You can now support our work on TheAutomationBlog.com/join!
You can now support The Automation Blog, Podcast, and Show with a small monthly pledge! To become a Patron, visit us at https:// TheAutomationBlog.com/join.
Thanks in advance for your support!
Vendors:Would you like your product featured on the Podcast, Show or Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact
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 this article I’ll walk you through how to set up the communications of an IO-Link master with an Allen Bradley CompactLogix PLC.
The first thing that needs to be done is to setup up a free account at IFM.com. This is required to download the IFM software used to setup their IO-Link Masters.
IFM has two download you can use to set the IP Address of their Ethernet/IP IO-Link master:
Ethernet Device Configuration Tool
LR Device software
Both these downloads can be found on their website here.
Image by Dan Staifer
Because of its enhanced functionally, I’d recommend downloading and installing the LR Device software.
While the free version is limited, it does allow users to read and write directly to the IO-link master, and for more information about the paid version, I’d recommend contacting your local IFM sales representative.
To get started setting your master up, power it on and connect it to your network.
Next, start up the LR Device software (it will open into a web browser,) and under Devices it should find your master at the default IP address of 192.168.0.250. If it doesn’t show up, click the plus sign and manually enter the IP address. Note that any connected IO-Link devices will show up under the master.:
Image by Dan Staifer
If the IP address needs to be changed, scroll down and update the field that says IP Address as shown below. Be sure to click the write to device icon and then cycle power to make sure the changes made:
Image by Dan Staifer
Once the communication has been established, check RSLinx to make sure the IO-Link master is communicating on your network:
Image by Dan Staifer
If there is a yellow question mark, the EDS (Electronic Data Sheet) for the device will need to be installed.
To do so, first go to the IFM website to download the “IO-Link Startup Kit” found here, and then unzip it.
Image by Dan Staifer
Next, open RSLogix 5000 or Studio 5000 Logix Designer, and then go to Tools-> EDS Hardware Installation Tool:
Image by Dan Staifer
In the EDS wizard you’ll need to browse to the startup package folder that has the files you unzipped above, and then find select the EDS directory:
Image by Dan Staifer
Now from the list of available EDS files, find your master and select it, then click on the OK. button and complete the EDS file registration wizard to register your IFM Master.
Once installed, the yellow question mark should be replaced by an IFM icon:
Image by Dan Staifer
Now open an RSLogix/Studio 5000 project, and under I/O configuration add a new device to your Ethernet port or module.
Then type in the IO-Link master catalog number and select the IO-Link master that matches your unit, and then click on “Create”:
Image by Dan Staifer
Here you’ll need to provide a name for your IO-Link Master, as well as its IP address:
Image by Dan Staifer
Then under Module Definition click change, and confirm the following settings for your master
The settings for a 4 port master (shown below) are an Input side of 123, and Output size of 76
The settings for an 8 port master are an Input size is 223, and Output size is 151
Image by Dan Staifer
When you’re finished, click on OK and the IO-Link Master should appear in your hardware configuration:
Image by Dan Staifer
To test your new configuration, download it to your controller and check to see if communication is taking place between it and IO-Link master. One way to do this is to check the Inputs to see if any information has been received:
Image by Dan Staifer
Now that communication is taking place, programming can start by importing appropriate AOIs for the devices attached to the IO-Link master, which for IFM sensors you’ll find in their website downloads sections under Startup Packages.
