Host Engineering Forum

General Category => Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software => Topic started by: pbw on September 17, 2018, 09:43:18 AM

Title: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 17, 2018, 09:43:18 AM: I have 2 BRX PLCs on seperate networks connected to my computer.
They both run the same code so when I make a change I update both of them. The problem is that when the system configuration gets loaded the serial internal serial port defaults back to rs-232.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: BobO on September 17, 2018, 11:01:35 AM: What do you mean "defaults back to RS232"? The config is showing correctly, but the port is behaving wrong? Or the config is reverting to RS232?
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 17, 2018, 06:23:16 PM: The config is reverting back to rs-232.
Say I'm working on PLC a and make a change, write to plc, save to disk, disconnect from plc a, connect to plc b, write to plc b , the code does not work because the PLC's port will have been switched to RS-232 even though it was set to RS-485 before.
All other configs load correctly from the plc like IP address and Port Protocol.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: BobO on September 18, 2018, 10:21:32 AM: Are the PLC types different?
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 18, 2018, 05:26:40 PM: Yes, a 36 and a M series.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: BobO on September 19, 2018, 10:35:25 AM: My guess is that when it is resolving the differences between the -M and -36 it is reverting the serial port settings to default. It really shouldn't do that, but the process of resolving CPU differences is essentially the same regardless if which CPUs you are moving from/to, and even though the -M and -36 are highly compatible, the -M and an H2 are not. It may be an easy fix, and it may be deceptively difficult.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 19, 2018, 01:27:25 PM: No big deal, is there a danger of blowing a driver chip by having the incorrect port type?
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: BobO on September 19, 2018, 01:28:49 PM: Quote from: pbw on September 19, 2018, 01:27:25 PM
No big deal, is there a danger of blowing a driver chip by having the incorrect port type?

I doubt it. I've hooked them up/set them up wrong many times with no bad results.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 19, 2018, 02:48:14 PM: Haven't released any magic smoke either.
Thanks for your help.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: BobO on September 19, 2018, 02:59:52 PM: Magic smoke is best left inside the parts. Very few work correctly without it.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 19, 2018, 07:57:37 PM: Maybe Host should produce some of these https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke#/media/File:Magic_smoke_refill_(5990429717)_(2).jpg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke#/media/File:Magic_smoke_refill_(5990429717)_(2).jpg)
I could have used it on my first BRX, a 36 series, had a rats nest going on and shuffling stuff around and shorted the 24 volt output. I refuse to connect anything to it anymore.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: BobO on September 19, 2018, 08:52:44 PM: Shorting the 24v killed it? The P/S should shut down without releasing the smoke.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 19, 2018, 11:06:47 PM: It probably did. It happened while I was out of the office, somebody moved it around, shorted it out and it remained like that for the a couple hours. When I came back it was emitting a high pitched sound and the CPU refused to boot.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: Controls Guy on September 24, 2018, 01:27:17 PM: Quote from: pbw on September 19, 2018, 11:06:47 PM
It probably did. It happened while I was out of the office, somebody moved it around, shorted it out and it remained like that for the a couple hours. When I came back it was emitting a high pitched sound and the CPU refused to boot.

So you're saying the BRX can be field-repurposed into an audio synthesizer?? Impressive!
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: BobO on September 24, 2018, 03:28:00 PM: Feature! Hmmm...need to talk to marketing.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: Controls Guy on September 24, 2018, 03:37:22 PM: But it's not covered in the manual! Damnit! Nobody knows about this.
Title: Re: BRX Serial Port
Post by: pbw on September 25, 2018, 06:37:34 PM: Who reads the manual?!!! :o........maybe that's the secret.........you might have missed out on some "good stuff"............