/tasks.
I found my share of bugs when Do-more was brand new, but Host Engineering bent over backwards to get fixes out.
You can check out forum.hosteng.com for the engineers that build it.

Click to expand...

Hello,

I have heard what you are saying from others also, and AD tech support said the DoMore is their "work horse" platform.

Not sure why it just cant seem to get exited about this platform and software at first glance like I do with the Productivity.
BUT......I have only opened the (hypothetical) book and looked at the first page.....so I am going to read the (hypothetical) book from cover to cover before I pass any judgement on either platform.

I see that AD has the DoMore processor that gets installed in the DL06 and they also have a DoMore line of stack-able PLC......which do you use?
If both which do you prefer and why.

We have some time before we start stage 2 of our project so I just want to get as much info as possible before ordering hardware or starting to draft plans and prints in stone for it.

Regards,
BCS

BCS,
I have only used the Do-more in the 205 series bases.
I have a pretty good stash of 205 modules and power supplies as well as quite a few 205 projects out in the field, and so I just use the processor that works with the proven and existing hardware. BTW: the DL06 is a brick PLC, what you have are 205''s
I have some of the Terminator series hardware laying around, but have never had a project that justified using it on.

Regarding Productivity: I am not a fan of tag based programming. I am young, but I am old-school in a lot of ways, and somehow I like knowing where every address is. I may like tag-based fine if i ever got into it... Maybe I need to learn some new tricks...

One other big advantage to Do-more is the technical support that is offered. I have on multiple occasions dealt with issues and in a matter of minutes was conversing with the people that wrote the firmware, and was able to get timely fixes for every issue that I've had. No support contracts, and no run-arounds. That is worth a lot to me.
I guess the UI for the Do-more may not be the best, but it really does not bother me, because the engine under the hood has the power to get in and get the job done, and there are a lot of very powerful tools in the toolbox.
Host will be updating the UI in the future, and I can happily wait for that, because I know when they do, it will be top notch. That is just how Host rolls.
(I am plcnut at Host's and AD's forums).

jawolthuis,

Thanks for straightening me out on the on the model's there.
I have just started touching on this and I see DL06 all over the place on here and I seen the 205 in the big plc cabinet and just assumed it was another version of the DL06......but as you said..its not....just went to look.

I only have a few hours into the AD product so far so still miles to go... thanks for your help and guidance.

As far as Tag Based processing.......once you try it, you will LOVE it.
I did not think I would like or understand switching from RSLogix500 to RSLogix5000 (tag based) in Allen Bradley, but once I tried it out, I did not want to go back to "Old School".
It is no problem knowing where every address it.....it will be right where YOU decide to put it. (very flexible and intuitive)

Nice to meet you and I am sure I will have a ton more questions before I get proficient with this platform.

BCS

in my experience the hardware is great and obviously the price is great.

software reminds me of a mix of the old ti workshop and ge programming.

I did a small project the other day with the click and it went faster than I expected. The click is a great plc for the price.