In my final post about Automation Fair 2013, I’ll include pictures of other products and booths which caught my eye at this years event.
Ethernet/IP had a big presence at this years show, as in previous years. But the EIP booth that caught my eye (shown below) touted the breath and depth of Ethernet/IP’s adoption by industry.
Molex had a large booth close to the entrance of the Fair, and they were showing off an impressive number of communications modules:
PlantPAx has been gaining momentum of late, and I thought they had a well made booth:
Micro850 on DeviceNet? According to the Rockwell representative, its as easy as 1-2-3 with no RSNetworx or mapping required.
It looks like a Micro830, but don’t be fooled. This isn’t a new Safety PLC, but rather a new Programmable Safety Relay:
Well, that’s it for my Automation Fair 2013 coverage. If you have any question on the above products, or on Automation Fair itself, please click on the “post a comment or question” link below, or contact me directly using the “contact” link in the site’s top menu.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
At this year’s Automation Fair, Prosoft showed a new product that allows Ethernet communications to be transmitted over “blue hose,” or more specifically, “Belden 9463.”
The targeted market for this product is legacy migrations of PLC-5 and SLC-500 systems. These older systems often relied on Data Highway Plus (DH+) for peer to peer communications, and RIO for remote I/O communications.
DH+ and RIO both use Belden 9463, a shielded twisted pair cable that allowed for networks up to 10,000 cable feet. And Belden 9463, with it’s blue outer jacket, is affectionately known in plants around the world as “blue hose.”
The Prosoft system (pictured below) relies on two main components: a master device and at least one slave device. Additional slave devices can be added as needed up to 32 devices. However, each device must be within 1500 cable feet of the previous one. This means a network of 10,000 feet would require a minimum of one master and six slaves.
Each device contains three Ethernet ports for use with remote Ethernet devices. In testing, Prosoft found they could easily accommodate remote Ethernet/IP I/O with an RPI as low as 3ms. For most applications that update rate will be more than adequate.
The Prosoft Ethernet over Blue Hose system, consisting of at lease one MCE-BHM-AC and one MCE-BHS-AC, should be available early next year. The target price for one master and one slave is just under $3,000.
If you have any questions or comments please click on the “post a comment or question” link below,
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
The soon to be released Micro820 on display at Automation Fair 2013:
The Micro820 is the newest entry in Rockwell’s Micro800 family. The unit is outfitted with two communication ports. The first is Serial communications accessible via a terminal block connection. The second is a standard Ethernet port. Unlike the Micro830 and Micro850, this unit does not have a built-in USB port.
Note: You can listen to our companion podcast about the Micro820 HERE.
The 820 also has a built-in real time clock (RTC) and accepts Micro-SD cards for program back-up and datalogging. But, because of the Micro-SD card support we are told this unit does not support the plug memory module used on the 830 and 850. Also unlike the Micro830 and 850, this unit does not support Micro Motion control. Specifically, we were told it does not support PWM outputs, and only supports low speed PTO outputs.
In the below picture to the right of the Micro820 you’ll see a new four line text display being release for use with the 820. This unit connects to the Micro via serial, and displays four lines of text. This unit is more “Text display” than HMI as the text is transmitted to the display via ASCII commands. The unit also sports a handful of function keys, a four color backlight, and a USB port for programming the Micro820.
Coming out with the Micro820 is the latest version of Connected Components Workbench, CCW 6.0. This new version includes support for the new Micro as well as two new features that have been highly requested.
First, CCW 6.0 will have the ability to change the processor type of a Micro program. In the past, if you had written a program for a Micro830 and wanted to use it in a Micro850, your only option was to copy and paste the code from one project to another. But with CCW 6.0 we were told this is now a simple selection in the software.
The second highly requested feature is the ability to upload and download to the PanelView Component from CCW. Previously, the PVc project would have to be exported from CCW and then transferred using the PVc’s dashboard. However, we were told CCW 6.0 now includes an upload / download utility to automate this process.
Well, that’s all the information I was able to get about the new Micro820. At the time of Automation Fair Rockwell hadn’t yet released prices on these items, but we should see them announced before they end of the year.
If you have any comments or questions about this post please feel free to use the below “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
The Automation Podcast, Episode 1, is the first episode of The Automation Podcast and introduces the host, Shawn Tierney as well as the “Insights In Automation” family of websites.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Mid-morning of the first day of Automation Fair 2013, I had the fortune of participating in a show floor meeting with Dexter Long, the CompactLogix product manager for Rockwell Automation. The meeting was to discuss the newly announced (and long desired) 1769-AENTR. As the part number implies, this is an Ethernet/IP adapter for the 1769 line of I/O modules.
Note: You can listen to our companion podcast about the 1769-AENTR HERE.
On the front of the unit you can see the reason for the trailing “R” in the part number: dual Ethernet/IP ports. These ports make up a two port Device Level Ring (DLR) switch sharing a single IP address. Also on the front of the unit you’ll notice three rotary switches for setting the IP address manually, similar to other A-B Ethernet devices.
According to Dexter, the unit supports all A-B 1769 I/O modules. He also mentioned that Rockwell has also successfully tested several encompass partner 1769 products as well.