Written by Dan Staifer
Assistant Professor, Department Chair, and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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 this continuation of getting familiar with the CLI (Command Line Interface) of your Cisco or Stratix switch, we will go beyond getting connected and look at additional features that will need to be utilized in setting up your switch for any environment whether it would be IT or OT. We will just jump right in and get started.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Understanding Port Numbering
Ports or Interfaces will be labeled in the switch or router by their speed
E = ethernet 10 mb
FA or FE = fast ethernet 100 mb
GI or GE = 1 gigabit ethernet
TE = 10 gigabit ethernet
Routers begin port numbering with 0/0 while switches begin with 0/1
To make changes to a particular switchport (interface) use command: HMINET1(config)#int Gi0/1
To view interface status information use command: HMINET1#show interface status as shown below
Image by Brandon Cooper – showINTstatus.png
Port Commands
Shutting down a port: HMINET1(config-int)#shutdown
Starting up a port: HMINET1(config-int)#no shutdown
Adding a port to a vlan: HMINET1(config-int)#switchport access vlan 30
In the example below, Port 1 is shutdown using the #shutdown command. Then, the command #show interface status is used to show that port 1 is now shown as “disabled” instead of “notconnect”. To reverse this and re-enable the port, use the #no shutdown command
Image by Brandon Cooper
Creating a VLAN or Virtual Local Area Network
If your switch is used for more than one purpose, then you will want to segregate traffic by type of traffic. Maybe you have phones connected and need a Voice over IP VLAN or a way to segregate production traffic from other types of network traffic. To do this you can create multiple virtual local area networks (vlans)
HMINET1(config)# vlan 10
HMINET1(config-if)#name accounting
To view the vlan configuration, you can use the #show vlan command
Image by Brandon Cooper
To add a port to a specific vlan you can use the HMINET1(config-if)#switchport access vlan 30 command. In the example below, we move switchport #3 to vlan 30. This port will now communicate only to other devices assigned to vlan 30.
Here, I set up three vlans and ports could be segregated into three areas:
Accounting
Shipping
Production Line
The ports could then be divided into the three areas and network traffic would be segregated by those areas (vlans)
Image by Brandon Cooper.png
Console & VTY Configuration
The following commands will allow for basic console and vty (remote) connection configuration. Remote configuration can be accomplished via telnet or SSH.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Image by Brandon Cooper
Your switch is now ready for telnet access. SSH will require further setup.
Conclusion
In this article, we have made a dive into the commands that make things happen. How to interact with an interface for instance is where the connection takes place.
Port security takes place at this point and protecting your network takes place at this point. The best way to prevent intrusion is stopping it at the access point. Don’t allow any unwanted connections and that will alleviate a myriad of other issues before they can happen.
We also discussed how to segregate traffic into different areas or vlans and how to assign ports to those vlans. In the next chapter, we will discuss further configuration as well as device backup and restore capabilities.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
Special thanks to Marc Taccolini and Harry McCollum for taking the time to come on the show and talk to us about TATSoft, FactoryStudio, and FrameworX.
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 this continuation of getting familiar with the CLI (Command Line Interface) of your Cisco or Stratix switch, we will go beyond getting connected and look at basic setup features that will need to be utilized in setting up your switch for any environment whether it would be IT or OT. We will just jump right in and get started.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Setting the name of the switch:
Switch(config)#hostname HMINET1
Image by Brandon Cooper
Setting the switch clock:
HMINET1#show clock (to see the clock time)
Image by Brandon Cooper
Before setting the clock, you will want to set up the time zone for your area
Image by Brandon Cooper
Set the clock with the “#clock set” command
Then #show clock to see that the clock is updated
Image by Brandon Cooper
Saving Configuration:
Any time you are making changes to a switch, you are modifying the “Running Configuration”. If the switch is rebooted, then the “Startup Configuration” will be loaded.
Any changes made to the running configuration must be made to the startup configuration or they will be lost at the next reboot of the switch
To Save the configuration, use the “#copy running-config startup-config” command, then hit the ENTER key twice
Image by Brandon Cooper
To reboot a switch:
To reboot a switch, you use the “#reload” command
Most switches do not have a power switch. You must either cycle the power with the power chord or use this command to reboot them.
Setting the Password:
First, I recommend turning on password encryption
Then, I recommend using MD5 hash by using the “secret” password command
Make passwords unique and don’t give them out to anyone. Something like pwtest is obviously only for training purposes and would never be used in any kind of secure network.
