Siemens S5 Program storage questions

Hello and thanks so much for looking.

I am a PLC newbie here, so please forgive me if I am asking any silly questions!

My question is ultimately, how do I find and backup the program.

Here is my situation:

I am now looking after a Siemens S5 system which is managing a cable extruding machine made by Nokia. I am very concerned that there are no backups and am trying to understand the storage architecture of this S5 system .

The heart of it seems to be :

1pc 6ES5928-3UB12 with a 64KB EPROM card and beside it
1pc 6AV1242-OAB10 with a 256KB EPROM card.

The 6AV1242 above has connected to it a Siemens CP527 industrial membrane style Keyboard. Above this keyboard is or was a Mitsubishi large monitor that got its signals via R G B cables also from this same card. Using this keyboard, this is one way of configuring the system.

In addition to this,

Also connected to one of these two CPU cards via a cable is an additional "486" style desktop PC which is running a sort of scada type program called NOMOS PSU. Unlike the other display mentioned above which looks very "DOS" like, this desktop CPU basically has a really nice graphical interface which shows all the extruder temperatures, allows you to configure and set various recipes, temperatures etc and shows graphs and alarms etc etc.

Now....here is my worry which no one else seems to share at the factory. If that external "486" style desktop computer which has been running non stop for ten years was to die, then I think they are in big trouble!

So, I am trying to understand just where and how programs are stored in this S5 system. And how do I backup these programs?

I have a feeling that there are two programs that are running here? But I am not sure!

My newbie logic thinks that the 928 CPU is running a program in Step5. And that is one thing I have to make a backup off.

Also, I need to make a backup of this NOMOS PSU program which i think communicates with the 928 to make those specific changes i.e for recipes.

Does all this make sense? If i am on the right track here, where is this program kept? In the 928 modules motherboard? In the 64Kb EPROM card? In the 256Kb EPROM card? And how can I make a backup copy?

I hope you guys understand what I think Im trying to do!

Thanks for your patience

Regards

mark

Mark

You have stated that the 928 CPU has an EEPROM in it, this is your backup of the Step 5 program , so there is no need to worry too much about that.

I can't help at all with the SCADA package, as I don't know anything about it, but maybe you could 'ghost' the hard drive in this PC just in case you get a hard drive failure.

The configuration for the 6AV1242 card (what CP is that?) will also be stored on the EEPROM inserted in it, again that is your back up, so again no need to worry too much about that.

If you do wish to make extra backups of these EEPROMS you will need a Siemens prommer, the Step 5 software and whatever the configuration software for the CP card is.

Paul

PLucas said:

The configuration for the 6AV1242 card (what CP is that?)

Click to expand...

I have just checked on Siemens support site, the card 6AV1 242-0AB10 is a CP 527 colour, for this you need the COM 527 software.

Paul

Paul

Thank you so much for responding. Sure do appreciate it!

I have tracked down and contacted the people who wrote the "SCADA" package and am working with them on a backup plan for that.

But for now...back to the S5!

I did not know that there was such a thing as the prommer! Thanks for making me aware of its existence.

I do now have a couple more questions Paul. Sorry !

1. You say that the EPROM is my backup. Does this mean that the Step 5 program is stored both in the 928 processor motherboard, and inside the removable EPROM module? Or is the Step 5 program ONLY inside the EPROM module? Sorry that I might seem to keep asking about this...I really am uncertain still where the program is stored! Motherboard? EPROM? Both?

2. This prommer seems like a way expensive piece of gear. I saw one place was selling it for 3000 USD! No way I can affor this for a one off! Can we not somehow, for backup purposes, get hold of some Step 5 software, install it in a laptop, hook it up to the 928, and "download" a copy of the program inside the 928?

Then again, as I am uncertain of where the program is stored...I really dont know what we can download out of the 928! Can we download out whats in the EPROM? Can we download out whats in the motherboard? Both?

Make sense what I am trying to ask here?

Sorry Paul!

Cheers mate

Regards and thanks

mark

Mark

You can just get the Step 5 software and hook straight up to the PLC to upload the program as a backup, you will need the correct cable for this, part number for the cable is:- 6ES5734-1BD20.

I mentioned about the prommer, because you can make a backup using the cable but you cannot make changes to the PLC program without re-burning the EEPROM, thus the need for a prommer, if you want to make changes.

The PLC, on start up, reads the program from the EEPROM and loads this into its onboard RAM, this is what you will get when you upload the program using Step 5. The program in the PLC RAM is what's on the EEPROM. But as I said in the first reply, the EEPROM is your backup, if the PLC goes pear shaped, you just remove the EEPROM, stick it into another 928 and away you go.

Here are some links to manuals that you might find useful.....

Product information for 928 CPU

S5 135U/155U system manual

Paul