GE plc/quickpanel help

[jcraft]

I have an application where I am hooking up a GE quickpanel view with a versamax plc and a devicenet card. I am trying to get the two communicating. So far I have issued a commreq. to the module with all the info and it has responded "the network operation is ready to proceed". My questions are these.

1) how often do you initiate the commreq. and send it to the module ( just once on power up or multiple times like every second)The quickpanel is only going to have 4 pusbuttons on it.

2) How do you proceed with communicating. Right now the devicenet module net light is off and all the net lights for the devicenet card on the quickpanel are off except for module status is lit. Not sure how to bring everything on-line and communicating.

Please advise any next steps. I have built the view panel and assigned the tags and downloaded to the quickpanel okay. Any thoughts what to do next. Thanks

[Tom Jenkins]

Jst a question - if you have a VersaMzx PLC and a QuickPanel, why not use SNP protocol?

[jcraft]

I didn't spec the components out, however, I can tell you that the plc,quickpanel and a S2k servo drive will be communicating via this network

[Paully's5.0]

Haven't ever used Devicenet to conenct a Quickpanel and GE plc, but this might help with the quickpanel configuration. Don't forget you probably have to install a "PLC Acess Driver" in your quickpanel project, see my attached picture. Configure this to match your PLC.

Are you using IC200BEM103? If so do a search in Proficiy Machine Edition 5.5(if that is what you're using) for that part number, and it should pop up some more good info.

Thanks all I've got, hopefully that gives you some ideas.

[jcraft]

I have installed the plc devicenet access driver in ME. However the trouble I have is this. I have created the variable in View for a button. the only thing I am unsure of is how to link that to the vriable in the versamax plc ( like an %m1 contact to turn on by the quickpanel). If I go to properties in view under the variable I can put in plc access and then it prompts me for an I/O address, which I am assuming this is the address in the plc. Not sure though.

[Paully's5.0]

Originally Posted by jcraft

I have installed the plc devicenet access driver in ME. However the trouble I have is this. I have created the variable in View for a button. the only thing I am unsure of is how to link that to the vriable in the versamax plc ( like an %m1 contact to turn on by the quickpanel). If I go to properties in view under the variable I can put in plc access and then it prompts me for an I/O address, which I am assuming this is the address in the plc. Not sure though.

Is the View target and PLC target in the same project? If so in the properties menu for the button just point it to the memory Variable name. So if %M00001 was named "PumpRun" then, point the button to "PLCTargetName.PumpRun".

If they are not in the same project, I believe you'll have to declaire another set of variables in your View project, then point your button to the actual memory address used in the plc. I'd have to check when I'm back at work tomorrow to be sure. We have a bunch of systems built as separate projects, but I've only created View targets and PLC targets in the same project.