NewBee needs help!!!!

[bobc1957]

Hi Mark,

I followed the directions (kinda) this time and I don't know how I did this but I have the program reconizing the PLC's when I plug them in, automatically! I set up the Micro 1000 and then plugged in the SLC 500 and they both just worked???

so thanks for your help again and now I have a new toy to play with! what weird idea can I come up with this time? maybe I'll automate my layout?

Bob.......

 

[geniusintraining]

Hi Bob,

If I don't talk (or type) to you before your vacation, I hope you and your wife have a blast!! Someday I hope to take my wife on a vacation to the other side of the big pond as well... anyway enjoy!

 

[bobc1957]

HI Guys,

sorry it's been so long since I've been on here. a lot has happened since I last wrote. I did manage to get my wife to Paris but she passed away last Aug. so the past 8 months have been really rough.

I was going to upload a video of the kissing tower that you helped me program with the SLC500 but, it's 9 meg in size and that exceeds the max for this site. if you'd like to see it and you know a way I can send it, let me know.

I was also wondering if any one can give me an idea on how to write a start up routine that will wait for a button push, reset all the rides and then start the program. I found out the hard way, if the tower gets turned off in the middle of the cycle, it will just go up and not stop! it wasn't pretty.

thanks in advance for your help and support.
Bob........

 

[Lancie1]

Hello again, Bob

I was sorry to hear about your wife passing on. I know it must be very difficult to adjust, but keep on keeping on, and lean on your friends for support.

If you will ZIP your last RSLogix program and post it, I can probably come up with a start-up routine. The version that I have was called "Hershey Module R4.rss". looking at that program, I can see that if the Kissing Tower is manually turned off in the middle of a cycle, the PLC program will get out-of-sequence, since it depends on time and not totally on external sensors. It will not be difficult at all to add some PLC Inputs for Stop or Start pushbuttons. You may even want an external Master Control Relay, so that if the MCR becomes de-energized for any reason (loss of power, press of Stop pushbutton), then the PLC shuts off the program and resets the timers. That is considered the safest way to do an emergency shutdown, but since this is a model of some rides, not the real thing, you can prbably get by with an internal Master Control Relay, or System Run Relay, or something like that. Then you only have to add one rung of logic at Rung 0, like this:

 

| System Stop      System Start     Run Mode  |

|   I:1/4             I:1/5          B3:0/0   |

+----| |----------+----| |----+-------( )-----|

|                 |           |               |

|                 |  Run Mode |               |

|                 |   B3:0/0  |               |

|                 +----| |----+               |

The Stop Pushbutton would be a Normally Closed pushbutton, and the Start Pushbutton would be a Normally Open pushbutton. If the Stop pushbutton is pressed, the seal-in contact B3:0/0 will drop out and the system will shut off. Any other safety switch or stop switch can also be add in series on the rung after I:1/4. You may want to add an input from your power supply, so that if power to the rides is lost, the PLC will shut down and reset the program.

The next step is to add the new Run Mode relay to all rungs where there is an output or timer. Just add an XIC instruction for B3:0/0 at the left side of each rung that needs disabling, which in your program may be all rungs. Then if Stop is pressed, or power is lost, everthing will shut down and the timers will reset.

 

[timbo_uk]

Sorry to hear about your wife.

I would love to see a video of the whole thing running, bet it looks great! If its too big to post here, maybe you could put it on YouTube or similar (although access to it is blocked here at work, Ill have to look at home!)

 

[geniusintraining]

Hi Bob,

I thought you were looking for something?? a couple months ago you emailed me and I thought you were going to do something, maybe with the CPU??

anyway... email me the video and I will put it on my website.

Hope you and your kids are doing good...

Mark

 

[bobc1957]

kissing tower

HI Guys,

thanks for the well thoughts I appreciate it. life has been tough the past 8 months.

I uploaded the kissing tower video to the PLCtrainer site. maybe you can get it from there and check it out. I have also attached the latest code for the park. it's going to change some more as we are now working pretty regular on that section. I can do the basic coding but the fancy stuff is still WAY beyond me. as it is right now the rides just start and stop when the PLC is turned on. I'd like to have a start and stop button that will put everything in it's rest position before starting and when stopping. I don't have any inputs attached to the rides that lift in the air yet but I can add them as we build them. that will let the PLC know if it's at it's rest position or not. the kissing tower has limit switches for the bottom and top of travel. so what I think needs to be done if both switches are open, then assume it's part way up the pole. kick in the reversing relay and turn on the motor. does that make sense?

thanks again for your help and hopefully in the future I'll be able to post a video of the whole park working.

take care and God bless,
Bob..........

