Compactlogix L23E ethernet comm issues. Help!

Teglaco

Member
T
Join Date
May 2012
Location
Milton
Posts
65
Hi guys, i've got an odd one for you:

I have a compactlogix L23E PLC. I did a bunch of programming at my shop, loaded ethernet modules for drives, programmed an hmi, etc., all connected to said plc via ethernet. Fast forward a month, i ship the plc to my customer. I've powered it up today and the ethernet comm port does not recognize my computer, the touchscreen or anything else. Can't see it in rs linx at all. If i go in through serial connection the port properties come back fine, ip address is correct and no faults. The link connection indicator never lights on the front of the port. I can communicate with other plcs, drives and hmi's in the building no problem. Just the one is causing me issue.

Has anyone ever seen this before?

Any help greatly appreciated, customer expects to run monday. Ugh!
 
Hi

If there is no link light then there is no connection to the network.
Have you tried bypassing the hub and just go from you laptop to the plc direct.
Try this with a cable you know works, it been comapct logix a patch cable will do.

Donnchadh
 
Donnchadh said:
Hi

If there is no link light then there is no connection to the network.
Have you tried bypassing the hub and just go from you laptop to the plc direct.
Try this with a cable you know works, it been comapct logix a patch cable will do.

Donnchadh
Click to expand...

That was the first direction i went, laptop direct to the plc. I went to another line with an identical plc when i couldn't get a link that way to verify my cable, everything worked just peachy.

Super frustrating.
 
Hi

I hate to say it but I would be getting another processor.
Now you have nothing to lose by flashing it again but it will be Via serial a real pain. Its only something to try but not sure what else you can do if your happy with the Ethernet settings in the plc.

Donnchadh
 
Donnchadh said:
Hi

I hate to say it but I would be getting another processor.
Now you have nothing to lose by flashing it again but it will be Via serial a real pain. Its only something to try but not sure what else you can do if your happy with the Ethernet settings in the plc.

Donnchadh
Click to expand...

Thats the unfortunate conclusion i had come to myself earlier. Its so weird to have a port that is seemingly working perfectly not pick up a link like this. My thought is a solder joint may have come loose in shipping causing the port to have a failed connection.

I was hoping it would be an Allen Bradley "quirk" that someone had seen before.

I officially hate this job right now.
 
To further this a bit more: i have re flashed the processor. That all worked out well. It made no difference to the ethernet comm port. I still have the "MS" indicator flashing green. The "NS" indicator illuminates on startup self test but stays off after that point. Te "link" indicator illuminates on self test as well but never illuminates after.

The properties are setup for static ip: 169.254.49.2 with a sub mask of 255.255.255.0. I've tried going back to bootp and dhcp, resetting the comm module, powering down and any other sequence of events i could think of. No change. My cable and computer settings are fine, i can dump addresses into the drives and touchscreen without issue.
 
We once had metal filings in the CPU from a hole cut in the cabinet after it was installed. Took us weeks to figure that out. We took the CPU apart and found the filings and removed all we could find and cleaned it very well. The CPU was still unreliable after that and was eventually replaced and the problem stopped.
 
bce123 said:
I assume you have checked for bent pins on the processor?
Click to expand...

I have, they look pristine. Thats kind of where i'm at though, it seems like a bad internal connection. The solder joints on the back look fine, i'm thinking something in there has let go.

I'm on the east coast right now, not so easy to go to a supplier to pick up a new processor. Its about the only down side i see out here right now...
 
TheWaterboy said:
We once had metal filings in the CPU from a hole cut in the cabinet after it was installed. Took us weeks to figure that out. We took the CPU apart and found the filings and removed all we could find and cleaned it very well. The CPU was still unreliable after that and was eventually replaced and the problem stopped.
Click to expand...

That was another one of my questions for the customer. There are two 2" holes for conduit that were drilled onsite. Drilled in the top of course... I was assured they were drilled post plc install. I looked through the vent holes and it does look clean, you can actually see quite a bit on the inside pf the L23's
 
Is there a default gateway address defined for the controller that is on the 169.254.49.x network ?

That private link address seems valid, and I know you said it worked in the shop and that the other network nodes are OK. But that's an unusual address to see outside of automatic fallback addressing so it's worth checking to be sure there is no conflict between the IP and the Default Gateway addresses.
 
Ken Roach said:
Is there a default gateway address defined for the controller that is on the 169.254.49.x network ?

That private link address seems valid, and I know you said it worked in the shop and that the other network nodes are OK. But that's an unusual address to see outside of automatic fallback addressing so it's worth checking to be sure there is no conflict between the IP and the Default Gateway addresses.
Click to expand...

Hi Ken, there is no default gateway, its set to zero's. this is a system i setup myself with 5 drives, the plc in question amd 2 hmi's.

I'm connecting directly to the plc and i still can't get things to link.
 
TheWaterboy said:
Another thought, 169.x.x.x is the APIPA range right? Any chance of that particular range being problematic to AB hardware?
Click to expand...

The odd thing is: i have another system with an L23E processor, single HMI and 7 powerflex 40's on the other side of the plant. They are not connected but they do use the 169.254.49.XXX IP and i have no issue there.

I just did a bit of reading on APIPA. The first thing i'm doing in the morning is changing the IP to something unspectacular and trying to get online. This is my first experience with APIPA, i'd never heard of it until you mentioned it.

It makes more sense than anything else, windows undermining me!
 
Last edited:
Just had another thought: if the address is correct in the comm port and on the network with the drives, touchscreen, etc (which i can see in rs linx) the plc should link through the switches when plugged in there. APIPA as a problem would make good sense for my computer having issues, but if everything seems ok in the properties you would think it would link then.

I hate that i didn't try changing the ip totally today, now i get to think about it all night until i get back in there.
 

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