V350 screen is dead. How to establish remote access to the plc?

[John77]

My V350 screen is dead.
How to establish remote access to the plc?

or how to access the project by my computer and Visilogic?

what cable should i use?

is there a need to configure some settings in the screen? Because it’s dead!

how to download the project from the v350 to install into the new one?

 

[Joe Tauser]

I'm assuming you somehow know the PLC is still running.

You can access the screen through the serial port using the Unitronics Utility Remote Operator.  If you have an Ethernet port on the PLC and you know the IP address you can access it that way as well.  You will need a serial cable - part number RS232-CB1.  If your computer doesn't have a serial port you will also need a USB to serial converter part number MJ10-22-CS35.

The V350 does not have an onboard USB port.

You can't upload the project from the PLC unless upload was enabled by the original programmer.  Usually it isn't.  You will need the the original .vlp file to download to a new PLC.

Joe T.

[kratmel]

Hi,

If V350 installed on OEM machine - in most case it is not possible to upload project from PLC.

Possible solution:

1) Contact with machine manufaturer for project download to new PLC or get new PLC with preinstalled project.

2) Find new PLC with the same model # and install mainboard and I/O board from old PLC to new PLC.

3) Find V350 with working screen and use only screen as replacment.

If only screen (not touch) is in bad condition - and machine program is operational - solution 2 and 3 - is reasonable.

P/S.

You do not specify V350 model #. 

You can use solutions 2 and 3 only at your own risk. You must understand that solution 1 is correct. However, if it is not possible to implement it, you must involve a specialist with appropriate qualifications to implement solution 2 or 3.

[John77]

1 hour ago, Joe Tauser said:

I'm assuming you somehow know the PLC is still running.

You can access the screen through the serial port using the Unitronics Utility Remote Operator.  If you have an Ethernet port on the PLC and you know the IP address you can access it that way as well.  You will need a serial cable - part number RS232-CB1.  If your computer doesn't have a serial port you will also need a USB to serial converter part number MJ10-22-CS35.

The V350 does not have an onboard USB port.

You can't upload the project from the PLC unless upload was enabled by the original programmer.  Usually it isn't.  You will need the the original .vlp file to download to a new PLC.

Joe T.

I have an Ethernet port in the V350-35-T38. But how can I know the PLC IP address?

The cables you mentioned are USB or Serial, while my v350 has only Ethernet port!

 

Also, how to confirm that the plc is running?

 

i have a computer with all ports, an ethernet to ethernet cable and Visilogic software, do i need something else to establish a connection?

[kratmel]

28 minutes ago, John77 said:

Also, how to confirm that the plc is running?

PLC program in memory run after power on.

For understand - program running or not without display you must test volage on  PLC power terminal +24V, 0V.

If power voltage (approx +24V) present - you must test all digital outputs  - is it some of them active.

If some output active - PLC program in RUN condition.

If not - you must send input signal (operate via some switch or sensor conected to PLC inputs) and test is it any outputs active.

 

If no signal on output - you must test PLC power current - if it is zero - some fuse or power supply IC inside PLC is broken. PLC must be repaired.

 

[Joe Tauser]

1 hour ago, John77 said:

I have an Ethernet port in the V350-35-T38. But how can I know the PLC IP address?

Take a close look at that port.  The V350 has an RJ45 port on it labelled "Expansion Port".  It's not an Ethernet port.  The Ethernet port is an optional expansion port which will be on the side.

1 hour ago, John77 said:

The cables you mentioned are USB or Serial, while my v350 has only Ethernet port!

The serial port is the RJ12 port on the side and it is an RS232 port.  The RS232-CB1 physically converts the RJ12 to a DB9 connector.

Joe T.

[John77]

3 hours ago, Joe Tauser said:

The serial port is the RJ12 port on the side and it is an RS232 port.  The RS232-CB1 physically converts the RJ12 to a DB9 connector.

Do you mean i need like this cable?

If yes, please tell me how can I know the PLC IP address?

if no, please share a picture of the cables that i can use with v350-35-T38

 

I’m so appreciative for your support. All of you in this conversation.

[kratmel]

Please read

 

[Joe Tauser]

Your picture shows a cable that should work, but I don't know for sure.  You don't need to know the IP address for serial communication.

Have a look at this topic.  It shows the official Unitronics parts and what to do to set up serial communication.

https://support.unitronics.com/index.php?/selfhelp/view-article/communicating-using-rs232-cable-using-visilogic-software

Joe T.

[John77]

On 2/18/2024 at 8:03 AM, Joe Tauser said:

Your picture shows a cable that should work, but I don't know for sure.  You don't need to know the IP address for serial communication.

