Dead PG 685

Being an Allen-Bradley user I know nothing about Siemens plc's but my PG 685 is toast and I need to download to the plc. I have the program files on 5 1/4" disks but no programming pc and no software. What are the chances of being able to buy a used PG 685 with software or will something newer work?

Looks like an antique piece of kit !

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Siemens-Programmiergeraet-Simatic-S-5-PG685_W0QQitemZ170128357570QQihZ007QQcategoryZ78703QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I found a couple of PG 685's with slightly different model numbers.

I have a 6ES5685-OUB11 and I found a 6ES5685-QU11 and a 6ES5685-OUS11. Could anybody tell me what the difference is and are they compatible?

brewd said:

I found a couple of PG 685's with slightly different model numbers.

I have a 6ES5685-OUB11 and I found a 6ES5685-QU11 and a 6ES5685-OUS11. Could anybody tell me what the difference is and are they compatible?

Click to expand...

Do you know what OS your PG was using. If DOS, your best bet may be to source an old DOS PC that has 5 1/4" and 3 1/2" disk drives and copy the S5 files onto 3 1/2". Then you could use a Windows package such as PG2000 to download to the PLC, providing you have the RS232 to Current Loop cable.

Ian

504bloke said:

Looks like an antique piece of kit !

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Siemens-Programmiergeraet-Simatic-S-5-PG685_W0QQitemZ170128357570QQihZ007QQcategoryZ78703QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Click to expand...

Wow 400 euro! My PG is probably 10 years newer than that one and I thought it was old, does that mean mine is worth $4000

As Ian mentioned the biggest thing is whether or not the floppies are Dos or CP/M-80.

If DOS, you could find an old PC and talk to your Siemens rep about getting a copy of S5, or use something like PG2000.

If the floppies are CP/M80 you probably need a PG. I'd be surprised but maybe someone here knows the difference between the model numbers you mentioned.

As mentioned, If you go the PC route you will need the RS232 - current loop converter.

BTW, it's time to upgrade your PLC.

You can use ptools to convert from cpm to dos. It can be downloaded from Siemens web http://support.automation.siemens.com/WW/llisapi.dll?func=cslib.csinfo&lang=en&siteid=cseus&aktprim=0&extranet=standard&objid=10805346&treeLang=en

Still have the old 675 kicking around somewhere on site.
Hid it so the older technicians got used to using our 720

This is all from memory so don't shoot me if it's not 100% accurate.....

All PG685's were supplied with S5-DOS, it was the PG675 that was suppied with CP/M and a later option to upgrade to S5-DOS.

A unit with the part no. 6ES5685-OU11 was known as a PG685-I
A unit with the part no. 6ES5685-OU12 was known as a PG685-II

The was a letter A, B or C which specified factory fitted options (or lack of them), IIRC one option available was for an ARCNET interface.

As for the part numbers you found I'd hazard a guess that the first one you mention is a typo and the second, who knows? ...maybe there was an 'S' option.

Thanks for the help guys, luckily after some tinkering I was able to the old unit going again and now I'll try the utility to convert from cpm to dos so I can use a slightly more modern pc

In the dos version the utilites are Pcopy p... etc.

these will copy cpm disks to dos format, by the way the dos version (3.12 I think) used a cpm emulator under dos (the s5.com file)

parky said:

In the dos version the utilites are Pcopy p... etc.

these will copy cpm disks to dos format, by the way the dos version (3.12 I think) used a cpm emulator under dos (the s5.com file)

Click to expand...

That takes me back parky, I can remember us using those in Harlseden. We even had PG675's, the ones with two floppys and no hard disks.

Seriously though brwed, convert every program you have and get a version of S5 to run on your laptop. Will need to get a converter to connect to the PLC as well.

What else do you have to use the PG for, i.e. do you have graphics, comms etc, each will need some updating.

It sounds like the PG is on its last legs.

It takes me back to peter, a 675 & when finished the mod's had to produce 3 sets of floppies, that was twelve all together2 for the documented code, 1 for the DB's (would not fit on one disk) & one or two for the upload from processor to ensure all data. then 3 off copies of that lot for backups.
the other thing it was useful for was a program called CHESS, do you remember?

But how do you get the programs on 5.25 inch floppies onto a new computer ?
Anyone know where to find a 5.25" floppy drive that can be attached to a modern PC ?
I think this is your real problem.

Sorry for the sidetracking, but that PG685 is a dinosaur.
I had the same problem 15 years ago (!) with our program backups from PG675. Siemens had made 2 version of the programming software. One version used the S5-DOS environment, but it was practically useless as you had to swap floppies all the time.
So we used a version where CP/M and STEP5 was crammed onto one floppy, allowing the user program to be stored on the other floppy.
Problem was that the storage format was different to S5-DOS, so we couldnt migrate easily when the PG675 started to give in.
Before it was too late, we quickly made printouts of all programs and also stored all PG675 programs on an EEPROM, and read it back into a newer PG. We lost comments and symbols, but had a useable starting point if we had to touch the program ever again.
Ironically, years later I learned that Siemens had a conversion program from the singlefloppy format to S5-DOS format.

parky said:

the other thing it was useful for was a program called CHESS, do you remember?

Click to expand...

Yes , and we also used to 'use' QIX ,

Ahh.. fond memories. Those stretched arms as you lugged the beasts around the world as excess baggage.

As I recall it the original 685s had a 8086 processor, a 10MB hard disk and ran CP/M. The later 685s had a 80286 processor with a 20MB (maybe even 40MB!) hard disk. I still remember the quables about who got which terminal for their job. The DOS versions ran on the 7 series PGs (720 and 750).

The 675 was the first I used before moving on to a 685 and then a 635 for travelling. The 635 had no hard didk so you ended up swapping floppies continuously to do anything.

Nick