Adding tags to an array in RSLogix 5000

Voltimus

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Jun 2004
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Deep in the heart of Texas
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Hello, Everybody!

The plant I'm currently working at was programmed without any bypass capability in the RSLogix 5000, or the Wonderware HMI. This obviously makes it difficult to perform any maintenance on the analog transmitters seeing as how they have shutdown setpoints on them that prevents being able to scale them without upsetting process.

My plan for a fix was to put a 15 minute bypass button on all the analog devices with shutdowns on them. The only issue with this is that to make the edits to the program orderly, I was going to add a .bypass tag to the analog array that handles all of the analog values.

I've tried a few things and I'm apparently missing something as I can't edit the array to add the extra tag to it.

Is this something that's possible?

Thanks for all the help!
 
Are you talking about an array of UDT's?
If so, you can certainly add another field to it, but you will probably have to do it offline and download the program back to the processor.
 
Yes, each tag in the array has about 20 different sets of tags ranging from .pv to .hh_alarm. I would say it's definitely user defined. Whenever the contracted programmer has to expand on the program, he just adds more user defined tags to the array.

I guess I basically am wanting to add to the user definition a bit by adding another data type to the array.

I hope my jargon is correct, it's been awhile since I've been working with 5000...
 
Depending on the number of bypasses why not use a DINT and assign each bit to a different bypass and label accordingly?
 
That's a good question.

As it stands in the current programming, each analog instrument is tied to an user defined tag.

The tag has at most 2 alarm bits that are tied in with the ladder logic to trip alarms. These setpoint bits are read from Wonderware input.

I was going to add 1 BOOL and one Timer to the User Defined Tags, that would allow me to place a timer.dn XIC in the alarm output path of the ladder logic and prevent any alarms while the timer is counting down 900,000mS (15 minutes). The BOOL being the timer.en bit that I would have tied to the Wonderware "Bypass" button.

The reason for the timer is to disable or "bypass" the S/D ladder for 15 minutes, at which time it will automatically re-enable the S/D. That way no worries if somebody forgets to click off the bypass.

Yes, it's a little more involved than that, but I'm trying to keep things simple and build off of that.

Please, feel free to offer any advice. I could definitely use it.
 
It would be a timer for each bypass, added to the user defined tags...of which there are about 140....only a few of them would actually be active at any given time or at all, though. There are about half of those tags that are delegated as "Spare"....but, I want to add the timers to those parts of the array, also....so, when future "Spares" are brought into service as analog instruments, I already have everything I need to have the bypass already there.
 
Do go ahead and stick them in the UDT. Keep all of the data for each thing in one place. When thought out even a little bit, it makes for easily reusable (and understandable) code. It also makes it much easier to patch into any existing or future HMI solutions.

I do almost all of my tag editing and creation for HMI's outside of the HMI development enviornment. It is about a million times faster. Once a single UDT has been defined and assigned in the HMI, it is just a copy and replace operation for every other similar device, with a way faster editor then is included with HMI development software.
 
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