Replacing/upgrading PC's

First I must say that I have stumbled upon a veritable treasure trove of knowledge. Many thanks to Phil and Jay.
Here's the scenario:
A local detainment facility has a very old PC (running Win9x) that is literally falling apart. They asked my company to assist them in replacing their workstations. They have Wonderware Factory Suite 2000 version 7.1 installed, interfacing with an Omron C200HS/CPU33 for opening and closing of doors. In the computer there is a very large 10BASE2 ISA NIC. The first issue I ran into is that their replacement PC's are running WindowsXP and have only PCI slots. They have already made plans to purchase the Factory Suite A2 version 9.xx that is compatible with XP. That may have helped somewhat. Now what about the NIC. Since my background in in IT (not plc's) I assumed the NIC could be replaced with an ordinary 3COM NIC that would interface with RJ-45 and/or BNC connections (They have the Thinnet cables running between the PC and the Omron rack.) After browsing this sight for several days, it would seem that I have bitten off more than I can chew in that the interface card that I have proposed may not work with their new workstations and the Omron system.

So, is it a merely a matter of getting the drivers and correct protocols, or is this a futile attempt at upgrading their system?

Thanks in advance.

Jay McDaniel

Will buying some standard token ring cards not get round the problem- the most you should need is a convertor after that

Your 3 com NIC cards should work fine..however like shaun said you need some type of interface for the PLC to E-net. I dont know what it is but would bet that it does exist (I cant imagine not).

The Omron site seems to be painfully slow... http://oeiweb.omron.com/

Although the NIC cards are using 75 ohm coax cables to connect PC to PLC, unfortunately this is not 10BASE2 hardware. This is known as Sysmac Link and it does use proprietary cards from Omron. Replacing the system with Ethernet will not work as the C200HS-CPU33 does not support Ethernet. There are PCI cards available for this network. The Omron part number is 3G8F7-SLK21E. Here's the link to the manual for the PCI board:
http://oeiwcsnts1.omron.com/pdfcatal.nsf/PDFLookupByUniqueID/FAAAE2E7D8280FC886256A4100682228/$File/M11W390E110501.pdf?OpenElement

The current interface seems to be with the Coax Thinnet. I was just wondering if it was a protocol issue or something more complex.

Additional info:
They also have a laptop with CX Programmer and an RS232 (serial connection) connected to a spare CPU and the BNC connected to the coax for remote (dial-in) programming changes via PC Anywhere. When disconnected, they use a 50 Ohm terminator. That's what lead me to believe that it may be just an ethernet connection between the PC's and the PLC CPU. It's just that after reading tons of literature on the Omron site, Klinkman's, etc. it would seem that the so-called ISA nic is more likely to be some sort of a system link board rather than an ordinary nic. Any and all insight is greatly appreciated.

I take it that the cable is the old coaxial type with BNC connectors?- if so I have got round this in the past by using a HUB with a BNC connection(as few NIC's are supplied with this) to bridge between the NIC's and the network- not ideal but it gets you by. for ethernet i last used a allied Telesyn 4 port hub with a bnc connection- saved me a fortune on transceivers!although- what protocols are running?- if it was just a legacy token ring or ethernet install then you'll have to go with the above option- unless they want to spend tome cash and upgrade to cat5 (and an easier life for all)

I assure you that the connection between the PC and the PLC is not Ethernet. The C200HS-CPU33 does not support Ethernet. You are dealing with a Sysmac Link network. Omron has many installations in the detention industry and this was an early network. If they are connecting by spare CPU and RS232, check the terminator. It should be 75 ohm rather than 50 ohm. The cable is 75 ohm RG-59U - not 50 Ohm RG-58U.

the ISA is an older ethernet card and nothing more- ISA has been dropped from most PC's now- although Dell can still make a PC with one in- if not dell you could try a few other or get your spanners and screwdrivers out and bang one together from bits bought on Ebay

Sounds like its Just Ethernet you should be fine with either a hub or a transceiver

Jay Anthony said:

Although the NIC cards are using 75 ohm coax cables to connect PC to PLC, unfortunately this is not 10BASE2 hardware. This is known as Sysmac Link and it does use proprietary cards from Omron. Replacing the system with Ethernet will not work as the C200HS-CPU33 does not support Ethernet. There are PCI cards available for this network. The Omron part number is 3G8F7-SLK21E. Here's the link to the manual for the PCI board:
http://oeiwcsnts1.omron.com/pdfcatal.nsf/PDFLookupByUniqueID/FAAAE2E7D8280FC886256A4100682228/$File/M11W390E110501.pdf?OpenElement

Click to expand...

Thanks, Jay. I was thinking it would be something like that. Now if I can find a couple of reasonably priced system boards, I may still be back in business.

Trust me -it's Sysmac Link!

Try ebay. They come up every now and then. List price is $2410

Jay is more than likely on to something-if the plc doesnt support ethernet-

Alternatively- can you not try and sell the the revolutionary 5 lever lock and key?

Jay Anthony said:

... It should be 75 ohm rather than 50 ohm...

Click to expand...

I will let them know.

BTW, since I was just informed that the CPU will not support ethernet, is it possible that it would support Modbus, or am I stuck with trying to locate the sysmac link board?

Since we are on the topic of ethernet support, Jay mentioned that the current combination of C200HS/CPU33 does not support ethernet.
Is there a combination that supports ethernet?

Why not turn the existing computer into an I/O Server, just add an ethernet card to it and network it with the new computers. Run the I/O Server on the existing computer and have the InTouch applications point to this computer. No need to buy new hardware.

By the way, InTouch 7.11 will run on WinXP Pro. You said your application is 7.1, but you can (convert) it to 7.11 and use the existing license.

I would seriously suggest talking to Omron tech support. They have been good to me in the past, and it might be the better way to get you to a solution.

http://oeiweb.omron.com/ContactUs.shtm