slc 5/02 help

I am a machine tool electrician have been for about 15 years, recently decided to get int he programing field. I always worked on new build and once the machine was built the programmers would step in and do there thing, now I wanna give it a shot. So heres my question: I have a windows xp platform with a usb to rs232 cable to a DB25M to a DB9F adapter then to my 1747-pic then to my processor. I have been told this set-up works from an engineer at work and from other web sites that it doesn't. I have the RSlogix 500 software and version 1.7 RSLinx When I configure my rack and goto the I/O configuration then read I/O config i get an error that says"valid node numbers are between 0 and -1" does this mean i can't talk to my processor or do I have to change something else? I am lost I just wanna get online with it. I start some classes in a few months but thought I could get familiar with some of the software, any help would be a step in the right direction. Thanks

The 1747-PIC will not function with Windows XP, you have to have a USB to DH-485 converter of the kind that AB sells which is the 1747-UIC module. Another one of those gotchas that come along in our technological age. Once you have the UIC module, you can use either DH-485 or RS-232 to communicate with your processor, assuming it can do either or both.

randylud said:

The 1747-PIC will not function with Windows XP

Click to expand...

Randy, this is not entirely true. I have Windows XP Pro SP2 installed and have used the old PIC. I do have a hardware serial port which is probably the key. Also, RSLinx cannot be running as a service which, I think, is how it installas as a default. To not run as a service, you have to open the RSLinx Classic Launch Control Panle and uncheck run as service. Then you have to play around with the drivers in the RSLinx configuration to make it all work....

So, it can be done (at least with a hardware RS232 port) but probably much easier to get the new USB to RS485 converter.

The biggest key is having a true on motherboard serial port. Ausb adapter or even a pcmcia serial adapter WILL NOT WORK.

We run quite a few different laptops and the only ones that even load the pic driver are the ones with a real serial port. The laptops run 2000 and xp and that is irrelevant.

Drewcrew6

When I configure my rack and goto the I/O configuration then read I/O config i get an error that says"valid node numbers are between 0 and -1" does this mean i can't talk to my processor or do I have to change something else?

Click to expand...

You need to change something else -- the node number of the PIC driver. Go to RSLinx, click on the "Communications" menu at the top of the screen, then click on "Configure Drivers", select the AB_PIC-1 driver (or similar such name), then change the station number to 00 or 01.

Not sure about the usb thing...my laptops also all have standard serial ports. XP will run the old PIC ok but check AB's knowledge base because there are some real issues. You cannot load DF1 driver and PIC. You also need to tell XP to stop validating the driver or that will make you nuts. PIC works just fine with the PCMK card running

You can't have the PIC driver and the DF1 driver running at the same time becuase they both use the serial port resources - it will cause a driver conflict. Either driver will work concurrently with all other non-serial drivers. ndzied1 is correct; the issue is having or not having a real serial port, not WIN XP. There were some issues with the PIC driver with WIN 2000 and early releases of XP, but they were ironed out.

This can be tricky, but listen along.

What you have now will not work. The 1747-PIC driver in RSLinx does not work with any kind of generic USB/RS232 converter. You also need the current version of RSLinx Lite (2.51); your copy of version 1.7 is about seven years out of date. RSLinx Lite is a free download from support.rockwellautomation.com.

For your application with Windows XP and no available hard serial port, you need a 1747-UIC device, which is a purpose-built Data Highway 485 to USB converter.

The SLC-5/02 does have some challenges connecting to the 1747-UIC, because it's a "response-only" DH485 node.

If you have an ordinary serial port on your PC, you can download RSLinx Lite 2.51 and continue your effort. Otherwise it's a visit to your A-B distributor for a 1747-UIC device.