RSLinx Unrecognized Device Issues

Hey all, I'm hoping this question comes with a simple answer. I'm trying to add a 1756-EN2T/D Ethernet IP Module into our current RSLinx Ethernet driver. The PLC computer is all set up and working, but I'm trying to get our shift report computer to link to the module. When I add the IP Address for the module, it comes up with unrecognized device, though it displays the name of the module. So I uploaded the EDS file from the PLC computer, and downloaded it to the shift report computer. When I did this, the IP address that was unrecognized disappeared altogether.

I am using RSLinx 2.41.00

Any ideas?

That's a pretty stale revision of RSLinx Classic; I think it was released in 2003. I presume you're running it under Windows XP ?

When you say you "downloaded [the EDS file] to the shift report computer", what exactly did you do ?

The right way to do it is to download the EDS file from A-B to a folder that's anywhere except \RSCommon\EDS, and to use the RSLinx Hardware Installation Tool utility to register the EDS file.

Modern modules like the 1756-EN2T allow you to upload the EDS file from them, but that feature wasn't baked into RSLinx Classic until version 2.51 or so.

Simply pasting the EDS file into the \RSCommon\EDS directory will not register it correctly. Also, never put the EDS file there and then run the installation tool on it; the source directory *must* be different than the destination directory.

Using the EDS Registration Tool should allow this module to be used even with this old version of RSLinx Classic. Give it a shot.

Hey Ken, thanks for the response. The age of the version was a concern of mine, but I was hoping it was not a factor as long as I had the appropriate EDS file. So I saved the EDS file (the same one that worked on our PLC computer) to the downloads folder on the Shift Report Computer. Then I used the EDS Hardware Installation Tool to register the file. So as far as I can tell, I did everything properly. I tried EDS files for different revisions of the EN2T module, but it still showed up as an unrecognized device. Only when I used the correct EDS file did the device disappear off the list altogether. It still shows up in Station Mapping when I configure the Ethernet Driver.

Try shutting down RSLinx Classic and deleting the Harmony.HRC and Harmony.RSH files. This sometimes fixes browsing problems.

A video tutorial that explains it better than I can:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC-ZkQlBY8w

I didn't look at the author of the video until after I had posted; it's our own Tim Wilborne !

Thanks Ken! Your solution solved the problem of RSLinx not recognizing the device. But now I have a new problem. I am not able to Configure a New DDC/OPC Topic. It recognizes that the device is a 1756-L72 controller, but I'm wondering of the software version is not compatible with ControlLogix.

matt.norsask said:

Thanks Ken! Your solution solved the problem of RSLinx not recognizing the device. But now I have a new problem. I am not able to Configure a New DDC/OPC Topic. It recognizes that the device is a 1756-L72 controller, but I'm wondering of the software version is not compatible with ControlLogix.

Click to expand...

Possibly need eds for that one also. L7x was introduced after that version also IIRC.

Thanks for the response Jeff! You were right, I did need the EDS files for the controller. I added EDS files for any other modules that needed them as well. However, it has still not solved the problem with not being able to configure a new DDE/OPC topic. Any other ideas?

I just upgrade from Studio v31 to v32 and it installed Linx v4.10. Afterwards EVERY device showed up as an "Unrecognized Device" online. I spent 30+ minutes on the phone with RA tech support going through a somewhat lengthy procedure to remove and reinstall Linx v4.10 (and a few other things). That resolved my issue. The guy at RA said they've seen a lot of this with v31 and v32 and are looking into it. My local rep suggested that I always run RA installers as "Admin". Not sure that's an actual fix, but I will have to try to remember that.