Comms Challenge: InTouch vs CompactLogix

[Outpizza]

Hi experts,

I hope you're all having fantastic days. I'm having trouble getting my CompactLogix 1769-L24ER to communicate with my InTouch application.

Details below, with screenshots...

My controller is running firmware 34.012.
In the PLC program there exists a local BOOL tag I created called PB1


From SMC (OCMC 2023) I've set up an ABCIP OI server on my local node and configured my port (ENB_CPLX with the controller's IP address, which I can successfully ping. Checked the "ethernet port on CPU module" box, because it is.), backplane, and controller object. In the [Device Groups] tab I specified my topic as: LOGIX_1

In InTouch WindowMaker (version 20.0.000, c2020), running on that same local node, I declared the following access name:
AN: OIServer1
Node Name: <Node name of the local node having both InTouch and OI Server>
Application Name: ABCIP
Topic Name: LOGIX_1
Suitlink (Not DDE).
Advise only active.

Next, in the tagname dictionary, I created a tag:
Name: PB1
Type: I/O Discrete
Group: $System
AccessName: OIServer1
ItemName: PB1
Read/write enabled.

In my application window, I have an IndustrialGraphics toggle button tied to the PB1 tag. Intended function at runtime is for the button to write to the PLC's PB1 tag, causing the PLC to react. Actual function is zilch. Nada. Little red [x].

I checked the SMC Log Viewer. On WV start, no warnings. When I click the button, however, View.exe throws the warning:
"A write to InTouch was skipped with a value of 'false' because the data quality was bad or initializing."

I've been working at it for a few days but jeez, I just can't get it...I feel like I'm missing something small and obvious.

 

[robertmee]

Change the scope of your PLC tag to controller scope. You have them as program tags. ABCIP and the WW item name don't know to look in MainRoutine for locally scoped tags. Always easiest to keep HMI tags at controller scope level.

 

[ASF]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm very green on wonderware, but I'd bet a six pack of my favourite craft beer that your issue is the scope of the tag.

PB1 is a program scoped tag, associated with MainProgram. You could have another program called SecondProgram, which could also have a tag called PB1, and how does wonderware know which one of those you mean?

First thing I'd do is make PB1 a controller scoped tag and get it working that way. Less complex, and once you've got that working, all you have to do is work out exactly how to update the Wonderware tag to direct it to a program-scoped tag (usually it'll be something like [MainProgram]PB1 or MainProgram\PB1 or something like that, but again, I'm too new to Wonderware to give you specifics. And also I hate using program scoped tags and almost always use global scoped tags, especially where SCADA interfaces are concerned

edit: dang it, short answer wins again

 

[Outpizza]

@robertmee
Thanks for the reply.
I created a new, controller-scoped tag (see image).
In the tagname dictionary, I edited the "item name" of my previous intouch tag to be: PB99

I launched WV, but the issue unfortunately persists. Any ideas?
https://i.imgur.com/bvuCD0k.png

EDIT:
@ASF Thanks for the reply too!
I went ahead and made a controller scoped tag, but unfortunately the issue persists.

 

[robertmee]

@robertmee
Thanks for the reply.
I created a new, controller-scoped tag (see image).
In the tagname dictionary, I edited the "item name" of my previous intouch tag to be: PB99

I launched WV, but the issue unfortunately persists. Any ideas?
https://i.imgur.com/bvuCD0k.png

EDIT:
@ASF Thanks for the reply too!
I went ahead and made a controller scoped tag, but unfortunately the issue persists.

Did you stop and restart the ABCIP driver in SMC after making a tag change in the PLC?

Lastly, what is the SMC local log showing? Under Diagnostics/Messages does the PB99 tag show up at all?


Post an image of the logix CPLX_000 left most tag and the device groups tag.

 

[DaveW]

IO server doesn't seem to be running from the pic

 

[robertmee]

IO server doesn't seem to be running from the pic

He's got two versions installed, appears to me. The 1.2 is running.

 

[Outpizza]

Did you stop and restart the ABCIP driver in SMC after making a tag change in the PLC?

Lastly, what is the SMC local log showing? Under Diagnostics/Messages does the PB99 tag show up at all?


Post an image of the logix CPLX_000 left most tag and the device groups tag.

@robertmee

Per your advice, I restarted the ABCIP driver after making the change in the PLC. Unfortunately, the issue persisted.