Image by Brandon Cooper – PWSetup.png
Here we type the “#show running-config” command to see our results in the running configuration. It shows us in the first line that the service for password encryption is turned on and the enable secret password is encrypted with MD5 hash and it hides the password as encrypted below.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Other useful information about your switch:
Use the “#show version” command to see useful information about your switch and its operating system. This command will give you information including operating system, serial numbers for your system and so much more. At the end of the information, you will see the software version which is essentially the version of the IOS that you are running on your particular switch.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Conclusion
The Cisco CLI is an important skill to have. I equate it with learning how to program a DCS, PLC or Historian System.
It is the foundation for the communication bridge between devices. It must allow needed communication and block unwanted communication and incorrect settings can make your network vulnerable to downtime.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
“Everything must be connected”. That is pretty much the philosophy in the manufacturing environment because every sensor, every data point needs to be captured, monitored and utilized for decision making.
There is no such excuse that “we can’t bring that data point into the control system”. The need for networking skills has been on a steady increase for the last couple of decades and it will be much more needed in the next one.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Today I want to start a series of getting to know your Cisco IOS (operating systems) via the CLI (Command Line Interface).
The Cisco IOS is also utilized in the Stratix line of switches by Rockwell, so whether you are using Cisco or Stratix switches in your IT or OT environment, then hopefully you will pick up a few things here.
Connecting to your Cisco Switch:
Use the blue serial cable that comes with the switch to connect to the “Console” Port of the Switch. If your laptop has a serial port, it will connect directly to your laptop, but likely you will not and will need a USB-Serial Converter.
You can obtain a program like “PUTTY” to do the initial configuration via the serial port. Whatever program you use, there will be serial port settings that will have to be correct to connect to the switch:
Baud Rate/Speed: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Stop Bits: 1
Parity: None
Flow Control: None
In addition, you will have a COM Port Setting that will be for the USB or Serial Port that you are using on your laptop. You can check “Device Manager” on your laptop to see where the device is set up. Most of the time a direct serial port will be set as COM 1 and an external USB-Serial adapter will be COM 3 or COM 4.
An “out of the box” switch will have almost no configuration. It will be essentially an unmanaged switch. When you connect, you will only get a prompt “switch>”
Image by Brandon Cooper
Modes
Unprivileged Mode – Switch> – In the unprivileged mode, you are connected to the switch, but you have no authorization to monitor the switch or make changes to the switch.
Privileged Mode – Switch# – In the privileged mode, you can monitor the switch (usually the #show commands), but also you can write to the switch’s configuration and backup the switch configuration as we will explore further in the coming articles. To access the Privileged Mode, simply type the command “enable”
Configuration Mode – Switch(config)# – In configuration mode, you can modify the switch configuration such as ports, vlans and a myriad of other configuration pieces that we will begin to explore in the coming articles. To access the Configuration Mode, simply type the command “configure terminal” after you are in the Privileged Mode.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Accessing the “Help” menu:
At any time during configuration you can type the “?” to access the list of available commands
Privileged Mode “Show” commands:
There are many commands available to monitor the parameters and configuration of the switch.
Show commands are accessible in privileged mode by typing the command “Switch#show (command)”. Tip: the commands are also available in the configuration mode, but you have to type the word “do” in front of the command as follows: Switch(config)# do show (command).
To view the current running configuration of the switch: switch# show running-config
For a list of all show commands : switch# show ?
Image by Brandon Cooper
TIP: Hit the Spacebar to see more commands.
Conclusion
This article is starting from the beginning and may be too basic for some engineers, however, for some it will also spark an interest that will take them to many years of learning ahead, because it is essential to the skillset to be able to perform these functions in the life of a controls engineer.
Getting connected is the first step and as we progress further, there are many things that must be set up in a switch to have the desired configuration needed for a switch that can be placed into production with the necessary security measures and bells and whistles.
And, by all means, this could never be a “one size fits all” application and every network will have similar but different configurations. This will be a generic configuration that will help you to become familiar with the configuration in general.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
Special thanks to Les Rapchak for taking the time to review the many air amplification technologies used today in automated systems.
