communication w/slc-5/02

I was able to bring home a SLC 500 CPU 5/02 with some I/O modules. My problem is the CPU has a CPU Fault error. I have RXLogix on my system at home and the 1747-PIC interface unit. I am unable to communicate to the PLC to reset the CPU. Can anybody gave me some additional help with my communication problem?

Here we go again.....

Standard PIC reply #1

What Operating system does the PC with the PIC have?
(Please say 95 or lower)

What kind of serial port are you going out with the PIC?
(Please say COM1, not a USB or PCMCIA)

Which version of RSLinx do you have?
(Please say 2.2 or higher)

The PIC has been notoriously problematic when running on recent versions of Windows. It really needs a god, old-fashioned serial port - no substitutions, exchanges or refunds. Some of the problems (at least regarding the O/S issue) have been fixed in the newest versions of RSLinx.

Using only RSLinx, what do you see under WHO

Answer those, and we'll take it from there.

The SLC fault could be anything. Most likely no program due to a dead battery.

The news I bring you is not good. I have Windows 98 and RXLinx ver 2.0, but I am using my COM 1 port. Go ahead and tell me the bad news. Also the CPU fault is not a dead battery the battery indicator LED is off and when I pull-out the battery it will illuminate.

Thanks

Randy

The fault is not something to be concerned about yet. First, is just getting your computer talking using RSLinx.

Win98 shouldn't be a problem. I never had a bit of trouble with Win98 using a PIC (NT, 2000, XP are the buggers here).

your first order of business is to get a new version of RSLinx. The Lite version is a free download. Get it now!

Rockwell Software Web Update Site

If you have not registered then you will have to do so to download. It's free and easy. Make sure you download RSLinx Lite. Any other version will ask you to provide a serial #. RSlinx Lite is what comes with your RSLogix software.

Once you have done that, then you will need to add a driver for the 1747-PIC. If you are not familiar with those steps then ask us and we can walk you through.

Once the driver is configured, use RSWho to verify that your computer can "see" the 5/02. Again, if you don't know how to do this, ask.

Worry about the fault afterwards. It could be any of a hundred things. we won't know until you get your PC set up.

OG

Also, what is the CPU fault light doing? Is it on solid or is it blinking?

OG

suggestion

I suggest that you remove the battery and short + and -.
This will insure that there is no charge in the onboard capacitor.
This will reset the SLC to it's default state and you should be able to connect. Simply removing the battery will not do the trick
since SLC's are known to be able to hold charge for months.

I have also experienced some difficulty getting some of the Toshiba Satelite-series laptops to communicate with RSlinx/RSLogix or the old AB5200. The proprietary nature of the com port drivers causes some real problems.

Jiri, you are correct in suggesting he remove the battery to remove the fault but on the 5/02 there is no capacitor to be drained.

Also, removing the battery is just trading one fault for another. Now you have a fault because there is no program loaded. Get the PC talking to the SLC first then worry about the fault.

In regards o the old 6200 series or APS series software, talking to them can be something of a chore. These are DOS programs that were never designed or intended to run in Windows. Back in the old DOS days you could write a program that directly accessed your computers hardware such as a serial port. When you start running Windows on your computer, Windows wants to be the only one talking directly to the serial port. So the programs have to go through Windows to tlk to the serial port. These programs were written BEFORE Windows. They don't know to ask Windows cause there was no Windows when these were written.

If you really want to get your Toshiba to talk to the PLC or SLC using 6200 then call up your local distributor specialist and have them come out and show you how to do it. You really have to know your way around DOS to get things like these to run. Or, just get a machine that isn't running Windows, just good old DOS (did I actually say that?).

OG

randy:

Once you get RSLinx 2.3, we'll want a clean, vanilla Operating System. Turn off ANYTHING that might conceivably talk to the serial port. That means Virus checkers, Internet access programs provided by your ISP, everything.

RSLinx is going to need exclusive control of COM1: (loading it's own Comm driver). It won't be able to if Windows has loaned the port out. Like 6200 and APS, the PIC box was invented with DOS-type serial access in mind.

One more note on the comm port. Two or three of our customers over the last year or so have had problems in this area because:

The computer's power management system was turning off the comm port. If I remember correctly, most of the time this showed up with IBM Thinkpads but it's something you might want to consider.