Have a look at this topic.  It shows the official Unitronics parts and what to do to set up serial communication.

https://support.unitronics.com/index.php?/selfhelp/view-article/communicating-using-rs232-cable-using-visilogic-software

Joe T.

I got the cable and i used it with a keyspan adapter, I checked the device manager for port number and found it 1, so i select port number 1 in the visilogic and 115200 as baud rate, but when i click on “get OPLC information” i -sometimes- get the information and sometimes I don't, 206 error appears. 
 

it seems like the connection is not secure, i get it for one second and then i lose it!

 

please guide me to get a secure connection, i read something about “ignore break” box should be selected but I couldn’t find this box.

 

also, should I suspect that my plc is not running or the project is corrupted?

 

you will find in one pic that i was trying to update the plc but because i lost the connection the update didn’t finish.

 

if i had a secure connection and i finished the update successfully, maybe my PLC and HMI will work again?

please see attachments for more information 

 

 

I really appreciate your guidance 

[kratmel]

5 hours ago, John77 said:

you will find in one pic that i was trying to update the plc but because i lost the connection the update didn’t finish.

After looking at your first photo, I can say that your controller is damaged. It is unlikely that you will be able to restore it to working condition.

I posted a photo similar to your first one on the forum. In my case, there was a problem with the flash memory - the controller did not start and I failed to flash the operating system in it. There was no image on the screen either.

But for checking, you should take a computer with a RS232 hardware port and use the RS232 to RJ11 cable wiring recommended by the manufacturer.

[John77]

3 hours ago, kratmel said:

But for checking, you should take a computer with a RS232 hardware port and use the RS232 to RJ11 cable wiring recommended by the manufacturer.

You mean finding a computer that allows me to connect the cable directly without an adapter?

 

and what if I managed to complete the update, would my plc work again?

[Ausman]

16 minutes ago, John77 said:

You mean finding a computer that allows me to connect the cable directly without an adapter?

Yes, many on the forum have (cheap) older laptops specifically for this reason.

Also, I found this on the Keyspan site:

  What chipset does the USA-19HS use?

The USA-19HS uses a Texas Instruments/TI chipset.

This might be the issue.  You need to use a Prolific based converter.  I don't know if the TI chip works or not.

If you can use a PC with a native com port, if it doesn't work using W10, try to use it with W7 if possible.  W10 on my systems upset some serial stuff a while back.

cheers, Aus

[John77]

2 hours ago, Ausman said:

Yes, many on the forum have (cheap) older laptops specifically for this reason.

Also, I found this on the Keyspan site:

  What chipset does the USA-19HS use?

The USA-19HS uses a Texas Instruments/TI chipset.

This might be the issue.  You need to use a Prolific based converter.  I don't know if the TI chip works or not.

If you can use a PC with a native com port, if it doesn't work using W10, try to use it with W7 if possible.  W10 on my systems upset some serial stuff a while back.

cheers, Aus

So we can conclude that my problem is with adapter, not with the plc being damaged? 
 

if i get a PC with a native com port i should get a secure connection?

 

isn't there any other settings that need changing to get the connection secured?

 

what about “ignore break”, where can i find this setting?

[John_R]

I think that establishing solid communication is only one part of the puzzle.

Completing the update is another puzzle piece.

And then you will find out whether or not you actually have a valid application to run.

[John77]

6 hours ago, John_R said:

I think that establishing solid communication is only one part of the puzzle.

Completing the update is another puzzle piece.

And then you will find out whether or not you actually have a valid application to run.

You’re right John. Now I managed to secure my connection by using prolific adapter but still the upgrade keeps stopping in step 2.

 

I’m not sure if i have to do something on the screen itself to start the upgrade because my screen is black.

 

 

I noticed the versions of binary library, PLC boot and factory boot are 0!

What does that mean?

 

please see the attached pics to help me.

 

I don’t need the project file, i just need the plc and hmi to start as new and then i will find a way to upload the project file from another-same plc.

[kratmel]

18 minutes ago, John77 said:

What does that mean?

I think that part of flash memory is damaged or some chip on board is faulty.

Please read this topic, you can see the same problems with my PLC.

In your experiment i recommend to try 9.8.65 Visilogic version. 

My PLC only allowed flashing after cooling the chips with a special freezing spray. After that, the current version of the firmware appeared on the version identification screen instead of incorrect characters.

I managed to localize the problem and solve it - read in the thread, but this was my own research on a faulty PLC.

However, in your case it is difficult to say that the problem can be solved by updating the firmware.

