Resetting a FC4A

I have an FC4A-C24-R2, with a program written by someone else, before I got bit by the programming bug. I am replacing it with an FC5A. I want to use the FC4A elsewhere, with a totaly different program on it. The program currently on the FC4A requires a password to acccess. I've talked to the programmer, and for obvious reasons he can't let me have the password. He was unsure if it was protected against re-downloading a new program on top of it, but thought it was. He offered that I send him the PLC, and he would wipe it clear and send it back to me. Is there an easier way to clear a PLC so I can start from scratch again?

Bolt,

Don't think there is any way to clear the password, unless it is only protected against reading, which would mean you could write over the existing program.

Idec in the UK once told me they had a program to wipe the memory and clear the password and reset PLC, when I had an issue with an ONC but never took them up on it.

To be honest you would probably be better of just sending it back to the guy to clear out and send back to you.

Regards,

Jon.

Yeah, he didn't know off the top of his head if it was only read protected, but thought it was on both read and write.

I was just hoping to speed up the turnaround time a bit here, but maybe that won't work.

When I get the new PLC online, I will mess with it a bit more and see if it's read and write protected.

I got a reply from IDEC, saying to send it to them and they would clear it and then send it back to my local distributor. Seems like it'd be a whole lot easier to send it to the guy that did the program the first time around, so that's what I will do.