Configure Allen-Bradley PLC without Studio 5000

[AlikSimon]

Hi all,
the machine I am programming the Rockwell PLC for has about 100 parameters that need to be adjusted for every customer.
I would like to give the customer a possibility to adjust those parameters without prerequisites like a Studio 5000 connection.


Can you recommend me a way to configure our PLC?


For our Siemens PLCs (that should do the same for the customers that want Siemens) the solution is:
- on a computer a config file (csv) is written
- it is saved on a (Siemens) Memory (SD) Card at a specific location
- the SD Card (which also includes the PLC code) is inserted into the PLC
- the PLC Code reads the data from the SD Card. It's quite cumbersome to work with the limitations of this csv import but it works.


My Rockwell Setup:

• 5069-L30ERS2 Compact GuardLogix 5380 Safety Controller
• Studio 5000 Lite Edition V35 and V36
• do you need more information?

What I have looked at without success:

• reading files from the SD Card
  • the Sample Code CF_Read_Write_Example.L5X and CF_Read_Write.L5X cannot be imported to a project with my controller. After changing the L5X file to my controller, the import has an error (Error: Line 20577: The object is not supported by this controller type. RSLogix5000Content/Controller/CommPorts)
  • furtermore I find this Sample Code hugely complicated and not well documented. The code is partly commented but the tags are not and I haven't found information about "where do I put in the filename", "where do I find the text that was read from the file"
  • the documentation 1756-pm017_-en-p.pdf page 12 says that files written on a computer cannot be used due to failing checksum tests
• Recipes: I haven't found any beginner introduction and it's a big mystery to me how to use them and whether they are helpful to me.
  • The documentation batch-um006_-en-d.pdf uses a Recipe Editor that I do not have installed, the customers should not need and that I could not find installation instructions for (nothing found in the Software Center).
  • The documentation batch-um004_-en-d.pdf seens to have something to do with Recipes but this batch-thing looks far too complicated for my use case

Please ask about whatever I am unclear about.

 

[MarkNightingale]

Can you not add a HMI, or is there an existing HMI?

Cheers

Mark

 

[AlikSimon]

Right now we are not developing for a specific customer but preparing the product for "generic" Rockwell-based customers. It is not clear yet if an HMI is wanted.
Since changing those parameters should be a rare occurance I wouldn't want to require an HMI just for that.


Best, Alik

 

[Old Man]

Adding a simple small HMI just for service and programmed just for adjusting "TAGS". would only cost about $152.00.

https://www.anaheimautomation.com/p...tem.php?sID=871&serID=84&pt=i&tID=998&cID=414

 

[drbitboy]

...
I would like to give the customer a possibility to adjust those parameters without prerequisites like a Studio 5000 connection.
...

... It is not clear yet if an HMI is wanted.
Since changing those parameters should be a rare occurance I wouldn't want to require an HMI just for that. ...

The first quote says there needs to be an HMI (I assume customers are Humans ), the second says maybe not. I take this to mean that temporary/occastional HMI functionality is desired without a physical HMI (PanelView, etc.) solution.

Unless an operator panel will be built, HMI software that resides on a PC or laptop, perhaps only connected and rung when needed, might be a solution.

• AdvancedHMI comes to mind, with reasonable licensing costs; there is a learning curve involved but it is not steep, or it could be jobbed out.
• At least one of the commercial PC-based HMIs has a trial option where it runs for free for a few hours*, which might work for this occasional HMI application.
• Another option would be a custom program either using a library like pylogix (Github) or a generic communication protocol like Modbus.
• Can the GuardLogix implement a webserver? Perhaps data could be updated via a PC or laptop with a web browser.
  • A similar option would be a Raspberry PI or similar combining the previous option (pylogix, Modbus) to communicate to the GuardLogix with a web interface for an HMI, but AdvancedHMI or the pylogix/Modbus on the PC/Laptop would be simpler.

* Ignition/Inductive Automation? Someone please confirm or correct me.

 

[Corsair]

PM me for a free solution.

