Factorytalk error message help

I need some help understnading an error message I'm getting when testing an application.

data table I1:1-I1:13 in slc at station 1 serial-DF1 is too small or missing

I'm assuming the application is not happy with the size of my I1 Input Data File but I don't know why it wants a larger data file. Attached is the I1 Data Table from the rslogix 500 project I'm using.

Edit: I can add elements 4-13 to the data table but I'd like know why the application wants all that.

In general, I recommend against reading the physical I/O data tables of any logic controller with your HMI. Copy the data to holding registers (N7:x, for example) and read and write those.

The error message you are seeing suggests that the HMI is trying to read a larger block of data than is available. If it says it's trying to read 13 words of data.

Maybe you intended to address something to I1:3 and typed I1:13 instead ?

MicroLogix Input and Output data files are actually quite tricky in the way they are sized and allocated, and in the syntax of the low level communication commands. If you copy data to an N or B data file, all that complexity goes away.

The application I'm working on is a copy of an existing application in use in another machine of same make and similar model. Long story short: I've had to make some changes in the connections of some of the HMI buttons and other small tweaks to this application but every connection uses either the Binary or Integer data files with the exception of two multistate indicators connected to I:1/12 and I:1/3. I don't understand why the application wants I1:1 through I1:13 in my data table.

Also "I1:13" is actually I:1/13 correct?

Let me try to keep this simple without confusing myself or others.

SLC-500 and MicroLogix Input and Output data tables have the Data File Type, the Data File Number, the Slot Number, and a Word Number and a Bit number.

Data File Type is easy; O and I.
Data File Number is easy; Output is 0, Input is 1.

Slot Number is straightforward. In the SLC-500, the slot to the right of the CPU is Slot 1 and it goes up as you go to the right.

What you are showing is the Input data table for an SLC-500 modular controller with Input modules in Slot 1 and Slot 3.

Word number is straightforward when you're addressing the memory in your PLC program; most Slots have just one word, called Word 0. Some have more; specialty modules can have 32 words per slot, both Input and Output.

Bit number can be called out two ways. I prefer to call out the Word, then the Bit, like "1/3".

But you can also simply start counting bits at 0, so you "1/3" might also be "/19". This is leftover from some other controllers that numbered Binary data files on by the Bit number.


With that background in mind, what does the HMI mean when it asks for "I1:1/13" ? Not that there is no Slot number called out in that address.

Does it mean Input data table 1, Slot 01, Word 1, bit 13 ?

Or does it mean Input data table 1, Slot 01, Word 0, bit 13 ?

Or does it mean Input data table 1, Slot 0, Word 1, bit 13 ?

I'm not sure. I don't have FTView and an SLC-500 to investigate it.

Two more things:

This could be a bug in FactoryTalk View. I know that the first iterations of version 3.0 couldn't read SLC I/O tables at all. It wouldn't be the first time an old bug re-surfaced.

This could be a buffer issue in the SLC. The fixed and /01 an /02 models would give an error code to FactoryTalk that generated a similar error message, as described in RA Knowledgebase Article 31144 (access level: TechConnect).

The problem persisted until I removed the only HMI objects reading the I/O directly, two multistate Indicators. Once these multistate indicators were removed the application was able to run normally. I don't know why the application wants to see more elements in the Input data table then what are there, but I'm going to have a my two multistate indicators read from the B3 file instead of the input table.


[I:1/12]------------------(B3:X/X)