Unrecognized Device

Sheethal

Member
Join Date
Jan 2004
Posts
8
I'm working on Allen Bradley Control Logix redundant PLC's.
This is the setup of my PLC's.
I have a 2 redundant PLC's, one stand alone PLC.Each of them have their own Control Net network.We are using an Intel SE7501WV2 server with Windows XP(Professional).Allen Bradley does not have a Control Net Scanner for this server hence I am using Ethernet to see the Control Net.So the two PLC's have two different ControlNet networks, and so I have two different Ethernet's for both the ControlNets.This layout should explain my situation.

Workstation
----AB_ETH-1 Ethernet
-129.57.42.118
-Backplane
+ 0 CNBD
rest of the modules

----AB_ETH-2 Ethernet
? 129.57.41.139 Unrecognized Device
I have a server and three different client PC's.
In my Rslinx in the server and two PC's I can see the EtherNet network 2( i.e AB_ETH-2)i.e does not give me an error (unrecognized device).
One of the client PC's is a laptop.
This is the configuration of the PC's
RSLinx Windows Ethernet

Server 2.42 XP Prof Recognizes
Client 1 2.41 XP Prof Unrecognized
Client 2 2.42 Win 2000 Recognizes
Client 3 2.42 Win 2000 Unrecognized
(Client 3-Laptop)

There are two cases which can cause this.
1.The EDS files for the modules are not installed.
*RSlinx recognizes one of the Ethernet module which means that the EDS files are installed.

2.There is no module with the IP configuration
* The same Ethernet module is being recognized by another machine just not this one.

I can ping the Ethernet Module from both the machines which do not recognize it in RSlinx and that works fine.I have tried to uninstall and install linx and it does not work.I have checked for firewalls( Allen Bradley suggestion) but nothing there.Am I missing something here?
 
Last edited:
I just ran into this myself.
The EDS files are firmware version specific. So if you happen to have two ethernet modules with two different versions of firmware you may recognise one but not the other depending on the EDS files you have installed.
Instead of trying to find the EDS file on the AB website I used ControlFlash to downgrade the module I didn't recognise to the version of EDS I had. I ultimately did get all the EDS versions and now I can recognise any of the revisions.
I don't know if this is your problem but it helped me.

Keith
 
Most likely this is missing EDS file.
I saw situations when RSLinx recognized ENBT in local rack but not remote one on the Ethernet.
ENBT EDS file is not included in RSlinx 2.41 by default.
 
Time to wear my "Tech Support" hat.

The first question I'd ask you is "what are the IP Addresses, Subnet Masks, and Default Gateways of the four computers".

The second question is "On the computers that do not recognize the 1756-ENBT modules, does RSLinx show just a question mark icon, or a red X as well ?"

The third question is "Using the computers that do recognize the modules, give me the IP configurations and firmware revisions of the modules".

I noticed right off the bat that you are running two different AB_ETH drivers in RSLinx, and that the 1756-ENBT modules they are talking to are probably on two different Class C subnets. The Subnet Mask on your computers would tell me how your IP network is really set up. This might just be a simple IP configuration problem.

It could be an EDS file problem, and it's relatively easy to find out if a particular product's EDS file is installed on a given PC. But you need the Identity Object (Vendor, Type, Class, and Revision) to nail that down for sure.

It's encouraging that you can PING the 1756-ENBT's (or something, you don't know for sure what's responding to the PING) from the PC's that don't recognize the 1756-ENBT modules. But it doesn't mean that all is well in IP-land. I've seen the XP firewall let PING through but block RSLinx Browse. I had to get down and dirty with a protocol analyzer to find that one.
 
Unrecognized device

Thanks a lot Guys..I just found this out myself...the major revisions of the firmware were different and it seems the EDS files installed with RSlinx software did'nt support all the revisions.So I just downloaded the updated revisions and it works fine now.

Thanks for the feedback.
Sheethal
 
Good work, Sheethal, I'm glad the system is working for you now.

Just for kicks, I'm going to walk through how to tell what versions of the EDS files are installed and registered on a computer, using a system I'm working on configuring for a class demo. They want me to show it in an hour, but hey, we gotta have priorities around here.

The Logix chassis has a many-times-upgraded 1756-ENET module in it.

In RSLinx, I highlight the module in the RSWho browse, and right-click to get the Device Properties.

Vendor = Allen-Bradley Company (Vendor Code 1)
Product Type = 12 (Communication Adapter)
Product Code = 20 (1756-ENET)
Revision = 2.7

EDS files are stored and registered using a file name that is composed of all of these elements in hex format. For this module, the file name is:

0001 000C 0014 0200 . EDS

When I look in the EDS directory

C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\RSCommon\EDS

I find that file present, and when I open it in Notepad, sure enough it's the EDS file for that module.

