Engine Monitor?

[rvn336pf]

Hi all, I am attempting to make an engine monitor for my experimental aircraft. Three weeks ago I could not spell PLC, but I have been reading the manuals and this site. BTW, what a job you guys did with the Paula Stevens project.

Equipment:
Automation Direct DL-06 (12-24V)
C-More 3" Touch Screen
FO-08ADH-2 Voltage Module (8 channel)
FO-4THM Themocouple Module

I now need to know how to write the ladder program to read and send info to the C-More. From the Voltage Mod and THM Mod manuals I wrote what I thought might work, but with my very limited knowledge I'm sure it won't work.

What I wish to monitor is: 4 EGT, oil pres, oil temp, fuel pres, outside air temp, volts, amps, fuel level left & right. And if this works, RPM & Fuelflow

In the panel setup I used Vmem addresses 700-703 for the THM & 710-717 for volt module. I wish I knew how to show a screen shot of the ladder I wrote.

It goes something like this:
Rung 1 - SP0---------------LD K400
--OUT V700
--LDA O3000
--OUT V701
--LD K1
--OUT V703
--LD K0
--OUT V704
Rung 2 - SP1---------------LD K800
--OUT V710
--LDA O2000
--OUT V711
Rung 3 -----------------END

At this point your questions and suggestions will likely help me understand more. Thanks in advance for any help.

Frank

 

[leitmotif]

Frank

Is this plane a remote pilotless unit?
If so I was on the very outside fringes of a group at Boeing who were working on pilotless. About the only thing I learned is they often pulled their hair on getting data from the plane to the ground. The rest is a vast desert of knowledge for me.

IF piloted I think I would go with individual panel readout
-- all FAA omni domnied of course -
To quote a Siemens guy who told me "do your pilot project with as simple controls as you can until you have a good idea of how system operates then come back and we will do PLC".

The one thing that bugs me about PLC in a plane is what happens if something screws up with the PLC?? Can you then survive without it? In other words do you have backup instrumentation?

Dan Bentler

 

[rvn336pf]

Dan,

Thanks for the well warranted thoughts for my safety. This whole idea came about when the EFIS (electronic flight instrument system) computer mother board blew out and left me without any engine gauges. So now I would like a backup for the engine in case the EFIS should go down. If both systems should go down, which is remotely possible, the indications I am monitoring will not affect the way the plane flys and I have backup instruments for flight. I would just have to land as soon as practicable (is that the word I'm looking for) at an airport with maintanance. This PLC system will only be used for input from sensors and displayed on the panel. The PLC is mounted neatly behind the intrument panel and wired to the sensors (all except the fuel flow and RPM), the panel is in and just needs me to load my project. I just don't know enough about the ladder logic to fire it up.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[milldrone]

Equipment:
Automation Direct DL-06 (12-24V)
C-More 3" Touch Screen
FO-08ADH-2 Voltage Module (8 channel)
FO-4THM Themocouple Module


In the panel setup I used Vmem addresses 700-703 for the THM & 710-717 for volt module.

If I'm understanding that you have the Cmore looking at addresses V700- V703 and V710- V717. This would be wrong. According to your ladder, the Cmore should be looking at V3000- V3003 for the FO-4THM Themocouple Module. And V2000- V2017 for the FO-08ADH-2 Voltage Module.

I wish I knew how to show a screen shot of the ladder I wrote.

"Print screen" open up "MSpaint" paste, crop and save with no whitespace in the name. Click on "display pictures" and follow directions.

Or better yet get all the DS5 files with your project name (this includes ESX, ESD, LCD, PRJ, ecetera, ecetera)zip them up and "attach" the files to your next post.

 

[rvn336pf]

Thanks Vaughn, I will attempt to change my ladder, but the addressing was something I thought was haywire.

Thanks for the procedure for zipping files. I'll try on my next post. This may take me a while to understand the addressing issues.

Frank

 

[milldrone]

rvn336pf,

Here is a quote from my manual concerning the FO-4THM Themocouple Module. Looks like I was was wrong on the exact addresses because they are double.

B: Input Pointer Register
This is a system parameter that points to a V-memory location used for storing module channel
input data. The V–memory location loaded in the input pointer V–memory location is an octal
number identifying the first V-memory location for the input data. This V–memory location is
user defined, but must use available consecutive V-memory locations. For example, loading
O2000 causes the pointer to write Ch 1’s data value to V2000/2001, Ch 2’s data value to
V2002/2003, CH 3’s data value to V2004/2005 and Ch 4’s data value to V2006/2007.

 

[Lancie1]

Frank,

Make sure that the V-memory (Variable Memory) that you select to use for your variables does not interfere or overlap with "system" memory - those locations that your DL-06 uses for its internal calculations and operations. According to this DL-06 memory map, V700 to V777 is part of the system memory and should not be used in a program. I normally start my User program memory at V2000, but any Variable (Word or Bit) locations in this chart can be used safely.

 

[rvn336pf]

Thanks guys for the input.

Should I start with the Cmore panel project and change the addresses to V2000,V2001 and so on and V3000, 3001.

Please pardon my inexperience.

 

[rvn336pf]

If I'm understanding that you have the Cmore looking at addresses V700- V703 and V710- V717. This would be wrong. According to your ladder, the Cmore should be looking at V3000- V3003 for the FO-4THM Themocouple Module. And V2000- V2017 for the FO-08ADH-2 Voltage Module.

Vaughn, as I take this, should the address in the Cmore project for channel 1 Therm Module be V3000, channel 2 V3001, ect.

Channel 1 Volt Module V2000, channel 2 V2002...channel 4 V2010, channel 8 V2016?

