Has anybody successfully used a USB-RS232 converter with TISOFT2? I've tried 2 brands without success. TISOFT recognizes the comm port but won't successfully communicate. I've tried compatability modes, etc. I have a Dell Vostro 1510 running WinXP Pro.

Unfortunately, PC's are moving to Express Card slots instead of PCMCIA slots. So far I haven't found an Express Card RS232 adaptor, and I have a feeling if I do, it will actually be USB-RS232, not a true serial port like the older PCMCIA adaptors.

 

Hi,

This is becoming a problem trying to use DOS apps. It is normally the usb to 232 convertor that is the problem. I have had best results with a Belkin convertor. Although I have not used TiSfot for a while, I have used it with other DOS apps such Step5 and LM90 with out a problem. I think the best solution is to keep hold of a laptop that has a com port on it. After it does not have to be very powerfull.

Kevin

 

Look here:

http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/cons_wtb.jsp#seri

I use the SIIG express card. It does not mimic a USB serial port. I am not certain that it will work with TISoft. It has worked for me with most, but not all, old serial comm programs.

 

I solved a similar problem with Step5 software by running the program within a virtual machine. I used VMWARE 6, but you might try the free Virtual PC by Microsoft.

regards
Luca Gallina

 

Hi,

Vmware is best I have used this many times for DOS and Windows apps, you can download VmWare Server for free. The problem with Microsoft virtual PC is it not very good with hardware i.e. usb, com etc. in fact its not a patch on VmWare

Kevin

 

Well, I tried a StarTech EC1S950 which is supposed to be a PCI based adaptor, and it did not work. Then I tried the SIIG CyberSerial ExpressCard which is USB based. That did work! Slower than the built-in port on my old PC, but it does function.

Haven't tried the VMware as I don't have server software to support it. I might try the Microsoft one before I give up.

Thanks for the assistance.

 

Another alternative might be a RS232 Terminal Server

e.G.
http://www.perle.com/products/Terminal-Server.shtml

Thus you are independent from your PC.

 

>Another alternative might be a RS232
>Terminal Server

it *might* be indeed, but I'm afraid that some of those devices are not made for tight timing serial communication.
If even PCMCIA RS232 cards do not offer full compatibility, tunneling serial data trough Ethernet may add some more troubles:

1. simulated COM port driver might not fully compatible (does TISOFT need configurable IRQs?) at computer side.

2. reassembling the serial frame at the RS232 end (TCP/IP to RS232) might add some delay. I remember I tested (long ago) a Terminal Server trying to communicate with a Siemens S5 PLC and it did not work.

regards
Luca Gallina

 

If you want to print reports from the DOS program you can play with network printers assignments Windows commands (NET USE LPT tricks) or simple install a complete solution.

There are several utilities which allow to print from a DOS program into Windows printer: DosPrint, DOSPRN, DOS2usb, PrintFil, DosPrinter etc.

I installed DOSPRN from http://www.dosprn.com at myself. It is very simple and useful.

 

Today I have successfully used a part sold by another PLC manufacturer - HE-CPKB - Sold by HornerAPG to connect my laptop to TI over USB using Tisoft2. I had a serial port on the computer so I changed my serial port to COM 4. Next I installed the driver and changed the USB com port to COM PORT 1. So far so good. This part # has a male connector so I plugged my regular TI cable (RS232) in to the converter

 

Today I have been playing with a Belkin F5U257 USB to Serial Adaptor to get TISOFT2 to work on Windows 2000 and Windows XP

As most people are probably aware, we do have problems getting TISOFT2 to communicate on WinNT platforms anyway, but the results have been reasonably good.

I used the following (anal) approach:

1. Loaded driver from CD-ROM
2. Installed Adaptor
3. Restarted Computer

If you have an existing Serial port on the Computer you will need to rename to some unused port so the adaptor can be set to COM1. It is important to note that you may need to reset this to COM1 each time you plug your adaptor into the Computer

The other point was that I was unable to get downloads to work if I used the RS232 #2 port on the 545/1104 PLC but it worked provided I either used the RS232 #1 port or the Serial Port on our 505-CP2572 Ethernet adaptor

Is is always very difficult to re-establish serial communication with a TI505 PLC from TISOFT2 once you have communication errors. It is evident that you are far more likely to have communication errors when writing to the PLC than reading from the PLC

If I am having communication errors I tend to go to CHART-F8, BLDCHRT-F3 and put ONE ONLY unused Variable on the Screen. EXIT-F1 then CHGVAL-F2 and try and WRITE-F8 a value. This, with a bit of luck, gets it talking again

Life was easier in the 80s running TISOFT on a 286!

