PLC, PACSystems & Industrial Computing Forum - Recent Threads

Questions about 90-30 in process of upgrading

Matthew Love — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:33:09 GMT

Hello,

I have the task of updating an old PLC in a plant. I have a copy of the old program, but it is absent of any names and comments. Given that the cabinet is nearly 35 years old, documentation is also scarce.

It is a somewhat simple LD program with 150 rungs. I do know what the hard-wire I/O are (thanks for wire labels!), so I have filled in those names for %I and %Q variables respectively, then using those knowns to back-fill unknown memory variables.

The existing machine is a 90-30, model 331.

In trying to decipher the old program, a few things I cannot quite wrap my head around.

The biggest head-scratcher for me (likely because I lack old school experience) is the use of BIT_SEQ. I've read the description several times, but the concept (or perhaps the implementation here) doesn't click for me.
- I understand the enable, reset, and direction, but the N and ST parameters escape me a bit, or at least the ones used here. N is a constant, and a large number at 393. The description says that N is "the value that the step number is set to when R is energized" and that N must be between 1 and Length, while Length's legal values are 1-256. Given this, 393 is input very specifically, but it would just default to 256 (max Length) or the Length value of 5 here, unless I'm missing something.
  - I believe the 393 is specifically linked to the start of a cluster of 5 (Length's parameter) BOOLs in %M, from 393-397, which are then linked to %Q outputs.
  - Following this, it seems that they used the BIT_SEQ to turn on the Qs via a crank-style bit manipulation vs traditional LD rung logic.
- Second, the ST argument. When compiling the program, PAC ME gives warnings on all BIT_SEQ (4 of them) in the program, citing a type mismatch on the ST arguments, as they are all provided as BOOL, but expecting BYTE, WORD, or DWORD.
  - I'm assuming that BYTE, WORD, or DWORDs are just suggestions, and really all that matters is the numerical address provided, in this case marked by SV1_V variable, which is address %M00393 - matching the N argument.

Are my assumptions correct here? It looks like they gave the BIT_SEQ the starting address of 393, which is also the address of the ST argument. The BIT_SEQ cranks through the bits to turn on 5 BOOLs. I can understand the effective/technical result here, but I'm not sure why you would choose this method to activate coils rather than traditional rung logic? Perhaps to minimize number of rungs/instructions for sake of memory limitations?

Another question:
Several times throughout the program, a variable will be OR'd with NOT-itself. Like (if VAR1 == TRUE OR VAR1 != TRUE) THEN ....
Again, given that this, at first glance, seems obtuse, I have to assume this might be some facet/restriction of programming in times long ago that I'm not familiar with. My best guess is adding this chunk in as a sort of marker for human visualization purposes, in lieu of a comment.

Another peculiar thing I've found is the use of %Qs in addresses far above where the hard-wired inputs stop.
For example, this application's I/O cards stop at %Q00036, but there exists %Q00203, 204, and 210 in the program. I assume these are used in place of %M, but why? I do not believe %M memory was exhausted... I understand these may simply be idiosyncrasies of a rouge programmer, but curious of there might be some reason (from before I was born!) giving legitimate cause for this.

One more question: this program has pervasive use of ONDTR TENTHS instruction. I understand the purpose of a delay-on-make function, of course, but the kicker is that ONDTR (as I read it) has a cumulative timer, so that it does not reset to the specified parameter when power flow is broken - it holds its value.
I can understand the utility of this in certain applications, but I'm surprised at the exclusive use of this instruction for all timer functions in the program. A few times, the input trigger is inverted, causing it to auto-reset upon power break, or the output will be wrapped around to the Reset.
Given its exclusive use and occasional go-arounds, I can only assume that a plain delay-on-make might not have existed in this era?

Lastly, can I connect to this PLC live via PAC ME? There is some doubt with my colleagues that PAC ME cannot be connected to a 90-30 of fear that it will 'update' something in the PLC, causing it to no longer work with the old software (MS-DOS style stuff). Is there any validity this? To clarify, we (technicians) have PAC ME, the customer only has old software (LogicMaster? I believe?) so do not want to leave site causing unknown problems for customer.

