Panelbuilder questions

We have an ethernet panelview PV600. I suddenly got a Read timeout error 634. IP address xxx.xxx.xx.x tag:xx and length:x.

I am unable to understand why this error occured. When I go to RS Linx, the panelview is showing up as an unknown device. I did some search on google and one of the possible causes is leading 0's in the IP address. I am positive that is not the case with me but I am unable to check it as I am unable to upload the program or download to the terminal. Please help

Thanks
Sweety

Have you looked at the Panelview configuration menu>communications setup to verify that the IP address does not have leading zeroes?

I am not sure why they would be there but you can do this manually to verify and remove if necessary.
http://domino.automation.rockwell.com/applications/kb/RAKB.nsf/0/B751CFBB9A2023DD85256B52005488AC?OpenDocument

Another issue could be the PLC;
http://domino.automation.rockwell.com/applications/kb/RAKB.nsf/0/C922D93DEA6E654F85257069005C91F9?OpenDocument

I checked the IP address on the panelview in communications setup. It does not have leading 0's. Also the PLC I am using is SLC 5/05 which we purchased 4 months ago. It cannot be old. Why am I unable to see the panelview in RS Linx. I am unable to upload or download any file to it. Please help

The question mark in RSLinx means that the Panelview is not talking to the network. Have you tried simply powering down the Panelview and powering it back up again. I have seen these do this. Why they will not just connect to the network when the cable is plugged in I do not know. If the simple "AllenBradley Reset" does not work, and your config is correct, I'd start looking at a bad cable or switch.

The ? mark in RSWho means that RSLinx does not have an EDS file (electronic data sheet) to match the device. It does not mean that it can't communicate with it. It will have a red X over it if it can't communicate. You can download the eds files at ab.com last time I checked which was about a year ago. Also, what you see in RSWho does not really tell you anything about comms between the PanelView and the SLC, only between YOUR PC and the other devices on the network.

That is probably a separate problem from the PanelView Read Error.

You have eliminated the IP as the cause, so what about the tag and it's source address?

Make sure all the right stuff is in the tag database for it.

OkiePC is correct. Thanks for correcting my misinformation.

This may not be the case for you, but I had a similar problem where my PV600 would show up as a question mark sometimes, but not everytime. The issue was due to the IP address of my PV600 being the same as the IP address that got assigned to my laptop when I got on the network (not a lack of EDS). Duplicate IP addresses can cause problems. You can assign a permanent alternative IP address to you computer to avoid this issue.

Double check this before you look much further. Took me a while to find this problem.

Coming back to my original problem, I powered down the panelview but it does not seem to be working. I am getting the same error again. Could it be something with my PLC program. I have 3 panelviews with the same program loaded on them and communicating with the same PLC. all three essentially do the same thing. the other two are running absolutely fine but this one has a problem. What could the reason be?

Are any of your data showing up on the Panelview? If not, start with he basics and check all your cables and indicator lamps etc.

Since you say you have multiple Panelviews with the same program, it is imperative that they each have a unique IP address. WIth my DH+ panelviews, that means each one must have it's own version of the program with a different node address in each one.

I don't use much ethernet, so I can't help much with configuring the SLC if required. Maybe someone else here can help.

If the alarm only shows up one one certain page, or if other stuff seems to work (there are valid values on the screen that match the PLC data), then it's probably a tag address problem in the Panelbuilder file.

I am not confident that the problem is a tag addressing problem in the Panelbuilder file if he cannot upload or download. If this were the case, both of these functions would be unaffected. Do you have an offline copy of the file saved somewhere? I would assume you do, as it's only common sense. Open your offline file and verify that your node settings and comms setup is correct for that panelview, particularly the IP and subnet etc. If all of this is correct, you should be able to download this to the panelview serially. If you do not have an offline copy, you should be able to upload the file serially and make the same checks. I think that there is a comms setup problem in the panelview and the RSLinx device you are seeing is not your terminal at all, but rather something else that is using that IP address.