Unlike the unfortunate launch of the 1747-AENTR, this unit is being launched with support for the largest 1769 I/O systems: thirty I/O modules across three I/O banks. The unit also comes with an Add-On profile with support for version 20 and 21 of RSLogix 5000.
One important note that came out of our meeting is that the 1769-AENTR does not support rack optimized I/O. This seems to imply that each module will require it’s own connection. This is not an issue for the connection rich 5370 multi-core CompactLogix processors (L1xER, L2xER, L3xER.) But, owners of the older connection limited processors (L23E, L32E, L35E) need to take note: with their limited connection count you could easily run out of connections with even a medium sized 1769-AENTR system.
The 1769-AENTR is expected to ship this January (2014) and come at a list price of $980. While more expensive that a similar Point I/O adapter (the 1734-AENTR) it is less than the aforementioned 1747-AENTR, and substantially less than purchasing a 1769 Ethernet/IP Processor.
Well that’s it for my impressions of the 1769-AENTR. at Automation Fair 2013. Check back in he coming days for more impressions of products from this years show. In the mean time, if you have any comments or questions please feel free to use the “post a comment or question” comment section at the bottom of this page.
Update: You can hear Shawn’s thoughts on the 1769-AENTR in Episode 2 of “The Automation Podcast” HERE
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Day one of Automation Fair 2013 was full of impromptu meetings with old acquaintances, and learning details of new and soon to be released automation products.
NOTE: Information about the 1769-AENTR has been moved to this post here.
Day One begins:
As we walked into the convention center we encountered a huge line of show attendee’s waiting to pick up their Automation Fair show badges. However, our “Horizon Solutions” group of 140 attendees had all received our badges the night before due to the expertise of Horizon’s marketing department. So thankfully we were able bypass the long registration and badge pickup line and proceed directly to the show floor (thanks Chuck and Emily!)
Note: In the picture on the right you can see the registration and badge pick-up area later in the day after the initial opening crowd had passed through.
Hands-on Lab Registration:
An improvement over years past, modern Automation Fair lab registration can be done online prior to the actual event. To do so is a three step process of registering for the show, choosing hands-on labs, and later confirming your choices.
But for those who miss the early bird sign-ups prior to Automation Fair, onsite registration is also available. When the show doors open between 6:30 and 7am, computer kiosks are made available for attendees to register for any openings in the hands-on sessions. Seats in these sessions are first come first serve, so the earlier you arrive the more likely you’ll get an open spot.
Below you can see my snapshots of this years Hands-on Registration area. From left to right: Registration instructions, large display showing current class availability, and registration kiosk / laptop:
Lunch
Lunch at Automation Fair always amazes me. This year I watched for nearly an hour as hundreds of people poured into the gigantic lunch area to eat. The efficiency of the whole operation is really quite good, as is the food served.
Below you can see a panoramic of the lunch room I took well after the lunch crowd had dissipated:
Show Floor
This years show floor seemed larger than last year. Not everyone thought so, but I wasn’t alone in this observation. All the major vendors were present, along with dozens of minor ones.
Below is a panoramic I took on the floor during the after lunch slowdown as many where attending the afternoon hands-on labs and technical sessions:
Well that’s it for my Automation Day One update. Tune in over the coming days for more of my pictures and reflections on Automation Fair 2013.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Rockwell’s Automation Fair 2013 is almost upon us, and I was one of the lucky few at my company chosen to attend this year’s event.
With that in mind, I wanted to ask YOU our loyal readers if there are any questions you’d like me to ask, or products you’d like me to look into, while I’m at the show this week?
Or perhaps you would like me to grab some pictures of particular products, booths, or people while I’m at the show?
Well, if you have either questions or picture requests please click on the “post a comment or question” link below to submit them to me, and I promise to do my best to get to all your requests while I’m at this week’s event in Houston!
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Yesterday in this article I described how to download and install FactoryTalk ViewPoint.
Today I’ll walk you through how to use FactoryTalk ViewPoint to publish content for a FTView Machine Edition application destined to run on a PanelView Plus.
NOTE: ViewPoint supports running on the PanelView Plus and ViewSE, but does not support ViewME station runtimes on a PC. For more detailed information on ViewPoint see this post from last week.
Publishing ViewPoint content to run on a PanelView Plus.
When you’ve finished your ViewStudio for Machine Edition project and wish to enable ViewPoint support, the first thing you’ll need to do is install the ViewPoint Administration Tool which we covered in yesterday’s article here.
Once installed, you’ll find a new option under the “Application” menu. Select it to start the ViewPoint Administration Tool:
After selecting it you will see the ViewPoint splash screen…
…followed by the FactoryTalk ViewPoint Administration Tool Wizard, as seen below:
To successfully publish your content to ViewPoint, you’ll start here on the default page by selecting which screens you wish to be published. You’ll also need to select an initial display which will be the first display users see when they log in to ViewPoint from their browser.
Once you’ve made those selections, select the “publish displays” button in the bottom right corner.
Once all the selected displays have been published, click on the “security settings” option in the top red menu bar.
This reveals two new security tabs as shown in the following two screenshots:
NOTE: I recommend “view only” access (i.e. no control) in most situations as it would typically be improper to control a manufacturing system remotely.
