Allen Bradley with Indramat drives

Hi, i'm having a lot of problem with a machine that uses a SLC 5/04 as main plc (no problem there) and an other plc as motion controler. The second one is a PIC900 from Giddings & Lewis (down a lot) that controls a dozen of indramat HDS03.2 drives. I want that G&L out and replace the SLC 5 with a control logix.
Only problem, i'm not sure that the new AB could use the indramat drives.
I also heard that there is a serco card that converts so i can use it with my SLC 5 to control my drives but i doubt it.

Thanks for you answers and/or suggestions.

So, the Indramat HDS03.2 drives are connected to the G&L PIC900 using fiber-optic SERCOS, or using an analog signal ?

Is the HDS03.2 a servo controller, or just an amplifier, or something in between ?

A-B generally has provided SERCOS connectivity only to their own drives, but have done "open SERCOS" based on the 1756-M08SE module for a small handful of other drives. You'd have to talk to your local RA motion product manager to find out if they've done an interface to this specific motion controller.

They are connected by means of fiber-optic and as for the drives i'm not sure. I already asked my Rockwell distributor and he says that i can't connect other drives then AB with it but i know that there is some compatibility between some drives and AB PLC.

Thanks for your reply.

First of all, the good news. You can operate the Rexroth IndraDrive on SERCOS using a 1756-M08SEG (generic SERCOS). We developed a system a few years ago with this combination.

Now for the bad news. Rockwell will require you to sign over your firstborn and double-pinky-swear not to yell at them if it doesn't work before they will let you have one of those cards. And the cards are expensive. And they don't always come up very friendly because if the IndraDrive balks at a parameter the 1756-M08SEG is sending during the phase progression to operationg mode (P4), the M08SEG will just restart the phase progression and not tell you why. You will need to go to the drive to figure out why it is mad.

But it can be done. Once it is up and happy it seems to operate without any issues.

Keith

Thanks Keith, we are surely going to look in that direction.

Thank you for your reply