Dear Sirs:

I have bought A 1784-PCMK/b Card ; PCM2/b Cable and A laptop Compaq Presario Pentium IV Software is 6200 Ver. 3.0. Also I have downloaded the PC-2 Software along with the Cardware software and the PCmkinint Software to install the services for the PCMK.

1. I am facing hell in Communication with the PLC. I have changed the laptop to IBM 390 X and I have booted from DOS 6.0 and changed all relevant addresses from A300 through FFFF in vain.

The only message I have got is PLC Is disconnected or Shutdown

Ihave broughtthe KT card on a desktop which I formated as DOS FAT 16 without any response.

the pLC works fine with its terminal

my question is If I buy the !771-KG cards would it solve the problem ?

the smart cable?

IS there any scientific procedure by which we can reach the optimum efficient communication with the PLC??

I am Ready to communicate through the 9 pin serial port instead of the PCMK ? HOW!

please answer me ASAP

 

The 1784-PCMK/B card and PCM2/B cable work fine talking to a PLC-2/30. You must make sure that you have booted into a pure DOS mode, that the
cardware drivers are loaded correctly, the address offsets are correct in the software and that the binaries for the PCMK with DOS software have been updated. I have set up many numerous Laptops with 6200 PLC-2 software and 1784-PCMK and they all work fine. Contact me off list (Alcoa address) if you need more information.

Leith Tull

GTS Field Service Engineer
Rockwell Automation Australia Ltd.
E-mail 1: [email protected]
E-mail 2: [email protected]

 

Try a different make of computer. Compaqs are notorius for not working properly with AB PCMK and KT/KTX cards. Are you sure you have the proper cable or pin-out connections (check AB web site)

 

Emad---

There's no great answer for your situation. PLC-2 development pretty much ended with DOS4 and 386SX-16s. The last gasp of PC-based PLC-2 software development permitted the DOS5 memory handling and the early days of the PCMK card, but PLC-2 software is largely unaware of the last decade of PC evolution.

To take your points in order:

1.) The PCMK card was developed using PCMCIA standards for a Type 2 Level 2 card. Yet, from Day One, we found that some sockets were not compatible. For a while, we had a bulletin board where we posted our successes and failures with various brands and models of notebook computers. In general, expensive brand name notebooks worked and cheap notebooks didn't. (I once plotted PCMK success vs. page number of the PC Magazine ad for the brand. The higher the page number, the worse it worked, not including the back cover.) The DOS real mode driver was difficult to configure under the best of circumstances, but in some cases it simply couldn't work, due to variations in the sockets that were outside of spec.

Then, along came hardware abstraction and Plug n' Play. My support calls for the PCMK faded away. Today, there is a real chance, since no one has
worried about real mode DOS drivers much for nearly a decade, that compatibility is worse than ever. I expect that was your problem, but we'll never really know, because the PCMK diagnostic messages under DOS always sucked.

2.) The KT card on the desktop should have worked well under DOS6 and v3 6200 software. That is really your best path for moving forward.

3.) The T3 terminals continue to work great, despite no ability to document your ladder logic and a really painful printing process.

4.) The 1771-KG might work, but it's no longer available new. Unless you can score one for $20 on EBay, I'd skip that option.

5.) The Smart Cable is no longer available new, and I don't let mine out of my possession. It DOES work!

6.) No direct RS-232 connection to a PLC-2 front port is possible. It's not RS-232, because RS-232 stuff was too fragile in 1978 when the PLC-2
front port was designed!

In the end, while you can get repairs and support for all of the communication options ever sold for the PLC-2, few combinations make sense
for new applications with modern PCs. Personally, I keep two T47 terminals around for what little PLC-2 work remains. In your case, I'd pursue using the desktop PC and the 1784-KT card, booted under DOS6. That should work.

While there are many other ways to talk to a PLC-2, if you really want to talk to your PLC from a modern computer it would be best to convert it to a PLC-5. That would eliminate a lot of problems and likely be cheaper. Talk to your distributor or Rockwell rep about what they can do for you.

Hope this helps!

Larry Lawver
Rexel / Central Florida

 

Go to ab.com or rockwellautomation.com forums
and KnowledgeBase - search on your keywords. Search in control.com, too.

see: ab.com "Manuals on line". Even the material in RSLinx release notes is a good area for clues to dealing with the older hardware like PLC2.

 

Dear Larry,
Than you for cooperations,
we have the following case description :
* PLC-2/30 Processor (Ruuning)
* 6203 software ver 3
* Desktop 486-66MHz
* 1784-TK/B with 1784-CP2 cable
* DOS ver6.22
we tryed many times with differen configuratiopn, but we still "PLC-2 disconnect or Shutdown" Please can you kindly advice us the proper required configuration and procedure to connect any the a bove laptop with PLC2/30

Best regards
houssein

 

Larry Lawver,

Thanks for the explanation.

Mike.

