Getting data out of a Micrologix 1100 - newbie questions

Hi everyone

Just as a disclaimer I'm new to PLCs in general so I apologise if I'm not making any sense.

In a nutshell I have a Micrologix 1100 PLC which is connecting to a machine that counts products. What I'd like to do is access the data (ideally in real time - not sure if this is possible from my research) and export it to an excel file on a PC somewhere.

So far from my research it seems I have to do the following:

1. Connect the PLC to a PC.

This requires a crossover cable to configure the IP (via BOOTP) and then a patch network cable to access it afterwards. Alternatively they can be connected to a switch.

2. Use RSLinx + RSLogix to connect and view/configure the PLC.

I understand the process to open the PLCs configuration in RSLogix (I have the free version - RSLogix Micro Starter Lite). But at this point, assuming I can see the node that contains the data I want, would I be able to export it to a CSV or similar data file? Can the PLC be 'running' normally while this is done or will this interrupt its normal functionality?

I'd appreciate any help.

Hi,

Just a couple of quick points to help you decide which route to take. If you want the data from the PLC real-time into Excel then you're going to need a paid version of RSLinx - the lite, free version doesn't support this. Alternatively, the ML1100 actually has a built in data logging instruction that actually works quite well. You can download a free Rockwell utility to extract the logged data and open directly in Excel.

This has been covered several times, so you won't have any trouble finding sample code for the data logging on here. Likewise for the real-time Excel route - there will be numerous posts covering this if you search.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Rob