Two machines sharing equipment and Control Logix

I am working on a program for our debarker. We are getting ready to add an additional debarker that will share some equipment with the existing one. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for how to control some of the equipment the two machines would share, such as a gate on a waste separator that is controlled from a selector switch on the existing machine and one the new machine. Right now if just have an auxiliary input for an integral piece of equipment that must be running and is found on only one machine. I have attached a picture of one of the ladders in question so you guys can see better what I am talking about. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Are they two seperate control systems or are they on the one CLX? The picture is just showing what looks like one system to me.

Two machines, one processor, two racks. The machines will share the same waste conveyors and I am just preparing for an unlikely scenario where they may both be running at the same time. Right now the inputs are two position selector switches, one in each console, just simply is it's made it's open if not the gate is closed. As it is now if both machines are running at the same time it would be possible for no matter which machine has been running all day and he closes the gate, then the other machine fires up the gate could potentially be open.
There may not be an easy solution here, may be better (and easier) to just simply have the operators communicate with each other.

in the existing "machine", just replace the physical output for the gate with an internal BOOL tag.

then write the code for the other machine, and use another internal tag for the gate output.

simply OR (parallel branch) the 2 internal tags to drive the gate.

same principle for any "shared" output - don't put two rungs in the code driving the same output.

Not sure I understand the application, but I'll take a swing anyway...

Does each operator know the current state of the gate? If so, then I would use momentary pushbuttons instead of the maintained selector switches. Each press of either pushbutton toggles the gate from open to closed, or closed to open.



-Eric

Eric, you may not "understand the application" but I think you have hit the nail on the head. The only other thing I would need would be an indicator lamp to indicate an open state, and a little logic change.

Sorry if I misunderstood your post.

I thought you had an existing process that opened a gate, and that a second process was being introduced that also needed the gate open.

My reply was based on the idea that you definitely shouldn't have two output instructions in the programs driving the gate output directly. The logic would work on the "last one wins" rule, but on ControlLogix that doesn't apply, and the output would go on and off at a high rate (Asynchronous I/O).

I can help more if you give a better description of what you meant.