Using Compactlogix 1769-L36ERM for the first time - Assign IP address

[Usireland]

You can flash the firmware via USB or Ethernet. I like USB as it is a little more "robust". By that I mean there is less of a chance that the flash will get interrupted using USB vs Ethernet.

Please understand that if your firmware flash gets interrupted or fails there is a chance you can make the processor useless. We call that "Bricking it". I guess the newer processors are more easily recoverable in that case but I have managed to screw up a couple early on in my Compact Logix career. Just be careful when you flash.

I believe the process of flashing has changed slightly now with the new PLC´s. In the old compact logix and L5x control logix you actually flashed straight from the computer, so any break in comms and the firmware was FUBAR. Now the new ones you send all the info for the flash and its stored in memory in the PLC then internally the PLC "Flashes itself". This greatly reduces the chances of something going wrong because if the firmware transfer fails the PLC wont start flashing itself.

Also be careful when flashing a PLC via USB inside a Virtual Machine. It can sometimes give false error reports because when you update the firmware the PLC powers off, when it powers on again, in some VM's you need to add the USB to your Virtual Machine again, if you don't the VM will not communicate with the PLC and so give a false error report. I got quite the fright with an L75 doing that (I was worried about explaining how I had bricked 20k worth of PLC to my boss) but luckily it was just that I had forgot to connect the USB inside the VM. Personally I prefer to flash over Ethernet because of this.

Working here as an OEM, we flash probably 3-5PLC's per day and with the new L7x ControlLogix and the L2xERM and L3xERM CompactLogix we have had very few problems, probably 3 in the last 18 months.

Regards
Ian

 

[irondesk40]

I believe the process of flashing has changed slightly now with the new PLC´s. In the old compact logix and L5x control logix you actually flashed straight from the computer, so any break in comms and the firmware was FUBAR. Now the new ones you send all the info for the flash and its stored in memory in the PLC then internally the PLC "Flashes itself". This greatly reduces the chances of something going wrong because if the firmware transfer fails the PLC wont start flashing itself.

Also be careful when flashing a PLC via USB inside a Virtual Machine. It can sometimes give false error reports because when you update the firmware the PLC powers off, when it powers on again, in some VM's you need to add the USB to your Virtual Machine again, if you don't the VM will not communicate with the PLC and so give a false error report. I got quite the fright with an L75 doing that (I was worried about explaining how I had bricked 20k worth of PLC to my boss) but luckily it was just that I had forgot to connect the USB inside the VM. Personally I prefer to flash over Ethernet because of this.

Working here as an OEM, we flash probably 3-5PLC's per day and with the new L7x ControlLogix and the L2xERM and L3xERM CompactLogix we have had very few problems, probably 3 in the last 18 months.

Regards
Ian

Great info
How do you flash using ethernet when the plc does not have a ip address in it? I do not have one to actually work with at the moment.

 

[grnick50]

Ian,

Thanx for the info about the VM and flashing. It is very helpful. However I might add that 3 in 18 months sounds a lot to me. I cannot remember the requirment to flash a CPU from another manufacturer unless there was something very wrong with the CPU or if the firmware was very buggy like FW v1.0 for the S7-1200.
If the firmware goes to the SD card and then to the CPU then I guess it is no big deal.

 

[danatomega]

Working here as an OEM, we flash probably 3-5PLC's per day and with the new L7x ControlLogix and the L2xERM and L3xERM CompactLogix we have had very few problems, probably 3 in the last 18 months.

Regards
Ian

Well, at 3-5 per day (and 5 days/week, 78 weeks/18 months ) == 1,170 - 1,950 units; 3 failures = 0.15 - 0.26 %, not too bad by my figuring ...
Just saying, that's all ...

 

[grnick50]

I understand.
All I am saying is that with most PLC manufacturers, you just don't bother with flashing the CPU unless there is a very good reason to do so. With Logix you have to do it.
3 PLCs costing 3000 Euros each is 9000 Euros / 18 month. Isnt that a lot? Even if the PLC is not bricked and it can be recovered, you have to lose time going through the recovery procedure. I bet it is worse if you have to do this at a remote location with no spare CPU. Something that you dont have with Siemens, ABB, Modicon.

 

[ASF]

Hi grnick,

I've flashed the firmware on dozens and dozens of CLX's and never bricked one yet. As long as you follow a few simple steps, there's not much to go wrong.

I always use the BOOTP utility to set the IP address. I find it works every time, as long as I do everything exactly 100% right. Turn off all other network adaptors and the windows firewall and you shouldn't have any trouble.

Then for the firmware, I do it via ethernet. I find serial/USB to be slower. When flashing the firmware, you should:
- make sure your PC isn't going to go to sleep or turn off the network adaptor to save power (I have that setting disabled by default for all my VM's, and always have my laptop connected to mains power when flashing)
- connect directly from your PC to the processor. No ethernet switch in between and definitely no other devices connected to the PLC or your PC
- Some RA technotes will recommend that you also remove all I/O from your rack - reduce it to power supply, PLC and end cap. I've never bothered with that, it hasn't seemed a big issue for me, although if you want to be sure you could always do this before you put it in the panel
- make sure there's nobody around who's about to fire up their 15A welder on the same circuit as your PLC is powered from

It only takes a few minutes, and then you're good to go.

However, if you're using version 20 or 21, be aware of this nice little gotcha: http://theautomationblog.com/what-you-need-to-know-before-upgrading-to-rslogix-5000-version-20-03/

If you only have one version of RSLogix to work with, then I guess you have no choice, but for my money now I go straight for v23 to avoid the potential headache

 

[Geospark]

My small contribution...

512148 - Video - Getting Started with a new 5370 CompactLogix Controller
Access Level: TechConnect

A small point to make before I dash off again...

The reason, in my opinion, they have for the longest time now only shipped processors with just their boot code is that always providing the latest firmware revision preloaded is more often than not undesired by users who will usually have a current preference or necessary revision they must use.

For instance, if I'm currently locked into using revision 20.xxx as a latest on all my controllers and thus only using RSLogix 5000 V20, then it would be pointless having say revision 26 preloaded on new processors as I'm going to have to back flash them to revision 20 anyway.

Another user might still be at r16 or r19 highest, etc. (not for these processors), or even a particular minor revision of firmware.

"So what?"...you might think?

You're back flashing them either way so why not just send it out preflashed to the latest and let us back flash huge volumes of processors regardless?

Well, all this preloading takes time and costs Rockwell money to do so when they realise that flashing processors is pretty common place for many of us Rockwell users and so we'll, happily or not, do it ourselves. That's why ControlFlash was introduced really.

Also, if they always preloaded the latest firmware revision before shipping, then large volumes of processors would be sitting in stock on shelves at this revision. When they release a newer firmware revision for the same processors, then there would be a cut-off point and the next wave would go out at that revision, mixing sales stock revisions. This could get messy.

Whether we the users know this or not would vary. You ring up and order a brand new controller, perhaps expecting the latest revision preloaded, right? Because that's how they roll, right? But it arrives maybe one revision old, or perhaps even more?

So what do you do?...

You guessed it!...You forward flash it.

Because currently required revisions may vary widely from user to user, company to company, site to site, it's like a moving target. So instead of them taking pot shots, they gives us the ammo to hit them where we know they'll sleep.

I'm not saying I like it or dislike it, and I most certainly do not speak for Rockwell here. I'm just putting forward a point of view that may explain what appears to some to be some kind of shortcoming on their behalf.

Regards,
George