Joe Tauser

Go to the info mode (on the bad unit) and check the serial port parameters. Sometimes a unit will set itself to 115K and you'll need to manually set Visilogic to this rate to communicate with it. Joe T.

You're going to have to multiplex them. The easiest way I've found is to increment a pointer with a short timer and trigger different Send blocks tied to different pointer values. This way you don't have to keep track of block transfers on both ends. Joe T.

Vision memory is described under the Visilogic Help topic Ladder>Operands>Operands. Take a look at this and let us know if you have specific questions. Joe T.

What is the error if you approximate each curve with a linear equation? Joe T.

What are the 8.6.2 version changes over 8.6.1? Joe T.

Pascal- The descriptor on I0 and O0 is "Vector Load", which tells me they are scanning them and not writing to them, so I didn't include them in my list. I am currently porting an application to the webserver that uses the inputs, so if there are any problems I will be quick to report them. Joe T.

When you do a search and replace operation, it does not work in the Hardware Configuration (Analog Inputs), the Display is ON bit on a display, or the input to a LINEAR block. Joe T.

Based on the descriptors in the webserver app, I've compiled the addresses it uses. Do not use these in your application if you're going to import another app into it, or change them before you do. T 0 MB 0 MI 0-2, 4, 49, 68, 69, 78-89, 108, 142, 147, 250-259, 1000-1349 ML 0-10 DW 0-2 XB 0-59 XI all used XL 0-162, 167, 182-203 XDW 0, 5 Like everything I do, I figured this out the hard way. Joe T.

You have to set it with the PLC NAME function block on power up. It's under the Com menu. Joe T.

I'd like to update my reply to Pascal regarding starting with the webserver- I've done some more examination of the webserver app and found that it uses MB's and MI's in the low range. The user will probably appropriate these addresses for other things in his own application. When you bring your logic into the webserver, there is a high possibility that you will stomp on webserver memory locations and wind up having to move addresses in your own logic. To the Creators - please move all the MB's and MI's used for the webserver to somewhere above address 1000. This will lower this possibility to almost zero. I therefore change my position to completely agree with Pascal that you should start with the webserver app if you plan on using the functionality in the future. New users will just have to suck it up and deal with the slight confusion of existing locked subroutines and data tables. Joe T.

Good point, Pascal. Your suggestion is definitely a better way to go about developing the application for use with the webserver, but the locked subroutines and data tables also add complexity for someone new to the brand. Without knowing Steve's background, I think it's more important that he focus on learning the memory structure and getting the control program working first. If all the logic is written in subroutines, it's easy enough to export them and the displays to the webserver app when he's ready. Joe T.

Actually, UniCAN is a Master/slave network of sorts. Whenever you put a UniCan Send block in, you are making that unit a master. The CheckAlive blocks make sure the "slave" is available. You will probably have a Send block in the RC1 for inputs, and a Send block in either the 570 or the 260 for the outputs in the RC1. If you post a more detailed data transfer scheme between all units we can give you a more detailed answer. Joe T.

You need a pressure transducer. Hard to keep a constant pressure on a dynamic system if flow is your input, unless constant flow always equals constant pressure. If you are indeed trying to control the flowrate, the HSC input has a parameter to report frequency as well as total counts. All the input and output scaling can be done in the PID block. Read the Help file on it - Index tab -> PID. Joe T.

One step at a time. Write your logic and get your pumps running with basic screens for local control. You do not need to think about the webserver (although I know you will) while you are doing this; it will work just fine when you are ready to add it. First, you're going to have to buy a V100-17-ET2 Ethernet card and install it in your PLC. The RS232/485 port does not have magical powers. Then read the Help about initializing the card and giving it an IP address. You can then program the PLC over Ethernet. Next, understand that there is a difference between the "built-in" webserver and the "advanced" webserver. Start by reading the Help on the built-in webserver, and add it to your application. It's much simpler and will do what you're asking for in your post. Basically, you click on the little globe in the toolbar and fill out a row in a table for each data point you want to broadcast. You initialize one of the sockets to HTTP protocol and port 80 and you're done. After you get Ethernet figured out and configure the built-in webserver, you will decide that it is boring and want to move up to the advanced webserver. The advanced webserver requires that you start with a Unitronics locked application available for download from the support page. You make your own pages and load them onto an SD card that gets inserted into the PLC. The documentation that comes with the advanced download zip file does a good job of describing how to make it work. Joe T.