I now have all the hardware to connect. I really need to work out this programming. The suspense and the fact that I am so close to getting back in the skies since July is,... well.
Thanks, Frank

 

[milldrone]

Well, I embarrassed.

The address the Cmore should be looking for according to your posted ladder for channel 1 would be V3000 & V3001

Here is a quote from my DL06 options manual. Keep in mind they chose V2000 for their example.

Chapter 15: F0-04THM 4-Channel Thermocouple Input
B: Input Pointer Register
This is a system parameter that points to a V-memory location used for storing module channel
input data. The V–memory location loaded in the input pointer V–memory location is an octal
number identifying the first V-memory location for the input data. This V–memory location is
user defined, but must use available consecutive V-memory locations. For example, loading
O2000 causes the pointer to write Ch 1’s data value to V2000/2001, Ch 2’s data value to
V2002/2003, CH 3’s data value to V2004/2005 and Ch 4’s data value to V2006/2007.

Note: Each channel’s data value occupies two (2) consecutive V-memory locations. This allows for more
than four (4) digits to be displayed if a BCD format for channel data is selected. For example: 1234.5 °F.
A binary format for either a 15-bit magnitude plus sign or 16-bit 2’s complement value will occupy the first
V-memory location of the two V-memory locations assigned for the slected channel.
Refer to the specific PLC’s user manual being used for available user V-memory locations.

.

.

 

[rvn336pf]

Vaughn,

I am trying to upload a picture of the Cmore tag name database fut am having no luck. What I am not understanding is, when I give an address for a channel in the Cmore shoud I enter "V2000/2001" or "V2000" for channel 1?

If I am not getting "it" I don't want to torture you guys, but I sure do appreciate this site and all the help that is dished out.

Frank

 

[milldrone]

What I am not understanding is, when I give an address for a channel in the Cmore shoud I enter "V2000/2001" or "V2000" for channel 1?

I only have Cmore micro experence, but I will assume (you know what that means) it's the same.

Presuming you want a numeric display, select that, a window opens, at the bottom left hand corner click on the "tag name data base", bottom left hand corner, click on "Add", make up a new tag name, click on the "tag data type" the default is BCD int16, you will want BCD int32. This will inform the Cmore to look at two consecutive addreses. you will have to select the memory type (V)even though there is only 1 available. Then just put in 3000 for the address (no "V")

Questions?

 

[Lancie1]

What I am not understanding is, when I give an address for a channel in the Cmore shoud I enter "V2000/2001" or "V2000" for channel 1?

Use the word address for the FIRST word of the two-word pair where the data is stored, or V2000. The next possible storage point then is V2002. I have not used the C-More, but on older panels, you designated a double word length. On the Cmore, set the data length for each channel data value to be 2 words long (double word) or 32 bits long (use "double-word" commands to display the data).

Note: Each channel’s data value occupies two (2) consecutive V-memory locations.

Also, whatever memory locations you decide to use (V2000, V3000, whatever for the data, as Vaughn pointed out, you must do a " programmable module setup" at least one time in your program, to tell the DL-06 where to put the data for the thermocouple module by Loading (LDA) and Storing (Out) the addresses in the special locations V700-V706, and so on for each channel.

 

[rvn336pf]

Presuming you want a numeric display, select that, a window opens, at the bottom left hand corner click on the "tag name data base", bottom left hand corner, click on "Add", make up a new tag name, click on the "tag data type" the default is BCD int16, you will want BCD int32. This will inform the Cmore to look at two consecutive addreses. you will have to select the memory type (V)even though there is only 1 available. Then just put in 3000 for the address (no "V")

Hi guys, I spent most of yesterday loading the panel project which went well. Then I read your posts this morning and just got done adding all the new tag names so that they read BCD 32.
Today I will go back to the plane and load this "corrected" program.

Use the word address for the FIRST word of the two-word pair where the data is stored, or V2000. The next possible storage point then is V2002. I have not used the C-More, but on older panels, you designated a double word length. On the Cmore, set the data length for each channel data value to be 2 words long (double word) or 32 bits long (use "double-word" commands to display the data).

I actually (on my own) did change the addresses yesterday as per your instructions. Some of this stuff may actually be sinking in.

Also, whatever memory locations you decide to use (V2000, V3000, whatever for the data, as Vaughn pointed out, you must do a " programmable module setup" at least one time in your program, to tell the DL-06 where to put the data for the thermocouple module by Loading (LDA) and Storing (Out) the addresses in the special locations V700-V706, and so on for each channel.

Will I have to do a programmable module setup for the voltage module as well?

I attached the file that Vaughn wrote, and I am wondering if his ladder has done this setup in the therm module.

I another matter, though I had no trouble connecting to and loading to the panel, when I tried to load the attached file from Directsoft 5 (free edition) and I keep getting a "Cannot access com port. The port may not be present or is being used by another application" I will look at the trouble shooting section in the manual and see if I am doing something wrong. (that's my guess)

Again I want to thank you guys for all the help. This PLC stuff and what can be done with it is just incredible. I can actually see flying (have not been up since July) in the near future because of all your efforts.

Well off to the cold airport to reload and hopefully connect.

I also added what I thought was my ladder should look like. BAD!!!

 

[milldrone]

I am wondering if his ladder has done this setup in the therm module.

Yes rung #1. Rung #2 is the voltage module. Both are based on your original post and presuming that the first slot is the thermocouple module and the second slot is the voltage module.

I another matter, though I had no trouble connecting to and loading to the panel,

Presuming you mean connecting to the Cmore. Did you use the USB serial port cable? Did you shut down the Cmore software?

when I tried to load the attached file from Directsoft 5 (free edition) and I keep getting a "Cannot access com port. The port may not be present or is being used by another application"

Did you connect to the PLC before you fired up Direct Launch? If you did is the commlink "green"