Thanks for the help and tolerance of my many questions.

QuickPanel Plus History Alarms to CSV

Gabriele Corrieri — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 14:03:08 GMT

Hello

I'm very newbie to Emerson products, I need a way (script?) to write on USB memory a CSV of all historical alarms:

I've not found any resource, on manuals, on web (also here) that explain how to do this (I think) relative simple task.

Using Kepware to connect to Rx3i and QuickPanel+ HMI

sanchit.sahay — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:17:57 GMT

I am looking to connect to an Rx3i PLC, and a QuickPanel+ HMI (separate applications) using Kepware as proof of concept.

Which communication technology/driver would be optimal for communication and reading data from both these systems?

I have had success with the GESRTP driver for Rx3i, and I see SNMP can be used for QuickPanel+ HMIs but the Emerson/GE documentation on SNMP configurations is quite complicated and does not address any potential security risks or how to configure the panel with cyber safety in mind.

Is there an optimal way to connect to both of these devices? Any documentation/example videos (not specific to Kepware but any software would work)

A question about the applicability of PAC3I and PAC8000 products to high-altitude areas

Jack.Zhang — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 08:32:19 GMT

I only saw a description about the product's operating temperature in the manuals of Pac3i and PAC8000, but what I want to ask is whether high altitude areas have any impact on our products. Where can I find this relevant information?

Does PAC ME support logic debugging, breakpoints, step execution, etc?

Matthew Love — Thu, 09 May 2024 13:48:26 GMT

I'm working on a product with PAC ME v10.2 and PACSystems RX3i devices.

I am trying to test and debug the logic. I am used to other software tools that allow a user to pause execution of the logic, set breakpoints, and proceed with execution on a literal step-by-step timeline.

Does any of this exist within PAC ME/RX3i? I do not see anything obvious in the tool ribbons.

Any way to force Analog Inputs for RX3i?

Matthew Love — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:11:27 GMT

I would like to simulate an analog input signal for simulation purposes.

I see I can easily do this for DIs, DOs, and AOs, but cannot see how to do it for AIs.

Is this possible?

Thanks!

A historical issue with a product

Jack.Zhang — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 01:42:55 GMT

Today, a client asked me when 9030, 9070, PAC3i, and PAC7i were launched respectively? I really don't know how to answer this. Does anyone know the launch time of these four product series? Thank you!

Regarding the issue of a screw hole at the bottom of IC695CPE310

Jack.Zhang — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 06:44:37 GMT

There is a screw hole at the bottom of the B-version IC695CPE310 without any identification. I want to know if this place needs to be grounded? There is no description in the manual, could anyone help me? Thank you.

B型IC695CPE310底部有一个螺丝孔，没有任何标识。我想知道这个地方是否需要接地？手册中没有描述，谁能帮我？谢谢。

Solar Power Company Enhances Performance and Image with Emerson Control Technology

Manish Sharma — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 22:28:37 GMT

Sometimes having outdated technology not only holds back productivity and efficiency, but it can also make a company less attractive as an investment or purchase. That was the case with this western U.S. solar power plant that was looking to transfer ownership to a new company, but its outmoded legacy control systems made the power plant less attractive to a potential owner, as well as increased the complexity of transferring operations and maintenance functions to them when and if a sale occurred.

In this interesting case study, read how Emerson control technology significantly increased the functionality of the system and made the upgrade fast and highly affordable.

Super-fast Installation of Production Supervision System in 115 Worldwide Plants Needs a Flexible, Modular, Scalable Software Platform – Case Study

Andrea di Talia — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 23:50:20 GMT

A global leader in industrial packaging launched a worldwide search for a software provider that could implement a unified and coherent production supervision and management system in 115 production plants globally. The manufacturer required a system that would allow a targeted investment with sustainable costs and, above all, velocity and installation standard. Another key goal was to obtain easy access to global or local data analysis by means of a cloud platform. After a false start with a North American software company, the manufacturer not only needed a fully integrated system that could meet its performance requirements, it also needed a partner that could implement and install the system fast. The company selected Emerson.

