Joe Tauser

You'll need to use a serial printer with barcode encoding information built in. Google "serial barcode printer" and see what comes up- then download the printer manual and look at the protocol information. You can generate these strings fairly easily with the Unitronics Protocol block. Joe T.

I had a customer ask about how to make the .ur2 file needed for remote operator to work. Unfortunately, it is not clear in the Help that you MUST import the .urc file created by Visilogic to make the .ur2 file in Remote Operator. It took me a bit to figure it out. So for the rest of you in Unitronicsland, here is the procedure: 1. You need to name the PLC using the PLC Name function even if you're only doing serial communication. 2. In Visilogic, create the .urc file: Project->Create Project Files: Clone, .vdf, .dvi, .ura and .urc. 3. Select the HMI Displays tab and click "Create File". Name it whatever you want; it will make a .urc "Remote Access" file. This is where I initially got confused. 4. Start Remote Operator and define the PLC communications as described in the Remote Operator Help. Note that you have to specify the communication parameters AND the PLC name. 5. In Remote Operator, click the Cache File Button and then Import Cache file. Now you can choose the .urc file you created in Step 3. 6. Go to the top bar in Remote Operator and choose "Save". It will create the .ur2 file you were originally looking for to start the session. If you're connected to the PLC, click "Run" in Remote Operator to make sure it works. Joe T.

Keith - you've been doing this long enough that you should know better by now. I hope nobody was hurt.

Yes. If you haven't already, look at Help->Sample U90 Projects->Examples->MODBUS for example programs to configure the COM port as a master or slave. Joe T.

Can you post your program? Joe T.

A fortnight is a long damn time to worry about how to lay your bits out I use addresses starting with even multipliers of 10 or 100 to organize my bits and registers into functionally similar groups. Be careful not to crowd too many together at one end of the address range or the other, as your PLC will tend to lean left or right and you may wind up tipping your panel over. (Theoretically of course) Joe T.

You're going to need to use some EX-RC1's for this many modules- Separate 24V power supply for the CANbus (3) EX-RC1 (7) IO-DI16 (4) IO-RO16 (2) IO-ATC8 (2) IO-AO6X I wouldn't confuse the issue by using a snap module. Keep it all on the back panel. Joe T.

The -CS25 is configured for the middle connectors using RS232. The cable you describe with 1 and 6 is for RS485 and you must have an RS485 adapter on your PC to use it this way. To do what you want set the jumpers on the RS4X board to RS232 and use the cable that came with the PLC. Resist the temptation to make your own RJ11 cable as the Unitronics cable actually has the two center conductors crossed, making it a null modem cable. Joe T.

In your Modbus Config block knock your retries down to 1 and your timeout to 50. You could even try setting your retries to zero. The other Modbus blocks will make 1 attempt and move on. Joe T.

First off, you don't want to use a -T2. You'll find the outputs won't be fast enough. Depending on your I/O needs, a -TR20 or -TR34 is a much better choice. Been there. The high speed outputs on the -TR20 and -TR34 are NPN (sinking) out of the box. They go to 200 kHz which should be way faster than you need. If you look at the actual circuit for a stepper control, it is usually an isolated opto-coupler and really doesn't care whether the output is sinking or sourcing; it's just a matter of how you hook it up. You want to limit your current to about 10 ma, so if you put a 2.2K resistor in series between your 24V supply and the (+) stepper input you can drop the voltage down to the 5V the control is looking for. Connect the (-) stepper input to the PLC output and you've completed the circuit. As far as low cost stepper controls, I've never seen any cheaper than these: http://www.mpja.com/Step-Motor-Driver-5A-Max-Wide-Range-CW250/productinfo/17452+MS/ This unit is limited on its micro-stepping options. This may or may not matter to you. If you need precise positioning (< 1.8 deg), you need to use micro-stepping and hence a higher frequency to drive it at a decent speed If you look at its little brother (3A rated) on the website it has many more micro-stepping choices. Joe T.

