Upgrading a 1756-L61

[daba]

I have to Flash upgrade an existing L61 controller on V15 to at least V17.

a. Because I have used Add-On instructions in the new code (>= V16).
b. Because I need to use the AOP for an ETAP module (>= V17).

So I can choose 17, 18, 19, or 20

Anyone got an opinion on which I should choose ? Most stable, perhaps, or any other considerations ....


I'm thinking 20

 

[BachPhi]

20.

Gold versions are 20, 24,28.
Not sure aboiut 32

 

[daba]

20.

Gold versions are 20, 24,28.
Not sure aboiut 32

17, 18, and 19, gone silver then ?

 

[BachPhi]

i guess so,lol

 

[Vlad Romanov]

Definitely go with v20. Rockwell usually releases tech notes on "stable" or "most suitable" versions as each product goes through lifecycles; 20v is one of those versions.

 

[daba]

All done, my L62 here is now operating the same project on V20 (upgraded from V17).

Apart from the AFI detection, which threw up errors on download, there was one other issue that I had to deal with.

One of the BOOL Input parameters for a couple of AOI calls I had as "0" (because for those I did not need an input parameter0 was converted to "0.0" for some unknown reason. Easy enough to fix, but baffled as to why it did that ....

 

[BachPhi]

for sw , use 20.04 if XP. 20.05 if Win7x64.

Add uncoditional latch with tag"ALWAYS_ON" and unlatch "ALWAY_OFF". Search & replace AFI with ALWAYS_OFF

it's strange that AOI convert bool to real.

 

[Aabeck]

I would do as BachPhi suggests - versions 20.04 and 20.05 are the most stable.



Plus, not sure of this, but they may include some newer command support since they are recent.

 

[daba]

I would do as BachPhi suggests - versions 20.04 and 20.05 are the most stable.

Plus, not sure of this, but they may include some newer command support since they are recent.

I think the only "extras" you get are "Constant" and "Access Classes" for tags. But as I am adding to an existing installation, I'll be leaving them all as they were.

What I have done though, is converted a lot of their repetitive code "blocks" into add-on instructions. Believe it or not, this led me to discover quite a few errors in the original code, all to do with animation, which they had fixed by changing the animation on the SCADA and HMI, not the PLC !!

I now know that if anything is wrong with a single set of points (rail system), or a routing, or signalling etc., it ain't gonna be the code that's at fault, or they would all be the same ...

 

[Contr_Conn]

Definitely V20.
But why you actually need ETAP AOP?
It does not have any tags, no offline configuration.
Same full online configuration can be done in RSLinx.

 

[daba]

Definitely V20.
But why you actually need ETAP AOP?
It does not have any tags, no offline configuration.
Same full online configuration can be done in RSLinx.

Just to GSV the module status, that's all. You have to have it in the I/O Configuration for the GSV, so I had to get the AOP to add it.

 

[Contr_Conn]

Specifically for ETAP GSV can only monitor the blank i/o connection to the ETAP.
While this is OK, the healthy connection does not indicate that ETAP passes data on other ports. Similar scenario is that failed I/O connection does not indicate failure on other ports that can still pass the data.
Same goes to Stratix as well as to any other switches.
As a bridge device, in most of cases ETAP just a part of the media. Instead you need to monitor the end nodes.

 

[daba]

As a bridge device, in most of cases ETAP just a part of the media. Instead you need to monitor the end nodes.

I'm monitoring the health of all the modules that I can, and in this case there's only 1 copper port on the ETAPs, as they are ETAP2F's. They have connected that single port to a US8T 8-port switch, and then run a DLR round two 1794-AENTRs, set up as SIL2 with proving inputs as well as control I/O.


Overkill if you ask me, and very expensive, and they won't get SIL certification for the system, as it is just a small part of it, not the whole project. I struggle to see the benefits when you look at the MTBF of Flex IO modules, compared to the MTBF of a fibre cable which rats tend to like to eat. Oh and they have redundant fibre media, in the same cable ....

 

[JaxGTO]

For any upgrade be sure to check for data being set in IO output words. The software will clear all output data when it converts. Got bit by that once when a VFD had the Accel time as an output word without being set in the program. VFD kept faulting with an Accel time of 0.