MVP 2023 Joe Tauser Posted July 24, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 If you're using an external USB converter, it must have the Prolific PL-2303 chipset. The FTDI chipset doesn't seem to work. The SM35 has a USB port that is much easier to use - get yourself a USB to Mini cable. The driver for the USB port is included as part of the Visilogic software installation - click on the last tab in the Communication dialog with the USB symbol to install it. There's also a handy link to the Device Manager to determine which COM port is assigned (you have to be plugged into the SM35 for this to work). The baud rate is usually 115200. Joe T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
de003 Posted July 24, 2020 Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 39 minutes ago, Ausman said: What are these exactly? They are the likely cause of issues if not correct/good enough. cheers, Aus Whilst I'm confident of the USB-RS232, I did have a closer look at the DB9 - RJ11 cable and I'm not convinced the wiring is right. I've ordered some different bits from RS and will have a play with those before whining further! In my experience, 90% of automation faults are cable not plugged in, cable broken or something needs a power cycle... 23 minutes ago, Joe Tauser said: If you're using an external USB converter, it must have the Prolific PL-2303 chipset. The FTDI chipset doesn't seem to work. The SM35 has a USB port that is much easier to use - get yourself a USB to Mini cable. The driver for the USB port is included as part of the Visilogic software installation - click on the last tab in the Communication dialog with the USB symbol to install it. There's also a handy link to the Device Manager to determine which COM port is assigned (you have to be plugged into the SM35 for this to work). Sadly Joe, whilst I appreciate your support, you are mistaken. It seems a USB connection is offered on every Samba and Vision PLC except the SM35! Trust me - had it had a USB connection, I wouldn't have gone down the RS232 route in the first place... Gonna have a play with cables as above, thanks for the ideas anyway, I'll come back if it's still no bueno... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Joe Tauser Posted July 24, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 My bad. I went back and had a second look at the Samba datasheet. D'oh! Maybe this will help - Joe T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
de003 Posted July 24, 2020 Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 19 minutes ago, Joe Tauser said: Maybe this will help - Yep that certainly does help, since bizarrely they don't include that table in the Samba manual (only a more basic pin-out). That said, I have no real way of wiring both pins 2 and 5 on the RJ11, to pin 5 of the DB9. I don't suppose you happen to know if there's an alternative pin I can wire to, to achieve ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Joe Tauser Posted July 25, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted July 25, 2020 The Samba "manual" is really a datasheet. You have to dig deep into the Visilogic Help to find useful information. This particular tidbit is under "modems". The Unitronics cable uses a flat telephone-style cable on the PLC side and plugs into an RJ11->DB9F adapter (part number MJ10-22-CS25). They connect RJ11 pins two and five together inside it. The PLC programming cable is a piece of flat four conductor jammed into RJ11 connectors and crossed-over between them. It's easy to make one if you have the parts and the crimper. This picture shows a V120, but all the com ports are the same- To answer your question, 2 and 5 should be tied together on the RJ11 inside the Samba, but I'd verify that with an ohmmeter and an RJ11 pigtail plugged into the Samba. So you should only have to connect one of them to pin 5 on the DB9. The part number for the whole programming cable with a -CS25 adapter is RS232-CB1. Joe T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
de003 Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 On 7/25/2020 at 6:46 AM, Joe Tauser said: The part number for the whole programming cable with a -CS25 adapter is RS232-CB1 This is annoyingly not alluded to anywhere on the product website or in the manual... So after all the chat, I found one on eBay for $5 and bought it Thanks for the pointer towards the Visilogic manual. I ought to know better than to expect automation manufacturers to have user friendly websites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Ausman Posted July 27, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 On 7/25/2020 at 8:45 AM, de003 said: had it had a USB connection, I wouldn't have gone down the RS232 route in the first place... de003, FYI, LOTS of things with "usb" connections are just a tiny variation on an item that used to have a 232 port, but now have an onboard usb converter fitted to make them more "use friendly" to people who expect connections to be simple. The trouble is that most of those items will install drivers that completely stuff up current drivers that are working perfectly. It is a bit of a minefield and something to be aware of every time you plug something industrial looking into your puter. System restore etc is a must before doing anything. Some of Unitronics info is squirreled away, but most is there if you look hard enough. All by easily navigating a screen. Be thankful you're not looking through large paper books like us oldies had to, to learn stuff. 📖 👓 I have a few bookcases full of such stuff. cheers, Aus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Joe Tauser Posted July 28, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 12 hours ago, de003 said: I ought to know better than to expect automation manufacturers to have user friendly websites. Very, very true. That is why I do my best to at least have a user friendly forum. That's all I have control over. Joe T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
