Control.com - Nerds in Control

Hello everyone,

I'm a small hydroelectric developer, and in charge of our automation. This is just one part of my job, and I'm certainly not an expert, just trying to stumble my way through this. We have used A-B SLC 5/03 for many years to control our generators, turbines, etc. We have been using RSLogix to program them, and then as a crude HMI. I want to add a real HMI using RSView, but I am having trouble establishing communication between the SLC and RSView.

What I'm using:
A-B SLC 5/03 OS302
RSLogix 500 6.00.00
RSLinx Classic Single-Node 2.50.00
RSView Works 6.30.17
Windows XP Pro, SP2

The SLC shows up fine in the RS-Who window of Linx. It says the device is AB DF1-1, and the rest I auto-configured successfully. RSLogix is working fine with Linx and the SLC. I can upload programs and go online and watch the ladder logic work. I can provide more detail, but I'm not sure what will be useful. My point here is that Linx seems to be properly configured for my hardware.

Now for my problem with RSView:

I started a new Project in RSView. In the "System/Channel" box I set up Channel 1 for DH-485 network type, AB DF1-1 Primary Communication Driver. Then, in the "Node" box, I selected this same Channel 1, and selected the SLC as the Station. Inside RSView, my PLC does properly show up here when I browse for it. I set the Type as SLC 5.

Next I set up a Tag in the Tag Database box. I gave it a name, set it to Digital, Data Source is "Device", selected my SLC, Scan class A, and then for address I entered "O:3/0" which is a valid address on the SLC as it is configured. I just want to do something simple to start, like turn an output on/off using RSView and the PC.

I put this tag into the tag monitor. It is recognized, it turns green and in the left-most "?" column I get a "Y". But in the State column I get "error".

Then, when I try to run the project, at the bottom of the screen I get an error message: Channel 1 ERROR - '(01) The communication driver has not been configured.'

I'm sure this is rich in meaning for people who do this every day, but I'm stumped. As far as I can tell, I've been through all the driver configuration steps and have tried lots and lots of combinations. The Rockwell help files have been no help either. So hopefully this is something simple and you all can point me the right way.

Thanks,
Kevin Edwards

<bump>

No kidding, I'm stumped. Can anyone help?

Kevin

Try setting it up as OPC instead. I have not had a lot of luck with the direct drivers.

Thanks everyone. I was able to establish communications using OPC, over my existing RS232 connection. And I was using the wrong address format as well. I figured it was something simple - I just didn't know where to start. Thanks for helping me get over the hump!

A SLC-503 has two communication channels. Channel 0 utilizes RS-232 and the DF1/ASCII protocol for programming/device access. Channel 1 is DH485 and is a token-passing protocol scheme running on top of RS-485.

For your specific application you are specifying a DH485 connection and as such you need to create a 1747-PIC communication channel and purchase or obtain a 1747-PIC device (SLC500 RS-232 to RS-485 Converter). This also implies that you need to setup a 1747-PIC/AIC+ communications driver in RSLinx. The requirement for setting up this driver is access to a spare or unused serial port (COM1, COM2 .. etc).

After creating and configuring the 1747-PIC/AIC+ RSLinx will create a communication channel called AB_PIC-1. In RSView when you are configuring channel communication for DH485 you will specify the AB_PIC-1 as the primary communications driver instead of the AB_DF1-1 channel you created for programming access. For additional information check the Allen-Bradley knowledge base web site and look up SLC-503 and 1747-PIC.

Kevin,
Sorry, it's been too many years since I've used RSView. As I recall getting the connection in RSLinx is the significant part. As a reality check try a simpler operation like putting a label on the screen and setting its value to the tag before trying to write to it - although that shouldn't be simpler than seeing the value in the tag monitor.

I'll first state the obvious and suggest that you contact Rockwell tech support. Next I would suggest that you try posting your question to the forums on mrplc and plctalk. Don't leave control - this is a great forum, but that sort of question would be better and more promptly answered there.

----
Nathan Boeger
http://demo.inductiveautomation.com/
Total SCADA Freedom

I'm not an expert on RSView, but it looks like a conflict between Linx set up as DF1, and RSView set up for DH-485. The protocols DF1 and DH-485 are different.

Kevin,
Does the Panelview appear in RSLinx? If not, maybe it's communication settings don't match. I'm assuming it does show up.

What you put in the address box has to be in the following form:

::[yourplcnamehere]O:3.0/0

Try that and see if it works.

-dan-

Kevin:

A couple of questions:
1. Did you select SLC5, or SLC5 (enhanced) in the node table type? (Should be the latter)

2. Did you put the address in the database as shown? (Should be O:3.0/0 to work properly)

I don't know if this helps, but worth a try.

Jerry

Hi all.

Just thought I would comment on the functionality that the DataLink DL3500-DH-485/DF1 may add to this application. Check out http://www.datalinkgateways.com/products_dl3500dh485DF1.htm or http://www.protocolconverter.com

Thanks,
Morgan