Connection to SLC / HMI

All right, I know you experts have an answer for this. Piece of cake...

For our company laptop, we have a 1784-PCMK/B card that slides into the card slot. The card says that it is for DH-485, DH+, and RIO connections. We have 2 cables to go with it. The first is a 1784-PCM4/B which has the needed connector to plug into the card on one end and a RJ45 jack on the other. I use this cord all the time to plug into SLC 5/03s and PVs that are DH-485. I use the PCMK driver in Linx, configure for DH-485, and away I go, no problem. The other cable is a 1784-PCM5/B which has a male RS-232 plug on the other end. I've never used this before.

What I'm trying to figure out is this...We ordered a PanelView Standard 2711-T6C5L1 at work. This is the PV 600 that has the RS-232 (DH-485) port on it. I'm trying to figure out how I can connect to this and load my program. Obviously, there is no RJ45 on this PV (or at least I'm pretty sure there isn't), so using the first cable that I have won't work. I assume that the RS-232 port on the PV is a male connection, so the second cable I have will not work either since both are males. This is the reason I can't use it to connect directly to the RS-232 port on a SLC as well, both are males. I'm not even sure if I had an adapter to convert it if it would work. I was told that if I use a regular old serial cable to connect to the 232 port on a SLC, that I need to run the PIC driver, run Linx as a program (not a service) and it would work. But, our company laptop does not have a serial port on it. I'm at a loss.


Apart from that, I was told that I need a 2711-NC13 cable to connect this PV to a SLC 5/05 (configuring the RS-232 port on the SLC for DH-485 of course). Is this correct? If so, is it impossible to program the PV if I have it connected to the SLC with the NC13 cable and my computer hooked up to the SLC 5/05 thru ethernet?? I think it is, but I'm just checking. I'm obviously a dummy when it comes to the different drivers and cables. Just when you think you know a lot, you learn you don't.

First, the 1784-PCM5 cable:

The 9-pin connector is actually DH+, make to connection to the "Peer Communication Link" connector on a Classic PLC-5/15 or PLC-5/25 controller. The adapter that plugs onto it is for connection to the DH+ auxiliary port on Enhanced/Ethernet/ControlNet PLC-5 and SLC-5/04 controllers.

In both cases, the connector A-B chose was not yet popular in other applications. When A-B chose a DB9 for the PCL link, RS-232 was always done on DB25 connectors. This is the same reason RJ45 connectors were used for DH485... Ethernet over twisted pair didn't exist yet.

Back to the discussion at hand.

You need a DH485 over RS-232 connection to upload/download to that PanelView over the serial port. Since you have no built-in serial port, your only option is the 1747-UIC USB/DH485 interface, which has both RS485 and RS232 connectors.

The -NC13 cable is merely a straight-through serial cable. You can use any straight-through cable to connect the PanelView terminal to the SLC-5/05 serial port.

I think it might be possible to "pass through" the SLC-5/05 to the DH485 port in order to upload/download to the PanelView. Those pasthrough modes are never simple.

I would try, if you can, to get a CompactFlash card under 2 GB and format it for FAT16 mode, then place it in a Type II carrier and use that card to transfer the *.PVA file from your computer to the PanelView Standard terminal.

Ken, either you're a genius or I'm just a blithering idiot. Why didn't I think of the CompactFlash card?!?!?! I already have like 10 of them at work. I don't really know how to format them for FAT16 mode however. If you don't mind, how do I do that??

These cards were used by our old boss to store PV programs, so they may already be formatted this way, but I'd like to know how to do it just in case. Thanks! (I'm still kickin' myself for not thinking of that...geese!

Oh, and just for the record, I have one of those cheap USB to serial converter wires (about 6 inches long). Is that an option for hooking up as well??? Or not?? Just curious. I still think the Flash card is the best way to go.

Oh, and just for knowledge purposes, I would love to know how to do the "pass through" thing you were talking about. Know where I can read up on this??

I just did the pass-thru on a slc 5/05 to a Panelview 600, it was a b@#$h.
The help file was helpfull except for giving examples for
the IP addresses on the route table. You have to use the IP
address of the programing terminal(PC) for station 2 I think. I'll try to post some screen shots later.

Note the Passthru Routing table file block
I have 10 in it. Rslogix created this (N) file, and you can
see it on the tree. Be sure to connect cable 2711-NC13 before doing this






Hope this helps

Jeff,

Yes, it definitely helps. And just so I'm clear, the IP address you have at "Station 2" is the PC that you are programming from? And the IP address of the SLC processor does not have to be in this list?? I appreciate you taking the time to do this. You may have (probably have) saved me hours worth of headaches. Thanks man.

And while we're on the subject of passthrough, is there a similar operation that can be done for a SLC 5/03? To go throught the RJ45 (DH-485) and look at something that is on the RS-232 port (either DF1 or DH485)??

And what about SLC 5/04's?? Same thing?

So is that a "no" on the 5/03 and/or 5/04 passthrough??

DF1 -> DH+ passthrough on the 5/04 is very common and works well.

DH+ -> DF1 passthrough on the 5/04 is uncommon and restricted to 1 node on DF1.

DF1 -> DH485 passthrough on the 5/03 is uncommon, difficult to configure, and slow.

DH485 -> DF1 passthrough on the 5/03 is very uncommon and restricted to 1 node on DF1.

The only one of these I can do without spending an hour in the Knowledgebase and messing around with old manuals and firmware release notes is DF1 -> DH+ passthrough on the 5/04. I am 80% confident in the "restricted to one node on DF1" comment; legacy internetworking is something I can do, but don't do often.

*** PET PEEVE ***
Even though I'm sometimes guilty of it as well.

There is no "RJ45" used in digital communications, and it was only used very briefly and barely in telecom, where pins 4 and 5 of an 8P8C connector.

Honest to Goodness RJ45 connectors don't even allow for termination of more then two wires.

I had a long reply made up a couple days ago, but sometime between preview post and post, it was lost and I got discouraged. So I’ll try it again.

I tried putting the IP address for the programming terminal in station 1 and it worked just as well. When setting up the Route table Rslogix asks how many addresses to use. I put in 5, that is why there are 5 stations. As far as the Channel Configuration for Channel 1 system tab, Passthru Routing Table File #. Use a #/file that is not in your data file list. Because that is where Rslogix will add the N file # that you use. The PLC address should not be in the Route Table List.


This time I created this post in Word. Now it WON’T get lost.

I'm glad Mr. Ken Roach posted the details of the 5/04 and 5/03, because I
wasn't sure about the 5/03. The only way I used the 5/03-Panelview is with a Panelview with dual DH485 ports, then connect to the Panelview to program both.

Formatting SD Card

If you have an SD Card reader hooked up to your PC, simply open Windows Explorer and right click on the SD Card and click format. It will give you options about formatting...

Compact Flash

I told you earlier about an SD card - make that Compact Flash instead - same process.

Ever since Ken mentioned the Flash card I have been using that and it works great!! Like 10 or 15 times faster than downloading through the cable like I did before. I did, just for laughs and giggles find another Flash card at work that was bigger (1G). So, thinking that bigger was better (which I know is not always really the case), I tried to use this card and it would not work. I right-clicked on it and went to format. I see 2 options (FAT and FAT32 mode). I didn't see a FAT16, but I'm assuming that FAT is the same thing as FAT32??? I may be wrong here. Anyways, I tried both ways and it shows that it was formatted correctly, but still doesn't work in the PV. Any ideas?