I'm planning to attend the Automation Fair this year. Will be my first time. I'm sure other forum folks will be going also. Someone usually starts a topic asking who is attending.
As for the COM port issue. Have you tried connecting to devices other than the PLCs? I have had problems with some Rockwell software taking control of the COM port, specifically RSView. But it is usually an issue of it either working or getting a message saying it is busy as opposed to working with some devices and not others. If I run RSLinx and then shut it down it will usually releases the port. This is not the case with RSView. I keep a couple of USB to RS232 convertors in my computer bag. They almost always work.
I used to have problems frequently. After years of head banging, as it were, I settled on these methods:
1. Use the stand alone portable program calle "Com Port Tester" utility that comes free in the VersaPro folder and is also included with Proficy Machine Edition. This works great with GE software, to tell you how the PLC is configured, BUT ALSO will tell you right now if it is BUSY.
2. I use several task managers: Task Manager that comes with Windows- It starts automatically in the system tray so I can see at a glance the CPU usage; Process Viewer (the one with a pair of glasses for the icon) which is a free portable app- I can sort by Company Name. I KILL all the drivers associated with Schneider, especially NA-XWAY driver.
3. I KILL RSLINX
Now in spite of all that, which usually is flawless, sometimes I still have problems with my serial port:
4. I use Process Explorer, part of the Systernals Collection, free download: I go to FIND >handle or DLL> type "serial" without the quotes. This will bring up search results. For example, on my laptop I am running TERMF in a DOS window right now. I ran the search for handle "serial" and it returned: ntvdm.exe Handle \Device\Serial0 This is in fact COM1. Serial1 would be COM2. The driver using the port is "ntvdm.exe" which is shown in Process Viewer as being a Microsoft driver in the system folder and is being used by te GE FANUC DOS program TERMF which is part of PCOP.
So I use all three: Task Manager; Process Viewer; Process Explorer because they all have different things they can do for me.
The other day I was still locked out of my COM1 port! I ran Device Manager and toggled "VIEW" > Show Hidden Devices. This will show what we call GHOST DEVICES or GHOST PORTS. Devices that were once installed but now are not.
I found a MODEM THAT WAS NO LONGER ON MY LAPTOP in the HIDDEN DEVICES. It was tying up COM3 which can affect COM1... you know COM1;3 and COM2;4 ... don't remember it all but they work together somehow.
I had one laptop a while back that was up to about COM30 on my USB to SERIAL adapter. Problem is some of the older PLC's won't support beyond COM4 or COM6 or so... this is when I asked for help from my local AB rep. In this case, Allied Electric in Fresno, CA. He was a real friend... got killed a couple of years ago in a car accident. His name was Sydney Gee. Sydney was a genius.
He told me about ghost ports. Sure enough I could see them all in Device Manager after I toggled "Show Hidden Devices".
Sydney told me:
1. USE ONLY ONE USB TO SERIAL ADAPTOR, WHICH EVER IS YOUR FAVORITE
2. PLUG IT INTO THE SAME USB PORT EVERYTIME
Otherwise, each time I moved it around to different USB ports, plus I have about 6 different brands, I wound up with about 30 ports.
I deleted them and got my USB COM PORT BACK to COM4. COM1 is real world SERIAL.
ALSO, if you Google for laptops with XP PRO SP3 and REAL SERIAL PORTS, you can find brand new ones.
ALSO, Google ToughBooks, SAME THING. There are a bunch of them on eBay. I have a CF-30 and an extra hard drive. I set the existing one up the way I liked with all the service packs and such all the way to current, then all the software and licenses, THEN CLONE IT BIT BY BIT to a newer bigger hard drive, install that one, THEN CLONE IT AGAIN, put that one in a FARADAY CAN. This will protect your licenses and code. If the old one dies, plug the new hard drive in and go.
I know this is an old post. I wanted to share my experiences with COM PORTS in case it might help others. I'll never catch up with Steve Bailey, but I'm gonna try ;-)
