Why rockwell changed name from rslgoix to logix designer

hello all,

If hundred versions of rslogix were not enough with rslogix. Rockwell even has logix designer . What is the difference. Does version after 21 can be opened in logix designer. What are the advantages. If I upgrade to latest firmware version on the controller ,will i need to buy logix designer. Is it backward compatible

bornwild,

Essentially, Logix designer is just an updated version of Logix5000.

The version of the programming software has to match the major revision of the firmware in your PLC, with a few exceptions involving 20.03 and 21.03:
http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=119098&highlight=20.03

To the best of my knowledge, Logix Designer uses the same license as RSLogix5000, but that may be only because my license and my customer's licenses were setup that way.

The biggest advantage to v21 and above, in my experience, is the ability to store rung and tag comments in the PLC itself, so you don't necessarily need the original project to get a fully documented program.

Some of the newer CompactLogix and Controllogix PLCs only support v28 and above. There are also some Ethernet I/O modules that require the higher versions as well. The project I am currently working on required v24 or higher to add a Safety/Standard I/O combination module.

Hope this helps.

bornwild said:

Is it backward compatible

Click to expand...

Heh!

That's kinda funny.

The change the name just to charge you more.

Do you mean Rockwell Automation's Rockwell Software's Studio 5000 Logix Designer, which programs Rockwell Automation's Allen Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix V21 and up, but not Rockwell Automation's Allen Bradley ControlLogix CompactLogix and FlexLogix V20 and below, which are programmed with Rockwell Automation's Rockwell Software's RSLogix 5000?

They already have a name. They should shift the naming department's budget on to bug fixes and better capacitors.

I can see the slogan now. "RSLogix 5000 v352 - fixed some bugs and the hardware now uses better components."

Marketing needed something to do.

Picklemon said:

bornwild,

Essentially, Logix designer is just an updated version of Logix5000.

The version of the programming software has to match the major revision of the firmware in your PLC, with a few exceptions involving 20.03 and 21.03:
http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=119098&highlight=20.03

To the best of my knowledge, Logix Designer uses the same license as RSLogix5000, but that may be only because my license and my customer's licenses were setup that way.

The biggest advantage to v21 and above, in my experience, is the ability to store rung and tag comments in the PLC itself, so you don't necessarily need the original project to get a fully documented program.

Some of the newer CompactLogix and Controllogix PLCs only support v28 and above. There are also some Ethernet I/O modules that require the higher versions as well. The project I am currently working on required v24 or higher to add a Safety/Standard I/O combination module.

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

How do you store the descriptions/comments in the PLC? What does that entitle?

Thanks!
-PreLC

PreLC said:

How do you store the descriptions/comments in the PLC? What does that entitle?

Thanks!
-PreLC

Click to expand...

It's not just a matter of having the right version of Logix, you also need the right PLC. Certain models of PLC have an additional physical memory area for documentation, which allows you to make use of this feature. In general, you can usually rely on the fact that it's possible from v21 onward and not before, simply because *most* controllers that have that additional memory area only support firmware from v21 upward, and *most* controllers that don't have that additional memory area can't be updated past v20. There are, of course, exceptions, but as a rule of thumb, if you're on v21 or newer, it's *probably* possible.

As to what use it is - have you ever uploaded from a PLC without the program? You get no rung comments, no tag comments, nothing. All you get is the tag names. It can be a nightmare to work through a complex program without comments, especially if it's a micrologix which just uses B3:0/1 instead of a tag name which can actually be somewhat descriptive.

If the comments can be stored onboard the PLC, then they come along with the upload, and whether you've got the program or not, you're all set.

The latest version of the designer reminds me of proficy... which is a huge step back.

PreLC said:

How do you store the descriptions/comments in the PLC? What does that entitle?

Thanks!
-PreLC

Click to expand...

You need Studio 5000 v21+. That's it...

Vlad Romanov said:

You need Studio 5000 v21+. That's it...

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No, it's not. The storing is done by the PLC, so you need a PLC that supports it. Yes, you will need a version of software that supports it, but that won't help you if your PLC doesn't.

Also, you have to check the box when downloading to make sure your comments are actually downloaded. By default this box is checked, so it's not something you have to go out of your way to do, but it's possible to have it turned off, even if both the PLC and the software support it.

diat150 said:

The latest version of the designer reminds me of proficy... which is a huge step back.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not a fan. I'm sticking with v29 for all our standard systems for the time being, in the hope it will improve before I'm forced to update.

ASF said:

No, it's not. The storing is done by the PLC, so you need a PLC that supports it. Yes, you will need a version of software that supports it, but that won't help you if your PLC doesn't.

Also, you have to check the box when downloading to make sure your comments are actually downloaded. By default this box is checked, so it's not something you have to go out of your way to do, but it's possible to have it turned off, even if both the PLC and the software support it.

Click to expand...

You need a PLC at the same firmware revision as the version of Logix/Studio you're running. Therefore it's implied that you have a PLC which is capable to work at that firmware level...

Let me make it more clear: You need Studio 5000 v21+ & a PLC at the same firmware...

Vlad Romanov said:

You need a PLC at the same firmware revision as the version of Logix/Studio you're running. Therefore it's implied that you have a PLC which is capable to work at that firmware level...

Let me make it more clear: You need Studio 5000 v21+ & a PLC at the same firmware...

Click to expand...

It's not a question of what firmware the PLC is running. It's a question of whether that PLC is one of the newer-style multi-core Logix processors, that include an additional on-board memory chip for the purposes of storing the comments. If the PLC doesn't have that chip, it can't store comments no matter what version of firmware it's running. As I mentioned in post #8, you can use the v21+ theory as a good rule of thumb, because most controllers which have that chip only support firmware from v21 upward, and most controllers that don't have that chip can't be updated past v20. However, I think there are one or two exceptions to that rule, possibly in the Control Logix family.

How do I find out which processors store comments and which ones don't?

Is there a list floating around?

Thanks!
-PreLC