How this manufacturer was able to achieve a record-breaking installation time of 4-5 days for each of its 115 locations makes a very interesting case study. Read about it here.

Solar Energy Plant Uses PACSystems™︎ Control Solutions to Meet Fast-Changing Needs

Manish Sharma — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 23:01:44 GMT

The need to meet upcoming changes in regulations impacts a lot of industries, but none more than solar energy plants that have to comply with the new CAISO (California Independent System Operator) and NERC regulations. One such power company constructed a 100 MWac solar project, which employed a 75 MW / 300 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) retrofit to the site. The control systems for the existing installation were not able to meet the demands of the new regulations, plus could not sustain the company’s anticipated growth and expansion. They turned to their energy solutions provider, Nor-Cal Controls, which in turn decided to use the Emerson PACSystems RX3i control solution for its power, flexibility and scalability.

Learn more about this interesting case study.

Offshore Wellhead Company Reduces Flare Gas and Increases Sustainability with Carbon Offset Credits Using PACSystems Technologies

Manish Sharma — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 00:41:18 GMT

As the drive for sustainability increases along with pressures to maintain or increase profitability, the need to take advantage of carbon credits likewise increases. In a recent case study, engineering systems integrator Drakken was selected for a project with a large oil and gas company to engineer an offshore wellhead monitoring project at the Gulf of Suez. The task was to collect, analyze and distribute information to earn carbon credits and, since the carbon credits would be generated from flare gas reduction, the company would have to quantify and verify the exact volume of equivalent greenhouse gas emissions reduced by the gas conservation equipment per the quantification methodology. This entails the need for continuous flare gas conservation data, so Drakken had to record standardized volumetric flow rates for the conserved gas and store it to the cloud application.

Tasked with providing a solution for data transfer from an energy meter, installed on a gas compressor, and flow meters to a remote cloud-based data management system, Drakken selected Emerson’s PACSystems^TM RX3i CPL410 edge controller, PACEdge^TM software, an RSTi-EP network adapter, communication card, digital input card for alarm signals, and QuickPanel+ HMI. To learn how Drakken was able to fulfill the requirements of this demanding project, read the full case study.

You’ll find additional information on the unique Emerson PACSystems CPL410 edge controller here.

FEI Foods Goes “Beyond SCADA” in Automating Their New Plant Using Movicon.NExT Platform

Andrea di Talia — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 23:21:10 GMT

For a company that had been so busy meeting demand they couldn’t slow down to implement automation, just the prospect of installing a SCADA system in their new plant sounded like the solution to a lot of challenges. But they were informed enough to choose Movicon.NExT^TM software for their plant and got way more than they expected.

The Movicon.NExT platform interconnects all the new automation equipment over the factory data communication network. In addition, it interfaces with the FEI Foods’ enterprise resource planning (ERP) and inventory control systems, as well as printing, labeling and applicators. This enables automatic production declarations to be performed at the end of every batch. To eliminate the inefficiency and inconvenience of a manual inventory system, which their previous facilities had used, Emerson worked with PLATCON to develop a webservices interface to allow the Movicon.NExT platform to communicate with the inventory control system. And that’s just the beginning.

To learn how FEI Foods went beyond SCADA functionality to increase their production output, improve its OEE and more, this article in Food Manufacturing shares more details.

And click here to learn more about Movicon.NExT software.