 

[geniusintraining]

Here's the link...

www.plctrainer.net/kissing_tower.mp4

I don't have an MP4 player...I am trying to download one but the first one was not very good

and hopefully in the future I'll be able to post a video of the whole park working.

That would be very coool

 

[timbo_uk]

Here's the link...

www.plctrainer.net/kissing_tower.mp4

I don't have an MP4 player...I am trying to download one but the first one was not very good



That would be very coool

Quicktime will do mp4 files http://www.apple.com/downloads/

Hmmm, ill take that back, it won't play this one!

HTH

 

[Lancie1]

Bob,

Here is Revision 7, with Start and Stop Pushbuttons. You really need two control pushbuttons, so that you can turn on or turn off all the rides when needed. Also, if you later want to add some other controls, such as a timed stop, or stop-if-problem, then the pushbuttons will allow you do to that. If you only use a start pushbutton, then your later options will be limited.

I set it up so that when stop is pressed, if the Kissing Tower and the Train are in mid-cycle, they return to home base before stopping.

I cleaned up some rung comments that had got shifted to the wrong rungs, and deleted the unused address descriptions.

 

[bobc1957]

HI Lancie,

thank you so much for the coding!!! I'm printing it out to learn what you did and I can't wait to try it. I'll see if I can upload it this weekend and I'll let you know how I make out. I don't have the tower here so I'll have to try it out when I go up to my friends house.

question, is the master control relay simply the internal bit control. I also see I need to hook a NO switch to input 1/7 for the start and NC to the 1/6 input for the stop, correct?

thanks again for your help and as soon as I can try it I'll let you know what happens.

I did try uploading the video to the PLC trainer site. he had a problem with the MP4 I sent so I uploaded and WMV file which should work better. it's 16 meg in size but should work fine.

take care and have a great day,
Bob...........

 

[Lancie1]

question, is the master control relay simply the internal bit control.

Yes, that is all it is, but it is used to Start and Stop all the rides.

I also see I need to hook a NO switch to input 1/7 for the start and NC to the 1/6 input for the stop, correct?

Yes, that is correct. You can use any inputs that you want, just change the program to match what you have available. I thought that those two were not used yet.

Does the rungs for the N-gauge Train work correctly? Somehow they look a little too simple, but you said that you thought the sensor was designed to latch on, so maybe it does work okay as is.

 

[bobc1957]

HI lancie,

the rungs for the N guage train should be okay. I have to modify it a little anyways. since that section was written the guys asked me to design a way for the train to run more normal. so the controller I'm building for it will have built in momentum. when the train starts a cap charges and slowly bring the train to speed. on it's way back to the station it will trip one reed switch that will hit the service brake and slow the train down. then it will hit a second reed switch and stop the train. after the loading pause, the cycle starts again. I have to wire in the 2 reed switches and there is a magnet located on the bottom of the tender. it should look just as real as the rest of the park!

can I just use a SPDT switch for the start and stop button? you list it as a push button. I'm assuming the SPDT would work? I'm going to hook up a few switches to the PLC tonight to simulate the tower, start and stop buttons. I'll let you know how I make out. I should probably just build a little motorized segment and use it as a tower simulator. it would be great for testing!

take care and thatnks again for your help.
Bob..........:site:

 

[bobc1957]

The Tower section works PERFECT!!!!! You are the man!

I also figured out the switches. I need a SPST for the stop and a momentary for the start. I'll mark the stop one as "Stop" and "Run". no matter what I tried if the tower was not at the home position, the reverse relay and motor ran until I made the bottom switch contact! PERFECT! :nodi:

you don't know how much of a relief that is off my mind. I have WAY too much time into this thing to have it ruined.

Thanks SOOOOOO much!
Bob.........

 

[Lancie1]

Bob,

You could just have the SPDT switch and modify the program for a "maintained contact" Run/Stop switch. In other words, just use a single switch, since this is not something that creates much of a safety hazard if it is locked on by the switch. I should have done it that way, but years of designing industrial control circuits biased my mind -- still I am not in tune with a model amusement park!