To find out more:
Nex Flow Air Products Corp. Servicing the world with locations in north America, Europe and SE Asia plus agents and distributors around the globe
Website:https://nexflow.com Les Rapchak, President Email: lesr “at” nexflow.com
Vendors: Would you like your product featured on the Podcast, Show or Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact
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
Question of the day for you: Are you an “It works fine and there is no need to change it” personality or a “They have a new release out, lets upgrade” personality? Or maybe you are somewhere in between?
Either way, it can be exciting to see what opportunities await us in the future.
Image by: Brandon Cooper – C300
Honeywell is planning the release of R520 next year, and this year’s Tech Forum is giving insight to what that release will entail.
One of the main features that R520 will offer is HIVE (Highly Integrated Virtual Environment). The Experion HIVE features are separated into three categories:
I/O Hive – modular equipment build through distributed I/O that is extension of equipment
Controller Hive – Integrate multiple individual controllers to form a single virtual controller
IT Hive – Reduce IT lifecycle costs by reducing physical IT equipment at process facilities
The I/O Hive is enabled via a CN100 module. Any controller can connect to any CN100 module allowing access to any I/O module or I/O Channel. This network runs on a parallel network to the process controllers. This allows for flexible assignment of I/O, expands universal channel technology, decouples I/O assignments from a controller assignment and allows for automated commissioning without a C300 Controller. The CN100 module will support series C I/O, PCDI, S300, Sequences and Optional Control.
The Control Hive separates hardware from the control application. R520 will contain system management for the control HIVE as well as automated assignment and load balancing with infinite availability. The more processing power you need, you just add another controller to the HIVE and let the system balance the load as needed. A much different philosophy than a single or even redundant controller with I/O assigned directly to that controller or pair.
Some other features in R520 include:
OPC UA Server Support – History
UIS Enhancements
Alarm and Suppression Improvements
ELCN Unified tools – Phase 2. This is a continuation of ELCN Phase I released in R511.
EHPM Updates
UOC Controller Update Tools
Experion Batch which includes:
Explorer (Procedural Mode)
Experion Batch History & Reporting
Campaign Management
Formula Sets
Electronic Work Instructions
Custom Algorithm Blocks (CAB) on UOC Controller
UOC HART FB Functionality
C300 EIM (EtherNet IP Interface Module) – Profinet Support
Universal Marshalling Assembly for unified marshalling solutions
Image by: Brandon Cooper – PMIO
Conclusion
One thing that is certain about Honeywell is they have provided ways to upgrade and maintain their legacy systems such as the TDC 3000 system and continue to enhance and integrate it into the latest systems such as the EHPM and ELCN Hardware.
In R511, they made programming the EHPM in Control Builder a reality and that is a big step in maintaining the intellectual property without having to maintain two entirely different skillsets for programming the controllers.
The HIVE technology is the futuristic path as everything from controllers to I/O will live in the virtual realm and I don’t see this changing for the foreseeable future. R520 is expected to release in the first half of 2021, so you can be on the lookout for it next year.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
You can now support our work on TheAutomationBlog.com/join!
You can now support The Automation Blog, Podcast, and Show with a small monthly pledge! To become a Patron, visit us at https:// TheAutomationBlog.com/join.
Thanks in advance for your support!
Vendors:Would you like your product featured on the Podcast, Show or Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact
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 today’s manufacturing environment, Ethernet is being is being used in place of discrete I/O.
Fanuc has made this easier by having the ability to set up I/O via Ethernet that can be easily integrated with Rockwell’s RS Logix platform.
This article will walk through how to set up communications with Fanuc ethernet I/O.
This article will assume the reader has a base level of know of Fanuc Robotics. It can be quite dangerous if an untrained operator or engineer will attempt to use a teach pendent devoid of the proper training.
I highly recommend taking a basic Robotic operations course through Fanuc or with a Fanuc Certified educator at a local Community College or Four Year University.
In spite of this warning, I will touch on certain items that you need to set up Fanuc’s side in order to monitor/control the robot.