Once you’ve setup the security to your system’s requirements, you’ll need to press the “save” button on the bottom right.
Now you’re finished with the ViewPoint setup and can close the ViewPoint Administration Tool Wizard.
Creating a PanelView Plus runtime with ViewPoint content
To transfer our newly published ViewPoint displays and security settings to our PanelView Plus we need to create a new Runtime File.
First, select “Application” and “Create Runtime” from the ViewStudio menu as you would normally do:
Next, at the very bottom of the “Create Runtime Application” pop-up window insure you have the “include ViewPoint content” checkbox checked, and that the version selected matches the version installed on your PanelView Plus:
Once the runtime file is created, download it like any other runtime file. Note: it may take longer to download as in now includes the additional ViewPoint content.
When the project runs on the PanelView Plus you should be able to connect to it using your PC’s web browser. When you do you should see the default display of your running project as in the example below:
I hope this post about how to use the ViewPoint Administration Tool to publish ViewPoint content to a PanelView Plus was helpful. If you have any comments or questions please don’t hesitate to click on the “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
In a blog post last week I described ViewPoint as a software package which adds webserver capabilities to the PanelView Plus and FactoryTalk View Site Edition (aka Supervisory Edition.)
However, before you can publish your FactoryTalk View Studio graphic displays using ViewPoint, you’ll need to download and install it first. In today’s article I’ll show you where to get ViewPoint, and how to install it.
Downloading the ViewPoint Administration Tool.
To start, we need to download a copy of the FactoryTalk ViewPoint Administration Tool. To do this we start by visiting this Rockwell website:
Once there, you’ll need to enter the serial number of your FactoryTalk View Studio development software, as well as your company name:
Once your company name and serial number is accepted, you’ll be brought to the software download page. Type “ViewPoint” into the search box and press enter:
You’ll now see ViewPoint show up in the list below the search box (as seen below.) Select it, and then press the red “Download Now” button:
Accept the license agreement to continue:
If you’ve downloaded software from Rockwell before, you’ll already have their download manager installed. If that’s the case, you’ll be taken directly to downloading the software as pictured below:
However, if you don’t have Rockwell’s downloader software installed, you’ll be prompted to walk through downloading and installing it before you can download ViewPoint.
Installing the ViewPoint Administration Tool.
Once the ViewPoint Installer is downloaded, you’ll need to drill down through the folders until you find the ViewPoint “setup” program shown below:
Now double click on the “setup” program to launch the installation wizard.
This wizard is fairly straight forward and depending on your version of ViewStudio you’ll either have the option to install ViewPoint for ViewME, or ViewPoint for both ViewME and ViewSE (as seen below:)
Additional installation notes:
– If Windows IIS is required but not installed, you’ll be prompted to install it and a link will be provided to do so (this is a handy link – thanks RA!)
– If you’ve downloaded a version of ViewPoint which is incompatible with the version of ViewStudio you have installed, you won’t be able to proceed with the installation and there will be a note pointing out the version incompatibility.
Well I hope the above explanation of how to download and install ViewPoint is helpful. Now that we have ViewPoint installed, for the next blog I plan to walk you through publishing your ViewME project using this software. Until then, if you have a comment or question please don’t hesitate to click on the “post a comment or question” link below to post them.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Back on August 20th I blogged here about if it was possible to save a FactoryTalk ViewStudio Machine Edition version 7.0 project as a previous version. I found that while you could open a v7 project in v6.1 by saving the project as a v6.1 MER, you could not open any older MER’s in older versions of ViewStudio.
So in today’s blog we’ll investigate whether we can save a FactoryTalk ViewStudio Machine Edition version 6.0 project as a previous version.
Creating and saving a FactoryTalk ViewStudio 6.0 Project
The first step is to create a simple v6.0 ViewStudio ME project. For this test I created a single screen with numeric displays, as well as an RSLinx Enterprise shortcut to a PLC as shown below:
Next, I created three runtimes for my test as seen below:
For the last step in ViewStudio 6.0, I created a v6.0 APA file to test as well (not shown)
Attempting to open the v6 project in v5.1
With all my file creation duties in ViewStudio 6.0 complete, I shut down that VMware image and started my ViewStudio 5.1 image.
Once running, I first attempted to restore the v6.0 APA file on the 5.1 system and was greeted with the following message:
I wasn’t surprised this didn’t work, but wanted to be thorough so I gave it a shot.
Next, I attempted to restore the v5.1 mer I had saved in v6 above. To do this, I opened the FactoryTalk ViewStudio Application Manger and used the following steps:
After successfully restoring the 6.0 project using the 5.1 mer, I wanted to be sure everything worked so I opened the project in ViewStudio:
As you can see below, everything looks in order:
Successful with 5.1, I now moved on to ViewStudio 5.0.
Attempting to open the v6 project in v5.0
To start, I attempted to restore the v50 MER file using the same procedure I used above with version 5.1, but the end result is shown below:
The only other thing I could think of doing was to import the v50 project. This is done using a procedure I first learned from Rockwell Tech Note, 8913 – Recovering a Project from the MERFile which was previously a public document but now requires a tech connect.
