OT: Can someone explain Rockwell versioning system

jkerekes said:

Horses for courses.

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Definitely, though as expensive as Rockwell is I am not impressed one bit by it. I can use Rslogix5K but it lacks a lot. If you had used Siemens you'd know.

I'm also not an RSLogix5000 or Factory Talk fan. I am surprised by its popularity. I think that the rest of the world is going to gain a competitive edge over the USA by not using Rockwell software.

fredz0003 said:

As someone who learned Siemens first I don't understand why people have hard time getting it.

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I think you just answered it with the first part of the sentence.

harryting said:

I think you just answered it with the first part of the sentence.

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Neither are complicated though I've actually got this job with zero Rockwell experience on my resume. In a few months I was just surprised by its capabilities at the huge price.

I have nothing against it I like it overall, is just if you put feature by feature comparison. I wouldn't buy it if I was buying hardware.

Even some of our installations that used Siemens before still using a large portion of Siemens modules for RIO with profibus.

Such as? With most of these platforms what you can do in one, you can do in the other.

jkerekes said:

Such as? With most of these platforms what you can do in one, you can do in the other.

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I've always loved rockwell's ladder editor. Their software is complex, because it solves a lot of problems in a very specific and PREDICTABLE way. Their documentation is top-notch. It sucks that you have to pay for support, but it is great as well. I've also seen their hardware live through hell. Name a tougher PLC than the micrologix lines with 120VAC IO . Perhaps just the PLC5.


Anyway, I'm pretty brand-agnostic, but lately I've been using automationdirect PLCs.

John, have you ever used Siemens? Otherwise is kinda of hard to explain all the things missing on rslogix.

Anyway, I'm pretty brand-agnostic, but lately I've been using automationdirect PLCs

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Yeah like I said I like rslogix just lacks a lot. In terms of Hardware plc's ain't really anything complex, just a processor arm etc, optocouplers, pcbs the meat is in the firmware, and rslogix compiling that to binary code for the processor.

I've actually worked with old Step 5 processors, but yeah most plc's are pretty rugged.

The other main disadvantage for Rockwell is the tightness of the system, factory talk, rslinx, vantage point, one system falls and is over. I guess I was used to systems where is just PLC and HMI, and not dependent on other middleware service.

I had the reverse opinion coming from AB to Siemens, but I am getting more and more fluent in both systems, there are things I love in both systems, and it would be great if I where able to combine some of the features from each, that would make a perfect program

In a kaos/Panik installation (costumer is not sure what he want's, all new untested equipment, the line needs to run yesterday) I prefer a AB processor and logix 5000, a lot of this also have to do with what I am comfortable with, running low on suger 4 a clock in the morning

If we have time to plan the installation, I am ok with both systems, my latest Siemens was in TIA 15.1 and it works great.

If I have to handle large amount of data in the PLC, I prefer the tools in Logix 5000, but there are pros and cons on both side of the fence

jkerekes said:

Such as? With most of these platforms what you can do in one, you can do in the other.

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RSLynx and the fact that you need to use. Siemens doesn't require you to hand hold the PC all the way to the CPU. It uses that little known thing called an IP address.

As for reliability, I haven't see an S7 CPU just throw in the towel and stop the entire installation. But I do have a CLX that decides to do this every six months.

Holmux said:

there are things I love in both systems, and it would be great if I where able to combine some of the features from each, that would make a perfect program

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Agree 100%

V0N_hydro said:

I'm also not an RSLogix5000 or Factory Talk fan. I am surprised by its popularity. I think that the rest of the world is going to gain a competitive edge over the USA by not using Rockwell software.

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They already have the advantage when it comes to the small systems. The Micro 800 series is proof that AB had to take some form of action in that arena.

As for the big systems - There's going to be a next generation of purchasers/managers/engineers/etc soon. I have a feeling that's going to be a kick in the balls to ol' man Rockwell because they won't be tied to any brand and will evaluate all options for price, support, reliability, compatibility, etc.

Somehow, so far, it hasn't been mentioned one pretty significant RA software purchase feature:

When one buys, let's say Studio5K v32, one also gets all the previously released RSL5K/Studio5K versions for free; that's 6 through 32. Need v17 or v24?...Go download the executables, install them and you're on your way...They will run on the same, purchased, v32 license...All 24 available majors (or 38 minors) will run on one purchased license.

Buy TIA 15 and use it on a fifteen year old S7-317 with similar age HMIs?...Not quite...One needs to buy Step7 and WinCC licenses... Don't even want to recap the TIA 11/12/13 and 14 fiasco...

Don't want FactoryTalk?....Use a PV5000.

And just leave aside "User Friendliness" when it comes to any German engineering...One will do it just as he/she is 'told' how it is to be done...I guess that's the way you ensure the hardware operates as advertised...By restricting users to 'bewährte Verfahren'...

My $0.02...

Somehow, so far, it hasn't been mentioned one pretty significant RA software purchase feature:

When one buys, let's say Studio5K v32, one also gets all the previously released RSL5K/Studio5K versions for free; that's 6 through 32.

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I would not consider 26 different versions of RSLogix a feature. How long would it take to install all of those on one computer? 6 days? And of course you would have to start at the earliest version and work your way up to the newer versions since some part of it will barf when you try to install an older version of whatever microsoft dependency over a newer one. So good luck if you have version Z installed and discover you need Z-4, you will be uninstalling Z first.



They were at version 20 in 2014, now at version 32, so in 5 years that is at least 12 versions of RSLogix a PLC programmer might have to have installed on their computer ready to use (ignoring the 20.03 debacle).



Schneider has got bad too going from unity 5 to 13 since 2010 but at least I can connect to any Quantum or m340 PLC with unity 5 or newer, upload the program, make a change, and download it again and send a .sta file to anybody that needs it who can then open that and go online with the PLC in whatever version of Unity they have.


To say something nice the control logix remote IO story was(is?) significantly better than Schneider's.

Brand new Win10 x64 VMware Workstation VM...Installed v32 first in 15 min then 31, 30, 29, 28, 24, 19, 17 and 16...A tad over two hours...That's covering some 15 years of firmware releases.

dang I must be doing something wrong!