Logicmaster 90 with SFC, or bust?

[Jaycobie]

I have a fanuc servo motor and drive that I salvaged from a lathe barfeeder that was headed for the dumps which I'm trying to see if I can get running for a DIY project. I have the associated GE 90-30 PLC with the I/O Master Link module that is critical for communicating with the servo drive/amplifier (that is, unless I want to go all-in on a fanuc CNC interface). I just need the servo to do super basic start/stop, speed control and possibly reading the encoder, very simple operations, and so I'm trying to read the current logic off the 90-30 PLC to understand what the previous programmers used for commands, though I think this might be a pointless effort since I will never get any comments from the logic and I'd need to manually figure out what does what.

I know the PLC works, I know that the servo and motor works, but unfortunately proficy just gives me this error when trying to upload the logic from the PLC:
"The configuration version of the binary is 0x90009.This Series 90-30 configuration software does not support a configuration version greater than 0x80008!"
I can read the fault tables from the PLC and all the run lights are fine, it's just that this thing has a program from ~1998.

Reading this forum and others, it seems like I need Logicmaster 90 with the SFC extension, which seems like it's unobtanium at this point, even if you could get it to run.
Does anyone have an actual download for the SFC extension?

If not, then my question becomes: could I simply wipe the memory of this 90-30 PLC with Proficy Machine Edition by downloading to it and start tinkering with my own logic, despite it currently containing a weird SFC logic?

Thanks

 

[Steve Bailey]

Last question first: Yes, you can wipe the memory and start over.

SFC was an add-on to Logicmaster that came on a separate 3.5" floppy. If I remember correctly, it had to be installed from the floppy. You could not transfer the contents of the floppy to the hard drive of the computer running Logicmaster. I never had the occasion to try to use a USB drive instead of a floppy. You will also have to be running Logicmaster on a 32-bit OS for the serial communications driver to work and you'll need a computer with a real serial port. I've never had much luck using a USB/serial converter with Logicmaster. I can establish a connection but it drops out periodically. It won't maintain the connection long enough to transfer a program or configuration file.
I don't know if I still have a functional floppy with the SFC installer, but I'll check the dark recesses of my software crypt.

Edit: I just remembered that with Logicmaster you can upload the SFC program and hardware configuration and print it even if you don't have the SFC option installed. I have Logicmaster on my Google drive. Send me a PM with your email address and I'll include you in the share list.

 

[Jaycobie]

Last question first: Yes, you can wipe the memory and start over.

SFC was an add-on to Logicmaster that came on a separate 3.5" floppy. If I remember correctly, it had to be installed from the floppy. You could not transfer the contents of the floppy to the hard drive of the computer running Logicmaster. I never had the occasion to try to use a USB drive instead of a floppy. You will also have to be running Logicmaster on a 32-bit OS for the serial communications driver to work and you'll need a computer with a real serial port. I've never had much luck using a USB/serial converter with Logicmaster. I can establish a connection but it drops out periodically. It won't maintain the connection long enough to transfer a program or configuration file.
I don't know if I still have a functional floppy with the SFC installer, but I'll check the dark recesses of my software crypt.

Edit: I just remembered that with Logicmaster you can upload the SFC program and hardware configuration and print it even if you don't have the SFC option installed. I have Logicmaster on my Google drive. Send me a PM with your email address and I'll include you in the share list.

That's a very nice and detailed answer, thanks so much!
Well, I think I'll skip logicmaster after all if the computer requirements for it are so stringently obsolete in today's 64-bit age, but I really appreciate the offer nonetheless.

Wiping the PLC is the simpler and better option for me after all. I need to troubleshoot and learn this PLC programming from scratch either way so starting from my own blank slate would probably be more straightforward than trying to figure out a bloated and uncommented program from the previous PLC logic.