Importing data from excel to multiple slc 500's

Long time member, first time poster.

Last night our plants wireless network died, shutting the whole plant down. As a result, I have been tasked with creating a secondary system that will allow machines to run on a hardwired connection. Our current setup has 17 machines on a line, with each machine having a right and left cavity, with each cavity producing 1 item per cycle, and each machine producing 2 items per cycle. Each machine on a row has an slc 500 1747-L543, all connected to eachother via a trunk line, that goes to a DHRIO card in a control logix rack with an ethernet card and a concentrator card. Before a machine can run a cycle, the machine must be identified via a set of barcodes, one on each cavity of the machine, and the products in the loading and pre loading areas identified, via a barcode on the product. This is done with a wifi enabled barcode scanner that sends the data through the network so that the slc can evaluate the data to ensure the correct product is being loaded onto the machine. The machines are not allowed to run without the barcode information, and the barcode information can only be imported to the processor if the scanner can comunicate through the wireless network. The solution I have come up with to work around this, is to setup a laptop in the middle of the row, connected to one of the processors using a u2dhp cable, and have a Bluetooth barcode scanner connected to the computer that would import the barcode data into individual excel files asociated with each machine, and have the slc import its associated file. The problem I'm having is figuring out how to import the data through the programing terminal of one processor, to another processor over the data highway. The data must be able to be cleared out the excel file based on the logic running the machine, and be moved withing the excel file as the products advances through the 2 loading areas and into the cavities. Is there maybe a simpler option that I'm not considering? If not, what would be the best method to accomplish this? Adding cards and individual scanners to each machine isn't an option due to the amount of machines we are running, as it would be cost prohibitive, and very difficult to source that many cards and scanners. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this, as well as any and all help or suggestions.

So, Is that wireless network plant wireless or 'local line wireless'

How many wireless scanners do you currently have? Do you have network drops for the same network 'near' each line? or what would be the max distance to one?

I wouldn't try and reinvent the wheel, I'd get a set of wireless network bridge devices, get them configured to use the same SSID/security and keep them as a backup option.

If the 'plant' wireless dropped, I'd plug them into the hardware link, let them act as temp wireless and continue w/ your setup. Then remove them once the normal link was recovered.

welcome to the forum.

first thing first.
1. draw out your production line(s) 1 at a time. segment them into stations with plc's.
2. then detail the plc names and ip addresses.
3. add the scanners.
what is the length of the line?
is there a central location for a ethernet switch or several switches along the line?
if the wifi network goes down, how will you scan info into the plc?

you say you are planning this as a secondary system, i don't think this will work. the wifi network configuration has ip addresses and the plc's use that.
you would need to configure the switches to the same ip addresses, and run the cables to the plc's and leave them hanging. you would then have to goto each plc and connect the cables up. i also think the switches would be faster than the wifi network.

the back up wifi network would require each access point to be programmed to the same channel and ip address and be turned off. they would have to be turned on on a regular basis to keep them powered up and maintain their configuration settings if i am not mistaken. doing this would require turning off the current wifi network so that the two systems do not fight each other ad create a ip conflict in the plc and a wifi loop which will kill your plant network in a matter of 2 minutes.
if i am wrong on any point, someone please correct me.
james

James Mcquade said:

welcome to the forum.


the back up wifi network would require each access point to be programmed to the same channel and ip address and be turned off. they would have to be turned on on a regular basis to keep them powered up and maintain their configuration settings if i am not mistaken. doing this would require turning off the current wifi network so that the two systems do not fight each other ad create a ip conflict in the plc and a wifi loop which will kill your plant network in a matter of 2 minutes.
if i am wrong on any point, someone please correct me.
james

Click to expand...

While I don't disagree that switches would be faster, the backup bridges would have their own IP address on the wired and wireless networks. So no IP conflict there. You could keep them powered up and just turn the radios off to avoid stepping on the 'normal' wifi frequences.