After running the .MER on my machine using ME Station, I copied the contents of the ~mer00 folder from the temporary directory as described in Tech Note 8913. But when I attempted to import the .MED file into ViewStudio 5.0 I received the following error message:
Conclusion:
In conclusion, while you can restore a version 6.0 project in ViewStudio 5.1 by saving the 6.0 project as a 5.1 MER, this is unfortunately not the case with older versions like v5.0.
I hope you find the above information helpful, and as always if you would like to comment please feel free to click on the “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Simply put, ViewPoint is an extension to FactoryTalk View Site Edition and the PanelView Plus which adds web server functionality to the FactoryTalk View project.
Web Client Compatibility
When Rockwell implemented ViewPoint, they did so as a Silverlight browser plugin that works well on computers running Microsoft Windows or Apple OSX.
However, much like Adobe Flash, on release Silverlight was not supported on mobile devices. And a recent web search reviled that while there is much interest in getting Silverlight to run on Apple and Android mobile platforms, as far as I can tell not even Microsoft’s own Surface RT tablet can run the Silverlight web browser plugin.
So for now, running a ViewPoint client is limited to Windows and OSX PC’s, including tablet PC’s like Microsoft’s Surface Pro.
UPDATE 11-06-2017: In version 8.10, ViewPoint went from being a Microsoft Silverlight application to being a HTML 5 application. This change improved compatibility with browsers, operating systems, and devices that do not support Microsoft Silverlight.
That said, many users complained ViewPoint 8.10 was extremely slow, and one of the major features of ViewPoint 9.0 was a 50-70% speed increase in page loading on mobile devices.
ViewPoint on the PanelView Plus:
ViewPoint for the PanelView Plus is actually a free add-on.
For early PanelView Plus models, you’ll need upgrade the firmware to version 5.1 with ViewPoint. You’ll also need to insure your PanelView Plus has at least 64mb of Flash memory and 128mb of storage space. For details on upgrading memory on old PanelView Plus models see this public Rockwell Technote #68098.
For PanelView Plus 6 models (700 – 1500) ViewPoint is already installed. Hopefully Viewpoint will also be released for the PanelView Plus 6 600, and PanelView Plus 6 Compact 600 and 1000 by the end of the year.
UPDATE 11-06-2017: Viewpoint is also compatible with the PanelView Plus 7 Standard and Performance.
ViewPoint on the PC:
ViewPoint for the PC is a chargeable add-on for FactoryTalk View Site Edition Station Runtime or Server. ViewPoint does not support Machine Edition Station Runtimes, which to me seems more like a marketing decision than a technical one.
The cost to add ViewPoint to your ViewSE system depends on how many client licenses you need. For a single client license it will run you $1,060.00 (9522-VWP01RENE, as of 11-01-2013) while three client licenses cost $3,180.00 (9522-VWP03RENE, as of 11-01-2013.) The ViewPoint server is included with these client packages, so those part numbers include everything you’ll need to add the ViewPoint functionality to your ViewSE system.
ViewPoint in ViewStudio:
After obtaining ViewPoint for your PVPlus or ViewSE system, you’ll also need to install the ViewPoint Administration software onto your ViewStudio development system. This software can be freely downloaded from Rockwell’s Product Compatibility and Download Center, however you’ll need a support contract to do so.
Once installed, you access the ViewPoint Administration Console from within ViewStudio. It’s found under the “Application” menu. Then it’s a simple matter of chosing which displays will be published to the ViewPoint server, as well as choosing any security options.
The ViewPoint Administration wizard is quite intuitive, and once you’re done publishing your displays (with the PanelView Plus you also have to create and download a runtime file) you’re ready to connect to your ViewPoint server with your PC’s Web Browser. Note: Rockwell currently tests Internet Explorer 6 and 7 and Firefox browsers for use as ViewPoint Clients, however you may find other browsers work as well.
For more information on Rockwell’s ViewPoint, please see the following two documents:
I hope the above explanation of what ViewPoint and how it works was helpful. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming days as I’ll be posting the steps to publish a ViewME Runtime with ViewPoint. Until then, if you have a comment or question please don’t hesitate to click on the “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Last week I had the opportunity to show a client how to use his Apple iPad and iPhone to remotely control his PanelView Plus 6. Afterwards, I thought it would make an excellent blog post.
The first step is to setup your PanelView Plus as a VNC server, and we covered how to do this inthis blog postearlier in the week. So today we’ll walk you through connecting to your PanelView Plus running as a VNC server using your Apple iPad or iPhone as a VNC client.
Note:If you didn’t read the previous article in this series you may not be aware that this procedure works with any PanelView Plus with the Windows CE desktop, like the VersaView CE (later renamed the PanelView Plus CE,) PanelView Plus 6, and PanelView Plus 7.
Setting up your Apple iPad or iPhone to remotely monitor and control your PanelView Plus:
On your Apple device you’re going to need a “VNC Client.” Fortunately for us, Rockwell tested and recommends a free app we can download from the Apple app store. Below are the steps to download and setup this app:
1) On your Apple iPad (or iPhone,) open the Apple App Store and search for “Mocha VNC Lite:”
2) Download and install this app:
3) Open the “Mocha VNC Lite” app and select “New” to edit a new configuration.
