AB PLC sending real time data to Excel

I am in the process of putting a few rungs together to track operation time of the motors in our plant. I have been directed to assign the address(s) of the accumulated time to excel spreadsheets that can be opened and viewed real time. My boss has an example of this set up by somebody previously. He opened up a spreadsheet, hit...I think....F9....and the columns updated according to the actual data in those addresses in the logic (PLC 5). I have very little experience with Excel, and he said somthing about OPC client and...I think...RSLINX Pro...I am not sure(either is he). Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation, that could give me advice on setting up the RSLOGIX to EXCELL relationship?

Thanks,

Kyle

If you have RSLinx there are some step by step examples of how to do this shown under Help. You can find the examples under RSLinx lite, but in order to make it work you will need RSLinx Pro.

RSLinx needs to be running. Not all versions of Linx will work. RSLinx Lite will not work. We use RSLinx Classic.

Make sure you have a DDE Topic Configured. The topic is usually the same name as the processor. Select the DDE topic, and make sure the communications path is valid. Then hit Apply or OK and save the Topic path.

In RSLinx under "EDIT", select "copy DDE/OPC" link. Find your Topic in the tree, expand the "online". RSLinx will connect to your plc and show its data table structure. Drill down to your desired target adress. Press copy link. What you have done is load a succicnt path and destination into a "paste" buffer or "paste" clipboard.

Now open Xcel spreadsheet. Right click on an empty cell and select "Paste Special", next pop-up select "paste-link".

You will see the textual string that represents the path\target data table address. Save and close the spread sheet.

Re-open the spread sheet, you will be propted that this sheet contains links to other sources, select yes to update and link to other sources. It wil take a second or so, but Excel will pull data from RSLinx, and populate the cell(s).

If you have a lot of different data points, just repeat the copy link in RsLinx, and then Paste special back into Excel.

We often put all of our data gathered from various data table locations into one contiguous data block in the PLC, as you can have the link grab multiple columns of data with only one DDE link.

Have fun. THis is a very powerfull tool to have a spreadsheet write down numbers for you.

Absolute GOLD!

Plastic, thanks so much...I have been spending time investigating different ways to set up macros and VBA stuff, which I have no experience in...your directions are very appreciated.

I love this website and community...really making a difference for this controls newbie.


Kyle

Kyle,

I have a basic Excel example I can send you if you want it. Send me your e-mail address.

Who do you work for in Yakima? I lived there for a couple of years. Went to Perry.

KNeland said:

Plastic, thanks so much...I have been spending time investigating different ways to set up macros and VBA stuff, which I have no experience in...your directions are very appreciated.

I love this website and community...really making a difference for this controls newbie.


Kyle

Click to expand...

Interesting that you mention macros.

We use a spread sheet that has a macro.
On Row number 4 of the spreadsheet, we have our links to all of the actual measured quality data from a single manufaturing cycle. Sometimes it is 40 or more paramaeters wide. (40 columns)

Then we have a single linked cell to a data table value that is the cycle counter accumulated value. ie, 1,2,3,4,5,,...999,1000, 1001,....4956, 4957.

The Excel spreadsheet macro monitors the single cell for data change. Once the macro sees the cell data change the macro is invoked and copies the entire row 4 contents to row 6.

The next iterations of the macro FIFO row 6 down and paints in the copied quality data from row 4 again. It is a never ending fifo of quality data.

Also we add a excel formula to the very first column in row 4 called "NOW" (this paints in the real-time date and time from the polling PC). Now all of our FIFO'ed data is date\time stamped.

could you send me this file? I am pulling my hair out.


[email protected]

dmroeder ,

could you please send me the example as well ?
[email protected]

jackrover said:

dmroeder ,

could you please send me the example as well ?
[email protected]

Click to expand...

I'll try to get you my example tonight, life is pretty hectic at the moment!