Internet PLC Forum

Does your FMD PLC have FRAM-RTC?

If the PLC does not have FRAM-RTC installed, then are you using a power failure interrupt routine to save parameters using SAVE_EEPx to non-volatile memory  during a power failure? Or is your program running the SETTIMERSV or SETCTRSV command during operation and need to be saved to non volatile memory before power failure?

Please refer to Section "1.7.2  Non-Volatile Data Store" in the FMD PLC User Manual which explains how the pseudo EEPROM works and why you could lose data if power failure interrupt routine is not given enough time to back up the pseudo EEPROM data to flash memory.

When you power down a machine by turning off the AC power, the DC output of the power supply usually have enough capacitance to gradually decay to zero so the power failure interrupt routine can work properly.

When you press the emergency stop button, did you cut off the DC power supply to the PLC immediately? If so then the interrupt service routine is not given enough time to save the parameters. What happens is that the flash sector is erased but the CPU did not have enough time to copy the pseudo EEPROM data to the flash and therefore you lose the Ethernet parameters as well.

If you wire your emergency stop button such that it only cuts off power to the I/O but not to the PLC, then this issue should not happen.

Alternatively, organize your program so that if you need to save some data to non-volatile memory or need to change the timer or counter set values using the SETTIMERSV or SETCTRSV, then do so in the main program itself and execute the SETSYSTEM 252, 0 command to backup the new data to the flash memory  immediately so that the CPU will not attempt to save the changed data to flash memory during power failure. Of course you should take into consideration that there is a 100K erase/write limit to flash memory and therefore your program must avoid erasing/rewriting to the flash memory so often that exceeds its life cycle limit and wear out the flash memory.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience which we are sure will benefit other users.

Some RS485 devices do require biasing on pull-up and down on its RS485 port to work properly. In most low speed and short cable applications the Nano-10 PLCs would not require biasing and it is likely that the power monitor is the party that requires biasing on its RS485 bus line.

Actually in Chapter 15.5 of the Nano-10 User Manual (please download from https://triplc.com/documentations.htm) there is a section describing the RS485 that also suggest using biasing resistors for more robust communication, as shown in the screen capture below:
 

Are you referring to the PLC or the i-TRiLOGI software?

The new Wx100 PLC can be viewed at  https://triplc.com/wx100.htm

The detailed user manual for the Wx100 as well as i-TRiLOGI can be viewed at at https://docs.triplc.com

You can upgrade your i-TRiLOGI software by clicking on the "Help" and then select "Upgrade TRiLOGI" link.

Thank you.

i-TRiLOGI 7.4 is released to support all the new features (the integrated 16-key keypad and a 128 x 64 pixel OLED display as well as WiFi configuration) in the new Wx100 PLC (https://triplc.com/wx100.htm), but is also tested to work with all other Super PLCs such as the Nano-10, FMD, Fx and any SmartTILE-Fx based custom PLCs.

In response to your feedback we decided to expand the #DEFINE table to 2000 entries when the final version is released.

One more feature that you may find helpful to manage large #DEFINE table is to use the Excel file "ExcelDefineTable.xlsm" in the "C:\TRiLOGI\TL74" folder.

You can export the #Define table to a text file and the "Import"  macro in the spreadsheet can import the text file into Excel, allowing you more powerful tools in Excel to manage the table. After the table has been updated, click the "Export" button to run a macro to export the updated file back to a text file which can then be imported into i-TRiLOGI 7.4. 

We would like to thank the Expert Member of this forum - Gary Dickinson for his suggestion and help in creating the "ExcelDefineTable.xlsm"

Thank you for your question. TRi PLCs are designed for OEM equipment builders where protection of their intellectual property is important. As such there is no mechanism for pulling the program off the PLC internal flash memory back to a PC, therefore protects against unauthorized copying or modification of the control program. The OEM equipment builder is the entity that has the original source file.

i-TRiLOGI software also provides a tool for OEM to generate a compiled file (.CO5) which can be sent to the equipment user to load the program into a new PLC if a replacement PLC is needed. This could be a file that some OEMs may be willing to provide to their end customers.

You can however retrieve the program name, the date of file creation and file transfer by using the i-TRiLOGI software: "Controller->Open Matching Source File". With these information you can try to contact the supplier of the equipment to see if they are willing to provide you with copy of the program (it could be a .PC5, .PC6 or .PC7) or a compiled .CO5 file for your backup purpose.

If you are using the input interrupt (defined by INTRDEF), remember that interrupt channel #1, 2, 3, 4 are mapped to digital inputs #3,4,5,6.

So please use input #3,4,5 or 6 as interrupt input. Digital input #1,2,7,8 do not support interrupt function.

We should have no problem expanding the #Define table to 2000 entries. If you require the version urgently please contact support@triplc.com and we could arrange to send you a pre-release version of new i-TRiLOGI 7 that can support 2000 entries in the #Define table along with many other new features.