Joe Tauser

How do you have the hardware channel configured? Can you post your code? Joe T.

What's the difference between "text" and "string" in your request? Can you give an example to the completed string? Joe T.

I have had problems using USB/Serial converters other than those that use the Prolific PL-2303 chip. This is what's in the Unitronics MJ10-22-CS35 converter. Get the latest drivers for it from here: http://www.prolific.com.tw/US/index.aspx Login as guest:guest and click on the "Support" menu item - there's a link to the current drivers on the front page. Joe T.

Negative is relative. It will work if you don't connect the common 0V terminal of the 12V supply to anything. Joe T.

In Unitronicsland a timer is a coil with a "T" address, and you have to power it like one to make it work. Then you can start referencing contacts to it. Check the Help under Ladder functions for Timers and look at "TD". Joe T.

Don't hang your head! As I said, it's not obvious. I am so brilliant on so many things Unitronics because I've made so many mistakes working with the product for 15 years, including the one you experienced. Trudge on to project success! Joe T.

Did you run +24V and 0V to V2? It's not obvious in the documentation that you have to power the module for any input to work. Joe T.

1. Yes- all the grounds are the same. 2. By Extention, I assume you are referring to the expansion module. No FBs are needed - just drop it on the rail in hardware configuration. Joe T.

Our analog inputs are not that fast. So no, you can't trend it. What exactly do you need to monitor - frequency, amplitude, or what? Joe T.

A barcode is a string. If you were to create a data table of authorized barcodes you search the table and if a match was found you could use the "Found" pointer value to access the screen you want. Start by getting the barcode reader code written. Read the Help on the Protocol function block - this will be a bit of an advanced program. Joe T.

You are correct - 32. Joe T.

Unitronics I/O can not do -10V. You'll need a signal conditioner to convert the output from 0 to + 10V to +/- 10V. Can you connect the position feedback directly to the servo controller and then talk to the servo using the Protocol block? Joe T.

Hopefully you have the actual hardware to play with and the Kollmorgen Modbus table. Start by getting one step at a time to work. You can program a sequencer to call the steps once you've got them figured out. Joe T.

Did you assign an MI for the frequency of the input in the Hardware Configuration? Joe T.

Post what code you've tried. Joe T.

Where are you located? Joe T.

Step 1: Get the V120 to read the scale. Look at the Examples to get you started on the Protocol block and then read the Help. Then post your code- is extremely difficult to guess what your program is doing without seeing it. Joe T.

Mirroring in three masters is not as easy as it looks, as you've discovered. I use the term "master" because each device is capable of changing the data. You're going to have to add a timer and some handshake bits to slow down the transmissions. Where is the real data located? In the first V570? Can the second V570 change the data, too? Please clarify your data flow a bit. Joe T.

You're not initializing the Ethernet card properly - you have to set the IP address with a combination of the TCP/IP Card Init block and a PLC Name block. Look up the Help on these blocks so you understand how they work. MB 1 is optional. Joe T.

Individual system response to transient flyback pulses is one of the mysteries of our profession. Better safe than sorry to put snubbers across ALL inductive loads as a matter of design in an AC controlled system. There is a pinned post in the M91 section where we talk about this more: http://forum.unitronics.com/index.php?/topic/2735-flyback-diode/ Joe T.

Put a snubber across the coil of the contactor. Joe T.

You can buy a 12V->24V converter online. I've used them to put Unitronics in vehicle applications. They work well. http://www.amazon.com/Converter-Regulator-12v-Step-24v/dp/B0085T97PW Joe T.

If I may pontificate - John's first post mentions that he rarely sees sequence programming in other programs. That is so entirely true and a tragedy caused by a lack of proper training. I can think of three customers who where taught to program by the PLC vendor's salesman, who never did a project himself and only had a basic knowledge of the PLC functions and how they go together. If you look at the staff and operations of a typical machine builder, they spend a LOT of money on machining equipment and the mechanical designer, but often the electrician/panel builder is also the PLC programmer. I have a standard saying about the machine builder's attitude - "Electricity is the evil thing needed to make my wonderful machine work". I've arrived at this attitude by many different observations of actual machine makers. The most important and almost always ignored Best Practice in programming is to plan and document your program before you start it. A flow chart is my favorite tool, because you can document everything on it as you work through recreating it with PLC code. I've attached one I did for a customer. Further commentary would be most interesting! Joe T. Standard Machine Flowchart V1.3 11.16.14.pdf

You've made contact, which is good. You've done the research to convert the number, which show you understand the data. Now all you have to do is understand that you're not using the right controller with a Jazz. If you read the data with a V130 the floating point read is a standard Modbus function block. Joe T.

A hack after my own heart! Looks very nice - I especially appreciate the use of ferrules on the wiring. Joe T.