CompactLogix with weird Chinese firmware?

[strantor]

I had a job today where a customer had outsourced a panel build to China and what they received was a well enough built panel but the PLC and HMI has no program in them. I was provided the programs to download to them but was unable to download to the PLC as it had firmware version 1.005. That seemed weird; I've never heard of a version that low. Checked the Rockwell website and it only lists revs down to 6.xx. I wondered if maybe this was some kind of special order, special firmware, the application was so simple I could see how it would any special sauce. There wasn't much to lose, so I flashed to version 20.014 and then was able to download to it. All worked out in the end. But I want to know what that weird firmware was all about. Does Rockwell sell PLCs with entirely different firmware revision schemes in China? Anyone else seen this?

 

[jkerekes]

No that’s the base firmware ROCKWELL puts in there on new processors. They can’t know what firmware you need. You must flash it for it to function.

 

[strantor]

No that’s the base firmware ROCKWELL puts in there on new processors. They can’t know what firmware you need. You must flash it for it to function.

I've never built a system on a rockwell platform. You're saying any time you buy a processor it comes with this 1.005 firmware? I don't know how I got to this point without knowing? I swear I've replaced rockwell PLCs many times and they came with the firmware I wanted. Maybe I specified at time of order? I don't remember. And I don't remember having ever needed to flash firmware either.

 

[dmroeder]

Every single CompactLogix and ControlLogix controller ever sold comes with 1.0x firmware from the factory. Every single one has to be flashed to a proper functional version.

 

[strantor]

Every single CompactLogix and ControlLogix controller ever sold comes with 1.0x firmware from the factory. Every single one has to be flashed to a proper functional version.

Whuuuuttt....

Ok, well then. Today's stupid question brought to you by Strantor.

 

[dmroeder]

Whuuuuttt....

Ok, well then. Today's stupid question brought to you by Strantor.

Nah. Not sure where you work, I work for an OEM with a couple of divisions. Occasionally a processor gets put back on our shelf that someone had loaded firmware into. If you didn't know better, it would seem that they came from the factory with it. Maybe something along those lines has happened.

I once got a PanelView that was supposed to be new in box, it had some other companies application loaded in it.

 

[strantor]

Nah. Not sure where you work, I work for an OEM with a couple of divisions. Occasionally a processor gets put back on our shelf that someone had loaded firmware into. If you didn't know better, it would seem that they came from the factory with it. Maybe something along those lines has happened.

I once got a PanelView that was supposed to be new in box, it had some other companies application loaded in it.

I've been dredging mothballed memories to get to the bottom of this and I think I might never have taken a brand new Rockwell PLC out of the box and downloaded to it. I've downloaded programs to them numerous times, and I've replaced them numerous times, but it may be that every time I've replaced them, I was sent a pre-programmed PLC from the OEM, and it may be that every time I've downloaded to them, it was because the program was lost or I made a change, so firmware was already there.

I have installed and programmed micrologix out of the box for sure, but that was nearly a decade ago. If flashing firmware was part of the experience, I didn't commit that to memory.

 

[alan_505]

Because you need the firmware in the CompactLogix and ControlLogix to match the project you need to download, Rockwell just send it with a "boot software", otherwise they would need to stock a lot more parts if they had to have unique part number for each firmware. For a L61 they would need to keep spares for at least 10 revisions of firmware, and they are not going to do that.

Alan