4) Enter the IP address of a PanelView Plus that is running VNC server software (as described in this blog post.) Also add your VNC password and a name for your configuration, as shown below:
Note: It’s best if your Apple device is on the same subnet as your PVPlus. If not, you’ll need to be sure your router is correctly routing between the two subnets.
5) Press the “Back” button on the top left of the app to return to the menu, and then select connect.
6) Select your new setup and connect. After a few moments you should see your PVPlus screen appear on your Apple device. Pictured below is my Apple iPad 2 using the Mocha VNC Lite app to connect to a PanelView Plus 6 running VNC server software:
7) I ran through the above steps a second time on my iPhone 5s, and the result can be seen below:
8) Here I’m showing both my iPad 2 and iPhone 5s connected simultaneously (along with my PC) to a single PanelView Plus 6 running VNC server software:
I hope the above procedure on how to connect your Apple iPad or iPhone to your PanelView Plus using VNC was helpful. If you have any questions or comments please click on the “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
UPDATE: To see this same procedure for a PanelView Plus 7 click HERE.
In today’s article we’ll discuss how you can remotely monitor and control your Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus using VNC (Virtual Network Computing.)
The ability to use handheld devices with HMI or SCADA systems has been around for a long time. In fact, in the picture to the right you can see me back in 2002 with a Windows CE based HP Jornada Pocket PC on display (on kiosk behind me) running RSView32 Active Display Client via Terminal Services.
While Terminal Services, now known as Remote Desktop Services, is still a valid solution for Server based applications, today smaller systems often use Virtual Network Computing (aka VNC) to enable remote monitoring and control. Note: You can find more detailed information about VNC at this Wikipedia page.
In fact, Rockwell has been providing a VNC server for certain versions of it’s PanelView products for some time now. And with it enabled you can monitor and control your PanelView Plus remotely from any VNC client.
Before we go into the details of setting up VNC on the PVPlus, lets first be clear which PanelView Plus models have the ability to be a VNC server:
PanelView Plus support for VNC:
The VersaView CE, later renamed the PanelView Plus CE, was the first PanelView Plus product that allowed access to the Windows CE desktop, and one of the CE Applications Rockwell tested and made freely available was VNC Server software.
With the PanelView Plus 6, all models allow access to the Windows CE desktop and they all come with several applications preinstalled, including VNC server software.
Note: Prior to the release of the PanelView Plus line and Machine Edition 3.0, Rockwell had a 6181 Industrial “Windows CE” PC they promoted as an HMI. This product came with a ViewME runtime installed and also supported being used as a VNC server. You can see it pictured above – it’s the HMI with the gray bezel on the left.
Setting up the PanelView Plus 6 to be a VNC server:
Now that we’ve run through the PanelView Plus models which support VNC, lets walk through how to set it up on a PVPlus 6:
1) From the PVPlus 6 Configuration Mode screen select Exit, or F8:
2) Enter in the password required to exit to the desktop (the default is “password.”)
3) Once at the desktop, select “Start, Settings, Control Panel:”
4) Now open the “Services” applet:
5) Select “VNC Server” to turn it on.
6) Close the “Services” applet and open the “Sever Config” applet:
7) Here on the VNC tab we’ll uncheck the “View Only” mode, check “Enable Security,” and finally select “Password” and type in a remote control password of our choosing:
8) At this point we’re finished with the server config so we click on OK to close the dialog box, and then click on “yes” to the popup:
9) We are now done setting up the PanelView Plus 6 as a VNC server. We can either manually restart ViewME Runtime, or we can just reboot to reload our default application.
Part Two: Setting up your Personal Computer to connect to your PanelView Plus using VNC:
Since the PanelView Plus 6 comes with “TightVNC Server,” I’ve decided to use the TightVNC client for my PC. Here’s how I went about getting it and connecting:
2) Next I did a custom install as I only wanted to install the VNC Viewer (client) on my laptop.
3) Once installed, I ran the TightVNC viewer and entered the IP Address of my PanelView Plus 6, as shown below:
4) Then I clicked on “connect,” entered my password, and was greeted with a window representing my PanelView Plus 6:
5) Since I had enabled “control,” I was able to “remotely control” my PanelView Plus 6 by navigating screens, change values, and pretty much doing anything I could do from in front of the PVPlus 6. And everything I did in the TightVNC viewer on my PC was mimicked on the PanelView Plus 6’s display.
Well, I hope the above procedure on how to remotely control your PanelView Plus with your PC using VNC was helpful. Later in the week I’ll show you how to monitor and control your PanelView Plus 6 remotely using a free VNC client app on your Apple iPad and iPhone – here’s a preview:
In the mean time, if you have any questions or comments please click on the “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Update: for the most recent article on this subject click HERE.
Rockwell Software Temporary Activations are designed to allow clients the ability to try Rockwell Software products prior to purchasing them.
When the program was originally launched, the local Rockwell Automation representative or Authorized distributor would start the process by filling out an online request form on the Rockwell Software extranet. If the request was approved, they would receive an email with instructions and files for creating a Master Floppy Disk. Once the disk was created, the local rep would also need to burn the software onto CD, and then deliver both items to the client.