Untrap Your Data to Improve OEE – Video

Eldin Cooper — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 23:10:36 GMT

Industry professionals know that the greater use of smart sensors and systems has significantly increased the data that can be collected on every aspect of industrial applications. Where once users might be able to tell that a specific machine was operating more slowly or with less output than others, they can now determine the cause of the problem down to the specific measurement or function. Operators can discover when a machine might fail and the optimal time to perform maintenance. And all this data becomes input for rapid decision-making that can up efficiency, increase productivity, reduce downtime and save money by improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Achieving these goals begins with untrapping data and making it available as input for OEE, meaning getting it out of the machines and into the hands of those who can actually use it – fast and cost-effectively. Not the job of any single hardware or software system, making efficient use of previously trapped data requires effective integration from the floor to the cloud – from the machine to all decisionmakers, be they in maintenance, operations, finance, or the boardroom.

This interesting video features a discussion between two of Emerson’s technical experts who speak on improving OEE by gaining access to trapped or new data. Take a look.

Air Conditioning Manufacturer Tripled Production Using Emerson PLCs and Movicon.NExT™︎ Platform

Andrea di Talia — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 19:54:25 GMT

Imagine that you have a major rise in market demand for your products and you can’t meet it! What do you do? Often modularity and flexibility win the day. That’s what this interesting case study from Maxa Air Conditioning shows when the company realized that their facilities were restricted by the existing heat-pump testing production line that consisted of two testing stations with a maximum throughput of only 19 units per shift.

In order to increase production capacity, Maxa needed to automate its heat-pump testing process and expand to add more testing stations. The solution also needed to be modular to improve efficiency and enable the plant to grow and scale for the future. Maxa succeeded in a big way by increasing test capacity to over 60 units per shift. They combined a PLC from Emerson and the Movicon.NExT^TM software.

To learn how the company accomplished its goal in the case study here.

And visit the Movicon page to explore steps that your plant might take to increase production and efficiency.

Oil Lubricant Manufacturer Increases Productivity with Movicon.NExT™︎

Andrea di Talia — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 18:19:51 GMT

The drive to improve productivity and efficiency in manufacturing plants is a major step in improving a company’s bottom line but can be difficult to achieve without significant disruption and expense, especially when production data is needed from a range of disparate machines.

In a recent case study, an oil lubricant manufacturer was able to implement a new supervision system for its production line, which included a number of different, proprietary machines, each controlled by its own PLC. They achieved cost-effective data collection, aggregation and analysis that led to easy detection of problems causing production losses and downtime using the Emerson Movicon.NExT platform.

To learn how they got such excellent results, read the case study here.

Is Air Costing You a Lot of Money? Here’s How to Reduce Air and Energy Consumption Easily & Affordably

Eldin Cooper — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 01:52:53 GMT

Industrial companies are caught between the energy crisis on the one hand and the environmental crisis on the other. The need to reduce energy consumption while simultaneously lowering impact on the environment is a constant challenge.

In a recent video, two Emerson experts, Eugenio Silva of the Intelligent Automation Group, and David Kraft, VP of Emerson Discrete Automation, discuss how monitoring utilities can help companies achieve net-zero goals – an affordable, efficient way to positively affect both energy and the environment. Industrial plants can start by taking a proactive approach to reducing compressed air loss and move on to other utilities. Find out how in this video.

Give Your Machine Builder Customers the Edge

Andrea di Talia — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 18:43:51 GMT

Here’s a new blog on Emerson Automation Experts that details how a machine builder cut their costs and engineering time using Movicon^TM SCADA/HMI.

Take a look. It makes some interesting points that may apply to your customers.

And use the below content to share this case study with your customers and prospects on social media and in your newsletters:

Case study: Movicon SCADA/HMI reduces engineering time and costs for Italian packaging machinery builder > http://emr.as/oLqY50PGxlx #Movicon #SCADA #IIoT #Packaging #FoodandBeverage
Read how creating a standardized supervisory system using #Movicon SCADA/HMI saved time and money and helped set this machine builder apart > http://emr.as/oLqY50PGxlx #SCADA #IIoT #Packaging #FoodandBeverage
“By using the Movicon platform, projects can be centralized or distributed, allowing us to deploy fewer resources to planning and maintenance of our various machines.” Learn how this machine builder saved time and money > http://emr.as/oLqY50PGxlx #Movicon #SCADA #IIoT #Packaging #FoodandBeverage
Movicon SCADA/HMI offers support for dynamic language, user and password protection management compliant with FDA CFR21 Part 11 regulations, and important alarm notifications by SMS or email, plus much more > http://emr.as/oLqY50PGxlx #Movicon #SCADA #IIoT #Packaging #FoodandBeverage

