500 different productnumbers programming

Hello,

I am using a PLC-5/25 processor on a DH+ network from Allen Bradley for a product-machine.
I have about 500 product numbers.
One product number have 6 numbers example: 123456 in Ascii
using N7:0(lsd=2 and msd=1), N7:1 (lsd=4 and msd=3), N7:2 (lsd=6
and MSD=5).
When a product comes on a position of the machine, a database
send the productnumber to this 3 words.
Now I want to do an action for each different product-number on this position programming a rung with 3 Equal-blocks.
When the Equal-blocks for a product-number is true then a bit
is set.
This means that I must programming 500 rungs for the used
product-numbers!!!!!!
Is there another possibility?
Who knows?

Greetings,

mulderm

It could be a case where indirect addressing can be used to access some files with "codes" as what the program must do for each product.

What kind of actions must be taken ?

Apart from that it sounds like you want the PLC to arrange the recipe or batch order.
Rather than sending the product number, the database could handle the number of activities that must be performed for each product, and then send a detailed recipe or batch order to the PLC in stead.

The action is: Sending information to a Vision System

by 8 Outputs (O:10/00 t/m O:10/07) selecting a image of the camera
dependent of the productnumber.

Why dont the database simply transmit the image number in stead of a product number ?
It would be a trivial task for a database to store information like that, but a very unusual task for a PLC.
With 8 outputs you have 256 possible images, so it sounds like the number of images is much smaller than the number of products.
If a new product or image is introduced, would you then have to reprogram the PLC ?

Mulderm,

I am up against the same thing right now and was wonder the same thing you have asked. Whose vision system are you using? I am using DVT with only 200 products to inspect with a AB ML1500.

Bob O.

You are going to have to compare the incoming product id along with a lookup table using a running counter and indirect addressing.
You are also going to have to use multible files to store the info (N30:0-255 & N31:0-255 for recipe id, N32 & 33 for setpoints, and so forth. This should only take a dozen rungs of logic when you are finished.

I had something similiar and I finally went with an external Visual Basic program that let the operators store all the parameters (product id, temperature setpoint, speed, etc.). They then downloaded the file to the processor. The reason for this is everytime there was a product change, you didn't have to go back to the ladder program and edit it and it let the production people be responsible for keeping the database up todate This can also be done using excel or a program like RSView.

Because we have a PC with OS/2 and Wizcon where

the database is installed.
It´s an old system and I have no knowledge for this.
Can I used a PC with RSLogix5 and RSLinx prof and MSOffice
for this problem?
And how must I do this?
We will use the Omron F160 Vision system.

Greetings,

mulderm

Because we have a PC with OS/2 and Wizcon where

Click to expand...

eeeek !

I think your customer has postponed to migrate to a more uptodate platform for too long.
I would look into upgrading the Wizcon system.

You are trying to solve the problem in the PLC.
You can make it work now, but some time some day that Wizcon system will refuse to startup because of hardware or software problems, and then what do you do ?

Yes, you could use RSLinx Pro with a DDE connection to the PLC5/25. You can program command buttons using VBA to do the downloading and DDEPoke to write to addresses in the PLC. You must set up a DDE topic using RSLinx, then copy links to these topics into your MSOffice product. I'll attach an example that lets me set all the PLC clocks in my department with a single mouse click using Excel and DDEPoke via DH+. I'm not a VBA guy, so I'm sure my code will look very crude to those of you who are, but it does work. You can set up a recipe sheet with password protection in Excel, then limit who can edit the recipes. Let the operators enter a recipe number and hit a button to send it. Try to write to a series of contiguous addresses for comms efficiency, and terminate the DDE connection after each transmission. Here's an oversimplified "cheat sheet" for setting up the DDE topics, and my excel program. The MS excel 97 program is specific to my networks, so don't run it, but you can go to tools>macro>VBA Editor to look at the VBA code as an example. There are dozens of other examples on this and other forums of using VBA and excel and other windows programs to talk to PLCs via RSLinx Pro. Hope this helps.
Paul C.

Thank you guy´s for the information.
OkiePC: GREAT EXAMPLE!

mulderm

Thank you guy´s for the information.
I´ve got a idea to do this.
In Access I set 500 records with the product-numbers.
For each product-number I give a integer-number (bit-patron).
These integer-number will I send to the PLC/5 (example N12:0) to do an action.
First when the product-number arrived in the PLC I must start a macro
in Access who choose the right integer-number for this product-number.
How to write this macro in VBA, must try.
Any suggestion?

mulderm