But for the last few years a more modern approach has been implemented. The online form is still completed by the local Rockwell Automation representative or Authorized Distributor. Once the form is submitted, usually in mere minutes a “Temporary Activation Email” is received with a temporary “FactoryTalk Activation,” as well as a link to download the software. This email is nearly identical to the email customers receive when they order software, and all the local representative has to do is forward the email on to the end client.
NOTE: Temporary activations typically only last for 30 days, and they do not include a tech support contract. They are designed primarily as a trial period, and typically limited to one temporary activation per “client address” per “product.”
Update: Rockwell recently extended access to the “temporary activation request form” to Machine & Equipment and Partner Level OEM’s, as well as Recognized and Solution Partner System Integrators. They can now request their own 48 hour temporary activations primarily for use when visiting customer sites to make modifications, or for client demonstrations.
So if there is a software package from Rockwell that you would like to test drive before purchasing, Rockwell Software temporary activations is a convenient way to do so. Just contact your local Rockwell Automation representative or Authorized Distributor with your request and you’ll likely have your temporary activation email the same day.
I hope you find the above information about Rockwell’s Temporary Activations helpful. If you would like to leave a comment please click on the “post a comment or question” link at the bottom of this article.
Have a great weekend!
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
When FactoryTalk Activation (FTA) was first released, many clients expressed reservations about moving to it. For some it was the fact that the older “Floppy Master Disk” activation would allow the use of the original “Master Disk” as a back-up activation in case the movable activation file was lost or corrupted.
To address this, in CPR9 Rockwell added a FactoryTalk Activation “Grace Period” mode into software products which used FactoryTalk activation. This “Grace Period” allowed customers to install and run the software on a new PC for up to seven days without activation.
In an emergency situation, if the client’s PC crashed and they were in a remote location without the ability to contact Rockwell’s activation group for a reset, this “Grace Period” mode gave them a temporary solution to get back up and running quickly.
To utilize the “Grace Period,” clients install their Rockwell Software on a new PC (or virtual machine) that has not previously had the software in question running in “Grace Period” mode. Note that during installation some multi-version products, like RSLogix 5000, do require a valid serial number to run in “Grace Period” mode in the desired version (i.e. Pro, Full, Mini.)
When the software is launched for the first time without activation, the client will be greeted with a pop-up window stating, “The product has not been activated but will continue to run in a grace period for seven days.” This seven day period is from the moment this pop-up first appears, and even if the software is not launched again during this period it will still expire exactly seven days later. The “Grace Period” is also not resettable by changing the PC’s clock back in time, as once the seventh day triggers the end of the “Grace Period” the software will no longer run in “Grace Period” mode no matter how the PC clock is manipulated.
Once the “Grace Period” ends, a second popup will be displayed upon subsequent launching of the software. It reads, “Failed to activate (product name.) The grace period has expired.” For those products without a demo mode (like RSLogix) you’ll be asked to activate the product and if you chose not to the product will not launch. For those products with a demo or free mode (RSView, RSLinx) the software will start in that mode.
If you activate the software after the “Grace Period” has expired you’ll be greeted with a third pop-up which reads, “This product has been activated. The grace period has ended for (product name.)” The software should now run with the features enabled by the activation used.
You can also find the pop-ups window messages described above in Rockwell’s Diagnostic viewer. This software is found in the Start Menu under FactoryTalk Tools. Below I’ll paste in three screen shots of Diagnostic viewer messages which correspond to the pop-up windows mentioned above:
For more information about Rockwell Software’s “Grace Period” mode, please reference these public Rockwell technotes:
I hope the above information about Rockwell’s “FactoryTalk Activation Grace Period mode” was helpful. If you have a comment on this article please click on the “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Rockwell’s FactoryTalk Activation (FTA) can be a little intimidating and frustrating for new users.
However, since FTA was released Rockwell has published nine FactoryTalk Activation Quick Start Videos on their Allen-Bradley website at http://www.AB.com, and in today’s article I’ll list all of these videos, and provide a direct link to view each:
UPDATE 10-06-2017: Rockwell has removed these helpful videos from their website and I have been unable to find them reposted elsewhere.
FactoryTalk Activation Quick Start Videos by Allen-Bradley (A-B):
I hope you find the above listing of Rockwell’s FactoryTalk Activation Quick Start Videos helpful. If you would like to leave a comment please click on the “post a comment or question” link at the bottom of this article.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Copy Protection (aka Activation) is one of those topics that always seems to elicit a visceral response. It’s the old, “I paid for this software but the copy protection is preventing me from using it!” mantra.
However, it’s widely accepted that without copy protection, software piracy would run wild. And while I’ve run into my own “copy protection” frustrations over the years, I’ve also witnessed piracy dozens (if not hundreds) of times in the industrial automation world.
So what is FactoryTalk Activation?
Enter FactoryTalk Activation (FTActivation) from Rockwell Automation. Simply put, it’s copy protection for Rockwell Automation’s modern software packages. FTActivation replaces the old Floppy Disk activation (EVRSI.sys) which was inherited from ICOM after they were purchased in the mid-nineties.