Edge Control Technology Lowers Risk and Saves Money in Water Distribution System at the World’s Largest New City

Eldin Cooper — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 23:16:43 GMT

Many of you have read or heard about edge controllers – a relatively new technology that combines deterministic and non-deterministic real-time control in one hypervised platform, providing the capabilities of a programmable logic controller (PLC) and an edge computer system in one device, saving costs, space and integration time and complexity. In existing projects where PLCs are already well in place, industrial professionals may choose not to use edge controllers but rather opt for edge computing devices added to the existing machine-level control in order to bring analytic capability to the plant floor. On the other hand, in greenfield projects, those where the PLC technology is out-of-date or where space or integration complexity is an issue, the choice of an edge controller is optimum.

A truly dramatic example of the use of edge controller technology along with advanced SCADA-based software and other innovations can be seen in this article about the water distribution system in the world’s largest new city, NEOM in Saudi Arabia. An exceptional challenge, the NEOM system extends over approximately 65 km (40.4 miles) of coastal terrain and 75 km (46.6 miles) of mountains, providing a wide range of environmental stresses. A water desalination plant is the freshwater source, and the system includes pipelines, pumping stations and storage tanks. With the city under construction, the water system delivers more than 50,600 m³/day (1.787 million ft²) of bulk desalinated water to the core development area for construction and human consumption.

Read this interesting article. And learn more about how PACSystems edge technology can help in a wide range of applications by visiting Emerson.com/PACSystems.

Integrated Compressed Air Monitoring Solution Means Big Energy Savings for Global Consumer Goods Manufacturer

Ajay Singh Rana — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 22:32:32 GMT

The use and leakage of compressed air in any industrial plant represents a significant energy footprint and is a problem for a company that is either pursuing a net zero carbon target or one that is simply trying to reduce energy expenditure.

In an interesting case study, a major consumer goods manufacturer succeeded in reducing their compressed air consumption and thereby energy usage by 22% through the use of an integrated compressed air monitoring solution from Emerson. The system includes sensors, edge computers, OPC-UA servers and software. One of the case’s big challenges, which is common to many manufacturers, was overcoming the fact that most inline sensors do not have real-time clocks, so there is no clear way to determine timing of events. The monitoring system needed an elegant, scalable and efficient way to overcome this problem. In addition, the solution had to scale to 38 global manufacturing centers using a single central monitoring and control system.

To see how Emerson met and exceeded the requirements of this company, read the case study.

Solve Time-to-Market Slowdowns with Modern Machine Control

Eldin Cooper — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 23:03:32 GMT

If you’re a machine builder, you know all the stresses you’re under that have the potential to slow your time to market – and reduce your bottom line. Daily, you experience the challenges of the programmer shortage, getting stuck designing in outdated technology, being attacked by hackers, and worse, having your customers suffering cyberattacks.

A new flyer from Emerson addresses some of these stresses and offers new ways of thinking about PLC technology that can have a positive impact on your productivity.

Download the flyer here.

See How this Power Station Operator Solved a Wide Range of Operating Problems with a Single Movicon.NExT Platform

Andrea di Talia — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 02:42:00 GMT

Solving a large number of supervision and control problems in a complex industrial installation with a single platform, requiring only a single license, can be a great boon to a user. That’s what happened when the operator of 11 photovoltaic power stations in Brazil and South Africa set out to replace their decade-old SCADA system with new technology that would provide superior graphics for better ease-of-use as well as much-needed scalability. The power stations had a total capacity of 825 MW and the SCADA system was required to collect from 5,000 to 10,000 I/O of data at each station and then process, aggregate and visualize the collected data and communicate with the distributed control system or third-party systems.

