Panelview1000 DH485 download from PC

[hrcooper]

2711-T10C3 DH485 rs232

First of all..I want to thank those who take the time to read the posts, assuming your as busy as I am and can hardly keep up with things as it is.

I have a Panelview1000 2711-T10C3 so it has DH485 and a RS232 port. The last time I did a panelview was years ago, but as I recall I just connected from the PC serial port to the serial port on the PV. In this case, I tried to connect to the RS232 DB9 but it gives me the error (seems to be common) that the printer needs to be turned off..yet there does not seem to way to do this. So it appears I need a cable to plug into the RJ45, but is this RS232 or RS485? I am assuming there is a AB cable for this, or an aftermarket cable as well. If its just RS232 to RS485 conversion, thats a pretty simple circuit to build but still need the pinout of the RJ45. The PLC target is a Micrologix 1400 so figure its going to be the same connection between those as well.

 

[EddieWillers]

The easiest way to connect this PanelView terminal to the MicroLogix 1400 is to use a 1761-NET-AIC.

The six-pin screw terminal connector on the 1761-NET-AIC (also called an "AIC+") will connect to the "RJ-45" style connector on the PanelView. You can make your own cable or buy an A-B 1761-CBL-AS03 or -AS09 cable.

One of the other two ports on the 1761-NET-AIC will connect to the MicroLogix 1400. There's one 8-pin "Mini-DIN" port, and one 9-pin port. You'll need to use a 1761-CBL-PM02 cable or similar.

All of these cable part numbers and diagrams can be found in the 1761-NET-AIC installation guide.

The hardest part of all this is when you introduce a computer into the mix. That PanelView terminal uses DH485 protocol, which is very difficult to run on a Windows serial port. If you have Windows XPSP2 and a built-in serial port, you can use the "1747-PIC/AIC+" driver in RSLinx Classic to connect to this network. It won't work in Win7 or Vista and won't work with any general-purpose USB/RS232 or USB/RS485 converter. A-B does have a 1747-UIC USB to DH485 protocol converter.

What I would do is avoid connecting your computer to DH485 at all. Connect to the MicroLogix 1400 using Ethernet, and use a CompactFlash card in a Type II carrier to move application files on and off the PanelView terminal (as long as it's firmware 4.0 or newer).

 

[hrcooper]

So your saying...the easiest way to load a file from Panelbuilder32is to use a compactflash card? OK, I can write files to a CF card, but what files from the PB32 need to be loaded on the card?

 

[EddieWillers]

PanelView Standard terminals with firmware 3.0 and later support "ATA Flash" memory cards as well as the very old linear flash cards.

I have had good success with CompactFlash cards under 2 GB, with FAT16 file system formatting.

The PanelBuilder32 project files have a *.PBA extension, and the runtime application files they create for the terminal (which have to be copied onto the terminal) have a *.PVA extension.

All you have to do is copy the *.PVA file onto the root directory of the CompactFlash card, and the PanelView file selection menu should see it.

 

[hrcooper]

Excellent....I'll give that a try this weekend. Not as convenient as downloading a file directly, but at this point, I just need to get the project done.

 

[hrcooper]

OK so I was finally able to return on this project...I acquired a SATA carrier for the compact flash card, and copied over a test project pva file and I get a "file not supported" message. I made sure the project was targeting the part number on the panelview. Any ideas?

Panelview version number is 03.82.01 (build 451)

 

[EddieWillers]

In PanelBuilder32, go to the Terminal Setup tab and click the "Catalog & Revision Numbers" button.

Make sure that you're creating a *.PVA for the firmware revision range that matches the actual firmware running in the PanelView terminal.

 

[hrcooper]

OK...back on track. Turns out, you do have to use an AB card, or at least the one I was trying to use didnt work. Now I can load files to the Panelview.

I have a AIC+, so now connecting from the ML1400 to the panelview.

Cable 1 from the RJ45 to the top section, using the terminal block per wiring instructions reference cable 1761-CBL-AS09. No problem I can use a CAT5 cable I have and cut off the end,

ML1400...two ports available. One is the 9 pin D, the other is the programming port..ie...miniDIN. Can I just go from the 9 pin D tx/rx/gnd on the ML1400 to the 9 pin D on the AIC? Of course NULL modem with the rx/tx crossed.

 

[FreddyNurk]

If its got an RS232 port, you can use PanelBuilder32 to talk to it, I rigged up two straight-through cables and a gender changer for the last one I did. All of our other AB cables were null modems, I had assumed this was what I needed, but I was wrong.

I had numerous attempts at it (other comms option was Remote IO) before I went and checked the cable requirements.

Also, if you power up the Panelview without programming it (i.e. out of the box) you can set the second (RS232) port to be either printer or serial comms.

Once the unit was onsite, I could use pass through from Remote IO to talk to it as well, but I didn't have that option when I had the thing in my hands, as I had no corresponding PLC to use.

 

[hrcooper]

I could never get the second RS232 port to be anything but a printer port. Is there a reset someplace to put it back to factory defaults?

 

[FreddyNurk]

The error message you get (from PanelBuilder32) when you attempt to talk to it via RS232 but it fails, will tell you to check the printer port if it can't communicate, regardless of whether its set as printer port or not. I got those errors when attempting to talk to it via a null modem cable, but I had already checked the settings.

If you power up the Panelview, even if its never been programmed, you should be able to access a setup menu that can check the port settings. Of course, if you've got an already used one from site, theres every chance they removed the setup from the menu options...

I've not looked any further at the ssetup for these, but I'd still assume that the DB9 on it is the RS232 port, it'd be a right pain if you needed a custom cable to connect an RJ45 to a printer, though with AB's other proprietary stuff it wouldn't surprise me.