In order for Fanuc Ethernet I/O to work, the EIP Scanner Option (R784) needs to be installed on the controller.
This option only allows communication of discrete I/O status over Ethernet. See below to see if this option is available.
Image by Dan Staifer
Caption: If you don’t see “Ethernet I/O” as an option, you will need to contact Fanuc or a Fanuc distributor to purchase the correct PAC code.
Other items that will need to be setup on the Fanuc side are.
Under ethernet I/P menu, the connection needs to be enabled and configured for how many 16 bit words will be transferred between the robot and the plc.
UI signals should be enabled in menu->system->config
The robot needs an IP address assigned to it and the PLC/CPU need added to allow communication via Menu->Setup->Host Comm->TCP/IP
Digital I/O and UOP I/O need mapped to rack 89 to point to ethernet I/O and cycle power. This may look different depending on your hardware configuration.
If everything is setup properly, the robot should appear in RSLinx Classic as an unrecognized device.
In the PLC’s IO configuration, I recommend using a generic ethernet module instead of Fanuc profiles under the vendor module files since these may not be available in all versions.
Setup the generic module with the following settings:
At this point, download the project to the controller and ensure communication is taking place. The DO/UO from the robot will be Inputs on the PLC and the PLC outputs will be DI/UI on the robot depending on the mapping and set up of your robot.
If you want the plc to start the robot, UI signals need to be enabled and mapped to the correct bits based on the Robot’s configuration. Also, Remote/Local setup needs to be changed to Remote to all remote start.
With these steps, communication can be established between the robot and the PLC.
Written by Dan Staifer
Assistant Professor, Department Chair, and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
You can now support our work on TheAutomationBlog.com/join!
You can now support The Automation Blog, Podcast, and Show with a small monthly pledge! To become a Patron, visit us at https:// TheAutomationBlog.com/join.
Thanks in advance for your support!
Vendors:Would you like your product featured on the Podcast, Show or Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact
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
Drew from Real Time Automation comes on Episode 4 of The Automation Demo (originally episode 63 of The Automation Podcast) to show us how to connect ASCII devices to Allen-Bradley Programmable Controllers via Ethernet.
For more information, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video.
Watch the Podcast:
The Automation Podcast is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.
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
I never owned a cellphone or even booted a computer until I went to work in a composite panel manufacturing facility over twenty years ago, when I was enrolled in an “instrumentation course” to learn about things that I actually never knew existed.
But most kids today have been using a computer or playing games on a phone since they were two or three years old. Quite a change from even my generation.
Image by Brandon Cooper
Editor’s Note: some of us “older folks” got started with personal computers and video games when the first generation of both were released in late 1970’s – SMT.
One aspect of today’s automation and controls profession is being versatile and that includes being able to “troubleshoot” software issues.
How wonderful it would be to be able to do our jobs by simply learning a programming language or learning how to interact with a particular system of choice, but that simply isn’t reality.
I would venture to say in the system administration aspect of control systems, nearly half of the time is spent learning how to accomplish the next task or troubleshooting software errors.
How many times have you set out to install a software that should take ten minutes to do and three hours later, you finally get it installed after “googling” the installation error to find out how to work around or fix the error? That is the skillset I am talking about here.
How well we can search for answers is key to how efficient we can perform our jobs. The “kids” these days, I think have an advantage. My son is a perfect example of a “gamer”. He has been building gaming PC’s since his early teens and can search and correct errors with confidence. It is a great skillset to have entering the career of almost anything right now.
Once I was attempting to flash the firmware of a CompactLogix processor when I kept getting this error. “Failed to begin update to the target device. The target device is not in the proper mode to accept an update.”
What? I have the processor in program mode. What else can I do?
Well, fifteen minutes searching the internet, I was able to piece together some possibilities to check.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
Basically, here is what the work around was:
In RSLinx, if you browse down to the IP Address and then hit the + sign and browse down to the backplane and then the processor, you will get this error every time.
