MKIV - Laptop interface

Can anyone tell me if there is any possibility to connect the laptop or PC to MKIV panel and capture/Monitor the data on it.

Any help on this matter will be of great help to us.

ARCNET/CSF

I think you want to use the PC as HMI to Mark IV panel. GE provides that interface using CSF (Control System Freeway, I think).

But the originator asked about Mark IV, and while there was a serial version of CSF, not every Mark IV had the option. Contemporary Controls made a PCMCIA ARCnet card for a while, but as I recall it was discontinued because of lead components. They had (have?) a USB ARCnet "converter". And, even if one had a PCMCIA or USB ARCnet card one would still have to have a driver to be able to communicate with the Mark IV using the ARCnet card links, and that would still require the panel to have the <D> remote interface option or the hardware necessary to drive a <D>.

The only way I'm aware of for communicating with and obtaining data from a Mark IV using a laptop is CSE Engineering's ITC HMI--and that would only be possible if the Mark IV had the hardware for a <D> remote operator interface. Or if one had a docking station which could accommodate a PCI ARCnet card *and* a driver to enable the ARCnet link and communicate with the Mark IV, and the Mark IV had the hardware for a <D> option it would be possible.

But if you have more information about being able to communicate with a Mark IV using ARCnet CSF or serial CSF without a driver we would all be interested to know how to implement such a communication link.

Thanks all for the replies.

It looks as if there is a possibility to link the MKIV panel with the Laptop using ARCNET and CSF.

Apart from the above is there any possibility to connect the printer output from the HCMC card in the <C> communicator core to the serial port of the Laptop? Or by connecting the CRT output from the <C> core to the display input of the laptop.

Seeking replies from everyone possible in the control room.

Thanks and regards,

Dhinesh

There are two possibilities for the majority of Mark IVs:

1) Connect a laptop to Mark IV's DataDump output (serial output); see the 19 sheets of the Mark IV Speedtronic elementary for details of how the output was programmed (it's not field-modifiable); most Mark IVs have this output capability but many were not used; there should be some details on in the Mark IV Maintenance Manual about DataDump

2) Connect the serial port of a laptop to the Mark IVs printer output (which means you will have no printer) and configure Data List 12 to print as quickly as it can; there is a limit to the number of data points which can be added to Data List 12, and there is a limit to the rate at which it can output data

If the Mark IV has a <D> remote operator interface, GE offers their CIMPLICITY-based HMI (I think they still offer it, anyway).

Also, if a Mark IV has a <D> remote operator interface, then CSE Engineering, Inc., can connect one of their ITC HMIs which offer a lot of data-gathering possibilities.

But, short of replacing the Mark IV turbine control system, there are not many possibilities.

The USVI Water & Power authority has been utilizing Global Control's <GCI> to talk with MkIVs over the CSF link for the past several years. This could be another option if your MkIVs have the CSF Maui module currently installed.