If I had another PC that got the "unrecognized device" error, I could just check for that file. If they didn't have it, I can use the RSLinx Hardware Registration Tool to register a copy of it with the OS (don't just move it to the \EDS directory).

Okay, back to work, gotta sell motor control centers.
 
Ken,
What I saw recently that EDS file was present but not registred.
I normally use this way to check if EDS file actually registred:

Open EDS instalaltion tool and click REMOVE.
After long scan you will see all EDS files installed on your computer.
Browse the tree and click on the plus box next to the module.
You will see all installed versions.
For ENBT for example you may have ver 1 and 3 installed, but module actually ver 2.x
 
Good point, Contr_Conn; I have seen that situation as well, and you describe a simple way of remedying it.

In rare occasions, it results from a failure of the registration process. Most of the time, it's because someone read half of a technote and just copied an EDS file into the master EDS directory without registering it.

Which leads to my Warning of the Day: If you are using the RSI Hardware Registration Tool or the EDS Wizard in RSNetworx, NEVER put the EDS file into the \Rockwell Software\RSCommon\EDS directory ahead of time. Never point to that directory as the source of your EDS file. Regard that directory as sacrosanct and don't mess with it manually.
 
Thanks guys. I had a similar problem some time agoo, when I updated RSLogix 5000 from version 11 to version 12. This version came with RSLinx Lite V2.41. After installing AND upgrading my CompactLogixes to V12, RSLinx didn't recognise these PLC's any more. I fiddled around a bit and got it working most of the time. But it was until after I installed RSLinx V2.42 (which came with the upgrade of RSLogix500 to V6) to let the system work flawless all the time.

Had I known about this info at the time when I installed RSLogix500 V12, I could have solved the problem all the way. Certainly a printout of this thread will go into my paper archive, so I can look it up whenever needed. Especially the info about the naming of the EDS files is crucial info. And by the way: at first I made the mistake to move the EDS files directly to the \EDS directory. It toke me some time to realise about that and to correct that error.

Thanks again,
 
EDS problem

Hi

I know its been a while since this thread started but I have just come across a related problem and hope any of you can help.

I have just installed a new 1756 ENBT/A ethernet device. On my programming laptop, I can see it just fine, connect to it configure it and see all the other modules on the backplane.

The company I am working for has a central programmer PC running rslinx and rslogix 5000. In rslinx, it shows the new 1756 ENBT/A as an unrecognised device. After reading this thread, I thought it might be the EDS files. Sure enough, on my laptop, I had versions 1,2,3 and 4, (the module is version 4.*) but on the central programmer PC, only versions 1,2 and 3. I used the EDS installation tool and put version 4 on the central programmer. Now however, I can't see the 1756 ENBT/A in rslinx at all using rs who. Strangely though, if I open rslogix 5000 on the programmer PC, I can see the correct module. To prove the EDS upgrade has something to do with what I am seeing, I removed version 4 with the EDS tool and lo and behold, I can now see it in rslinx but as an unrecognised device.

I need some help because things aren't making a lot of sence.

Thanks

Martin
 
For many Rockwell products you can right click the question mark in RSLinx -> RSWho and select upload EDS file directly from the device. This is by far the easiest way.
 
I have same issue on my new laptop (In RSLogix 5000 my VFD and PointIO are not recognized). I download EDS (I'm sure I got right device and revision), install it through EDS hardware installation tool and still, after rebooting laptop, devices are not recognized. I also tried uploading EDS files directly from device through RSLinx, but still no luck.

I took screenshot with my second computer which is working and on both I'm using this EDS file.
2zf60b8.jpg
 
Last edited:

Similar Topics

Hello Everyone, I am using an Ethernet Driver and have added the IP addresses manually. There are a few IPs that I can ping in command...
Replies
7
Views
334
Hello Everyone. I'm doing this for the first time and got stuck so, I'm posting here. RS links is showing my HMI on the network but as an...
Replies
3
Views
1,649
After being power cycled rapidly several times by an unhappy power supply 3 out of 6 1756-IB16/A modules are now shown as Unrecognized Device...
Replies
2
Views
1,612
Good Evening All, I'm having a bit of trouble getting my 1756-ENBT to be fully recognized on my Windows XP SP2 Vmware Workstation virtual...
Replies
15
Views
5,362
I'm attempting to install and program a new 1769-L33ERM processor and I can't get RSlinx to recognize the device and cannot go online in Studio...
Replies
13
Views
6,175
Back
Top Bottom