When you run the control flash session and browse through RSLinx, click on the IP Address and don’t drill down to the processor (Controller has EtherNet Module Integrated).
When I ran the control flash session stopping on the IP Address, it flashed the controller successfully without issue.
Editor’s Note: You can find our popular article on this topic HERE.
Here is another one I encountered several years ago:
I once installed an older version of RSLogix 5000 on Windows 7, and got this error “0xc015000f”. Same thing. Let the searching begin.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
Basically, the fix for this is to go to Start> All Programs > Rockwell Software > RSLogix 5000 Enterprise > and then “Right-Click” on RSLogix 5000 Enterprise” and “RUN as ADMINISTRATOR”.
The software will then open. After this is done one time, it will open without having to run as administrator.
Editor’s Note: You can find our popular article on this issue HERE.
Conclusion
If you don’t have the drive to deal with “software annoyances” or errors, you will have a difficult time in the ever-evolving world of automation and controls. It is not something we necessarily want to deal with, but out of necessity, we have to be good at it.
I recommend to never let problems go without resolution. Don’t give up. Search the internet, call your vendor support, reach out to colleagues. Find resolution and last, but certainly not least, document everything. It won’t be the last time you will need it.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
I ran across a software with a new look from Rockwell this past week.
If you have worked with Rockwell products, you are well aware that flashing module firmware is a necessity for new systems as well as upgrading and keeping systems current with the latest support and latest features.
Since I have always used ControlFlash, I thought I would download ControlFlash Plus and give it a try.
Features listed in the Release Notes for 3.01.00:
View copyright information of local firmware revisions
Export firmware revisions’ inventory in a CSV file
Delete multiple firmware revisions in a single operation
Flash parent an children devices concurrently, but a few exceptions also exist
Flash devices on Ethernet linear topologies concurrently, but a few exceptions also exist
As far as features go, the ability to flash multiple modules concurrently is certainly an improvement as you can get multiple firmware upgrades started and walk away instead of having to stay with it and restart the process after every module.
Another thing that should be beneficial is the inventory firmware revisions export to CSV. This will be a great tool to quickly capture the firmware of the devices on your control system networks.
Also, note that if you have any non-CIP devices that are in need of updated firmware, you will have to use the ControlFlash tool to update firmware. But while ControlFlash Plus only works for CIP devices, both versions of the software can be installed on your system.
Using ControlFlash Plus with Factory Talk Linx:
One of the first things you will notice is browsing to your Rockwell module to flash will bring up Factory Talk Linx instead of RSLinx. It is still basically the same as with RSLinx, simply browse to your module, but follow the arrows instead of the (+) signs.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
When you select the module that you would like to update the firmware of, this screenshot shows the current firmware in the device and lets you select the firmware that you wish to update to.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
The “Status” column shows the “transmitting update” similar-to the older ControlFlash software did.
If you have ever used ControlFlash to update module firmware, you will not need a manual to get started with ControlFlash Plus.
The software is completely intuitive, so you will just click your way right through and be flashing modules in a few minutes.
Again, one of the greatest benefits of this software is the concurrent flashing of many devices. If you are deploying a large system, this feature will be a huge time-saver for your project.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
Learn how to connect and use an Encoder with an S7-1200 High Speed Counter Input in TIA Portal in this episode of The Automation Show.
For more information, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video.
The Automation Show, Episode 50A Show Notes:
A huge thank you to IFM for sending in the RVP510 Encoder, and to Siemens for sending us in the S7-1200 for use on the Show!
Support our site and get early access to our videos, free downloads and more!
You can now support our site with a small monthly pledge and in turn receive instant rewards! To find out more visit https:// TheAutomationBlog.com/join.
Vendors: Would you like your product featured on the Show, Podcast, and Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact
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
Learn how to connect and use an Encoder with a CompactLogix and High Speed Counter module in this episode of The Automation Show.
For more information, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video.
The Automation Show, Episode 49B Show Notes:
A huge thank you to IFM for sending in the RVP510 Encoder for us to use on the Show!
