pv 550 communication

hi all,
i’m trying to upload the working program from a pv 550 cat#2711-k5a3 ser H. it’s being controlled by a 5/03. i’ve got panelbuilder v 3.8.
both pv and plc are plugged into slc 485 link couplers. i tried to connect to the link box with a personal computer interface converter cat # 1747-pic & tried to connect to the pv with a 232 cable but can’t find it in linx it in panelbuilder32 (which i’ve never used)
any help on figuring out how to connect would be great appreciated.

What Operating system are you running RSLinx and Panelbuilder on? There are issues with getting the PIC driver to work properly if at all on newer operating systems. I am pretty sure (not 100%) that the serial port on that HMI is printer only, so you must use the DH485 port to upload/download.

In the olden days (a decade ago) I would always recommend a PCMCIA card for program transfers, but nowadays, a PCMCIA capable laptop is only to be found on Antiques Roadshow.

In this day and age, I would recommend a USB to DH485 adapter that will work well instead of the PIC. The Allen Bradley part number is 1747-UIC. You can find an equally capable 3rd party version here:

https://www.plccable.com/allen-bradley-1747-uic-usb-to-dh485/

I can confirm that the RS-232 Printer port on the 2711-K5A3 terminal is for connection to serial printers only, and cannot be used for upload/download. All the terminals with DH485 protocol that have a printer port are that way.

The modern 1747-UIC is the right way to connect to this terminal. The 1747-PIC driver won't work on any operating system newer than Windows XP, and even then it was difficult.

If you have a flash card reader and a flash card that can be formatted as FAT16 (generally under 2 GB) then you can use that to transfer the program off the terminal, using the memory card menus in the Configuration mode.

OkiePC, I do have a USB to 485 cable I hadn’t tried it yet I have to stop production to make the connection and grab the file him after and the couple tries that I made didn’t work I’ve got all the old equipment that had been used on these but the old maintenance guy is gone and I’m not exactly sure how to connect up to the older equipment. I did a couple day course on Factory talk but I don’t know anything about the panel building 32 and what little I know about panel views in general doesn’t really apply to the 550
anyway thanks I will try that cable tomorrow.

ken roach, The operating system I’m running is an old laptop with windows XP I’m pretty sure that that’s the way we have connected to this machine in the past but I’m not 100% for sure and it didn’t work this time so I could be wrong...