Online GE 90-30 CPU331

Hi all,

I am once again going to talk about my inexperience with the Fanuc product line.

I have a CPU 331 (unsure of rev level) that I have tried to get online with using Cimplicity ME v5.00 Build 3227. I cannot. I walked across the room with the same laptop and cable, and was able to get online with one of our CPU 311's. I have a copy of the 331 program that I imported from LM90. I know the comm settings and target name are correct, because I grabbed another laptop with LM90 and was able to get online with this CPU331 with no problem. This is how I know the settings. I have also tried getting online with no program in Cimplicity ME to see if I could upload, to no avail.

I have looked at the GE compatability matrix, GFK1068F and cannot find Cimplicity ME on the list. This leads me to the following questions:

1. Am I missing something obvious?

2. Could this be a Rev level issue with the 331? If so, will GE part no. 44A731233 fix this? I have ordered some for the 311s (for Versamax SE interface), is it the same?

I should also make you aware, this port normally talks to an AFE datapanel K. 19200, 0dd, 1 stop bit. I assume?? this is using SNP. I discovered the upgrade kit for 331 is 44A731232.

There shouldn't be any problems with going online even if the CPU is at an old version level. You can set up ME to prevent storing to an old version, but you should still be able to go online.

Are you sure that ME is trying to communicate through the correct port? Is there anything else running that might not be releasing the port? Right click on your CPU331 target and look the properties inspector. What is the "Physical Port" setting?

The port is COM 1. Further properties are 19200, odd parity, 1 stop bit. (as setup was in LM90). I have made sure RSLinx, and Cimplicity PE aren't tying up the COM port, and I can go online with the 311 across the hall. Maybe my lastest post about the DataPanel will help further. Modbus Protocol perhaps???, will a 331 do that? I know the Datapanel will. I will dig deeper into LM90 for more details (as I remember back).

Forgive me for asking, but when you say "Go Online", are you talking about establishing a connection between the PC running ME and the PLC or are we talking about trying to get to a "Logic Equal" and "Configuration Equal" state?

I an not looking for logic equal. I can't even connect, yet.

Under "Additional Configuration", are you set up for:

SNP ID - blank
Stop Bits - 1
Parity - odd
Baud rate - 19200

Are you using an RS232?RS422 converter or do you have a "cheater" cable?

yes, settings are as above. I am using a HE693SNP232. The cable attached to it predates me here, but it is labeled PLC on one end, and PC on the other. I don't have a pinout, but iof necessary I will provide it to you. It has worked with all the rest of our GE's around here, and was also the cable set-up I used with the LM90 software yesterday. I am going to try to connect again, just to make sure I didn't do anything dumb yeterday. I will report back. Thanx for your time so far.

The latest attempt

At CPU331 I attempted to go online, with the comm settings above. No connection, communication subsystem timeout. From there I did nothing but disconnect from the 331. I exited one cleanroom, into another with the laptop running on battery. The same program remained open the entire time. There I plugged into a CPU311. I hit the online button, and got a connection. Obviously, it was not config, or logic equal, as this is a different system, but it connected. I have screenshots available for anyone interested.(I would post, but they are .clp files). The new thing that concerns me is the PWR321 on Rack1 is overloaded (red) at 120%. Would this prevent a connect?? (I'm reaching, and now concerned about more than just comms).

Should I attempt to go in through the power supply module of rack 2, is this an option?

This entire problem is not mission critical (at this point), since I still have a functioning copy of LM90, but in the future???

You will see this behavior if the CPU331 is very old, like version 2.xx or earlier.
Also you may need the latest ServicePack and hot fixes for version 5.0, or get version 5.5.
You can get the ServicePack here:
http://globalcare.gefanuc.com/

An overloaded power supply could explain what you're seeing. The converter needs 125 mA from the power supply. My one experience with that was to have the PLC shut down when I plugged the converter in. It also doesn't explain why you were able to establish communications with a different laptop.

Connecting through the power supply on the expansion rack is not an option. The communications lines on the backplane between the power supply and the CPU do not extend out through the cable between the CPU base and the expansion base.

The 120% power supply overload is cause for concern. If the consumption is high enough to cause the voltage level to drop too low, the PLC will shut down. The values that the software uses for that warning are conservative (worst case) estimates of consumption. However, power supply output does decline as the power supply ages. What modules do you have in the CPU base? Is there any way you could move some of the modules from the CPU base to the expansion base?

Thanks all, I'll try the above. I, also was concerned about the overloaded power supply, once I noticed it. Both racks on the PLC are packed full. Rack 1 at 120% is all IC693MDL345's. How many inputs are actually used depends on the prints you look at. Rack 2 is completely full also running at 100.67%.


<soapbox>
I've worked here about a year now, and this is indicative of the operation here. We have about 50 PLC's, and they haven't had an automation person on staff here until they hired me. Every time I hook up to a PLC I find more problems than I intended to solve. Talk about job security.
</soapbox>

Thanks for your help, I'll let you know how it goes.

Not sure what an IC693MDL345 is.

If it's all IC693MDL645 modules, the overload is based on the assumption that the 24 vdc from the power supply (24 VDC Isolated Power) is being used for the inputs. If your system uses a seperate power supply for the inputs, then you're not exceeding the PLC's power supply.

I know you said you were able to communicate via Logicamster on a different laptop. How long ago was that? You might want to check for the 5 VDC on the power supply port. You should have +5 VDC between pins 5 and 7. That's where the converter gets its power. If not, you can swap the power supply from the expansion baseplate to the CPU baseplate.

I have never tried to use ME to communicate with a very old CPU331. Russ may have identified the cause of the problem. Try connecting with LM90 and check the firmware version of the CPU. When you're online or in monitor with LM90, hit F3 (PLC Control & Status), then F5 (PLC Memory Usage) to read the firmware level.

Sorry, I meant IC693MDL645. I was online by LM90, yesterday. This could very well be a VERY old 331. I will check firmware revision tomorrow and let you know. I will also pull the prints again tomorrow to see how many are externally powered. I'm pretty sure most of them are.

The CPU331 is Rev 3.03, and I am using LM90 ver 7.01 to get online. Most (70%) of the inputs are externally powered, so probably not a power supply issue.
At some point this PLC will be coming on to the SCADA network, so the firmware will have to be upgraded anyway. I'll start there, and order one up. Meanwhile, I am downloading service packs now.