 

Please send me Driver for KT Card on DOS Operating system.

 

houssein--- It really sounds like you have all the right stuff, and you are very close to success.

The error message means that the software recognizes the KT card, but can't see a PLC-2 through it. Look for damage to the cable or to the 62-pin D connector on the KT.

Then, use your old terminal to verify your communication settings. The baud rate was frequently changed on PLC-2s, but verify all of your settings. All of the settings found by the old terminal must match the settings under Online Configuration for the 1784-KT (Direct Connection) in the software. (Do not use any KT configuration that mentions DH+ in your case.)

No driver is needed, although diagnostic programs can be downloaded from ab.com. I don't think you need anything new, though.

You only have to figure out why the KT cannot see the PLC-2.

Hope this helps!

Larry Lawver Rexel / Central Florida

 

Larry:

Thank you For your thorough reply to my questions. I can summarize your comment in one of three ways:
1. A 486 Desktop with KT Card. But I do not have any driver for the KT Card for DOS.
2. there are special laptops that run the PCMK /B Cards to communicate with PLC-2/30 . For eg.: Toshiba 1950 CT or 1960 CT or 2130 or other list of 486 laptops that need to be configured specially for this connection.
3. Use of the smart cable to help connecting with the PLC-2/30.

As I can see the technology of PLC-2/30 is so old that there is hardly any new configuration that can run over the this PLC.

I have actually contacted one of the GTS in Milwaky who advised me that he has an old Laptop only for communicating with PLC-2/30!

my last inquiry is :
What are the exact configurations ( Config.sys and Autoexec.bat ) that can surely make any of the PCs work with PLC-2/30

Appreciate your cooperation
Emad

 

Larry:

the problem of the Communication with the PLC-2/30 is still persisiting despite I made the following ( having the 6200 series Ver. 3, KT Card and The PC 2 Configuration tool as well as the cardware ver. 2)

1. Brought my 486 Desktop with THe KT card ( no dos driver available)
2. Cheked the Pin assignment of the Cable.
The same message came to me " PLC Disconnected or Shutdown"

I have bought two Laptops one toshiba Sat 1910 and the other is Toshiba Sat 2130 CDT.

Second Procedure:
1 I have installed DOS 5
2. Installed the PCminint for the PCMK Cards
3. Installed the 6200 Series 3 Software
4. Followed all the AB knowledge base instruction for the PCMK installation for the

Same Message is being prompted " PLC Disconnected or SHUTDOWN"

Third Procedure

1. Have bought the Smart Cable from the Australian Company
2. I have beem informed that the software is not applicable for PLC-2/30.
3. Used the 6200 Series

Same problem with both Desktop and laptop.

Suggested procedures Please confirm :

1. Buy the Very expensive A.I.series software and how shall I guarantee that it will work?
2. Buy a 1771-KA2 or 1771 -KG Card also with no Gurantees.

I think this is becoming a very bad reputation for AB having such a difficut procedure.

I really need urgent help and Advise.

Thank you
Best regards
Emad

 

Emad---

In my last post, I thought you were close to a solution, using the desktop computer. I'm not sure you received that, since you are still looking for an unnecessary driver.

Please note that A-B still supports everything that existed when your processor was delivered, even though the PLC-2/30 has not been in the
catalog for nearly a decade. The engineers in 1978 can be forgiven for not anticipating Microsoft operating systems in 2003. Their instructions were still useful through the last meaningful update, circa 1994. You are trying to use those instructions on 2003 computers. Do you have any other 1978 applications running on 1994 software with a 2003 computer, outside of payroll? <G>

If you can't get any of the workarounds for today's computers to work, I recommend that you quit trying and bring in Allen-Bradley to update your system to the PLC-5.

Hope this helps!

Larry Lawver
Rexel / Central Florida

 

Larry

Emad has been dealing with me on this issue off list and it has been resolved. Partial problems with versions of software and loading steps, etc.. was causing the problem.

Also on the following comments:

Message text written by The AList
>I think this is becoming a very bad reputation for AB having such a
difficut procedure. <
Emad---

Message text written by The AList
>Please note that A-B still supports everything that existed when your
processor was delivered, even though the PLC-2/30 has not been in the
catalog for nearly a decade. The engineers in 1978 can be forgiven for not
anticipating Microsoft operating systems in 2003. <
Larry Lawver
Rexel / Central Florida

Thanks for the support Larry and it is all too true. Too often people throw blame where it is not deserved. Totally future proofing automation equipment is almost impossible without some type of work arounds in future times (especially over the time frame we are talking about > 20 years)

Emad - I hope everything is now fine and i suggest also that you look into to updating the PLC-2/30 to spmething a bit more modern (Only a processor replacement as a minimum - Eg. PLC-5, SLC-500, ControlLogix)

Regards

Leith Tull

GMS Field Service Engineer
Rockwell Automation Australia Ltd.
Perth Office WA. Australia