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General Category => Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software => Topic started by: ElroyJetson on May 09, 2016, 08:40:19 PM

Title: DoMore with SMC ex600 valve I/O
Post by: ElroyJetson on May 09, 2016, 08:40:19 PM
Has anyone used a DoMore PLC with an SMC ex 600 fieldbus system? I'm new to the DoMore, and have a project that I am considering using the SMC unit. I need pneumatic valves on the machine, and I like the idea of expandable I/O on the same unit. However, I have no experience with this unit, and am concerned that I may have difficulty getting it to work properly. Just thought I would ask...
Title: Re: DoMore with SMC ex600 valve I/O
Post by: Greg on May 10, 2016, 11:35:03 AM
Never used this, but Googling the EX600 Fieldbus system, it looks like they have an I/O module capable of doing EtherNet/IP protocol. However, it doesn't state whether this is "explicit" or "implicit". The Do-more provides EtherNet/IP "explicit" protocol via its EIPMSG instruction. If you have an EX600 Fieldbus system that has this EtherNet/IP module, then you can download Do-more Designer (for free) and it comes with a virtual PLC (we call it the "SIM") that runs on your PC. This SIM can utilize your PC's Ethernet card (your NIC) as its "built in" Ethernet port and test the EIPMSG instruction with your existing hardware for free.
Title: Re: DoMore with SMC ex600 valve I/O
Post by: Mike Nash on May 10, 2016, 01:10:30 PM
The SIM is great and I have tested comms with it on other explicit EIP and Modbus TCP devices. But it IS a simulator and it will drop out of run after a relatively short time period to keep us from trying to run real world I/O from it continuously. I have no complaints with this at all BTW, you just need to be aware of it. And the run time is plenty long enough for testing* and you just pop over to the simulator window when it drops out of run and restart it. No need to reload or anything like that. As a matter of fact, whatever you saved to the simulator last is still "in the memory" whenever you later decide to use the simulator again, just like the actual PLCs.

*Long enough that more than a few of us forget to keep an eye on the RUN status in DMD.
Title: Re: DoMore with SMC ex600 valve I/O
Post by: BobO on May 10, 2016, 02:06:30 PM
It's an hour. And yes, since it can run real world I/O, it can run a real world process. We didn't think it was great to do that...for several good reasons.
Title: Re: DoMore with SMC ex600 valve I/O
Post by: Mike Nash on May 10, 2016, 05:53:43 PM
Quote from: BobO on May 10, 2016, 02:06:30 PM
It's an hour. And yes, since it can run real world I/O, it can run a real world process. We didn't think it was great to do that...for several good reasons.

Well no wonder I forget to check. An hour is relatively short for process control but plenty long for testing code. But I still love having my "own" H2-DM1E for testing with.