Support our site and get early access to our videos, free downloads and more!
You can now support our site with a small monthly pledge and in turn receive instant rewards! To find out more visit https:// TheAutomationBlog.com/join.
Vendors: Would you like your product featured on the Show, Podcast, and Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact
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
On September 30, 2020, Rockwell Automation released Studio 5000 Logix Designer version thirty-three.
As I tend to do with each incoming version, I downloaded the “Release Notes” and Software to check it out.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
This always brings back memories of receiving a box of floppy disks from Rockwell so I could install version seven of RSLogix 5000, what seems, only a few years ago.
Hopefully this article will highlight some of the features that may be of use to you if you are planning to use v33 in the near future.
Operating Systems:
Preferred operating systems are Windows 10 Professional (64-bit), Windows Server 2016 Standard (64-bit), and Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (64-bit).
The software is expected to run and operate correctly (not tested) on other versions of Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012.
Prerequisite Software:
As with other versions, check the software requirements for other Rockwell Software products that will be installed to be sure that those products are compatible with the prerequisite software installations with Studio v33.
I have found in more than one instance where Factory Talk Services Platform v6.20 is not compatible with other earlier software packages, so this is an important consideration before adding this to
Prerequisite Software Includes:
Factory Talk Services Platform v6.20
Factory Talk Activation Manager v4.04
Factory Talk Linx v6.20
RSLinx Classic v4.20
Factory Talk View SE & FLEX Ex communication software are required for full alarming capabilities
Support for Redundancy in 5580 Standard Controllers
This architecture consists of identical controllers and chassis as has been in previous versions.
You can choose to enable redundancy when configuring the project, and you can utilize up to seven communication modules (ControlNet or EtherNet/IP) in each redundant chassis.
As I understand it, with this implementation there is no separate firmware for the controller if redundancy is needed.
Note that with previous versions of ControlLogix redundancy, after a new version of the software release, you still had to wait for the updated redundancy firmware to come out before you could use the feature. This would typically take six additional months, and the redundancy firmware revisions would end in .5 or .6 (Author & Ed.)
Note that there are several features Not supported with redundancy enabled:
License source control
On-board Controller EtherNet/IP port
Event Tasks
Inhibited Tasks
Motion Groups, Axes, and Coordinate Systems
Unicast Connections
Controller Web Page
Version 33 Features & Enhancements:
P-controllers:
If you are using PlantPAx, then you will see many enhancements in the capabilities of the 5380P and 5580P p-controllers.
Using P-controllers, you will have a Plant Pax tab in the controller properties to configure the PlantPAx Tasking Model and Instruction Usage parameters.
You will also have built-in instructions to monitor and processes digital and analog inputs and outputs for controlling devices.
The instruction usage feature shows a table of each instruction type used that can export to an L5K file in CSV format.
HART Integration
The PAO and PAH instructions provide HART Dynamic Variables such as:
PV
SV
TV
QV
Analog Range
Units of measure
Device Info
Device Status
Diagnostic Messages
Field Device Status
Image by: Brandon Cooper
Automatic Diagnostics
Provide device description conditions and state events to HMIs and other clients with zero programming
System level feature in CompactLogix 5380/5480, ControlLogix 5580, Compact GuardLogix 5380 and GuardLogix 5580
Controller Web Page
Controller web page was designed to track controller, network and backplane performance
Not supported if using redundancy
Extended Properties to Alarm Messages and Add-On Instructions
Extended properties to a message or AOI makes values in the properties available to some Rockwell Automation HMI’s.
Extended properties can be added to both instruction-based alarm messages and tag-based alarm messages
Additional Function Block Functions and 64-bit data type instruction support
Sixteen new functions for advanced math instructions, math conversion instructions and trigonometry instructions.
Also extends support for twenty-four more instructions which were introduced in version thirty-two.
New Devices Supported:
The list of newly supported devices is extensive, but here is a very abbreviated list of some devices to take note of:
While I couldn’t go through everything in this blog, these are the basic features and requirements that stood out to me.
