SLC 50/5 comunicate to Keyence camera

Hi,

Can I send ascii command from the slc 505 vs ethernet to the keyence camera CV3002.

As of now, I can comunicate through RS232 by read and write to the serial buffer through AWA or ARL instruction set.

I don't think you can direct the ascii blocks through that port, it sounds like what you need is a serial to ethernet converter that will just encapsulate the data with the TCP/IP network layer. Did a quick search and found this:
http://www.digi.com/products/serialservers/1to4ports.jsp
I've never used it, so not really endorsing it, but it looks like it would work.

One big question is whether your camera can connect directly to ethernet. If so, it might have a special ASCII protocol, in which case the camera manufacturer should be able to ive you a clue where to find the proper device. If not, and you're just looking to use your ntwork infrastructure, then you'll need a pair of these converters and it'll be just like they are connected by a serial cable.


-jeff

Same question...

I'd like to bump this thread because I've got the same question.

I've done SLC 5/05 to Cognex over ethernet using MSG instructions in RSLogix, but I'm coming up short on these Keyence vision controllers.

I've talked to my Keyence rep but he kept steering me towards discrete I/O... oh and chapter 9 of the Keyence manual (i.e. "Just read chapter 9.") so obviously he's not familiar.

We can't be the only ones out there trying this I_LOVE_PLC.

Any help would be IMMENSELY APPRECIATED!!!

Thanks in advance!

edit: I'm not looking to convert ethernet to serial, i just want to send strings (i'm assuming since keyence's commands are text based) to the camera controller....

SLC-5/05 can't make a "raw socket" connection to something like a Keyence camera. I think the Digi One IAP is your best chance to get from the SLC-5/05's native data table read and write commands to an ASCII text string in and out of the Keyence camera.

Keyence looks like they just have direct PLC protocol connections to Mitsubishi controllers.

I work around this problem by dumping the concept of using the PLC to control the Keyence camera all together. Instead, I wrote my own custom application in VB6 to send ascii message to the camera to trigger, message is sent vs winsock protocol, based on the passed and failed message I received from the camera, the vb app. would then send the release bit to the plc table.
I can write to the plc table in vb6 by using the plugin from ingear calls allen bradley activex.

check them out, it is very good if you know a bit of vb programming.

Very cool..

Hope that help.

For what it is worth, here is an example program I wrote for a customer using a Red Lion product to read/write ASCII strings over Ethernet. You have to have Crimson installed on your PC to see this. Below is the link to that. After you startup Crimson and load this program, go to the Emulator Mode and you will be able to try out this feature. You could then create TAGs with in Crimson that are linked to registers in the AB PLC and based on that register value you can send out a different ASCII string.

Crimson 2.0

Change the suffix of the file name from .txt to .cd2 and Crimson should be able to Open the program.

Regards,
Joe_WaZoo

Thanks for the replies...

It's funny you mention Crimson because the Red Lion guy was just in 2 days ago showing off their "screenless HMI's." I was a little sceptical at first, but those things are pretty cool! A lot of advanced features for the $$....

Man what really frosts my cake in all of this is that the Keyence guys KNEW this system was going to be based on a 5/05 and assured me there'd be "no problem" interfacing it to their vision controller over ethernet. Conveniently omitting I would need a $500-700 converter to make it happen... In fact I got an email from the Keyence guy this morning, to the tune of "Oh yeah, AB sux you're gonna need this converter." Of course at this point we're already behind schedule...

HA I should be used to this by now...

Oh well. Thanks again guys for setting me in the right direction.

Ah yes, the salesman who reads the marketing mumbo jumbo, adds his own twists, and before you know it he is telling everyone that his square wheel will roll better than the round ones, although he can't actually roll it himself.

I will not promote any product that I myself can not demo. I travel with a SLC 5/03, ControlLogix, OMRON PLC, Panasonic, and now I added a IDEC yesterday to my bag of demo's. And I show these everyday talking to the products we have. At our company we have come to realize that the days of dropping of brouchers for business are over. We do Live Demos on the spot. And by Live I mean we build and configure the set up with the same steps that customers will do, not some travelling box that you open up and plug into the wall and go "See it does everything you want." Next time you see a guy who does this ask him how to set that exact demo up via all of the steps. Ahh....

If you were in my area I would show you how to do this with the Red Lion products.

Joe_WaZoo

Oh and one more thing. I see that Red Lion has already written a driver for the Keyence system over RS-232 & RS-485 so that also would make this easy to do through the Red Box aka DataStation Plus. I have done a number of jobs where we have use the Banner Engineering Vision system in conjuction with the Red Lion unit and that also seems to work well.

Joe_WaZoo

Hi Guys,
We have 2 products that may interest you. Our 490NBx gateway send and or receive raw tcp data and send it directly into a tag or register. The 435NBx gateway will do the same for ASCII data.

Raw TCP to Ethernet/IP
http://www.rtaautomation.com/ethernetip/490nba/

ASCII to Ethenet/IP
http://www.rtaautomation.com/ethernetip/435nba/

Very simple to use.

I'll second that "very simple to use" on the RTA units.

I have a customer who uses them on all of his barcode systems to track big paper rolls around the warehouse. Every time I see him he's telling me how much easier they are to use than anything else. They're not as inexpensive as some methods I've used, but in his business a couple of hundred dollars to buy back a half-day of time is pretty cheap.

It's comments like that of your Keyence rep that make me not want to work very closely with some vendors. He doesn't understand his product's capabilities, so that means *my* company "sux" ?

I'll third that "very simple to use" on the RTA units.

I just finished setting up four of these connected to barcode scanners. This was using ControlLogix. I called RTA for a few minor issues I had, and was put in direct contact with Rick. He was very friendly and helpful.

Thanks Rick!