Need HELP!!!! Urgent!

[cdnrookie]

Little update for anyone interseted,

Found the cables and software, got it talking with an old 5/25 we had on the shelf,

Anxioiusly moved on to the PLC in question.... nothing,
RSLOGIX doesnt see it

Took the porcessor we connected to previously, matched up the dip switches, flipped the 2 to download from the memory module, nothing.....

Seems like I have some work to do

Thanks for the replies, and even a few laughs!

 

[mbartoli]

Hey Guys and Gals

Our paint shop has a 1784 plc 5/25,
Last week we had a power outage, followed by several surges.

Of course, we got the paint shop in 2002, used..... and didnt bother to upload the program.

So now the processor is showing most red lights,

proc, rem I/O, comm all showing red

force showing yellow

Im fearing the worst here, anyone care to comment?

I am just curious who you got the paint booth from. Are there any manufacturer's identifications anywhere? The reason I ask is that I used to work for a company that built automated painting systems for the auto industry. We used PLC5 hardware almost exclusively, and a lot of the software was cookie-cutter, since the systems were similar but different.

 

[Geospark]

Just some further confirmation on the status indicators...

The PROC and REM I/O indicators displaying solid RED together, and regardless of the status of the others, indicates that the internal diagnostics have failed. This is a hardware failure. The normal solution suggests reseating the processor module in the chassis and then attempting to reload the program. Failing that, you change the processor.

We know it did not "come loose", but was more likely "fried".

If it was a seating of the processor issue, or the like, and it was corrected, then when you power up, the diagnostics would pass and only the PROC indicator will be solid RED, awaiting a program download.

As long as the PROC and REM I/O indicators remain solid RED together, you have an unresolved hardware issue. All communications to the processor will be locked up. Software will be of no use to you unless you can recover from the diagnostics failure status, which I'm afraid is looking pretty bleak?

Have you tried swapping in the spare 5/25 for the dodgy one? Just to see if it's only the processor that has failed? It won't do anything for you program-wise, but it may help diagnose the hardware a little further. If you get only the PROC indicator solid RED with the spare, then you at least know it's definitely the processor itself that's faulty.

Regards,
George.

 

[cdnrookie]

we swapped out the processor, everything was green except proc which was solid red.

We took out the processor several times and reseated. Made no difference in the situation

 

[Bullzi]

This may be a stretch but could you have a failure of the power supply or even a back plane failure? I have seen this in other devices. The processor appears to have failed. Replace it with a new processor and it doesn't work. Play the old swap it for another processor that you know is working game with no luck. Change out the power supply and Walla everything comes back to life. Might be worth a shot.

 

[Lancie1]

When you do get it fixed, think about what you can do to make the next time a little easier. A backup copy of the program for sure, a print-out is good to have stored in a safe place, a spare processor loaded with the program, and a memory module for certain. That might save your bacon in this case, if you move the memory module to a working processor.

We do have the memory module in the bottom of the processor

I saw many factories that would not send out their trucks without a spare tire and some tools, but they never even looked to see what was inside the PLCs in the plant....Much worse than running without a spare!

 

[Geospark]

we swapped out the processor, everything was green except proc which was solid red.

We took out the processor several times and reseated. Made no difference in the situation

Ok, then that at least proves that the processor is faulty.

The fact that the replacement processor shows only the PROC indicator on solid RED, and even the other indicators green, suggests that it is ready for a download.

...got it talking with an old 5/25 we had on the shelf...

Was this with it in the suspect chassis? i.e. you tried browsing to the spare processor when you had it swapped in?

I'm just trying to establish that you have a working, communicating processor and the chassis and I/O appear to be ok hardware wise, and that the software is now your only issue, albeit a big one.

By the way, you have not mentioned the battery (BATT) indicator once, I assume this has been off the entire time?

It sounds like a backup memory module could have had you up and running by now. Lancie's words of wisdom are worth noting. Don't make the same mistake as your predecessors.

G.

 

[DwSoFt]

If the OEM is still in business you may get lucky and get the original program. but there is no guarantee there haven't been changes.

If I walk onto a site even if I don't need to touch the plc but there isn't a USB /cd/floppy available (pur habit is in the cabinet) I make one right away. never know when it will save your ***. lol.

 

[Geospark]

Sorry O.T.

...isn't a USB /cd/floppy available (pur habit is in the cabinet) I make one right away. never know when it will save your ***.

Amen Dan, but do you make floppies if needs be for legacy equipment?

Shudders...

This week I'm in the process of transferring some old SIEMENS S5 program backups, from about 20 years go, to my computer using a trusty FREECOM USB Floppy Drive. I've been on to my co-ordinator for ages that if the remaining couple of S5's go senile and start losing their memory, then I would not like to be relying on these floppies in the cabinet to save the day. At least there are backups available, but you know how unreliable floppy disks can be after so many years sitting there.

I've also received a modified EXE file for an old mini PC interfaced to a robot labeller (Mitsubishi), which is interfaced to our JDE barcoding system. The PC has a floppy drive and an internal IDE CF Card reader, no hard drive. So the DOS OS is running on the CF Card and any transfers or updates to the CF are done via the floppy drive.

The CF Card died a couple of weeks ago and we had to temporarily install a stripped down version of the OS and application and boot and run it from the floppy drive. That took a whole day and evening. Then we couldn't get our hands on a spare CF with the right capacity (2GB or less) to format it correctly. So I had to use DISKPART in DOS in XP to partition a larger card and resize it, then format it and install DOS onto it in the old PC using 3 floppies and then get it to boot and run the application. That all sounds straight forward, but every step was a marathon. Two days of absolute joy with that one!

So now I have to delve into it again, this week, to try get this modified EXE file to run for a relatively small mod.

Double shudder...

So this week, I will be mainly working with floppy disks and the old DOS OS, and lots of coffee.

Fingers X'd!

Isn't it funny how so many of todays software products still use the floppy disk as its icon for "Save"...

C:\exit


cdnrookie,

Maybe if you can give any manufacturer specific details for the paint shop, then someone here might be able to work some magic?

G.

 

[DwSoFt]

No I do t save to a floppy I save to a USB stick. but ive seen quite a few cabinets out in this (oil and gas) field that do have floppy disks in them. This is better than no backup. and yeah I have a USB floppy drive for the occasion as well.