Excel connection to RSLinx Gateway

poiuy

Member
Join Date
Oct 2003
Posts
47
I'll start out by describing my hardware setup so as to paint a more descriptive picture. I have a desktop running RSLinx. This desktop connects to another machine running RSLinx as a gateway. The gateway machine is connected to a Data Highway Communication Inferface, also known as a 1770-KF2. This KF2 connects to a SLC500. I can connect to my SLC500 with my desktop via the gateway just fine. I have an Excel spreadsheet on my desktop that connects via a topic on my local copy of RSLinx to the PLC. This spreadsheet both displays data, ie integer values, and edits those integer values in the PLC, using a VB applet. The purpose of the spreadsheet is so that the values in the PLC can be directly editted without opening RSLogix. The issue here is that in order to use the spreadsheet, I have to be running RSLinx on my desktop. What I would like to do is connect the spreadsheet to the PLC without using RSLinx on my own machine, possibly by connecting directly to the gateway machine's RSLinx. All OS's are Win2k, and all copies of RSLinx are Pro. If this is possible, please post some info or links that I can follow for publically available info. Also, I'm a college intern, and I don't have a whole lot of experience using PLC's and connection protocols in particular, so try to be detailed.
Thanks in advance, Chris
 
... have you tried this? ...

from the main RSLinx menu ... select Help ... do a search for:

"excel network DDE example"

read this and be sure to follow the "example" links ... this seems to be pretty detailed information ...

it's been awhile since I set one of these up ... if I remember correctly the "missing link" was the DDESHARENAME item ... again going by memory, this had to be set up under Windows ... not in RSLinx ...

also be sure to type the EXACT syntax as shown in the examples ... if even one puncutation mark is incorrect, then the link will not work ...

if I get time later this afternoon (not likely) then I'll try to set one up and post the example ...

good luck ...
 
Have you tried the following:

In Linx Select EDIT
- Copy/Edit OPC Connection

In Excel
- Use Edit/Paste Link
- Paste Special Link
 
I've followed those examples, and I'm still at a loss. I started NetDDE on both machines, and I can use a regular DDE hotlink if my desktop is running RSLinx. Excel doesn't seem to like the syntax in the help topic example for NetDDE. For easy reference, here's the help topic.

"Use the following syntax to establish a Network DDE hot link from Microsoft Excel to RSLinx:

='\\MachineName\NDDE$'|DDESHARENAME!'S:23'

where:

MachineName is the name of the computer where RSLinx is installed and is to be the server of the data. This name is assigned in Windows. To find this name, open the Windows Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. Computer Name is the MachineName.

DDESHARENAME is the DDE share the user configures in Windows. If you create a different DDE share name, replace DDESHARENAME with the name of the DDE share you create.

S:23 is the item, or address of the data you wish to request."

so presumably, the link I type into the excel cell should go like this:

='\\gatewaymachinename\NDDE$'|myddeshare!'N:60'

however, Excel doesn't much care for that. For simplicity, my DDE share and my topic are the same name. Would this create a conflict? Also, the DDE share I added does not end in $ because the directions did not say to do this, but all of the other DDE shares are formatted this way.
 
poiuy said:
I have since discovered that the share must end with a $, so I've fixed that.

As a note, I fixed that small error, however, I could still use some guidance. I'm really stuck.
 
from the help file:

Windows NT Network DDE services are not automatically started. They must be set up and started.

and you've already done this "must be STARTED" step too? ...

sorry that I didn't get any spare time to work on this today ...
 
Ron Beaufort said:
from the help file:



and you've already done this "must be STARTED" step too? ...

sorry that I didn't get any spare time to work on this today ...

I have started both DDE services. I also checked in Task Manager to make sure they are running. Some more info; I checked the "DDE Client Diagnostics" and there's nothing listed there. This suggests that my desktop is not making the connection, despite having started both services. Also, in the help file for setting up and starting the services, there is this step: "In the Share Name field, enter a name of your choice to remember this NetDDE share by. The name should be one that identifies RSLinx and the specific PLC and data available through the RSLinx topic you wish to use." Does that mean that it has to include the name of the PLC and the topic in the Share Name, or is it just a naming convention suggestion?
 
Last edited:

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