 

I submit that programming PLCs in general was easier before Windows. Some Windows
packages are a very modest improvement over the DOS tools, the others simply complicate and detract from the job at hand. And some simply suck under both. You know which ones
those are, but the vendor never gets it.

Regards
cww

 

Curt - I am beginning to think that you really DO know... like really
know...

You stayed out late as a kid I'm sure of it. How come you aren't a lemming like 'the others' Appreciate as always your point of view.

Did you know that there a basket full of features in all 3rd party Rockwell software that USED to exist that are still not implemented?

The innovation of Zifferer, Hollenbeck, Taylor and the like is lost in the corporate jungle...

And yep - it was ALL DOS! man those were the days!! But it looks prettier now wouldn't you agree??

Cheers from :
Jeremy Pollard, CET The Caring Canuckian!
www[.]tsuonline[.]com
Control Design www[.]controldesignmag[.]com
Manufacturing Automation www[.]automationmag[.]com
3 Red Pine Court, RR# 2 Shanty Bay, Ontario L0L 2L0
705.739.7155 (Cell # 705.725.3579)

 

DOS knows nothing about USB.

The only chance for old DOS apps to work on modern computers is to use a virtual machine. I would try to install MS-DOS and your app into a VMware virtual machine.

The VM should give you access to the USB serial port and provide an ordinary COM port to the guest OS in the VM.

 

Well, Jeremy

I've worked with automation that used paper tape and punch cards, if that's what you mean:^) There are AB, Siemens, GE, Modicon, etc. guys and "whatever the cat dragged in" guys. It seems I always get to be in that last group. And when you're supposed to support all brands and all ages on demand, you gain a certain perspective. The needs and functions and gameplay are the same for all PLCs. Some tools you can fire up cold and do what you need to do and get the machine running again. Some tools make that unbelievably difficult. Many Windows tools are simply a port of DOS tools to Windows, good or bad. In most of those cases the DOS tools were at least as good and a lot less hassle. A very few are really Windows tools and of those, only one I can think of is really well done. The rest seem not to understand what you need the program for and you spend more time putzing with the software than you do working with the PLC. The best of the DOS stuff was very mature and well crafted. You could write a program without taking your eyes off the screen or your hands off the keyboard. And it was never too "busy" like most Windows programs. You were presented with what you were working on, not a dozen little windows of crap. And the most common functions were right on the softkey bar, not 5 deep in a menu tree. And the big thing is that some tasks are simply not pointy clicky things and can't be made to be. But, those who are keyboard challenged think any bizarre combination of actions is OK as long as they don't have to type, and then they have to type anyway. But it isn't just automation tools Everything else that runs on PC got much the same in the rush to support GUIs.

Regards,
cww

 

Hey Curt .. agreed... working with a mouse is pain staking at times... but that's what we didn't grow up with.. the NKOTB have... And I have worked with punch cards as well... nice to be part of history!!

Some have ported OK and others are a nightmare... cascading menus... right click (which is great tool) but typically not context sensitive enuff...
etc

But all in allit may be better for maintenance?? Not necessarily for development.. but its all what we 'grow up' with I guess eh!!

And true enuff.. most s/w IDE's these days take some getting used to..
cheers CWW

Cheers from :
Jeremy Pollard, CET The Caring Canuckian!
www[.]tsuonline[.]com
Control Design www[.]controldesignmag[.]com
Manufacturing Automation www[.]automationmag[.]com
3 Red Pine Court, RR# 2 Shanty Bay, Ontario L0L 2L0

 

> The other point was that I was unable to get downloads to work if I used the RS232 #2 port on the 545/1104 PLC but it worked provided I either used the RS232 #1 port or the Serial Port on our 505-CP2572 Ethernet adaptor <

Port #2 carries RS232, RS422 and RS485. Only pins 2, 3 and 5 should be
connected for RS232 and pin 6 must be strapped to pin 5. See the System
Manual.

> Life was easier in the 80s running TISOFT on a 286! <

True! Windoze (starting with NT) had very bad compatibility for serial
communication. And with USB cables, it's worse.