DirectSOFT 5

[roxusa]

I am not a Automation Direct programmer. I have done a lot of RS500
I have the DS5 software and I am able to look at the program. I am reaching out to the guy who wrote the program but in the mean time, I have some questions
This is a DL06 system which consists of 5 units each with ECOM cards and
I believe they all communicate with each other. Their are also small screens
on each unit along with a larger main screen.
My main question is I have some contacts in my 1st unit (feed section)
C1505 That when I find all there is no Coil.
This could be coming from a screen? Or could it be written from another unit over ethernet?
Attached is a couple screen shots of the C1505 contact. It is keeping C60
from energizing and letting the machine feed. I have also attached a zip with all the programs. any help would be appreciated.
I don't even know how to edit this program or I would remove these bits since all the others are all I need to interrupt my feed.
Any help appreciated Thanks

 

[Rsflipflop256]

Did you try clearing and reloading the program(s)? I find that helps sometimes when it hangs up like that

 

[drbitboy]

Here is the program in PDF form; not everyone wants to risk opening a .DOCX.

 

[drbitboy]

Also, the logic for C60 is not well thought out. The rising edge on C1062 makes it a bit fiddly, but I am fairly certain it can be done more cleanly than what is there now.

I realize that does not help OP, who is trying to find what is supposed to write a 1 to C1505, but dear me.

 

[roxusa]

I managed to get in contact with the original programmer and he will look into it
tonight and hopefully have an answer. Not being an Automation Direct guy I do know this
program is flakey and has always had its issues. I think this was when they were first learning PLC that they wrote this. I know when I look at what I wrote 25 years ago I cringe!!

 

[OkiePC]

These PLCs can be set up in the ECOM modules to communicate with each other without any ladder logic at all using a system called Peerlink. You can check the Peerlink settings by using a browser with the IP address of each ECOM module.

Peerlink uses V memory locations, but there are also block move instructions that can copy the bit patterns from V memory locations in to coils.

If you think these PLCs are communicating with each other and you find no WX, RX, MRX or MWX instructions in any of them, look at each ECOM with a browser and document any Peerlink settings you find. Also a good idea to document channel settings of the PLC serial ports while online (because you can't view them offline).

With all that said, it is more likely that this is an HMI toggled bit. I guess that because of its proximity to other coils that actually have descriptions (like C1510) hinting at them being HMI tags since they also have no obvious destructive instructions in their cross references.

 

[I_Automation]

If they are present in your copy of the program it would help you a lot to see the rung comments and item descriptions. EDIT: The description could say "HMI PB"


This is from the Directsoft manual: Click the VIEW menu to enable them being viewed

 

[I_Automation]

I managed to get in contact with the original programmer and he will look into it
tonight and hopefully have an answer. Not being an Automation Direct guy I do know this
program is flakey and has always had its issues. I think this was when they were first learning PLC that they wrote this. I know when I look at what I wrote 25 years ago I cringe!!

I have been invited by customers to try and improve a program that sounds like your problem here more than once.


When I finally decided to wipe the PLC memory (after saving it, of course) and write my own program the results were faster and more reliable, with less headaches, stress, sleep loss, stomach troubles, ........

 

[OkiePC]

All the documentation is enabled in the FEEDPLC project, but there is no comment on coil C1505.

I recommend prefixing all HMI tags with "From HMI" (for read/write tags) or "To HMI" (for read only tags). I do the same with tags from remote PLCs so that they are marked even if the MSG instructions are not in the local PLC.

While looking again, I find a bunch of ECWX instructions. ECOM Network Write instructions. New to me. But they appear to write a bunch of coil addresses using the alias type VC1000 (also new to me). You'd think my search for WX earlier would have found those too, but nah, welcome back to 1980!

So 8 bytes of coils get sent around to other PLCs on the network. If my 1980 octal PLC math is right, that means C1000 through C1077 get written from the FEEDPLC to Slave IDs 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. At least they land in the same coil addresses.

Using the documentation editor, many of those addresses are not commented, but most are.

I would definitely label all of them in the slave PLCs as "FROM FEED PLC"

 

[roxusa]

Thanks for all the info, X5 was being written from the Main PLC to the Feed End PLC
either with a write message or through the ECOM as OkiePC stated
Either way it was not documented on the prints. Neither was X4 in the main PLC
which is in the stoop Circuit. At least I was able to figure that one out since it showed up in the stop string. Jumping 24 vdc to both X4 & X5 enabled the stop string and the feed interrupt. Apparently this was added later to add another Stop/Interrupt station.
This Machine is Ripe for a redo. Would be easy to switch to a ML1400 since they will fit
easy to replace the DL06 , and replace the obsolete little screens(485) with an Ethernet screen
Thanks again Im learning more about Direct Logix

 

[I_Automation]

Thanks for all the info, X5 was being written from the Main PLC to the Feed End PLC

If I were you I would open the program and add a description to the address of what it is in MAIN PLC and add FROM MAIN PLC


Plus any other addresses written from any other PLC in all PLC's as you figure them out.


I also include any special wire number or info.


I have a customer with a stamping press that was all relay logic but a PLC was added replacing about half the relays. They simply put cut marks on the schematic with a note of the input and a cut mark showing the output. The problem was the cut marks on the schematic were all numbered for a Siemens PLC and the update was done with an A-B SLC5/03.


I had to find each input and output on the schematic and the PLC and added to the PLC description the Siemens I/O and the wire number.