Sure, here's what the local log throws when windowviewer launches. It doesn't throw any "warning" messages. The only thing that seems suspicious to me is the last message, "localhost disconnected". Could be wrong.

Also sure, here's the two tabs from my CPLX_000 object.

Thanks so much for your help, seriously.

https://i.imgur.com/tyD6I0U.png
https://i.imgur.com/mN9631c.png
https://i.imgur.com/BLfKM4t.png

EDIT:
I checked diagnostics\messages for the ABCIP driver in SMC and it is enormously empty during runtime and design time. Advice?
Here's what the diagnostics\statistics shows. Zero device items seems wrong...I was expecting to see PB99 listed somewhere.
https://i.imgur.com/OXZGY31.png

 

[robertmee]

<localhost> would indicate you didn't set the IP address in the root ENB_CPLX object.

Also, I see you're running a consignment license. Does it enable I/O? There should be an entry in your Archestra.LIC file that says IO_DEV_COUNT.

 

[Outpizza]

<localhost> would indicate you didn't set the IP address in the root ENB_CPLX object.

Also, I see you're running a consignment license. Does it enable I/O? There should be an entry in your Archestra.LIC file that says IO_DEV_COUNT.

<localhost> sure would imply that, but in reality I actually did set the IP. Here's my root ENB_CPLX object:
https://i.imgur.com/Aqbe9K9.png

Here's the IO-related features of my license. Notice anything out of the ordinary? I notice that they're all App Server features. I'm not using an app server environment, so these might not be the features I need for my application...could be wrong.
https://i.imgur.com/QWL7Anm.png

 

[robertmee]

Just noticed you're running ABCIP 1.2. That doesn't support v34. Only up to ver 20/28 of Compact Logix.

https://industrial-software.com/training-support/downloads/abcip-oi-server-1-2/

 

[ynpmoose]

A few points.
-You need to install Communication Drivers Pack 2023 or newer to get ABCIP with v34 support. Be sure to unblock the installation media after you download it. If you have OCMC, you may have already installed this. This version is compatible with InTouch 2020.
- Since you are connecting to a non-default instance of ABCIP on your node, the Application Name in the InTouch Access Name configuration needs to be set to that instance name, 'ABCIP_1'. I suspect this is your issue as the "Node localhost disconnected" message in your log indicates that Intouch is unable to make the Suitelink connection to ABCIP.
- When you activate ABCIP, you should see some messages about tag database upload. If that reports success, you've confirmed you are talking to the PLC CPU OK

 

[robertmee]

A few points.
-You need to install Communication Drivers Pack 2023 or newer to get ABCIP with v34 support. Be sure to unblock the installation media after you download it. If you have OCMC, you may have already installed this. This version is compatible with InTouch 2020.
- Since you are connecting to a non-default instance of ABCIP on your node, the Application Name in the InTouch Access Name configuration needs to be set to that instance name, 'ABCIP_1'. I suspect this is your issue as the "Node localhost disconnected" message in your log indicates that Intouch is unable to make the Suitelink connection to ABCIP.
- When you activate ABCIP, you should see some messages about tag database upload. If that reports success, you've confirmed you are talking to the PLC CPU OK

Good catch on the _1 naming....I didn't even notice.

 

[Outpizza]

A few points.
-You need to install Communication Drivers Pack 2023 or newer to get ABCIP with v34 support. Be sure to unblock the installation media after you download it. If you have OCMC, you may have already installed this. This version is compatible with InTouch 2020.
- Since you are connecting to a non-default instance of ABCIP on your node, the Application Name in the InTouch Access Name configuration needs to be set to that instance name, 'ABCIP_1'. I suspect this is your issue as the "Node localhost disconnected" message in your log indicates that Intouch is unable to make the Suitelink connection to ABCIP.
- When you activate ABCIP, you should see some messages about tag database upload. If that reports success, you've confirmed you are talking to the PLC CPU OK

Good eye, ynpmoose. I set the access name config to "ABCIP_1" for application name.

Figured out what the underlying issue was. My PLC had its network topology set to ring instead of star, and I was communicating on a star network. After going into studio 5000 and changing the PLC to star, everything worked fine!

Thanks so much robertmee, ASF, and ynpmoose for all your help. I very much appreciate it and I hope yall have FANTASTIC days.