Cannot connect to ControlLogix 5555 via DF1

[boswellw]

Hello all,

Tried searching for this problem but couldn't find any previous posts. We have a piece of machinery that has a ControlLogix 5555 processor installed. We are currently going around taking plant-wide backups as a part of our service contract.

This particular machine, however, has a B&R Automation module connected to the RS-232 port. We tried to connect and simply couldn't. After looking through the program we found off a similar model but with a Ethernet card included, we found that the port was set to User - ASCII comms.

As such, we cannot connect at all to the processor to perform the upload. The other three machines do not have an ethernet card, although they do have a RIO card attached for the Panelview 1000.

How can we possibly connect via RS-232 in order to upload the program? Is there some way to set the port back to system so we can just connect temporarily or are we missing something?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[skyfox]

Hello all,

After looking through the program we found off a similar model but with a Ethernet card included, we found that the port was set to User - ASCII comms.

boswellw,

I am a bit confused by your message above. How did you Look thru the program ?

Anyhow, are there any spare slots available in the PLC rack? If there are no spare slots or unused cards, you will have to power down the system. What you will have to do then is to remove one of the I/O cards from the rack and temporarily install an ethernet card in it's place. Then upload the program using the ethernet module. When done, remove the ethernet card and put it back to the way it was.

When you are connected via the ethernet card, you can go in to controller properties and change the mode of the serial port. But then of course, it will stop talking with the device that is plugged in to it until you switch it back to ASCII mode.


See the attached program. This is directly from Allenbradley Sample code library. It Allows you to switch (toggle) the mode of the serial port via ladder logic. So if you can borrow an ethernet card and connect to the processor, you can then add this logic in to the program. Then either you can add a button on the HMI so when you press it, it automatically toggles the Serial port from ASCII to DF1 and From DF1 To ASCII, or, if you can find a spre input point, you can add a on-off switch to toggle the serial port mode when you need it. Not sure if you would need two inputs, look thru the attached file and you will be able to figure it out.

This is the only way I know how you can get back in to that processor (Using an ethernet Card). There may be other ways but not sure. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[skyfox]

Sorry,

Forgot to attach the file in my last post to you.

 

[boswellw]

Awesome Skyfox. Thanks a mil! Exactly what we needed.

We got the program from one of the machines which had an ethernet card already installed. I figured that's how the previous guys bypassed the same problem we were having, but I wasn't sure whether the CPU would auto-configure the card if it was plugged into the rack, but that was the next step I was going to try.

That code will really come in handy.

Thanks a mil again!

 

[daba]

Why change the Serial Port setup at all if you get onto the chassis with an Ethernet card - just do the backup from that connection, and much faster...

 

[boswellw]

One ethernet card between four machines. Will probably suggest to the client to get three more though.