We need to upgrade our existing CPU for the ABB Advant Station AS500 Operator Station CPU which is HP-4090A. We need to speed up our system, is there any CPU that could retrofit to our existing CPU? We need these very badly.
Does your Advant station is controlling an AC450/ AC410 controller via MB300? If that so you can upgrade the stations to OperateIT Process Portal A with AC450 connect extension. Just contact your local ABB rep office for some information about the OperateIT product, it is in the new product range called IndustrialIT.
I am currently discussing this with ABB at the moment. However it looks like the licensing might be an issue. If ABB get back to me I will give you the information as well.
You have until the 31st of October 2005 to upgrade your hardware to the B2600 HP-UX computers. After that ABB won't sell them to you. Also the cost of this upgrade is high because you need a newer version of the Advant software to run on the B2600 hardware. Difficult choices!
We are a company that specializes in upgrading abb advant systems. We have immediate availability on B2000 towers and B2600 desktops. Both use the same cpu chip and run advant v1.8.6 on unix 10.20.
You need to get a software upgrade which ABB should honor with no problem no matter where you get your machines. B2600 from abb is 30,000 each!!! Our machines are identical same machine and are 5000 each. Fully checked out.
Furthermore your old mylar keybd is hil and the new stations are usb. Also the DAT tape reader is narrow scsi while the new machines are USB. I am sure ABB will not explain that to you. There is no reason why you can not keep your advant well into the future. Write me for details.
I am EXTREMELY interested in knowing more about upgrading operator stations. With the recent deadline for support of the Advant system being October last year I think a number of people are going to be very interested in knowing more about your upgrade systems.
The Advant license is paper only plus a new cd of V 1.8.6 (at this time) This software is NOT keyed to run. Licensing is only for a copy of the cd and the registration with ABb that you are a user of this software.
A large portion of Process Portal A ( which means that it was designed by engineers from the Taylor Mod300 time period and the Bailey Wickliffe for Infi90 engineering team, is phasing out. The Rochester NY section is closing down at the end of this year.
The focus of ABB is strongly focused on process portal B (from sweden). It is engineering intensive, several cpus in a domain on a web server. Support is very limited for this product due to staff reductions in 2004. Be careful.
The B2600 workstation is the desktop model, while the B2000 is the tower model. Both perform equally as well. ABB is charging very high prices for the B2600 and have a limited supply that was purchased as a last time buy form HP last year.
Our company has access to B2000s and B2600s at reasonable prices, fully integrated and tested. DAT tape conversion cables also available as well as mylar keyboard upgrades.
If you are using B132, B180, C110, Hp 4000 series, or any older Advant workstation, now is the time to upgrade. You need an ABB upgrade package to 1.8.6 to run these machines.
I do not recommend an upgrade to Process Portal A at this time. It is a very fragile product and difficult to engineer and use. ABB has very limited support for this product at this tiime and all calls for help go thru wickliffe and forwarded to Sweden. There are only 5 men in wickliffe that work with this product. Upgrade your workstations and protect your investment.
Bob,
You have this backward. Process Portal B was originally Bailey Control's web-PC based operator interface - Maestro. When ABB bought Bailey, they planned on further developing this as the standard ABB OS and called it Process Portal. Serious development issues forced ABB to drop this product and ABB Sweden developed the Alfa Laval (Aspects) base instead. This became Process Portal A and the Bailey version became Process Portal B. The Taylor/MOD300 group in Rochester initially developed on teh Process Portal B platform, but after Sweden made it clear that the "B" version would be limited and not have a migration path to 800xA, the Rochester folks switched fully to Process Portal A. Process Portal A is the only OS product that ABB will continue to support and supports ABB's main control systems (Bailey, Master, MOD300, Advant, 800xA).
Enough of the history lesson.
The other question that needs to be asked is which version of Advant, Master or MOD. There are nuances to each that affect hardware choices (for instance, Advant/MOD has no problems working with B2600 workstations and older DAT drives, but do not work with USB DAT drives).
Chris,
ABB's internal policy is not to support the "Classic" versions of software. The policy is to upgrade to 800xA I have also seen problems with getting updates to older version software. There are many options, however, that will help you maintain your older system. Bob offerred one solution. You can get more by emailing me at [email protected].
Chris,
If you need help with ABB, email me. I do not have the limitations of having to stay within an industry group or sales region.
What version of Advant do you have? MOD, Master?
ABB has stopped supporting the B2600s because HP has stopped making them. There are still an abundance of them on the market though, both new and used. Software versions can be a problem, but there are different hardware solutions within different software versions. For instance, C-class workstations work where older B-class stations do.
Sites like ClassicAutomation.com can supply Advant workstations that are loaded and tested with you software. ABB logistics will also do that (at ABB pricing).
The ABB office in Rochester NY is not being phased out or closed, it is being moved and integrated with the Wickliffe, OH office. The Support and R&D groups are moving soon. This means support for MOD will not be effected at all.
The Bailey Infi-90 is also not being phased out anytime soon. There are documents available at http://www.ABB.com that explains all this.
And when these products are phased out, upgrade paths are available and fully documented.
Better look again. One person is moving from Rochester to Wickliffe. All the rest are not.
Four men have left technical support recently.
Why don't you make a call to them and simply ask them if at this date, do they have a fully functional test system for process portal up and running in their lab? If the answer is not YES, ask them why?
The next step up from the A4090A and still staying within the same HP B class platform is a B160L, then comes the B180L. The fastest in that platform is a 180Mhz box. We have some and can custom build one. Feel free to contact me at Jesse(at)cypress-tech.com
It has just been learned that Advant users of the MASTER system runing version 1.8.x can now upgrade to the latest version of 1.8.6 for approximately $ 795.00 per license.
This opens the door for those who wish to keep their Advants running for many more years.
It paves the way to upgrade to some of the fastest Unix stations for Advant available today.
The PPA product comes on at leat 4 dvds with a 400 page installation manual and takes about 3-4 days just to load software. Graphics must be migrated from your advant machine and very expensive. Field engineers do not know this product.
Now upgrade your unix stations, move your PCI style rta card into it, upgrade your software, plug it in and turn it on and control.
You are done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is your choice how to upgrade one operator station. IT can be PPA for over $ 100,000. or it can be us for about $30,000.00 complete.
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