We have 1 gas turbine generator driving, the control is done by Mark V. Recently the Hard disc of the HMI is damaged and we replaced it by new one.

We have installed Cimplicity, cimbridge and TCI successfully

My question is: can we restore the unit1 by upload? Also is there any way to restore the project, I mean screens and so on.

N.B: We don’t have any backup in our hand yet.

 

No. Only compiled files are downloaded to the Mark V. None of the ASCII text configuration files are downloaded to the Mark V. You can upload what was last downloaded to the panel, but there is no reliable method of reverse compiling the files to get back to the ASCII text configuration files.

The <b>ONE</b> exception (and with GE Speedtronic turbine control systems there is always at least one exception, if not more, and they don't always follow any pattern or logic) is the I/O Configuration. The I/O Configurator stores the I/O Configuration Constants in compiled format. So, if you upload the configuration(s) to a file(s) with a filename(s) that the I/O Configurator recognizes you can open it(them) and see the values which are in the EEPROM from the last download.

But, that's about it, I'm afraid. Early Mark V <I>s were shipped with reverse compilers, but that practice was stopped, for a lot of reasons. One of the reasons was that all of the comments and other "separators" which were in the original ASCII text configuration files are not included by the compiler, and so the reverse compiler cannot recreate or duplicate them.

It's also <b>not</b> a good idea to use a reverse compiler from one version of IDOS with any other version of IDOS. (I don't believe any version of TCI (which was used on the GE Mark V HMIs running some version of MS-Windows and CIMPLICITY) had a reverse compiler shipped with it and it's an even worse idea to use an IDOS reverse compiler with any GE Mark V HMI running TCI). The warning has been issued.

Hopefully you have some back-up files on floppy or CD somewhere. If not, the most you can hope for is to never have to make a sequencing change or a permanent Control Constant change.

The other alternative is to send the hard drive to any number of data recovery firms who can resurrect information from some pretty mangled hard drives. It's not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper now that there are more firms out there competing for the same work. (Competition and capitalism at work!)

 

Thanks o lot for your prompt answer.