DH+ PCMK-PC Dropping connections

SNK

Member
Join Date
May 2004
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Posts
885
I am starting to experience a problem with communicating via DH+ through our company laptops using Series B PCMK cards with the SLC-series processors (SLC5/04's)

If online, I am constantly having to keep Retry'ing to connect after the RSlogix splash window appears, that it has lost connection.

I am using

RSlogix500 version 7.00
RSLinx Version 2.5 Lite
Dell Laptop Latitude D620
1784-PCM5/B Cable

This is now happening on MULTIPLE laptops, so the problem seems to be global. It is also happening on MULTIPLE PLC's.
Also, it is happening on MULTIPLE PCMK and Cable combinations.

Does anyone have any insight as far as why this is happening?
We use 56K and 230K, depending on setup.

In most cases, we have mini-networks set up. (SLC-HMI-PC)

This really only started since we have switched over to the DELL's about 4 months ago. (From our observations)
 
Are the addresses on the PCMK's unique on the network? The change was when you got new computers, so you had to reinstall the drivers. It's possible that you have addresses in the PCMK's that are already used...
 
Mickey said:
Always turn off Autobrowse.

Huh? If you turn off autobrowse, doesn't it stop looking for the communication link that you have already established?

I am dealing with no networks. Only (PLC->HMI)>PC
I am the PC that is connected.

Every system is different here. Some PLC's are address 1, some are 5, etc. Doesn't follow any normal setup.

Usually, I set my PC to something odd, like 11, 04,9 etc.
 
Check for any resource conflicts with other PC devices. I had problems once where the IR port on the laptop was using the same resources as COM1, which was causing the same type of behavior you're seeing. I know you're not using the COM port, but it's just one more thing to check.

Jeff
 
Noticed you mentioned you were using "lite". There maybe a timeout associated with using the lite vs. professional version. The lite version does not have all the capabilities of the professional version.
 
SNK said:
Huh? If you turn off autobrowse, doesn't it stop looking for the communication link that you have already established?

No, once connection is made there is no need for the autobrowse.
If a new device is connected to the network you can click refreash to find the new device.
This has solved problems for me, similar to yours.
 
I have heard of problems with the Dell D620 and the PCMK card. The problem we had did end up being BIOS related. These were not my PCs but some that I help support.
In our case going into the BIOS and disabling all Wireless options solved the problem.

We had a similar issue where Windows did not appear to have a resource conflict, but there was one nonetheless.

As mentioned earlier, go into the BIOS and turn off any options you don't need such as IR, Parallel Port. This will help free Windows resources.

OG
 
SNK said:
I am starting to experience a problem with communicating via DH+ through our company laptops using Series B PCMK cards with the SLC-series processors (SLC5/04's)

If online, I am constantly having to keep Retry'ing to connect after the RSlogix splash window appears, that it has lost connection.

I am using

RSlogix500 version 7.00
RSLinx Version 2.5 Lite
Dell Laptop Latitude D620
1784-PCM5/B Cable

This is now happening on MULTIPLE laptops, so the problem seems to be global. It is also happening on MULTIPLE PLC's.
Also, it is happening on MULTIPLE PCMK and Cable combinations.

Does anyone have any insight as far as why this is happening?
We use 56K and 230K, depending on setup.

In most cases, we have mini-networks set up. (SLC-HMI-PC)

This really only started since we have switched over to the DELL's about 4 months ago. (From our observations)

I noticed this will occassioanlly happen when I have a datatable open, such as I's or O's. Whenever I have these closed, this does not occur.

Ian
 
Ian, this is a very similar issue. You are right, it appears more frequent when a data table is open, but is not limited to this.
I do use the Wireless connection frequently. I can disable it, but it is a valuable tool in our plant.
I cannot go without our wireless.
Is this a DELL/AB bug?
I need to report these issues ASAP if there is a current issue.
 
This isn't a bug. It's a resource issue. The Dell D620 has a function key you can press to disable the wireless. Simply press it to turn it off and press it again to turn it back on.

OG
 

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