Rockwell plant pax

Has anyone here ever used plant pax?

I have some questions in relation to the motor block I hope someone can help me with.

No body?

God damn Rockwell told me "everyones" using them.

I've looked into them. I haven't needed them in a project yet. What's your question?

I have used a few of them. Specifically P_Permissive, P_Interlock, P_Motor. I’ve looked at and tested P_VSD but haven’t used in a project just yet. One issue I’ve had is that the graphic faceplates are more than I want an operator to have access to. You can lock them by security level but in some case still too much can at least be seen. I attended Automation Fair and Process User Group in Philly early this month and they are releasing some more basic faceplates for the operator level soon.
Hope this helps?
Also, Dale Reed one of the main developers of these instructions presented a Webinar earlier this year (July I think). I suggest you check the KB it is worth looking at his presentation ID 478324. I believe it is access level everyone.

OK great!

I am using most of them, Valve, DI, DO, Motor, PIDE.

The issue I am having is with the P_Motor AOI/Faceplate. The control strategy for the pumps is a little different than I'm used to and I cant seem to get the AOI to do what I need.

There is a local switch located beside each pump. The switch is 4 position. And the signals (2 Digital Inputs) from it are as follows:

1. OFF STA= 0 , STO =0 Pump cannot not run
2. TEST STA =1, STO =0 This position is momentary and must be held on by operator. When in this position run pump for max of 30 secs
3. REMOTE: STA =0, STO =1, Hand control back to PLC
4. REMOTE START STA =1, STO =1. Hand control back to PLC in Auto.

If I wire the Off position to hand input of block and the pump is running it will continue to run. This cannot happen. What I did was make this an interlock. This should be OK.

How can I get the AOI to run in hand &faceplate to show running in Hand when in the test position? I tried to implement a hand strategy outside of the AOI but then I lose all my interlocks.

Does what I'm trying to achieve make sense?

No plant pax people out there?

I'm not surprised. Do not touch this! It's awful

1. OFF STA= 0 , STO =0 Pump cannot not run
2. TEST STA =1, STO =0 This position is momentary and must be held on by operator. When in this position run pump for max of 30 secs
3. REMOTE: STA =0, STO =1, Hand control back to PLC
4. REMOTE START STA =1, STO =1. Hand control back to PLC in Auto.

Click to expand...

It is hard to find off-the-shelf programmed devices that can do custom functions. If you knew exactly what was inside the Rockwell Plant Pax devices, then you could probably find a work-around that would do the job. I bet they won't tell you enough details to allow complete customizing.

Lancie1 said:

It is hard to find off-the-shelf programmed devices that can do custom functions. If you knew exactly what was inside the Rockwell Plant Pax devices, then you could probably find a work-around that would do the job. I bet they won't tell you enough details to allow complete customizing.

Click to expand...

Yes, they will. The AOI I looked at aren't protected. You can look at the code inside and change it if you wish.

MorphuisOGrady said:

1. OFF STA= 0 , STO =0 Pump cannot not run
2. TEST STA =1, STO =0 This position is momentary and must be held on by operator. When in this position run pump for max of 30 secs
3. REMOTE: STA =0, STO =1, Hand control back to PLC
4. REMOTE START STA =1, STO =1. Hand control back to PLC in Auto.

Click to expand...

This is a 4 position selector, right?

You get two bits from it, right?

So convert them with ladder logic before assigning them to "pins" of the function block.

Surely there is a Jog "pin" on this Black Pax Box?

I would also expect that the positions are:

Left to right:
1st position:TEST Momentary spring return to position 2, classic "Jog" button.
2nd position: OFF Maintained.
3rd position: REMOTE Maintained.
4th position: REMOTE AUTO START (momentary?)

I'm not following the difference between your last two...I am thinking that the 3rd position lets the system take control, and the 4th one tells the system to return to AUTO mode...at least for this station.

Please clarify this.

Having done this type of contact decoding a few times, I highly recommend a debounce timer on each contact after either transition. Modern fast PLCs can read them so fast, you can get flaky info momentarily.

I have not used PAX, but if this module is supposed to take care of motor control for you, then it must have something like a JOG input with it's own speed settings to boot.

If they're free to download, I may have a look tomorrow, we finally got a RSLogix5000 license on our server today.

Hi Okie,

Yes you are right with the switch positions. I am doing what you said using the combination of bits that thats no problem. I should really implement the debounce timers though!.

The difference in the last 2 positions are remote, i.e hand control back to PLC. If in auto back to auto, if in operator back to operator. The other is program auto.

Unforuntately there is no job pin on the plantpax P_Motor object. This is a single speed object.

Hi

I was working on a program that used the plant pax aoi and I most say I did not like them. I was called in as the techs on site could not follow them. I download the PDFs for them and went over them with the techs. 1 comment I got was how could it take 33 lines of code for a digital input and I had no answer.
They also found it hard to understand a aoi within an aoi.
This was done in one of the new compact logix plcs ver 20 and it used up a lot of memory. The face plates were fine but again did had a lot on them and trying to show the techs how to edit the tags was not the easiest.
Over all I could follow them and the idea is good but I feel they are for a big process with a very big plc like a L7x

Just my thoughts

Donnchadh

I noticed Quite a few companies are using them in Ireland donnacha. One company in Kildare and one in cork are now using as standard.

I suppose that while the Aois are fairly comprehensive your techs shouldn't really worry about what's inside them with nested Aois etc.

The problem for me was some were a little buggy and required some editing.

Hi

Are does Places automation houses or are that factories.
Do you find them hard on memory. One thing new to me was having to download a 40 page(around that size) PDF for a digital input to see how it was use in the code. The interlock aoi is one I would use again put I feel I have a nicer motor one , but sure I would think that I wrote it.


Are u doing some work n our green wet cold broke country

Donnchadh

Donnchadh said:

Hi

Are does Places automation houses or are that factories.
Do you find them hard on memory. One thing new to me was having to download a 40 page(around that size) PDF for a digital input to see how it was use in the code. The interlock aoi is one I would use again put I feel I have a nicer motor one , but sure I would think that I wrote it.


Are u doing some work n our green wet cold broke country

Donnchadh

Click to expand...

Ive seen some plants using them in Ireland during commissioning. Yes they are a little hungry regarding memory but no problems for the controllers I'm using (l73)

I am Irish but work in Sweden now but still do some project work in Ireland.

Hi

Saw the name and should have know
are things busy there as the automation world is very busy here.
Its one of the few areas that are going well



Donnchadh