Cross PLC Status Monitoring

Hey Forum, I was wondering if you can help me find a better solution to my problem. I have an Rslogix 5000 plc and a rslogix 5 plc communication over DH+ using msg commands from the 5000 plc. The 5 occasionally throws a major configuration fault and halts operation. This is ok as the only thing on it is a temp sensor the bosses don't want to replace/ rewire. Is there a way to check the status from the 5000 plc so I can know when the PLC 5 halts operation. Right now I monitor the status by watching the msg cmd error bit and if no communication happens over a minute(been know to drop com for 30 seconds). I just monitor if error bit is thrown and a timer waiting on enable/done. I just want to know if there was a specific error code from msg instruction or something else that will tell me it shut off. I was considering a heartbeat solution just want to know if there is a specific way to tell.

Thank you

In general a faulted controller can still respond to messages, so if your message is returning a timeout error, the fault is a major hardware fault that's stopping the CPU entirely.

I think you're already handling this as well as you can.

Can you describe in more detail you comment "been known to drop com for 30 seconds" ? Does the PLC-5 sometimes fail to respond to network commands for 30 seconds, but then recover and begin to respond ?

A PLC-5 that is both dropping its DH+ connection and major-faulting periodically is almost certainly undergoing a gradual hardware failure. Make sure you have a plan for re-wiring that temperature sensor when it finally goes toes-up.

The PLC is being sent periodic (every 5 seconds) msg reads to read temperature sensor, a time tag, and msg count. The msg count it receives from a write msg will skip about 30 seconds worth of coms counts every so often and resumes with current count and up to date time stamp as if it had not received any com requests. I have a plan to buy and install a new sensor when bosses will let me spend the money. So it sounds like I am handling the fault properly then. I know it is not the DH network as I have 3 other PLC 5 communicating without issue.