SLC500 won't let me go online

When i try to download into my SLC5-04 module i keep getting an error diagnosic status failed 0x4, and the fault light is flashing red.. the books seem to be of no help.. i was wondering if there is something simple i'm missing or what..

Is the PLC in remote (remote run or remote program mode) ?
Can you go online before you attempt to download ?
If you go online with the faulted CPU, what error code S:6 does it show then ?

It may help if you offer more details..ie what version RSLogix and RSLinx, what cable, what type of connection etc etc.

thanks for the quick reply's.. As for the questions the key is turned to remote run, and i can't get online period before or after i download i can't download at all actually as soon as i plug the rack in the fault light just blinks red.


the version of RSLinxs is 2.43.02.23
the version of RS500 is 6.20.00
the cable is 1784-PCM5B i also have a cable but it's for ethernet and the SLC5-04 has no ethernet plug in
and i'm trying this DH+

i am just in the back office and i have a SLC500 Rack 1746-A7 a 7 slot rack.
With an output/input card in slot2, input card in slot3, scanner in slot4, and an Input in slot 6

Keldog said:

...as soon as i plug the rack in the fault light just blinks red.

Click to expand...

So the processor is ok at first, but then fault's as soon as you plug your cable in? What node addess do you have assigned to your computer in RSLinx? Maybe it's a duplicate node issue. Try changing your computer's node address to something like 77. Do you know what the node address of the SLC is? It might be reverting back to zero on the fault.

There's a couple of solder points on the circuit board of the SLC processor that, when shorted, will reset the processor to "fresh out of the box" mode. I can't remember off hand what they are; VCC and something else. Check your documentation, the AB web site or call tech support. That's helped me get on-line with a pooched SLC in the past.

the processor fautls the second i plug the power in all that happenes is it goes through a cycle then the fault light flashes and the battery light is on all the time but i don't have the battery plugged in could that be the problem. and i am just reading up on the screwdriver things it's VBB and GND i tried it once and it didn't work so i'm gonna try it again maybe i did something wrong the first time.

You will also need to connect serially, not through DH+ as you mentioned above. Go to your RSLinx, and add DF1 driver for RS-232, select the correct COM port and choose "Auto Configure".

Let's tackle this from another angle.....

How are you trying to download? What steps are you taking?

I always tell people when you want to go online/upload/download to click on the Comms menu (menubar at the top of the screen) and select System Comms. Do NOT select download.

When you select System Comms you will get a "Who Active" style window. On the left side of the screen select the driver you wish to use such as AB_KT-1 or AB_DF1-1. This forces the software to browse that connection/network.

Once you have selected the driver on the left then on the right hand side of the screen you should see all of the PLCs (or SLCs) on this network. Click on the one you want to communicate with. Make CERTAIN you have selected the correct processor.

Once this is done, click on the download button and answer the prompts to confirm the download.

Be aware that by downloading you will be wiping out any error messages that will describe why your processor has faulted. Perhaps you should "Go Online" first and view the Processor Status so you can find out why it faulted in the first place.

Good Luck!

OG

This happens to me occsionally on my dell latitude laptop with pmck series b DH+ card. I can go to configure drivers in RSLinx and see that my AB-KT-1 DH+ driver shows ERROR where it should show running. Sometimes I can stop and restart the driver. Other times I have to delete the driver, stop the card service, eject the card, push it back in and configure the driver in rslinx again to restore communication.

thanks guys.. i actually figured it out, it's pretty stupid on my part. I had the wrong card configured instead of L542 i had L543 that's why the error came up. Such a moron i is sometimes. It's working fine now.

Keldog, you isn't a moron...If there's a processor mismatch, the software normally gives you a warning. You had a glitch in RSLinx that went away on its own, but it'll be back...trust me.

i definitly hope not. I'm new to most of this stuff and i'm taking over a program from a guy that's not around anymore so i'm trying to figure out what he did and why he did it and it gets confusing when i'm dealing with PLC5's SLC's and Control Logix at the same time.

I really like a/b procesors, but have had to put up with lots of little quirks and bugs in their windows based programming software. I have gotten so used to restarting RSLinx, for example, that I don't even bother complaining to rockwell or looking for solutions, I just cosider those extra mouse clicks a fair trade for user friendly and powerful software.

Rockwell Software probably isn't much different than any other company writing windows based bloatware. They all have glitches. Some are worse than others...the weirdest thing is that they can be duplicated ten times in a row, then just vanish randomly, while Bill Gates laughs all the way to the bank. People seem to need a certain amount of conflict in their lives. They seek it out. That's why Windows is so successful. It provides an unlimited source of conflict and the illusion of solutions at times. If it worked flawlessly, it would be boring and we'd probably be using something else. Sad, but true.