please help,we have mitsubishi range of plc,fx2,A1s, etc,the problem being we have invested in a new laptop which does not have an rs232 serial port,i have purchased a usb to rs232 convertor lead, but when we try to read from the plc it states with es 01808009 on gx developer,we know the old lead is ok,we have tested with the old laptop and windows based software all works,help dave in the uk.

 

Simply return the laptop as unsuitable for your application. They'll get the idea eventually. Include documentation of the time you've wasted on a purchasing mistake. Unless you bought the laptop knowing that it wouldn't work. Doesn't anyone put in due diligence on purchases anymore?

Regards

cww

 

Agreed with above, I have had colleagues using USB converters, they always breakdown on communications so far as to "Hang Up" the PLCs they were attempting to communicate with, myself i still use Dells as they still provide enough rs ports to play with,

Mylo

 

Hi Curt Wuollet,

That was a fantastic comment.

I have been wondering what has happened to industries as a whole and more so since a couple of days ago!

What's below is probably a bit stretched to make us laugh, but not very far away from the truth!

fun 1:
****
Company purchase Agent P and vendor sales man of company X
U want a lap top, I have a laptop.
How much?
USD 1500.
Thats way too much!
I am getting one for USD 1300!
Let me see what i can do. If you are ready for some unnecessary things from your specs, then we can manage something lower. For such high specs...., why do you require them, friend........are you planning to play games! Online!

Agent X with the originator O of order!
Why you want this big specs, you planning to play games?
Originator O now on the defensive..... No not at all! The speed will allow us to give more productivity.....
Can we make do with lower specs. First you were doing all programming with the PC that you carried around, now you want Laptop. Are you not worried about cost.
(Here O forgets to inform that packing and carrying the PC was costing $$$ and time (which is also $$$)).
Ok we can go down on specs (imagining that the processor speed is being reduced).

Next day. X to P
I can give u a lap top for 1000$

P with another company sales guy Y
He is giving me $ 1000 you will lose the order.
So Y and X compete to give P Lap top around 800$.

Now son of P knows papa is worried.
Papa, there is new lap top available at the Toy shop at great discount prices.
P is very happy with son S.
P buys lap top from toy shop at 100$.
The packaging looks very modern.
In fact P buys one for his home use too!!!

O receives Laptop at home, since it is delivered in the evening and he has to rush off to destination D next day to program new PLC.
He opens package. Finds its a childrens Laptop.
Wife W is very happy that he has finally got something useful from his company.
Son of O, SO is also overjoyed.
Within ten minutes, he has started practicing maths level 3 in it.
Nobody's there in company.
He cannot call his boss who is outside country as company no longer pays for international calls.
He rushes to office and packs the computer, used till date for this purpose, in a hurry. Calls and informs P that laptop is not suitable. P arranges for some urgent packaging material. And he is annoyed at why O cancelled the last P.O. for packaging material for this computer and now he, P, has to run around in the last moment making all arrangements!
O comes back after a week.
SO has already mastered the laptop and wants the new bundle for advanced games in the same laptop. He has also taught S (son of P) how to use of the new Laptop.
Work is accomplished and everyone is happy.
It is necessary to save P. Management decides to get good laptop.
P gets offer for new Laptop.
2500$. Wonderful. All's fine. But only USB ports.
For serial ports there's the USB to serial port converter.
Later on they find, That does not work well. The whole world knows that except the few people who make these
USB to serial port converters. Why don't you change all serial port hardware to USB... The struggle goes on.

P has done his job. He has been recently promoted to manager after he got the 2500$ Laptop and the agility with which he arranged for packaging material for O is highly appreciated. He is happy.

Company is happy since the problem was solved.

O is happy. because W and OS have the laptop at home and they are happy. He still has the computer and hopes that all ports will be USB in the future.
Meanwhile he finds out that the 2500$ laptop is fantastic for games (thats his secret SO DON'T GO OFF TELLING NO ONE!!!).


End of Fun story as everybody is happy.........

A few years ago, it was realized, that in many cases normal purchasing-marketing could deliver more if specialized personnel were involved in that process and so it was deemed, necessary that people with the technical skills be trained in these functional areas and be used. A few years ago, I was working in a company where Engineers with specializations were trained in marketing, sales, purchases, business etc. from leading business schools so
that they could pick up the important tricks of the other trade and finally help company save $$$.

Then there was period when downsizing was in fashion, it was the in thing. How much you trimmed? 12%, Oh we trimmed 13%.This fad I hear still goes on. Mind you THERE WAS
NEVER A RIGHTSIZING PERIOD!!! The axe and sword or whatever you call the tool was swung freely.

There was a time, when, since people with specific skills were not there, people with other skills were taken and training imparted to gain these specific skills. Now people who are economical, irrespective of whether people with specific skills are available or not, and where it is percived under any excuse that they can be trained in the specific skills, for which any means of justification is used, are taken. These people are not trained as per old practices, but there is modernization in this aspect and these people learn on the job. So such minor hiccups are expected and accepted.

regards,
Anand.

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I just know that in my world, we call buying a $1500 dollar machine that won't do what it needs to do, a mistake. I can see mitigating if it was _you_ who made the mistake, but it'd still be better to simply admit the mistake and get something that works. The cost involved will certainly be less than screwing around with kludges every day for the lifetime of the machine. And I don't have any problem at all with telling the IS types they screwed up if they foisted such a thing on me. And it would pay to vote with our checkbooks for laptops with serial ports. And I simply don't buy the argument that you should put up with a machine that you can't work with simply because your company always buys XYZ because it has the best performance for the executive golf games and solitaire. I have been known to bring a functional machine from home or ship a desktop around to make a point. Or simply continue using the old one. It's an argument you can't lose. The price of a laptop simply doesn't buy that much screwing around.

Regards

cww

 

I had that problem and I've solved it with a new converter. Belkin's converter is eficient with Windows 95/98/Me. I also think that the GX developper has some comunication problems depending on which version we use because I still have some comunication problems with a normal RS232 port and GX.