1747-PIC/AIC Driver on SP3 w/ patch

Tim James

Member
Join Date
Mar 2012
Location
Texas
Posts
92
Let me start off by saying I know I need to get a 1747-UIC, but I can't get one in for a couple days and I'm working on something time sensitive.

I have a fairly ancient PV300 Micro setup for DH485 over RS232. I've been trying to find a way to upload the program off the panelview all weekend (since I can't just flash it to DF1 without losing the program). All my laptops/desktops are running Win 7 64-bit except for one that is running XP sp2, but that one does not have a true serial port. I tried getting the xp laptop to work using a PCMCIA serial card, but after many hours of fiddling and reading in forums/Rockwell knowledgebase I could never get the 1747-PIC/AIC driver to load properly to the serial port (I know it works with some PCMCIA serial cards, but I'm guessing it just wont work on this setup due to the card or the laptop). RSLinx always comes back on startup with "Fatal error initializing PIC driver" and Linx is never able to commandeer the assigned COM port. I tried all the recommended tricks and nothing would allow that driver to initialize on the PCMCIA card (although the card works fine for DF1).

So I saw the XP sp3 patch that dmroeder, Dustin, did to help get the 1747-PIC driver working for sp3, so I thought I would give that a shot on one of my Win 7 laptops (true serial port) in the virtual desktop which can only run xp sp3 (technically sp2 can be installed on the virtual desktop, but I use it almost everyday and it's already nicely setup the way it is). The patch loaded successfully, and bingo, the 1474-PIC/AIC driver could be added. I can see the driver/protocol running and I can see in the the device manager that RSLinx is commandeering the port. FYI I've used the true COM port in virtual desktop all the time, just usually using DF1. What does seem a little weird is the 'START' and 'STOP' options in Configure Drivers are still grayed out.

Anyway, the driver is successfully added and running, it's configured properly in RSLinx, I made sure the baud rate matches in the COM1 properties in device manager (I haven't messed with stop bits and parity), and I check the PV300 micro's DH485 settings to make sure they match. But the PV300 micro never shows up in RSLinx as a node. And here's the really weird thing .... my laptop is node 0 and the status message in linx says "Browsing - node 0 found" but every now and then it flips to saying "Browsing - node 3 not found". Node 3 is my PV300 micro. If I change the PV to node 2 periodically I get "Browsing - node 2 is not found" instead. Clearly some communication is happening. I reviewed the driver comm diagnostics and it is clear that the transmit and receives are happening with no errors/packet losses.

Under driver properties, advanced browsing settings, there is an option to 'force network type to ...' with DH485 and direct serial connection as options, but neither work.

I am using a straight through cable, 2711-CBL-PM05. I also tried a 1761-CBL-PM02 just in case cable was bad (same pinout). And no, the PV300 micro has no CF card slot, so that isn't an option.

Can anyone think of something I'm missing to get this point to point connection working so I can upload? Thanks in advance, and thanks to all those before me who battled with this 1747-PIC/AIC driver. I've fought this thing for about 8 hours now and I feel like I'm so close I can taste it, but still not there yet.
 
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I was never successful at getting it to run virtually. Ken Roach and I talked about it briefly and he figured it most likely wouldn't work.

Edit: and when you do get the UIC, I'd highly recommend getting it from here
 
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I just tried tinkering with the COM port setting in device manager further and if I change them to anything other than what I would consider AB default (8/NONE/1) the communication seems to halt, based on the driver comm diagnostics (still no PV300 micro node). So I don't think there is an issue there.
 
I was never successful at getting it to run virtually. Ken Roach and I talked about it briefly and he figured it most likely wouldn't work.

Edit: and when you do get the UIC, I'd highly recommend getting it from here

This is definitely the closest I have gotten to get this DH485 point to point to work. It seems like I'm just battling some minor hang up at the point. I'd be surprised, since packets are transferring successfully without loss or timeout, that it would be impossible on a virtual machine. But you are certainly much more well versed with this than I am. I'm just too stubborn to give up.
 
Also, while I don't have a 1747-UIC, I do have a 1761-NET-AIC+ module. I don't really think that helps me at all since I still need to use the 1747-PIC/AIC driver to speak 485 with the NET-AIC module. Are there any drivers, that work in Win7, that I can use to bridge this connection between a NET-AIC module and my DH485 panelview? Perhaps 485 data highway or 1747-UIC? What if I wire the panelview serial connection into the RS485 physical layer on the NET-AIC module (the phoenix plug), would that give me any other options in terms of RSLinx drivers?

I know I'm grasping at straws here, but I am really eager to get this application pulled before tomorrow, plus I am seriously peeved that AB has made this DH485 point to point so ridiculously unfriendly.

Any other idea would be appreciated also. I can get my hands on a SLC 5/04 processor, which I could use as a pass through and use the DH+ driver in RSLinx. However, I don't have the AB 1784-KT communication card.

