Connecting notebook to PLC

Many of the "next generation" laptops have the serial port being phased out because the manufacturers believe the consumer no longer has a need with USB products. There are two primary options if a serial port is not available; USB-to-serial or PCMCIA-to-serial. I would recommend the PCMCIA-to-serial, because the PCMCIA is essentially the PCI bus... I use this, and I have had sucess in connecting to AB, Omron, etc. PLCs. ALSO this option allows connection to DOS programs. See http://www.Quatech.com Best of luck....
 
B

Bob Peterson

There are several options.

For serial communications buy either a pcmcia or usb to rs232 adaptor. Be aware that some protocals (notably AB DH485) don't support USB serial ports.

The other option is a dedicated comm adapter for the specific PLC (usb or pcmcia).
 
K
You can use a USB to serial converter made for PDAs. Belkin makes one that I have been using with pretty good results. Every once in awhile it does create the dreaded blue screen with windows. I also know other people using this and they have the same problem. It only happens once in awhile so it is not that big of a deal. A company called Quatech (www.quatech.com) makes a PCMCIA card to serial that I have used but is has a slower baud rate. Good luck.
 
Which brand of PLC are you attempting to communicate to? If Allen Bradley you will will need a CPMIA card and the correct cable for the processor you are using. Not sure on any other brands, but all PLCs use interface cards/devices for programming.

BruceB
 
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