Newbie question, please be gentle

[pkociuba]

Hi!

I'm a university student taking an automated controls course, and as an assignment, a partner and I were given the task of running a SLC 5/04 with a PanelMate Power 1700. No one at the University has ever been able to successfully run the PLC with this PanelMate, in fact, we've made it the furthest so far.

We've ben able to communicate with the PMP from our pc's via rs232 cables. We've loaded switches and whatnot onto the PMP and been able to edit them and everything. We've also downloaded and run various programs to the SLC with RSlinx, so there's no problem there.

My question is, what do we do next? Do we write a ladder logic program and load it into the PLC via RSlinx, or do we load it through the PMP somehow? I saw an option in RSlinx to run as a server. Is that what i should do?

Another problem we've had is that when downloading to the PMP, the only firmware available is for a PMP 3000. Will this work for the 1700? I can't seem to find firmware for a 1700 anywhere.

Can anyone help, or point us in the right direction? We've been looking through site after site for 3 days now, and all we can find is how to set up the PMP initially. There's not much on actually running a PLC with it.

Thanks in advance

Peter

 

[Steve Bailey]

The PanelMate does not "run" the SLC 5/04. It can only communicate with it. The basic function of the PanelMate is to replace physical, hard-wired pushbuttons and indicators.

How do you plan to have the PanelMate communicate with the SLC? There are several options. If you are going to use serial communications, then you have to download the appropriate serial communications driver to the PanelMate before you download the screen files. (That's what the PanelMate calls a "configuration").

I'm pretty sure that the firmware for the 1700 is different than that for the the 3000, but it's been a long time since I worked with PanelMates, so I could easiliy be mistaken. Check the help files. I believe the same software is used for both the 1700 and 300, so the firmware should have been available on the original installation CD.

To write a ladder logic program for the SLC, you use RSLogix software. RSLinx is just the communications handler.

 

[pkociuba]

Thanks Steve. Yeah, i didn't word my post very well. We have been using RSlogix for programming, I just had RSlinx on the brain. Also, what I meant by 'running the PLC' is controling the inputs, that would have been a better way to put it.

We are communicating serially, via rs232 cables (DB9) since those are the cables we have. The 5/04 has DH+ capability I believe, but we figured serially was the least complicated. We have downloaded the serial divers to the PanelMate. When downloading (configuring), there were 3 seperate files that we sent to the PMP, The Executive firmware, the Allen Bradley serial drivers, and our program.

I've scoured the Install CD for other firmware, but I can't find anything. I'll try again.

Incidentally, when addressing the PLC from the PanelMate, is our virtual switch an Input or an Output? My buddy and I aren't in agreement. I say an Input, since that's what the PLC is looking for. He says and Output, since it's an output from the PanelMate.

Thanks again. I really appreciate the quick reply. After today I think we may have to cut our losses and move on to other projects.

Happy Thanksgiving by the way!

 

[allscott]

Your virtual switch is an input to the PLC, if you were to put an indicating light on the panelmate it would turn on from an output from your plc.

 

[jrwb4gbm]

It's output (sent) from the panelmate and input (received) to the plc for pushbutton tags and like control items. It is reversed for alarms and indicating device tags. An example for the pushbutton would be to create one, then using an address, perhaps a "B" bit, put a rung of logic in the plc using that "B" bit address for a N.O. contact. Hope this helps you get started.

 

[pkociuba]

Do you have an example of the reference tag I would use for the panelmate switch? Right now, we have a n/o momentary switch, and its reference is [O:1.0/0] We're taking that to mean Output to Module 1 of the PLC (which is a 24V DC sinking input module) input 0. Does this look right? I assume we'd then reference the Bit to that same Input tag?

Also, we're assuming the SlC should be in run mode to communicate with the PMP, but when we cycle the PMP (with the SLC already running and connected serially), it says that communiction via Port 2 has failed. If we disconnect the cable from the SLC, it says that Com Port 2 has Passed.

Do we have to set up the SLC to constantly monitor the serial connection for dat sent fromt the PMP, or will it do this automatically with the cable connected?

Thanks for your help. It's a releif to be finally getting somewhere!

 

[bernie_carlton]

Warning - I haven't used a Panelmate to interface to an AB controller.

In most cases an HMI reflects the status of an input, internal control, output in the PLC on a light.

The object of a button is typically an internal control bit (B3:x/y) or a word (N7:x). They typically don't write directly to either inputs (I:x) or outputs (O:x). This is probably a non-supported type of communication.

Write your PLC program treating the internal control bits as if they were inputs. It will probably be ok.

 

[mordred]

also do a search on the knowledge base on the AB website I recall several examples on that site a couple of months back

 

[Steve Bailey]

What is it that you want the PanelMate to do? You normally don't use the PanelMate to write to PLC outputs. You let the PLC ladder logic control the outputs and have the PanelMate write to inputs or internals. Typically, the PanelMate is an operator interface device. You use the same addressing scheme in the PanelMate as the PLC uses, so if the application validates OK, then your addressing is probably OK. If the protocol permits writing to I memory, then the PanelMate can do it. Just make sure you write to I memory that is not asssigned to an actual input module or else the data from the module will overwrite anything the PanelMate tries to write.

Many people choose to have the PanelMate write to a specific bank of discrete points and data registers. Think about creating, for example, a N10 and a B11 file for data exchange. It can be a big help when troubleshooting.

You said you downloaded the AB serial protocol. I assume that's DF1 and not DH485, since I think you need a separate license for DH485 on the PM. Is the port on the SLC set up for DF1?

The PanelMate will be the master in any master/slave communications, so as long as the PLC's serial port is set up as a slave, then you should not need to do any ladder logic in the PLC to support the basic communications.

 

[pkociuba]

Hey Steve. We wanted the PanelMate to simulate a couple of switches and sensors as inputs to the PLC to turn on a motor. Eventually, we changed our scope to just using a switch on the PanelMate to activate an output and turn on a light. Very basic stuff, but since nothing else was working, we figured the simpler the better.

Anyways, we've run out of time, and had to move on to other things. I believe the problem the whole time was the communications between the PanelMate and the PLC. Today, we had a Port 2 failure on the PanelMate each time it was cycled. For all I know, the PanelMate may have been at fault all along. There had to be a reason it was donated to the program. Most of the time, the equipment we get is slightly outdated, but still works perfectly, but unfortunately, we've had a lot of faculty turnover recently, and no one seems to know the history of this particular PanelMate, or how to operate it. We were the Guinea Pigs.

To answer your question, I was using the DF1 transfer driver. As to how to set the PLC up as a slave, that's beyond me. This is only our 4th day of working with them after all.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I really appreciate your help, and I'm sure I'll be back since I begin my career in the controls field in a few months.

Peter