 

[John77]

1 hour ago, kratmel said:

In your experiment i recommend to try 9.8.65 Visilogic version. 

I did this but still no success.

would you or anyone here please remote access to my pc via teamviewer?

 

either way, i really appreciate your help, all of you.

[Ausman]

No to a teamviewer session for me.

Some last things to try but I think you're in trouble.

1). Did you do the connection with W10 or W7?  In my W10 "upset" I could not write the boot files which previously I could.  W7 worked.  There are parts of the transfer that are done in a special way, which is why the prolific chip is needed along with other PC bits working as planned.  Somehow a W10 update on my PC corrupted this.  (I could not find the reason with quick looking and haven't had time to fully explore)

2).  Remove the battery, wait a minute and replace with definite new.

3). Force your comms to run at a slower speed, by setting both the PLC and PC rates to 9600.  The PC end is done by using device manager and selecting the port and then Port Settings.  And while you're there, check that the other settings are 8, None, 1, None.  Then in Visilogic set the same speed in the Communication window that you already know.  After doing all this, try again.

cheers, Aus

[John77]

2 hours ago, Ausman said:

No to a teamviewer session for me.

Some last things to try but I think you're in trouble.

1). Did you do the connection with W10 or W7?  In my W10 "upset" I could not write the boot files which previously I could.  W7 worked.  There are parts of the transfer that are done in a special way, which is why the prolific chip is needed along with other PC bits working as planned.  Somehow a W10 update on my PC corrupted this.  (I could not find the reason with quick looking and haven't had time to fully explore)

2).  Remove the battery, wait a minute and replace with definite new.

3). Force your comms to run at a slower speed, by setting both the PLC and PC rates to 9600.  The PC end is done by using device manager and selecting the port and then Port Settings.  And while you're there, check that the other settings are 8, None, 1, None.  Then in Visilogic set the same speed in the Communication window that you already know.  After doing all this, try again.

cheers, Aus

I have windows XP, i will try it.

 

i tested the battery found it 2.7V

 

why does this error appear when trying to update the OS?

 

and when it asks me to manually power off and on the plc, what should i do? Because i tried to power it off and on but the boot upgrade won’t finish, and tried to leave it as is but no success!

 

The PLC started beeping during my work on it and then the beeping was gone, this gave me a little hope.

[Ausman]

Others who know 350s might know the answer to your final observations/questions.

Perhaps you are doing something wrong with the sequence of things.  But it still could be a faulty unit.

I think official support should be involved and can do a remote session for you, submit a ticket. 

https://support.unitronics.com/index.php?/ticket/submit-ticket

And an aside......Another forum member contacted me directly and politely pointed out they never have trouble with OS updates regardless of what methods are used etc.  I can only relate my experiences of occasional issues and solutions I've found that worked for me.  Note that I only use 130s which can only be updated via serial.

cheers, Aus

[John77]

2 hours ago, Ausman said:

Others who know 350s might know the answer to your final observations/questions.

Perhaps you are doing something wrong with the sequence of things.  But it still could be a faulty unit.

I think official support should be involved and can do a remote session for you, submit a ticket. 

https://support.unitronics.com/index.php?/ticket/submit-ticket

And an aside......Another forum member contacted me directly and politely pointed out they never have trouble with OS updates regardless of what methods are used etc.  I can only relate my experiences of occasional issues and solutions I've found that worked for me.  Note that I only use 130s which can only be updated via serial.

cheers, Aus

I noticed that the cable I’m using it’s a 3-wire cable not 4-wire cable as the manual suggested!

so the one i have has only 3 wires inside the cable while the manual shows a cable that has 6 wires (2 of them are optional), maybe thats why I’m having trouble making updates/transfers?

[kratmel]

1 hour ago, John77 said:

I noticed that the cable I’m using it’s a 3-wire cable not 4-wire cable as the manual suggested!

If you can read something (identification from PLC) via Visilogic - then RX, TX, and GND used in your cable is OK.

You can make custom 6 wire cable and try. But i think that something wrong with PLC board or memory. 

[Ausman]

On 2/18/2024 at 5:49 AM, Joe Tauser said:

You will need a serial cable - part number RS232-CB1

From Joe earlier on in this topic.  I thought this was in use......

[John_R]

On 2/17/2024 at 12:49 PM, Joe Tauser said:

You will need a serial cable - part number RS232-CB1.

These cables are included with the PLC when you buy a new one (not some $100 cable you have to buy separately like some other manufactures).

And any Unitronics supplier is likely to have some on hand.

I have a half dozen new in package, would be happy to send you one for the cost of shipping,

PM me if you are interested.

JohnR