When the systems integrator selected Movicon.NExT^TM software from Emerson, the user got way more than they expected and everything they wanted, all in one platform. To learn how the Movicon.NExT platform brought exceptional visualization, flexibility, scalability and more to this power station operator, check out this case study.

Imagine Emissions Monitoring Made Easy

Eldin Cooper — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 22:10:06 GMT

All industrial companies know the critical need to report stack emissions correctly and promptly. Large fines or even plant shutdowns can result from noncompliance. But actually monitoring and reporting those emissions is hard, especially with data acquisition systems (DAS) assembled from bits and parts of a lot of disparate technologies never made to integrate easily.

But you can change all that in your plant with a quick look at this informative flyer that tells you all about a fully integrated DAS created by Emerson and designed to make emissions monitoring fast and easy.

Get your copy and Meet Demanding Emissions Monitoring Requirements Quickly, Easily and Cost Effectively.

Emerson Floor to Cloud Solutions at PACK EXPO 2023, Sept 11-13 (Get Your FREE Ticket!)

Eldin Cooper — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 01:23:29 GMT

Transform raw data into actionable information and then put that knowledge to work immediately, saving you time, upping your productivity, lowering costs, increasing product quality, utilizing every resource to the max, and getting the most from all your workforce. You can do this fast and cost effectively when you start at the machine level, solve your highest priority problems first, gain insights and ROI right away and scale seamlessly all the way to the cloud as fast as you require. Sound good?

A particularly good time to learn all this transformational knowledge up close and personal is coming September 11-13 at PACK EXPO 2023 in Las Vegas when Emerson will show you how data holds the key to improvement and how you can drive transformation across your operations with our Floor to Cloud^TM solutions at our booth #SL-6107.

Want a FREE ticket? Make an appointment to meet an Emerson expert for an up-close exploration of new, problem-solving technologies and platforms.

The Emerson Floor to Cloud solutions wall will be an exciting display where you can learn how solving problems from the machine level to the enterprise with full integration can save you time, money and mistakes. Delve into solutions from the floor to the cloud that increase energy efficiency, reduce waste, improve OEE, create safer operations and improved record-keeping, and eliminate islands of automation, freeing trapped data.

In addition, other exciting demonstrations include:

Multi-media monitoring
Electric linear displays
Compressed air monitoring
Filling demonstrations
Welding line automation
Clean-in-place monitoring and automation
Cascade leak detection
A demonstration of the practical uses of augmented reality in maintenance and operations
And more

Another exciting event to be aware of is the Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network Breakfast sponsored by Emerson being held on September 12^th from 7:30 to 9:00am, where you’ll learn how Manjit Minhas turned an idea into a beer empire.

And while all these things are going on, you’ll be able to cheer on the college, trade school and university teams that will be running around the exhibit halls completing tasks in the Amazing Packaging Race, also sponsored by Emerson.

PACK EXPO 2023 will be an exciting event. Get your free ticket now. Make an appointment with an expert to discuss how Emerson Floor to Cloud solutions can help your operations. Plan now to be in Las Vegas from Sept 11 - 13 and we will see you at booth #SL-6107.

Open Architecture and Protocol Support Win the Day for This Solar Plant

Manish Sharma — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 03:02:36 GMT

The need to deal with legacy technology is a challenge that almost every industrial company faces at some time. Upgrading and/or replacing systems without taking too much time or spending too much money becomes job #1. An interesting example of just such a case study occurred in a solar power plant in the western U.S. The founders of the solar plant were looking to transfer ownership to a new company, but the presence of proprietary control systems made the plant less desirable to the new owner as well as complicated the transfer of operations and maintenance responsibilities to the new entity. This meant the changeover to new control technology had to happen fast.

To read the whole story of how Nor-Cal Controls, the systems integrator for the project, used the PACSystems^TM RX3i control solution to make the changeover smooth and fast as well as to expand capabilities far beyond the customer’s expectations, check out this case study.