A portable application. No software installation. No copy protection. No separate drivers. 5 files total. Configuration included. Learning curve under 1 day. PCCC protocol or tag-protocol with elementary data types.

 

[geniusintraining]

PM me for a free solution.

A portable application. No software installation. No copy protection. No separate drivers. 5 files total. Configuration included. Learning curve under 1 day. PCCC protocol or tag-protocol with elementary data types.

Please share...

Since changing those parameters should be a rare occurance

I thought of Excel/VBB, the link below is a good video and should work

 

[arpus4KM]

so.... it may be skirting some rules but you can use ignition maker edition to easily connect with a PC and create some basic value editing. You aren't supposed to use it for any commercial applications though.....


Then you can also use a CSV/Excel with active data links to RSlinx to modify PLC values.

I've even seen entire HMI created in excel before... talk about a workaround!

 

[Corsair]

Genius:
It's my interface. The PM request was to respect the boundaries of not pushing product on this forum. I think you've done an excellent job of achieving a balance with that - helping without pushing. Thank you. We did talk on the phone one time about something.

I was inspired by a picture on the web of an old guy driving a pickup truck where the truck seat was shot. He set up a lawn chair in it's place and continued to drive. We can laugh at the picture - or we can consider that the truck was going down the road within his means. Appears to be awkward, but adequate. There's a market outside of large companies for that approach.

That's the way my software is - a collection of things that are all available somewhere else, are probably all done better somewhere else, but in a combination that a person can wrap their head around without a steep learning curve, a college degree, and paid training. I've made a living doing integration projects with it for 35+ years.

In this case, if someone downloads and calls me at 573-433-0985 we should have his or her first PLC communications working in well under an hour.


corsairhmi.com.

 

[geniusintraining]

Genius:
It's my interface. The PM request was to respect the boundaries of not pushing product on this forum. I think you've done an excellent job of achieving a balance with that - helping without pushing. Thank you. We did talk on the phone one time about something.

I dont think there is an issue with sharing your products, if someone has a need and your product is a good fit then share it by all means please do.

I am sure you are like me and proud of the products I have and sell, if some one needs something I am happy to tell them and thank you!

 

[jstolaruk]

If the configuration the OP is looking for is just disabling/enabling software features/parameters and NOT requiring a h/w re-configuration (many OEMs have this with "standard" machines), its not too hard to use something like Python and a communications library like pycomm3 to create a utility to specifically configure their product.

 

[L33er]

5 files? Let me guess. ABLogger?

 

[Corsair]

No, it's the interface that I wrote. The executable program is around 16 megabytes and it includes development capabilities. It talks several variants on Modbus, GESRTP protocol, some Allen Bradley, a little Siemens, BACNET, and some specialty stuff. It serves web. It sends email. It has a ping scanner, a bootp/dhcp server, packet capture diagnostics, SQL database management, and other handy things.

It has some Ethernet/IP capabilities. Last week I uploaded parameters from an E3Plus that was hooked to an Ethernet converter. I changed the trip setting of the overload from the interface.

The jobsite that I'm at today has 35 graphics, 1200 tags, and 200 alarms. It logs data to CSV files and to an SQL database. It has historian-style viewing of the SQL data. The interface database file for this job is 24 megabytes.

 

[I_Automation]

A password protected area of setup screens to enable/disable and enter needed values.


Also I have projects that there was a special configuring HMI used during installation of the system, and taken to service calls to check things the customer doesn't need to and do some testing operations the customers operators can't ever do.


A C-More HMI in a portable enclosure that can be loaded with the project that it's being taken to. Also for a few projects I have an AdvancedHMI setup for a Windows10 tablet

 

[Corsair]

I forgot to mention - in the context of the original post, we have a 4-hour demo license that runs for 4 hours and then has to be restarted. This fits their requirements. I've got a customer that has used it in their lab for over a year on the demo license.

I haven't compiled a PI version for awhile but I can if there is a need. The 64-bit PI that is built into a keyboard may be a good choice. Databases are directly interchangeable between the Windows and PI version with no translation needed.