GE Fanuc Weirdness

I'll start this out with a disclaimer. This isn't really a question, more of a venting of frustration.

I spent most of the weekend fixing some problems with a bunch of similar systems running on GE 90-30 PLCs.
They controled building air supply units for an engine plant.

The original development was done with Logicmaster, but I was using VersaPro (their windows programming software) to do my work.

First of all, I could get online and upload the program (without comments, but I expected that)
Once I was online, I couldn't see the state of any data (hmm, what could be causing this?)

After a little work I realized that the program on the PLC is different depending on the software used to write it (weird eh?)
I re-uploaded the program to the PLC with VersaPro and it worked.

Oh well, Live and Learn.
Most of my experience is with AB. I have to say, AB development software is (usually) a lot easier to work with than most of the alternatives.


I would like to know, Is this a common thing, to not be able to properly get online with a processor because the program was developed with a different version of the programming software?

Those were my pains a few years ago.

VersaPro is not a different version, it is entirely different software. When it just appeared I, like you, was very surprised that the two are not compatible even on the CPU level. Although I had been longing for Windows GE software for a long time (they were one of the last major PLC manufacturers to switch from DOS), I could not use it - too many of my customers had LM90 and did not feel like paying extra money for VersaPro. I did have a chance to talk to some GE development people in person and did express my frustration. Their response was that they had to do it in order to support more advanced VersaMax PLC series.

So you have to live with this: just upload all the PLC programs into VersaPro and use it in the future. BTW, if you have original LM90 folders, VersaPro can convert them into the new format.

By the way, this is nothing comparing to the problems with RSLogix5000, where two different versions of the same soft are way too often incompatible. I would even go as far as giving VersaPro an edge as far as creating and editing the ladder: it can be easily "drawn" without excessive switching between the keyboard and the mouse ("AutoCAD syndrome") - which is not the case with RSLogix. On the other hand, RSLogix' cross-reference capabilities, for one, are hard to beat.

Nobody's perfect...

its not so much a different version as it is the program is different...any difference even with VersaPro will not let you online. Its not that bad tho, it just takes getting use to. You must have the exact program on file that was uploaded to the plc...note if your 90-30's have older firmware you may have other problems using VersaPro...its best to buy the newer firmware chips. I think for VersaPro you need 10.xx or above, its on the GE support site.

LadderLogic said:

So you have to live with this: just upload all the PLC programs into VersaPro and use it in the future. BTW, if you have original LM90 folders, VersaPro can convert them into the new format.

Click to expand...

Not always, I had one program that I was working on last week that would fail to convert. It took me a couple of hours to find the problem (could the error messages be a little more helpful)

Somehow there was a continuation coil that was OK in LM90, but would not convert to VersaPro.

You are right that Nobody's perfect.


BTW, I don't understand your frustration with AB's interface. I do most of my development with the mouse.
If I need a more obscure instruction, sometimes it's quicker to type it in.
I really like the ability to drag and drop addresses or objects (coils, contacts, etc) or even wires. It's a heck of a lot easier than drawing in each segment like you have to do in VersaPro or Mitsubishi's software.

I don't have a "frustration" with AB - it is a very decent piece of software, to say the least.
But, yes, I am a "keyboard" person, since the days of LogicMaster 1, LogicMaster 90, ICOM and CAPS. Old habits die hard, you know...

Real programmer kill there mouse.