ControlLogix: Download by Program?

Is it possible to download your ControlLogix app by Program (or in some other segmented way)? Or do you always have to download the entire application?

You can make changes whilst online whilst it is running, but make changes whilst offline then go online requires you do a full download.

If memory serves. RSLogix 5 allows partial download but not Logix 5000.

However, there's plenty of work around that allows you to do basically the same. You can have entire routine or program copied over, you can schedule/unschedule entire program, etc.. I have done massive online overhaul and haven't had a processor going puke on me yet.

janner_10, Harryting:

Thanks for your replies.

Yeah, I knew you could do online edits, and our current proprietary system doesn't allow that, so we'll get some benefit there, but what do you mean by "you can have entire routine or program copied over"? That sounds like what I'd want to do.

In our current, proprietary, system we have software "modules" that handle functions like transfers IN/OUT, pressure control, temperature control, etc. But whenever we update one of them, we have to download the entire application (Controller) - which jumps the recipe back to phase zero, causes FastStops, makes the Batch Record discontinuous ... it's a pain in the neck. Ideally, with the new system, I'd be able to load at the *module* level, and any time I wanted (as long as that module wasn't currently being used by Operations). It wouldn't cause any FastStops, and the Batch Number and Batch Report wouldn't be affected.

There are two things that are causing your problem.

First, the controller going to program mode and then back to run has the potential to reset logic depending on how it is written. We usually want this action for most motor control. An operator action is required to get it to restart.

Second, the download is overwriting data in the PLC which makes your recipe jump to phase zero.

I can't speak to your proprietary system, but for a standard Logix5000 system you have a couple of ways to deal with the situation.

Most people think of on-line edits as hand changing one instruction at a time, but it doesn't have to be. You can open two sessions of RSLogix5000, one on-line and one off-line. The off-line session has all your changes. You can copy-paste the entire contents of a routine to the on-line session, mark the original code for deletion and accept the edits. If the code is idle, it should cause no issues. There are many systems that I work on that this is the only method I can use to make changes since I can't stop the process.

If your process can be paused at certain points that it can wait in that state with no detriment to the batch in progress you have another method to use. Copy all the data that represents the state of the batch. I've used Excel spreadsheets for this purpose. I believe there is a utility from Rockwell too. Download the program with the changes. Copy the data back to the PLC. Restart the process. This avoids discontinuities in production data caused by data overwrites.

I haven't done it in Studio 5000, but I assume it still works like it did for RSLogix 5000......

You can't "partial download" over an existing program/routine, but you can use the export/import function in a similar way by exporting programs and routines from an offline version and then importing them into the online version - you just can overwrite an existing program/routine.

For instance, I have a routine "Mixer_ver1" running logic for my mixer. It is called by a JSR in the Main Routine. In my office, I work offline to make "improvements" to the routine. I export the changed routine from the offline and then import it to the online with a name "Mixer_ver2". I then add a toggle bit and a JSR in the main routine that allows me to easily activate the new routine and disable old routine. Later I will delete the version that isn't used anymore.



So you can't import over top of an existing program/routine, but you can import a new program/routine

Kekrahulik:

Ohhhhh. Well, OK. That'll work, I guess. But you'd think you'd be able to just drag and drop a routine or program (from an offline session) on top of another routine or program (in your online session), and it would just replace the code wholesale.

Let's say my Batch and Phase numbers are embedded in this logic. Is it smart enough to save the current values so they don't go to zero?

And does this capability work the same way with Plant Pax, or is that just ControlLogix anyway.

SoftwareJanitor said:

Kekrahulik:

Ohhhhh. Well, OK. That'll work, I guess. But you'd think you'd be able to just drag and drop a routine or program (from an offline session) on top of another routine or program (in your online session), and it would just replace the code wholesale.

Click to expand...

A little bit more to go wrong with industrial automation software.

For large online edits of a routine. Ctrl-A --> Delete, this stamps all rungs for deletion upon completion of edits --> Cntrl-End --> Cntrl-P (assuming I've already did a copy of my offline logic) --> Finalize edits.

Goes pretty well, but can still be tedious if you have a lot of routines to update.

Paully's5.0:

Sounds tedious, yeah.

With our proprietary system, I just made a change to an Agitation module that involved downgrading an alarm action. It affected 9 "sheets" of logic (graphical software with connections flowing through several levels of sheets). In some cases, where logic is concentrated, I export those sheets and import into the next Controller (this module only appears in two Controllers site-wide, but other modules appear more with the worst one appearing in over 30 Controllers!). Even worse, there are also "families" of modules that are similar, so a change to one (say, adding a new Mode), will likely mean the others will also need the new mode. So that can mean 60-70 instances across multiple Controllers. It's crazy! And I can't wholesale-replace the entire module because then I lose all HMI and PI archive connections and have to manually restore them (very time-consuming and error-prone). Anyway, I was hoping with the new system that I *would* be able to wholesale-replace the entire module, ensuring that every instance was *exactly* the same. Sounds like I *will* be able to do that, but in a very clunky, awkward manner...

I am not experienced in pax, so I can’t comment on that

I won’t promise absolutely, but I believe your online values will be uninterrupted