GE Versamax & QuickPanel Communication Problem

Gustavo.

Member
Join Date
Jul 2009
Location
Maracay
Posts
2
Hi,

I have a customer with a strange communication problem between a GE Fanuc Versamax CPU001 and a QuickPanel model IC754CSL06CTD and I'd like to have some help from you to fix it.

The scenario and story is:

1) This app was installed 3-4 years ago and worked perfectly. Two weeks ago, the customer carried out a shutdown of the plant (by mantainment) and when it started again completely the QuickPanel stopped communicating to PLC and no data is shown currently (you can see "?" symbols or "0.000" in its displays only).

2) The QuickPanel uses its comm port 1 (DB25) to connect to PLC's comm port 2 (DB15) via SNP protocol. The link and connection is done via RS485 due to the distance is almost 30-40 meters. The original developer made the wiring based on "HMI-CAB-C82" cable recommended by GE Fanuc in these cases and everything is correct according to what I could verify (pin-out, jumpers and 120 ohm resistances at the ends of cable) but there is no communication so far.

3) The led of PLC's port 2 blinks (green) when the cable indicated in point #2 is connected to both of devices. The blinking is not fast but happens every 1-2 sec and according to Versamax manual it indicates that there is activity in the port.

Can anyone explain me the meaning of this blinking in the PLC ports with more detalis?
Does it mean that there is a connection in physical layer but no data transmission really?

4) We checked the voltage between port 5 and 7 inside the PLC's DB15 port and we got 5 volt so, the fuse is ok and the PLC's port 2 seems to be fine too.

Unfortunately I couldn't connect my laptop to Versamax using its DB15 port with the Horner cable HE693SNP306AX and test this port completly with my VersaPro 2.04.

My laptop does not have a real DB9 comm port and therefore I must use an usb-serial converter. I have read that there are some problems with this kind of converter and maybe it is the source of my problem but to be honest, I have used this usb-serial converter with other PLCs and has worked fine untill I found this PLC!.

I suspect that my converter fails when a device is using RS485 in some place of the connection.

Has anyone used a generic usb-serial converter to connect a laptop to PLC's DB15 port (along with the right Horner cable)?

5) I could connect my laptop (with the usb-serial converter) to Versamax using its DB9 port 1 (RS232) with no problem. I could check the ladder, variables and data in real time and even store and load the program to see if communication issue is solved but nothing happend therefore, the PLC, its program and port 1 are ok.

The parameters of connection via SNP in Port 2 (RS485) are by default: Port Type: Slave; Rate: 19200; Parity: Odd; Stop Bits:1; SNP ID: blank.

6) Testing later the ports belonging to QuickPanel and to discard problems with the original RS485 wiring (has 30-40 mt), I took, moved and connect the Panel (DB25) to PLC (DB15) using now a new and shorter cable (1 mt) following the pin-out of "HMI-CAB-C82" cable and the problem is the same: The panel shows "?" and "00.000" again and the PLC's port 2 blinks (green) every 1-2 sec.

A question about the QuickPanel's comm port 1 (DB25): The manual says that this port can work with RS232 o RS485 but must the programer set the type of connection manually or the port can detect and switch from RS232 to RS485 and viceversa automatically according to the wiring detected?.

Unfortunately to me, the original developer did not give the panel app (or the customer lost it?) and can't retrive and modify it to use the other comm port (DB9).

Any suggestion or procedure to retrieve an app from QuikPanel model IC754CSL06CTD from Proficy ME 5.9??.


Sorry for this long post but I just want to give more and better details about this strange problem which I must fix soon.

Thanks in advance for your prompt reply or ideas.

All the best.

Saludos.

Gavp.
 
A couple of observations, comments or maybe's on your points:
1. 3-4 years ago the app would have been done in a different version. The QPView application would not have been installed for uploading at that time, so you will need to find a backup somewhere or rebuild the application.
2. The QPV simply uses different pins on the DB25 for its 2 ports, the OS is told which port to use by the SNP driver which is configured and downloaded with the application.
3.The blinking LED tells us that the two hardware devices are talking, it does not tell us what they are saying or if they are really understand eachother, you would need a port monitor for that.
4. You should not need the 5 VDC on pin 5 for this communication to work, this is only needed to power a device such as a 232-485 adaptor.

