1747-OCF

J

Thread Starter

JD Melton

Allen Bradley has an "Open Controller", the 1747-OCF. Has anyone tried using this and their 1747 OCVGAE Video and Ethernet Interface Module with Linux?

The AB website says drivers are available for Windows and DOS. I could find no mention of Linux.

I have a project where this controller and Linux would be a good match, if the controller is really open. My initial thought is to use RTLinux with RedHat 6.1. The project needs analog i/o, digital i/o, and the basic module as well as video and ethernet.

Pointers to info sites would be great.

Thanks!
 
J
Short answer: No. Rockwell software has informed me that they do not support Linux in any way. Further, they have no plans to offer
any support for Linux in any way in the future. I have asked various people at RS and gotten the "corporate line" every time. They would
not even offer a closed, proprietary comm driver to connect a linux box to any of their stuff (thanks Ron G. for the drivers! %^} )

Check out the PuffinPLC project (linked from control.com web site). It is an open source 'softPLC' for Linux.

- --Joe Jansen
 
FYI -
The OCVGAE video is Cirrus Logic 5446 compatible - the ethernet is Intel Ether Express Pro.
Does Linux support these devices ?

Dan Hazel
Rockwell Automation
 
Joe,

Thanks for your reply. I guess I did not state my case clearly. I know that
AB (Rockwell) does not support Linux in any way. They are too busy singing
the Microsoft song.

This controller is supposed to run MSDOS and has some video drivers. I
wonder...svga, vga, what? If I had a little more budget, I would buy one of
these just to play with. I doubt that AB has designed their own video or
ehternet chips...

The LinuxPLC might be nice, has anyone ran it on the 1747-OCF?

By the way, their 1747-BAS is great for interfacing Linux or any other OS with an RS232 connection. Using this, one can have a Linux operator interface and use the BAS module to read/write in the data tables. Then the SLC program can poll the data table for changes and take apporpriate action.

Now, if I could just take the next step!

Dan
 
Dan:

> FYI -
> The OCVGAE video is Cirrus Logic 5446 compatible - the ethernet is Intel
> Ether Express Pro.
> Does Linux support these devices ?

In console mode, Linux supports just about everything on the market, past and present. In GUI mode (X Windows), the SVGA X-Server supports the Cirrus chips quite well.

The Intel EtherExpress Pro is also supported quite nicely in the Kernel.

Ron Gage - Saginaw, MI
([email protected])
 
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