E100 HMI communication problem

Hi all

I am not an expert in all matters PLC, so forgive me for appearing a bit thick, but I have an issue that is perplexing me and I have no idea how to go about solving it.

I have a 12 year old machine that plays up every once in a while, I have been able to solve most mechanical problems with it, however, now it has developed a glitch which I can't solve. It is a problem it has had for over a year but it has been getting worse and worse and now is rendering the machine unusable. We have a Mitsi FX1N PLC and an E100 HMI and there is some sort of communication issue which is now really bad.

In a nutshell, how it started is the screen backlight would keep going off and the display would go blank, then it would instantaneously come back on, go through it's diagnostic checks and be ready to run properly again. It seemed to do this every time the machine would operate and vibrate heavily (which is quite often). This has progressively got more and more irritating. Now, it just happens with or without vibrational interference, and will not come back on for an undetermined period of time, during which time the backlight will flash, like it is trying to come back on but can't. The intriguing part, is that as a rule of thumb, if I switch the PLC out of RUN mode, the HMI generally comes back on and functions correctly. Switch RUN mode back on, and the flashing starts again. This morning, it has been fine for over an hour, then for no reason, has gone back into flashing mode.

It has rendered the machine unusable, and I'm tearing my hair out! I have replaced the cable connecting the two and the problem has eased slightly, but is still there. There doesn't seem to be any communication issues when I connect the PLC to my laptop or the HMI to my laptop. I just don't know where else to look to source the problem. Don't really want to replace the PLC until I know that that is the problem for definite.

Any help you can give me will be very much appreciated at this point.

Many kind regards,

Trev

Don't think that it is a communication issue, if it were then the HMI wouldn't go through the boot sequence each time there is a problem. It sound more like a power supply problem or a faulty E100 or something else that is faulty that sometimes pulls down the power supply. You say that the machine is 12 years old, and it vibrates, I would say that any electronic component has done very well to last as long as 12 years. You can get an E100 for £150.00 on ebay, if you can't find a power supply problem then it may be worth getting a replacement HMI and seeing if the machine can be used again.

Thanks for your response Bryan

I was just looking into power supply issues as your reply came through actually, any advice as to how I can check this out? I believe it is connected to the PLC using (from what I can see) a homemade version of a CAB19 which uses the 5VDC power supply of the PLC. Could this be an issue? Is there a definitive test?

Thanks again

Trev

Sorry I hadn't realised that this unit has a 5V d.c. supply. So now you could be looking at a PLC problem if the PLC is supplying the 5V. The definite test is to connect a multimeter to the system and watch the voltage, if it dips then you know that it is a supply issue. There can be a problem with that because very short power failures may not even register on a normal multimeter. Another method would be to disconnect the 5V from the CAB9 and hook up a temporary 5Vd.c. supply and see if the HMI stays on all the time. Fault finding is usually a game of 'hunt the voltage'.

This is a common fault with old E100 HMI's. Exactly as you are describing it - flashing, coming on going off - rebooting etc.

It needs replacing while you can still get the program out.

Or upgrading - but get the program out, it will save a lot of time and money

Thanks Bryan and Goody

Bryan, so, let me ask a stupid question, if I disconnected the 5vdc completely and replaced it with a stand alone supply using the appropriate connection on the back of the HMI, is this acceptable? Would this work?

And Goody, I have already uploaded the program onto my laptop, so there is no danger there, thanks, have a replacement HMI, but been unable to program it so far.

Thanks for your time, I really appreciate it. I need to sort this. Don't really want to have to replace the PLC unless absolutely certain it is at fault.

Kindest regards, Trev

Hi Bryan

Thanks again for your input, have tried connecting the external 5V supply and it does not seem to power up the HMI, am I missing something?

Trev

Yes a HMI

Huh?

This is a very common problem with the E100.

I've repaired load of these. Its almost always down to the 25 pin D connector on the HMI end.

You could either replace the D connector on the HMI or power it from a separate 5V PSU.

If you go for a separate PSU, make sure you remove the 5V from the PLC (pins 7 & 12)

If you need a spare, we have these in stock, as well as replacement front panel membranes, LCD's etc. - http://www.essentialautomation.co.uk/repairs_B.html

upload program from E100 HMI Beijer

hello every body.
I want to upload program from E100 HMI Beijer.
I have " E - Designer " software and CAB5 programing cable.
I tried with USB to serial cable and windose XP virtual.But I couldn't connect .
can anybody help me?