accessing/changing system time in RX3i PLC

[defcon.klaxon]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to figure out how to access (and change, for time sync purposes) the system time inside a GE RX3i PLC. I'm still pretty new to the GE line of products so I'm having a bit of trouble figuing out how to do this.

Apparently there is something called #CurrentTime with dotfields (.yr, .hr, etc) but I can't seem to figure out how to reference them, nor change them. Read through the Help and still can't get this working; any chance someone here can help?

 

[Steve Bailey]

Go online with the PLC and then from the "Target" menu select "Online commands", then "Status". There is a tab for viewing and setting the date and time. The values in the variable tables are read only.

 

[defcon.klaxon]

Go online with the PLC and then from the "Target" menu select "Online commands", then "Status". There is a tab for viewing and setting the date and time. The values in the variable tables are read only.

Ah gotcha; I don't have the PLC in front of me at the moment, I'm just writing code. So how would one go about automating a time update to keep clock drift/DST at bay, is there any way to do this?

So is there any way to view the time and use that to determine when a new day has occurred (for my ETM code)?

I do note that if I go to the Variables menu and saw new, there is Date and Time variables but they're greyed out and unavailable.

 

[Steve Bailey]

Use the SVC_REQ function, code 7 to read or set the time and date.

I do note that if I go to the Variables menu and saw new, there is Date and Time variables

What model CPU? The system variables I see in the PLC are Boolean only.
The #CurrentTime variable is in the HMI target. If you need to change that, do it in Windows. If you want to automate it, be aware that it will briefly blank the HMI screen when the time gets updated. Best to put it under control of an operator. Murphy's Law says that an automated time update will happen just as the operator needs to touch an object on the HMI screen to make a critical adjustment.

 

[defcon.klaxon]

Use the SVC_REQ function, code 7 to read or set the time and date.

Thanks for this, it's definitely got me going down the right track. As for the #CurrentTime stuff, I guess that is just for QuickPanel touchscreens. Pretty frustrating that when you search for "system time" that's the only thing that comes up, but since Machine Edition is also used for the touchscreen development, that's what comes up when searching but no mention of how specific it is. Ugh. Really beginning to not like GE PLCs.

What model CPU? The system variables I see in the PLC are Boolean only.

RX3i CPU305.

So now I'm trying to get the SRV_REQ to work but getting the Parameter properly set is giving me some hassle. The first integer is being set to 0 for read, and for numeric, four-digit year the second parameter register is 80h but when I try to actually MOV INT "80h" it throws an error, saying it's not valid. What am I missing here?

 

[Steve Bailey]

Use the prefix "16#" to enter a hex number. In this case, 16#80. Or else convert the hex number 80 to decimal 128.

 

[defcon.klaxon]

Use the prefix "16#" to enter a hex number. In this case, 16#80. Or else convert the hex number 80 to decimal 128.

Thanks Steve!