If you have a backup of the PLC application, there may be two targets there, one for the QPView and one for the PLC.
Does the system operate properly without the HMI?
Have you verified the settings of port 2 of the PLC?
What driver is being used SNP or SNPx?
Are you sure that the QPView app was not using an SNP ID?
Did you use the QPView Control Panel to check the properties of port 2?
 
The fact that it worked prior to the shutdown and stopped working when the power came back on following the shutdown suggests to me that the PLC's configuration information was lost. Was the battery replaced before the shutdown to ensure adequate reserve to carry you through the period without power?

Was the communications cable disconnected and reconnected during the shutdown or otherwise disturbed so that a wire may have been disconnected? Did you check the continuity of all wires with an ohmmeter?

In point 5 above you said that you connected your laptop to port 1 on the CPU and that you were able to monitor data and upload/download the program. When you connected, did you need to download the program from the laptop to the PLC? If so, did you also download the configuration?

The fact that the port LED blinks every 1 - 2 seconds suggests that the QP is asking for data from the PLC but is not getting a response. Normal communications generally results in more or less continuous blinking.
 
Thanks Steve and Russ for your replies.

I will try to answer your questions:

Russ:
Q: Does the system operate properly without the HMI?
A: Yes, the PLC is working with no problem so far but nobody can work with the HMI.
As I wrote, I could connect to PLC via its DB9 port and see the logic running, variables and data are changing as well.

Q:Have you verified the settings of port 2 of the PLC?
A: Yes, I verified it several times. These are by default:
Port Type: Slave; Rate: 19200; Parity: Odd; Stop Bits:1; SNP ID: blank.

A: What driver is being used SNP or SNPx?
Q: I don't know!. As I told you I don't have the QPView app to see it.
At PLC side (port 2 configuration) I couldn't find anything about SNPx. Is there any way?

Q: Are you sure that the QPView app was not using an SNP ID?
A: This is what I want to know to verify this topic but my customer doesn't a backup od that app!!.
I am using Proficy ME 5.9 to work with QP app, is there any procedure to retrieve any app from a QPView? Can copy some files/folders from QP and paste on my PC later and make Proficy ME work with those files?.
Which is the plan B to retrieve a QP app if some customer lost the backup?

Q: Did you use the QPView Control Panel to check the properties of port 2?
A: I though I tried to use/test the port 2 via Hiperterminal but the QP Control Panel forces to use a modem to get it and I don't have one. Am I wrong or there is another option?

Steve:
Q: Was the battery replaced before the shutdown to ensure adequate reserve to carry you through the period without power?
A: Well, the battery is almost new, it was replaced the last year and it is working fine so far. I checked the PLC's Fault Table and there is nothing about the current battery, power supply, comm port, etc.

Q: Was the communications cable disconnected and reconnected during the shutdown or otherwise disturbed so that a wire may have been disconnected?
Did you check the continuity of all wires with an ohmmeter?
A: The customer and his mantainment people has told me that nobody moved or disconnected these cables (well, I didn't hope another thing... everybody is innocent).

Due to the distance between the devices and cable length (30-40 mt) we haven't tested continuity .. sorry!
But we build another cable and moved the QP to be closer to PLC (1-2 mt) in order to discard the original cable/wiring and communication problem was the same.

When you connected, did you need to download the program from the laptop to the PLC? If so, did you also download the configuration?

Q: When you connected, did you need to download the program from the laptop to the PLC? If so, did you also download the configuration?
A: The first time I could connect to PLC I saw the program, hardware configuration, etc. In order to reset any "unknown" problem, I stored the PLC program and its HC to my laptop, made some simple modifications (e.g created some comments) and later I uploaded all this to PLC without problems.

I have done this 2-3 times later just like a test with this PLC.

Is possible that QP app is corrupt or has lost its communication settings due to electric issue in the RS2485 wiring/port when the plant started over?
It looks that the problem comes from the comm port 1 in QP but I have no tool to test it, do you know one?

Any other ideas in order to solve this?

Best regards and thanks for your time and help.

Saludos.

Gavp
 

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