The Jazz does not do quadrature inputs - only single channel high speed counters. If you need two quadratures you'll need to step up to the V130-33-TR20. Joe T.

The input frequency of the HSC on a V350-35-T2 is 30 kHz for short cables, so you're not exceeding the unit's capability. I looked at your program and the input is correctly configured. You need to get the input working right before you start worrying about the PID block. Could you make a sketch of your sensor setup with dimensions of the screw heads? You're using an 18mm sensor that is pretty large for this kind of application. Depending on how you're sensing the rotation, your target may be too small at higher RPM for the sensor to pick it up. If the maximum frequency of the sensor is 1000 Hz, then the target must be in front of the sensor for at least 1 ms. Do you have access to an oscilloscope to see what the electrical signal from the sensor looks like? You probably need to choose a smaller sensor with a size that matches the screw size, or use a belt to connect an encoder with a 10 PPR output. Joe T.

If you're brand new, take some time and read ALL the Help pages and enter some ladder logic while you're doing it. You may not understand everything at first but it will help you get familiar with what the PLC is capable of. Joe T.

If you've got the X4 mode set you're actually getting 40,000 counts/second, so you're reaching your 8,000 counts in 0.2 seconds. This shouldn't be a problem, but I am curious why you have such a high resolution encoder on this. If all you're doing is counting turns, a 10 pulse/rev encoder would work fine. Are you doing some sort of measurement as well? Joe T.

Have you looked at all the images that come with the software? They're located in: C:\Program Files\Unitronics\Unitronics VisiLogic_C\Data\ImagesC You can also use any image of your own if it's in .bmp or .jpg format. Make sure it's the right pixel size before you try to use them in your project. Joe T.

Look at the register where your pulses are going and see if you are getting 8,000 counts for exactly one turn of the encoder. Also remember that a signed 16-bit MI register can only hold 32,767 counts - are you resetting the counts after you increment your turn counter? What is the frequency of the pulses coming into the PLC? Joe T.

There's no place to connect the Z channel on a Unitronics PLC. Hopefully you can get by without it. Connect the shield to a ground terminal. Joe T.

Hopefully you have the program; if not, try to upload it. The next step is to use Remote Access to read all the data in the RAM and export it to Excel. Load the program into your new V290 and then use Remote Access again to import and download all the RAM values. Joe T.

NG is the Next Generation product. We have no idea when it will be released or exactly what features it will have- the Israelis are very good at being tight-lipped. My reply was an honest one based on what I know. You'll have to figure out how to give your customers what they want based on product you can buy today. I've been known to set up the PLC as a Modbus server and hang a Weintek HMI off it to give USB datalogging capability and Web access. They are marketed in this country by Maple Systems and KEP. There are other manufacturers that do this as well. I am a distributor and I know first hand about paying the bills. I've had my butt burned more than once by selling future product capabilities, so these days I stick with what I know I can deliver. You may have to abandon Unitronics if it doesn't meet your immediate needs. Joe T.

You didn't tell us about your hardware configuration, but your output address (O34) indicates that you are trying to get high speed from an output on an expansion I/O module so I'm guessing you have an M91. This will not work. Search the Help for "immediate" and then look at "Immediate: Read Inputs...". You'll see that based on your model number there are system bits you can set to immediately write certain outputs on the main board. Joe T.

The flash memory that holds the program is good for tens of thousands of rewrites. You don't need to worry. Joe T.

If you still have the old O/S file you can use the Advanced button on the O/S update dialog to choose a different file to download. Joe T.

I was having a problem updating the O/S and determined that I had to reinstall Visilogic to solve the problem. Somewhere in the process of installing the drivers for a USB->Serial converter the Visilogic installation got hosed up. Joe T.

The V130 is not a USB Host, so this won't work. You need to get a barcode scanner with RS232 output. Joe T.

I wouldn't hold my breath. The Creators are slammed working on the NG product right now and there just aren't that many users of the Web functionality. Follow the money. Joe T.