de003 Posted July 30, 2020 Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 On 7/27/2020 at 11:43 PM, Ausman said: de003, FYI, LOTS of things with "usb" connections are just a tiny variation on an item that used to have a 232 port, but now have an onboard usb converter fitted to make them more "use friendly" to people who expect connections to be simple. The trouble is that most of those items will install drivers that completely stuff up current drivers that are working perfectly. It is a bit of a minefield and something to be aware of every time you plug something industrial looking into your puter. System restore etc is a must before doing anything. That's a very valid point. I think the unfortunate downside is that so few computers are shipping with anything other than USB for serial ports. In my last job I had to manage servers which outputted RS485 for motion control from USB cards (made in-house). It was really important to keep the server off the internet when connecting hardware for that exact reason, Windows would try and download some 'closest thing I can find' driver from the internet, replacing the manually installed actual driver automatically. Quote Some of Unitronics info is squirreled away, but most is there if you look hard enough. All by easily navigating a screen. Be thankful you're not looking through large paper books like us oldies had to, to learn stuff. 📖 👓 I have a few bookcases full of such stuff. Oh don't worry I've done my fair share of paper manuals... a lot of my job is repairing and revitalising very old, obsolete systems which may or may not be provided with documentation. That'll often be a case of meeting a 'technical manager' who's far from technical, and him scratching his chin for 5 minutes before bringing me a pile of lever-arch folders full of disorganised print-outs with an inch of dust collected on top, which the installer provided with the system in 1995 and have been kept 'just in case we ever need them'. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
de003 Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 Just to report - with thanks to everyone involved - with the Unitronics programming cable it works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronald_Escuza Posted September 3, 2020 Report Share Posted September 3, 2020 HI have the same error (206) Im using usb connection visilogic 9.8.91 the plc is a v350 TR34 RevA the plc has a program loaded the plc port 1 configuration is: Protocol: PCOM RS232 Params: 57600,8,n,1 Silence: 15600us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Joe Tauser Posted September 4, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 What USB converter are you using? If you open Device Manager on your computer does the virtual COM port appear when you connect your converter? Joe T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronald_Escuza Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 im usb programing cable dont know what usb converter and COM6 appear in device manager i can access other plc with same cable and pc. i try an ethernet connection and it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Ausman Posted September 4, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 18 hours ago, Ronald_Escuza said: i can access other plc with same cable and pc. To me this sounds like the cable or socket is a bit suspect. Even though it works on another plc, there is not much room for error on usb pins and perhaps the ones on the offending 350's socket are slightly distorted and not connecting properly to the cable you are using. Or the cable pins are the same issue. First try another cable. If no luck, with power off and a very fine hook probe, you can sometimes "tweak" usb pins in sockets and plugs. cheers, Aus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 kratmel Posted September 4, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 You can check this system bits if you have Ethernet connection possible. If USB port is found - then it is powered from PC. If cable communication pin is connected SI 113 = 1 And if in V350 program is used com init block and this option is selected you maybe can't send break signal from USB port for start communication Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Ausman Posted September 5, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2020 Kratmel, I'd love to see what comes up on SI113 if the cable only has a suspect data line. I can't experiment on this concept due to only keeping non-usb models. Many gizmos only seem to see the power lines as proof of connection. Vaguely knowing the Kratmel WorkCave, I think you could play with this concept quite easily to find the answer! ⚡ Cheers, Aus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 kratmel Posted September 6, 2020 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 14 hours ago, Ausman said: ....WorkCave experiments result for V350 and V1040 OPLC: 1) SB112 on both fixed with 0 in all condition (maybe some Unitronics staff can explane how this bit react); 2) SB113 =1 if USB port on PLC is powered from PC or other device (i test with PC usb and 5V smartfone charger); 3) if Ignore Break checkbox is NOT selected on port1 configuration in project or in PLC INFO MODE it is possible to connect to PLC via USB on all present speed in Communication & OS menu. (Please note that correct com port must be selected - see for correct one in PC Device manager. It must be lost and found if PLC to PC USB cable disconnect an connect.) 4) If Ignore Break checkbox is SELECTED - error (206) is appear if i try to connect to PLC via USB when communication setting is not the same ( changed via info mode or inside project COM port1 configuration). 5) I configure COM port1 to 9600, 8n1 via project, select Ignore Break checkbox - then download to PLC for example on 115200speed. After that i can connect to the PLC only on 115200 speed. All another speed select in Communication & OS menu - error (206). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.