Character array in N files

Good Day,

I have a PanelBuilder 32 application that is currently running on an old pv600 connected to a Micrologix 1200 that I'm trying to upgrade to a Panel View 800 using Connected Components Workbench. In the PBA file there are several tags that write characters to a N address. Tag properties go as follows: Tag Name= Product_name_P_Set, Data Type= Character Array, Array Size= 10, Node Name= LX1200_1, Address=N20:230, Scale= 1, Offset= 0, Min= 0, Max= 0, Update Fr=1
In the data file it places characters up to N20:235, however when i try this on the 800 it does not accept characters and will only write numbers in N20:230. It would seem to me that the correct thing to do is to have a string file that stores the information in the plc and the 800 will write properly to a string file but it would be nice not to have to re-program the plc.

Does no one seriously not have any comment on this issue? what functionality does the 800 not have? Is there a work-around? must i really switch the character handling to a string file and add a thousand rungs to my logic? I'm not much off a beginner to plcs so the thousand rungs could likely be reduced but as the micrologix1200 does not support element level indirection its likely to get lengthy...

My comment, use PV+. That is the correct platform for migration.

I would suggest that you connect your pc with the programming software to the plc and see exactly what's in the N registers you are referring to.

the N file designation is for integers.

going from memory, the character array means the number of digits (characters).
please look at your min / max values again, they both cannot be zero.

again, i'm doing this from memory.

FYI - ccw does not carry the class / division of standard panelview terminals, they are rated general purpose as of 5 years ago and are not allowed here.

james

Just a thought
it looks like they are storing ASCII characters in file N20
if you look at the picture the Radix is set for ASCII
each word would store a character and from the what I see they are storing 10 characters starting at word N20:230 I don't know how they are getting it in the panelview
if that helps

Hi,

Two things that I noticed -

1)In the PB32 file, the address of N20:230 is listed as being part of an array of 10 - Guessing that this is N20:230 to N20:239. I don't think that the PV800 can handle arrays like this. (Also noticed how addresses from N20:180 on spell out "Pr od uc t" etc as mentioned above if the radix is set to ASCII - So the Panelview would be displaying the integers as ASCII values I guess)

2)In the PV800 (or CCW file) - You have the N20:230 address as a string data type - this won't work, it has to be an integer data type..

Sorry i didnt make some things clear, let me try to...
GaryS and ianingram youre absolutely correct. They are using this Integer file to store product names up to 10 characters in length. The machine settings for each product (pressure, speeds, etc) are stored in a separate integer file. When the operator selects a product by touching that momentary button on the PV, the pv writes a number to the plc which in turn corresponds to the machine settings for that product and tells the plc which array within the integer file to copy to N20:230. The PV reads N20:230 and displays it as the current running product.

James Mcquade you're also right of course about the min max values cant be zeros. My inattention to proper details there for some reason i chose to use the display tag values in my question on here. The other tag values that are able to write to the plc have min of 0 and max of 65535.

So ianingram you say you dont think the pv800 can handle arrays if that is indeed so then therein lies my problem. When i switch the tag data type to integer it only will accept numeric values. In the Panel Builder file the data type is character array. Getting willing to try to convince management to spend the extra for pv+. cause pretty soon they will have paid me the extra to program around this.......