One PanelView Plus 700 with two PLCs?

I was looking for reference, and found this thread

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=117141&highlight=multiple+plc+panelview

about multiple HMI's on one PLC, but is there a way to use one panelview for two or more PLC's?

I've got 1 Panelview +700 connected to 1 L30er. Now that L30er is writing message words to an SLC500(with no HMI) for part of the process. I Have another Panelview I could connect to the SLC500, but I'd rather save the money and incorporate it into the existing setup if possible.

Unless there is a smarter way, I'll just make more messages from the SLC500 to the L30er and use the L30er Program to represent the remote SLC500 status.

You just create another PLC link in RSLinx Enterprise for each PLCs you want to talk to.

JaxGTO said:

You just create another PLC link in RSLinx Enterprise for each PLCs you want to talk to.

Click to expand...

And there it is. Thank you sir. /thread.

Be aware that the PanelView Plus "Compact" and the PanelView Plus 7 "Standard" terminals are limited to just one driver and just one controller data source.

But with the normal PV+ and PV+6, and the PV+7 Performance models, you can just create another Shortcut in RSLinx Classic to read and write from another controller.

JaxGTO said:

You just create another PLC link in RSLinx Enterprise for each PLCs you want to talk to.

Click to expand...

I kind of know what you mean here but "just" be careful - "each PLC you want to talk to" might not always be on the same or a compatible network as the first PLC, as we might be assuming here. The additional shortcut in the application is the easy part. You can add them all day and with whichever protocol driver you wish. But you do also need to consider whether there is a valid, supported and existing physical path to the other controller from the PanelView Plus terminal.

Also,...EDIT - I was going to mention the limitation of only one connection for certain PanelView Plus terminal models, but Ken has since done the honours.

Seeing as this is a 1769-L30ER, the existing communications protocol to the PanelView Plus is most likely EtherNet/IP. And seeing as the L30ER is also writing message data to the "SLC500", we can probably assume that it is an SLC5/05 model, which also supports Ethernet communications.

But my thoughts were directed more towards a possible scenario where it's not an SLC5/05 and the L30ER is communicating to another "SLC500" model using a different protocol through a communications gateway of some type. This may complicate things a little.

Different shortcut paths using different protocols in the same application is of course supported, once the terminal does support and can physically reach those paths.

My money would be on all Ethernet here, but based on the opening post, I/we could not be certain?

KingPresident,

Please put my meandering mind at ease!

Regards,
George