Lastly, I did just find an old SLC 500 1747-PIC. I would need to convert the PIC's RJ45 to 8 pin mini-din, but I would still need the 1747-PIC/AIC driver to work so again, no improvement.
 
Unless you can get your hands on a PCMK and have a PCMCIA slot then I think you are SOL on the DH485 front. All the DH485 methods you mentioned use the PIC driver.

And by reading your posts, you are more well versed than I!
 
And by reading your posts, you are more well versed than I!

I don't know about that. But every communication battle is a learning experience so I appreciate the input on this. Without a separate device (aka 1747-UIC) to set up the DH485 transmission on it's own (basically a way to keep my PC from trying to setup a 485 transmission on it's serial port) it does seem I am up a creek. The 1747-PIC is a 232 to 485 physical layer converter (so is the NET-AIC+ module, in a way). It seems that I still need to be 'speaking' DH485 on my PC serial port to use it, which means I need the 1747-PIC/AIC driver. If that's the only driver that can talk to the device, and I have no way of successfully running that driver I guess it's junk to be replaced by the UIC.

I'm running Linx 2.57 in my virtual machine, which seems like it would be recent enough, but I may install the newest one in a last ditch effort until I surrender and just wait for a 1747-UIC to come in the mail.

It may also be time to dust off some old computer parts and one of my salvaged XP licenses and get a machine running with XP sp2 and a legit 12v serial port. I have become so dependent on my XP virtual machine, but this isn't the first time it's hit its limits.
 
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I am using a straight through cable, 2711-CBL-PM05. I also tried a 1761-CBL-PM02

HMM? Both of the cables above are null-modem cables, your PV300 Micro requires a null-modem cable unlike the other standard PVs. Hopefully you are not adding a null-modem adapter on the end of your cables.
 
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No null-modem adapter, just the cables. Same cables I always use for DF1 point to point. I only meant straight through in the sense that it's a point to point connection, not that the cables are straight through pin to pin. I should have been more clear on that.
 
I just tried accomplishing this again on another desktop I gained access to. XP SP3, with a legit motherboard connected serial port. I applied the SP3 fix which allowed me to start up the 1747-PIC/AIC driver just fine. Still no dice on getting the PV300 micro to show up in Linx. Double checked all my comm settings, node addresses, etc and applied all the tweaks but still no dice. I even took a DF1 PV 300 micro and flashed it to DH485 just to be sure I didn't have a bad comm port on my panelview. Same thing happened.

I'm still thinking I might be able to use a SLC 5/04 as a pass through though. I know it takes jumping through some hoops, but if I set one port to DF1 and one to DH+, then do all the other setup fun, can't I in theory communicate to the SLC processor via DF1 and pass through to the PV 300 micro connected via DH+ (DH485)? Maybe I would need to stuff the NET-AIC converter in between the SLC and the PV300 micro to facilitate the DH+ since it wont be DH-485 point to point. Just exploring all options while I wait for a 1747-UIC.
 
No, DH+ and DH485 are different protocols.

I am surprised the real serial port does not work, does this PV communicate with a PLC ok?

What is the complete catalog number of this PV?

Do you have the offline file for this PV? If so can you post it here. ( zip it first)
 
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I have not tried communication between the PV300 micro and a PLC yet and I don't have the offline application for the PV. But that is sort of the problem, I need to upload that application off of the unit. At the moment it is a bit of a black box aside from what I can see on the HMI. And I don't have the associate PLC project to go along with this HMI app. It is sort of an archaic reverse engineering project in that sense. I can still get to the PV configuration screen to see that it's setup for DH485, baud rate, node address, etc.

The model number is 2711-M3A19L1
Like I said previously, I also took a 2711-M3A18L1 (DF1 pv300 micro) and flashed it to DH485 with no luck communicating either.

I don't suppose there is a magic revision number of Linx I should be using? I have tried everything from 2.41 and 2.59 and several revisions in between with no luck. If I jump to 3.6 Linx becomes unstable and shuts down everytime I start browsing on the 1747-pic driver (I'm guessing 3.6 wasn't built for xp).
 
Finally got my 1747-UIC converter in. 5 minutes later I'm communicating with the PV300 micro. Why I could not get the point to point RS-232 DH485 connection working, I still have no idea. I seemed to be using proven setups, but never got it to work. The UIC was only $90 (thanks for recommending ordering from Industrial Concepts Dustin) and I certainly spent way more than $90 worth of time screwing with the point to point RS232 connection. But it was a time sensitive task, and I can be impossibly stubborn and irrational with my time when it comes to getting something working (I'm still tempted to keep tinkering with the point to point RS232 connection).

Thanks for everyone's help, and my recommendation unless you have an old WinXP PC dedicated for RS232 DH485 connections that has proven itself to work, is just buy the UIC converter.
 
Glad you got it working Tim! That UIC is superior for half the price of AB's and the guy you bought it from is top notch
 

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