I often compare FactoryTalk Activation to Microsoft’s activation for Office or Windows. The big difference being Microsoft doesn’t tell you which hardware it’s activating to, while FactoryTalk activation actually makes you chose a unique piece of computer hardware (referred to as a “Host ID”) to activate the software to.
With FTActivation the three types of hardware you can activate to are:
A PC Ethernet card (internal or removable) identified by it’s unique MAC ADDRESS
A PC Harddrive (internal or external) identified by it’s unique SERIAL NUMBER
A Rockwell USB Dongle (now also includes flash memory, PN# 9509-USBDONG2, $137) identified by it’s unique ID
Note: I did not list a USB Flash Drive. They can’t be used as a “Host ID” since they don’t have unique serial numbers like hard drives.
FTActivation is also like Microsoft Office or Windows in that it can be “Activated” either by using the internet (easiest) or by making a free phone call to the companies activation support line. However, with FTActivation you can also “Activate” your Rockwell software through their free online chat system, as well as through email and fax.
To activate your software, you’ll need a couple of pieces of information. First off, you’ll need your “product key” and “serial number” from the “Red Envelope” which came with your Rockwell software. If you’ve lost it fear not, just call or chat with Rockwell Activation Tech Support and they’ll send you a copy.
You’ll also need to know the unique “Host ID” of the computer you want to activate the software to. The FactoryTalk Activation Manager (formerly the FactoryTalk Activation Tool) which comes with Rockwell software that uses FTActivation has a wizard to help you find this, but if your handy with PC’s you’ll already know how to find your MAC ADDRESS or Hard Drive serial number.
Note: Be careful when choosing an Ethernet card for activation. Some versions of Windows will disable your wired Ethernet card when it’s not connected, and some PC’s are setup to disable your Wireless Ethernet card when you connect to a wired network. And if your Ethernet card is your “Host ID” but it’s not enabled, your software won’t activate and run. So if your PC is setup that way you may wish to chose your hard drive serial number, an external device, or the Rockwell activation dongle as your FTActivation “Host ID.”
Once you’ve rounded up the required information and have chosen a “Host ID,” you can run through the FactoryTalk Acitvation “get activations” wizard to get activations for you PC. And if at any time your confused or frustrated don’t hesitate to call or chat with Rockwell’s free activation support team – I’ve called them dozens of times from client sites and they always quickly and efficiently help clients through the activation process.
Once you’ve completed the activation process you will receive an “.LIC” text file which needs to reside in the folder the FactoryTalk Manager software is currently set to monitor. With the Text file in the right place and your “Host ID” present and enabled, the FactoryTalk Activation Manager activates your software and you’re ready to go.
In the case that you’ve activated your software to an external device (like a USB to Ethernet converter’s MAC ADDRESS, an external hard drive’s SERIAL NUMER, or the Rockwell Activation Dongle) you can copy your “.LIC” file to every PC you’ve installed the software on. Then when you plug your external device into one of your PC’s the FTActivation Manager on that PC will find it, compare it with the information in the “.LIC” file, and if they match it will activate your software for as long as that device is plugged in.
Well, I hope the above information on what FactoryTalk Activation is was helpful. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to use the “post a comment or question” link below.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
What is a Rockwell Toolkit for Education? It’s the best deal in town if you’re going to be teaching A-B PLC’s (or PAC’s) in your accredited High School, College, or University.
Unfortunately (in my opinion) Rockwell doesn’t do a very good job getting the news about this great program out to those who need it. In fact, searching AB.com as a member of the general public I couldn’t find a single mention about this program 🙁
However, as I’ve worked to sign-up several High Schools and Colleges over the years I’ll give you a basic rundown on the program in this article, and if you feel it fits your situation you can then get the full details from your local Authorized Distributor or Rockwell Automation representative.
Many Schools and Colleges have seen their budgets shrink in recent years, but at the same time many know they need to upgrade their courses to remain relevant. And in some cases, industry has actually approached educational institutions asking for graduates with PLC programming skills, as in many areas of the country there is a shortage of qualified individuals.
Many instructors have already researched upgrading their courses to include PLC’s, but often find the cost of enough PLC’s and Programming Software to outfit an entire classroom would decimate their budget. Others, while well aware that Rockwell Allen-Bradley has the lionshare of the American PLC/PAC market, believe it would be too expensive to use A-B and settle for what they think is a cheaper solution buy purchasing from online vendors.
But in this case, Rockwell Allen-Bradley is very likely the lowest cost provider. That is, if you know about their Educational Support Program and Toolkit.
I’ve had instructors call in saying they’ve scraped together enough money to buy a couple of PLCs. But after they found out and sign-up for Rockwell’s Educational Toolkit, they were able to triple their hardware purchase with the same budget by taking advantage of the Toolkit discounting.
This program is a “school year” subscription to obtain what Rockwell calls an “Instructor’s Toolkit.” It includes one toolkit license of dozens of Rockwell’s most popular software packages, a full “school year” of web based and telephone technical support (8-5 M-F,) and the ability to buy Allen-Bradley hardware and Rockwell Software at extreme discounts.