I had to dig it out - the part number is 45315T/7. We've got some in stock - contact me if you want any. Joe T.

Use the Clock function block to set a coil. Set the second time one minute after the start time, either by hard coding it or using the indirect function. In your logic, use a positive transition of the set coil to trigger whatever you're trying to do. Wait at least one minute before you reset the coil, or the Clock function block will set it again. Joe T.

Many optocouplers have built-in filtering have a transition time of 100 ms, which won't work with an encoder. We used to get a 1 MHz converter from Woertz that worked great. What country are you in? Joe T.

The scan time in ms is already in the PLC in SI 0. Joe T.

Thanks, Phil. The significance of UTC never dawned on me. The Help says this will work until 2024 - will that be the Y2.024K bug? Joe T.

I hate not being technically correct. Presented with this challenge, I pulled a V350 out of stock and followed Ofir's instructions. I was able to connect to the PLC using the system ID value as the PLC name. So the "Uni Guru", as my user ID has been labeled, learned something new today. I was wrong, and I'll be more technically correct in the future. As far as being able to connect out-of-the-box, you have a valid point. I have a feeling that the reason the Ethernet defaults are what they are is for security. It forces you to touch the PLC to initially get to it and configure it for your system. Only the programmer knows the name, and it's different for each unit. Other PLC manufacturers use BOOTP as default to force the user to configure the port with their software. I've been selling Unitronics for 10 years now, and I've programmed most of the others in my professional career. My experience has been that the majority of PLC users are not good with communication and they see it as something that is great in that it reduces wiring but scary because they're not familiar with how to set up all the handshaking and data transfer. Imagine this scenario - a user puts an Ethernet card in his PLC because he wants to get to it over his network. With no other programming, an O/S designed for easy connection sets the card to 192.168.1.1 and the name to "Unitronics". If the user is not a network guy, the odds are high he's going to leave it at those parameters or just change the IP address; he can do that from the front panel. He probably won't change the name, as this requires reading the Help on networking or looking at example applications. This all takes too much time. He bought the PLC to control a machine, and he's much more interested in writing ladder logic to do that. What you've got now is a PLC on a plant network that's pretty easily hacked. Our software is free and downloadable to anyone who wants it. Once the IP is determined (easy with a scanner), and if we have a default name, any clown boy connected to the network and so inclined could completely write over the existing program. How many times have you powered up the wireless your laptop and discovered a network called "linksys" that let you on with full access? So I guess my point is that Ethernet is not supposed to be super-easy. The opinion expressed here is mine only and does not necessarily reflect that of Unitronics. I'm sure others will chime in with their own. Joe T.

One of my customers is looking to record possibly long time periods that the system is turned off. This would be much easier if we had a "Day of Year" SI register, so we wouldn't have to calculate total days with a complex ladder considering the number of days in each month. Don't forget leap years. Or am I doing this wrong? Joe T.

The V570 is not listening for Modbus commands. The Modbus Scan_EX needs to be solved all the time, not just on the first scan. Put it in the following network behind a NC of SB 2. Joe T.

You won't be able to connect to it until you put a ladder program in via the serial port that initializes the Ethernet port and gives the PLC a name. You then need to know both the IP and the PLC's name to connect via Ethernet. This is done for security reasons; you don't want just anyone logging into the PLC over the network. Joe T.

Tim, there already is a standard tool for CanOpeners- Joe T.

I searched for "idiot" and it kept coming up with my profile. Joe T.