Struggling - Panelbuilder to FactoryTalk View conversion

[megatomic]

Hello everyone, I am new to my job and working on a project that I don't fully understand. Here's the gist:

An older Panelview application assembled in an older build of Panelbuilder needs to be updated to FactoryTalk View. The original program was done in a version of Panelbuilder that is too old to import directly into FactoryTalk so it was imported into a newer build of Panelbuilder and then again into FactoryTalk. The graphics came through great, but in the process all the tagnames were dropped and what I have are aliases back to some PanelView remote I/O addresses. Here's an example:

[PVRIO]Tag_BI1_10_0-10_15_Bin

For the life of me I can't find a way to translate that to a PLC address (PLC5/20E). Does that address make any kind of sense to any of you? If so, can you help me figure out how to map that back to a real PLC address? Like an N or B, etc...

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Ron Beaufort]

can you help me figure out how to map that back to a real PLC address? Like an N or B, etc...

STEP 1 ...

go back to the FIRST application ...

pick a well-used, easily identifiable, digital input BUTTON ...
write down its PanelView tagname – and the related PLC address ...
example: MOTOR_START_BUTTON = I:010/4 ...

pick a well-used, easily identifiable, digital output INDICATOR ...
write down its PanelView tagname – and the related PLC address ...
example: MOTOR_RUNNING_LAMP = O:011/6 ...

BE CAREFUL! and TAKE YOUR TIME with your notes ... trying to save a few seconds and making an error here can condemn you to HOURS – if not DAYS – of debugging later down the road ... PROOFREAD EVERYTHING! ... TWICE! ...

STEP 2 ...

now go the SECOND PanelView application ...

track down the digital input ...
write down its new PanelView tagname – IF it changed - and the new related PLC address – IF it changed ... write it down even if it did NOT change ...
look for a PATTERN in how the conversion was made ...

track down the digital output ...
write down its new PanelView tagname – IF it changed - and the new related PLC address – IF it changed ... write it down even if it did NOT change ...
look for a PATTERN in how the conversion was made ...

once again - BE CAREFUL! and TAKE YOUR TIME with your notes ... PROOFREAD EVERYTHING! ...

STEP 3 ...

now go the FINAL (FactoryTalk) application ...

track down the digital input ...
write down its new FactoryTalk tagname ...
again, you're looking for a PATTERN in how the conversion was made ...

track down the digital output ...
write down its new FactoryTalk tagname ...
again, you're looking for a PATTERN in how the conversion was made ...

as always - BE CAREFUL! and TAKE YOUR TIME with your notes ... PROOFREAD EVERYTHING! ...

BASIC IDEAS:

(1) you had something that worked ...

(2) it got converted to a temporary format ...

(3) now it's been converted to a new (FactoryTalk) format ...

(4) you should be able to recognize a PATTERN/SYSTEM in how those CONVERSION STEPS were made ...

once you've got at least one DIGITAL input and one DIGITAL output figured out, do at least one ANALOG input and one ANALOG output ...

once you've identified the pattern/system, then things should start to make more sense ...

at that point, an Excel worksheet might be helpful in keeping things lined up ... this whole project might not be "easy" – and it might not be "quick" – but I've had to help debug quite a few projects like this over the years ... I've always found that rigorously following a systematic approach will pay off – even when blind luck fails ...

good luck with your project ...

 

[megatomic]

Thanks Ron. I'll see if I can locate the original files, those tasks were done months ago before I joined the team. Using an Excel spreadsheet is exactly what I'm doing now, I've been the proverbial "blind squirrel" and found a few BTRs and BTWs that I could translate, but it's very slow going.

 

[alan_505]

What network was the original PV on as some of the older ones on RIO could use parts of words, when converting to PVP you need to use the BSL and/or BSR to get to the bit you want.

Alan

 

[danny.michael]

I believe those type of tags came from block transferred data. The [PVRIO] indicates the old PanelView was communicating to the PLC via Remote I/O.

 

[bikerdude]

hi,
BI1_10_0-10_15_Bin

B= Block transfer data
I= Input; as referenced by the PLC, AKA, Block transfer read
1= block transfer #1, in case there are more than one block transfer
10= word #10 of the referenced transfer.
0-10= bits zero thur 10 of the refereced word
_15_Bin=????????


BD

 

[Phrog30]

Don't use RIO, it won't work on the PV+6 anyway.

There is a utility that will convert RIO and HMI tags into direct reference.

James