Do-More and PC Control

[ddubs2248]

Does Host plan on implementing a PC based control for the Do-More PLC's?  Meaning the PC runs the ladder and sends updates via ethernet ("softPLC").

Also would you have any input as to which may be better...hard PLC vs soft PLC?  I know it may depend on your application, but any information would be great.  I have been reading about both, but have not been able to come to a conclusion yet.

Thanks!

[BobO]

It has been discussed. The simulator with Do-more Designer is exactly that, but intentionally limited to prevent use as a controller in an actual application.

The big question for Host regarding soft control is simply that we don't understand the the market and intent for soft PLCs, i.e., what are the reasons for choosing soft control over hard control, and based on those care-abouts, what would a proper soft controller look like? Since it is something we really don't have a good sense of, we've chosen not to go there for now.

As for reasons that you would choose hard control over soft control, that's pretty easy. A hard controller will run for years in hot or cold, electrically noisy, or dirty environments. They just work.

[odwyerpw]

One of the issues I see with a SoftPLC controller... Comm bottlenecks.
The ladder logic talks to everything as Remote I/O...everything is sitting in a remote rack. The SoftController has to behave like the CPU and an H2-ERM module. Now imagine, If you had an ECOM100 in your base to communicate with a drive network... it's a double hop.... Whereas....an H2-DM1E is just going to communicate with the ECOM100 over the backplane. If you had an H2-SERIO module, it would be sitting in your 'remote rack' too.

Next, cost. The overhead associated with deploying a PC as opposed to sticking a $399 H2-DM1E CPU in place of the $301 H2-EBC100 in your base, I just don't see any cost advantage at all...

Lastly, reliability. Bob couldn't have said it any better. One of my major clients has a ton of Proprietary Gauging Systems (Infared, Beta/Gamma, etc), Drive Systems and Scales that they need to monitor/control and archive data.  OPC Servers are used to retrieve data from each of these systems and ultimately marshall it for display on WonderWare HMI and archiving to MS SQLServer. Because of the Network Topology and Equipment/Factory layout, it is almost always necessary to install the OPC Server PC very close to the devices they are extracting/writing data to/from. These PCs are one of the greatest single point of failure for this client....dirt/heat/moisture kills these things.  The Drives, PLCs, Controllers, other industrial equipment, etc... all continue to run reliably.

Nineteen years of supporting various clients with PC interfaces (serial,opc,other proprietary) to their Industrial Control Systems (DCS, SCADA, PLC, etc..) has cured me of any desire to do real-time control on a PC.

[ddubs2248]

Awesome guys!!  Thanks for the input.

Next question...

Will the Do-More PLC communicate with KEPDirct OPC Server?  I have tried MOVE Analog outputs WY0 to V2000 in order to read as if a typical DL250, but with no luck.  I am just currently using the SIM-DM and the example PID control program. 

[BobO]

I think the better question is whether KEPDirect OPC Server will talk to Do-more...and unfortunately I'm not very familiar with what protocols it supports to answer the question.

However...your issue is likely that V2000 is not visible to the DirectLogic Server...you need to move them to DLV2000 instead.