I hope this gives you a heads up as to what awaits you with the newest release.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
Registration for this year’s “Automation Fair At Home” is now open.
Automation Fair images courtesy of Rockwell Automation
As detailed in our interview released yesterday with Tina Dear, Vice President of Industry Marketing for Rockwell Automation, this year’s Automation Fair At Home is being held from November 16-20, and is being promoted as a new, world-class virtual experience showcasing products and solutions from Rockwell Automation and their partners.
This new experience includes virtual tours, live networking, interactive exhibits, and hands-on labs.
The “hands-on” sessions do require pre-registration to reserve the equipment the users will be connecting to remotely, and there will be a cost $99 for each two person station.
The rest of Automation Fair At Home is free to attend, but registration is still required to access this year’s event.
You can more details about this year’s show here, and we plan to bring you more details about this (and other) virtual events in the coming weeks.
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
Learn about the changes coming to Rockwell’s big annual event this year, and how you’ll be able to attend remotely in our interview with Tina Dear, Vice President of Industry Marketing at Rockwell Automation.
Note: As this episode was not sponsored by the vendor, the video edition is only available to our members here on The Automation Blog and on YouTube. For more information, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video.
Note: As mentioned above, this episode was not sponsored by the vendor so the video edition is a “member only” perk. The below audio edition (also available on major podcasting platforms) is available to the public and supported by ads. To learn more about our membership/supporter options and benefits, click here.
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
I believe that in the world of control systems, the little things can make a huge impact.
The little things we do ahead of problems will determine how well we diagnose and repair issues when they arise. It can mean the difference in troubleshooting time in seconds instead of hours.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
Sometimes, the little things are available, but not utilized. Especially in a PLC system, the functions are available, but they must be implemented.
For instance, if you are using diagnostic I/O modules in a ControlLogix system, there are parameters available for monitoring and interacting with the modules, but many times, these parameters go without utilization.
Maybe today is the day to change that. Maybe today, we change the details of our systems to aid the troubleshooter to diagnose and repair failure as efficiently as possible.
Diagnostic Information
So, what information is available? Let’s take-a-look at for instance a 1756-OA8D module. There are several monitoring parameters available:
FUSE BLOWN:
This parameter will indicate that an electronic fuse inside the module has tripped. This is not a real fuse. It can be reset inside the module properties in Studio 5000 or we will later see, in this article, that it can be reset in logic.
NO LOAD:
This parameter detects no leakage current through the output load, most likely indicating a broken circuit
NO OUTPUT VERIFICATION:
This parameter means that the Output Module was unable to detect any change of state at the output circuitry even though a change from “OFF” to “ON” was ordered.
NO FIELD POWER:
This parameter detects that no 120 VAC Power is present on the incoming side of the module relay. Look at drawings to determine where external power comes from.
The following indications would be the parameters that could be monitored or alarmed for one channel of one I/O Module. What can be done with this is simply a limit of the imagination.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
Using the PLC Program to Interact with the Module
I mentioned above that the module’s electronic fuse can be reset using ladder logic and we will take-a-look here at how that can be accomplished. In the screenshot below, if a fuse is blown, an external reset button could trigger an MSG instruction to write to the I/O Module.
Image by: Brandon Cooper
Inside the MSG instruction, the tabs will be set up as follows:
Image by: Brandon Cooper
The communication path is the path to the I/O Module in the Studio 5000 I/O Configuration Tree:
Image by: Brandon Cooper
Conclusion
One of my main personal drivers is to make something better every day. What we do with the little things can make someone else’s life easier as well as mitigate or reduce downtime and that is what it is all about.
If I, as a control system engineer, can make just one improvement a day, think about what a year can bring.
Written by Brandon Cooper Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
Have a question? Join our community of pros to take part in the discussion! You'll also find all of our automation courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
Sponsor and Advertise: Get your product or service in front of our 75K followers while also supporting independent automation journalism by sponsoring or advertising with us! Learn more in our Media Guide here, or contact us using this form.
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
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