The steps to sign-up for the toolkit include contacting your local Rockwell representative to begin the application process. The application is an online form which the instructor fills in with (1) his professional contact info, (2) information about his accredited High School, College, or University, (3) information pertaining to the course he will be teaching, and (4) a purchase order for the current years cost, roughly ~$199 (as of 10/18/2013)
So if you would like to outfit your classroom will Allen-Bradley hardware and Rockwell Software at a fraction of the normal price, just call your local Rockwell Automation office or Authorized Distributor and ask them for information on Rockwell Automation’s Educational Support Program and Toolkit.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Connections and Students often ask which package of RSLogix / Studio 5000 they should buy, and in the article I’ll attempt to answer that question.
Update for 2022:Over the last nine years the below prices has gone up quite a bit, but Rockwell now offers the option of leasing the software via an annual subscription here(you must be logged in with a free account to view prices,) and I’ll include the new annual lease price as of 02/26/22 in red. Also note that if you need versions prior to 20.05 you will need to purchase the Legacy option.
Programming Packages:
RSLogix / Studio 5000 Mini, PN#9324-RLD200ENE, $805.00 (as of 10/16/2013, 02/26/22 annual lease price $366)
The “Mini” edition of RSLogix 5000 only programs the “CompactLogix” family of controllers, and only in the “Ladder Logic” programming language. While you can purchase the other languages (FBD, SFC, ST) separately as add-ons, its often cheaper to buy the next package, RSLogix 5000 Lite.
Function Block Diagram language example
RSLogix / Studio 5000 Lite, PN#9324-RLD250ENE, $2,000.00 (as of 10/16/2013, 02/26/22 annual lease price $910)
The “Lite” edition of RSLogix 5000 is identical to the “Mini” edition in the fact that it can only program the “CompactLogix” family of programmable controllers, but also includes the Multi-Language Pack (PN# 9324-RLDMLPE) adding Function Block Diagram (FBD,) Structured Text (ST,) and Sequential Function Chart (SFC) programming languages.
Structured Text language example
RSLogix / Studio 5000 Standard, PN#9324-RLD300ENE, $3,360.00 (as of 10/16/2013, 02/26/22 annual lease price $1,496)
The original version of RSLogix 5000, the “Standard” edition supports “Ladder Logic” programming of all Logix based processors, including ControlLogix, CompactLogix, FlexLogix, DriveLogix, and SoftLogix. Recently, it has been enhanced to also include a copy of RSLogix Architect (PN# 9326-LGXARCHENE.) While you can purchase the other languages (FBD, SFC, ST) separately as add-ons, I recommend looking at the next package, RSLogix 5000 Full, before making a decision.
Sequential Function Chart language example
RSLogix / Studio 5000 Full, PN#9324-RLD600ENE, $6,050.00 (as of 10/16/2013, 02/26/22 annual lease price $2,748)
The “Full” version of RSLogix 5000 has all the features of the “Standard” edition, but also includes the Multi-Language Pack (PN# 9324-RLDMLPE) adding Function Block Diagram (FBD,) Structured Text (ST,) and Sequential Function Chart (SFC) programming languages, as well as Phase Manager (PN# 9324-RLDPME) and PIDE Autotuner (PN# 9323-ATUNEENE, works with v16 or higher.)
RSLogix / Studio 5000 Professional, PN#9324-RLD700NXENE, $7,600.00 (as of 10/16/2013, 02/26/22 annual lease price $3,328)
The “Pro” version of RSLogix 5000 has all the features of the “Full” edition, but adds the RSLogix 5000 Emulator as well as RSNetworx for DeviceNet, ControlNet, and EtherNet/IP.
Service Package:
RSLogix / Studio 5000 Service Edition for v12 and up, PN#9324-RLD000NXENE, $677.00 (as of 10/16/2013, 02/26/22 annual lease price – not available)
Need to go online with a “Logix” based PAC (ControlLogix, CompactLogix, FlexLogix, DriveLogix, and SoftLogix.) but don’t need to modify the code? If that’s the case you should consider the “Service Edition” of RSLogix 5000. It allows you to monitor RSLogix 5000 ACD files offline or online, permitted they are v12 or later. It also allows for uploading and downloading programs, but this feature can be disabled if need be.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.
Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who began programing in the early 80's on the Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Controls and Information Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to become a full time Industrial Automation instructor and mentor at TheAutomationSchool, as well as publishing industry interviews, news, and product how-to’s at TheAutomationBlog.com. If you're interested in my training, mentoring, or becoming a sponsor, please schedule a teams meeting with me via https://calendly.com/shawntierney/business-meeting
Molex had a large booth close to the entrance of the Fair, and they were showing off an impressive number of communications modules:
PlantPAx has been gaining momentum of late, and I thought they had a well made booth:
Micro850 on DeviceNet? According to the Rockwell representative, its as easy as 1-2-3 with no RSNetworx or mapping required.
It looks like a Micro830, but don’t be fooled. This isn’t a new Safety PLC, but rather a new Programmable Safety Relay:
Well, that’s it for my Automation Fair 2013 coverage. If you have any question on the above products, or on Automation Fair itself, please click on the “post a comment or question” link below, or contact me directly using the “contact” link in the site’s top menu.
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