Data to Ethernet Card to Excel

I have just started working with a Ethernet card (2572-A) from CTI which goes into a TI545 PLC rack. It took me a while but I finally figured out how to get the PLC to set the IP address and all is working well.

My question: Is there a program (Trial Version or something) that I can use to take values that are moved into V-memory and sent to the Ethernet card that I can use to access this information and put it into an Excel Package or the likes?

I need some visual aids and real data to convince management that purchasing a SCADA package is worth the money.

Is there an easier way to do this?

Thanks for the help.

You can dowload a free OPC or DDE server for the 505 line from matrikon.
http://www.matrikonopc.com/products/opc-drivers/index_bak.asp?filter=48

This should get you started, download the manual and read through the setup.

Ken

Thanks Ken, as I have said before........YOU RULE!!

I will give it a try immediately!!!!!! I Googled several different ways but was really unsure of what to ask not knowing what I really needed.

Okay, I have tried for a couple of days now to get this to work, but still I am stuck.

I downloaded, as Mr. Moore suggested, Matrikon's OPC/DDE "Explorer"
and the "Server" along with the manuals which I have read, and been confused by, and have everything up to a point working...I believe... correctly.

In the Server Configuration I have made it the Ti5.1 as they suggest. In the Alias Configuration 'root' i entered the following:
Name= trial1
Item Path= Ti5.1:V:100
Data Type= SHORT
R/W= R/W
Update Rate= 1000

I then done the same in a Group called "New Alias 1"

I saved this and then opened Explorer
Opened a file and connected to the Server with Matrikon.OPC.Ti5.1 and made a "Group" Ti5.1
In Tag Studio of Explorer I check my Configured Aliases and happily there is New Alias 1 and it shows Available Tags and in this is "trial 1", Now starts the problem:
I have tried editing this tag with every Item ID I can imagine. The program states in the manual and in errors that the TI does not support Acess Path but I have also tried to edit these to see if I could get any results. It seems that no matter what I try or how I write the Item tag, I cannot get the tag to validate. Some of the times I get the error "Item definiton does not exist in servers address space" and other times I get "Item does not match the servers syntax"

I realize that most people may not be familiar with this program but with your knowledge of other systems can you point me in a direction I should try?

If you own 505 WorkShop for the Siemens Simatic 505 TI PLCs, the Windows replacement to TISOFT, you can use the built in Data Logger, which logs data from the PLC to a Microsoft Access or SQL database. This should at least get you started without having to get anything else, or write your own code. The Logger is a complete application for doing just that.

If you do not own 505 WorkShop, I suggest you at least look into it, and for your purpose here, you could still download the demo off FasTrak's website and try out the FT Logger, and see how it works. It will work Online for a limited amount of time.

Once you prove to your boss that this is a good idea, FasTrak's ControlShop SCADA product is an excellent low-cost solution. Feel free to contact me for any further questions, or to show you how to setup the Logger.
[email protected]
www.fast-soft.com