AutomationDirect Logo WinPLC Frequently Asked Questions

 

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Question: Can the WINPLC act as an OPC server?
Answer: Yes.
FAQ ID: 633

Question: Can the WINPLC handle square roots?
Answer: Yes.
FAQ ID: 634

Question: Will the WINPLC work with Devicenet?
Answer: No.
FAQ ID: 635

Question: Can the WinPLC be used with an operator interface?
Answer: Yes, the C-More and C-More Micro panels have Entivity Modbus drivers.
C-More panels can use Modbus RTU(serial) and Modbus TCP/IP(Ethernet).
C-More -R panels do not have Ethernet.
C-More Micro panels can use Modbus RTU(serial) only.

The WinPLC must have Modbus RTU enabled, this is set in the I/O view and is off by default.
Both require that the Think and Do project be saved to disk so you can reference the .MAP file for the I/O mapping in the device driver configuration.
Note!
If you make changes to the WinPLC project you must re-read the .map file for the addresses to be corrected in the panel.
Also note that String Tags > S-192 cannot be read from the WinPLC as they do not have Modbus Addresses for tags greater than S-192
FAQ ID: 1039

Question: Where can I find the latest WinPLC Image files and support info?
Answer: Those can be found on the Entivity website here; Entivity Customer Support
FAQ ID: 1042

Question: Why do the WinPLC's RUN/POWER LEDs blink?
Answer: The WinPLC uses the indcators to display an error has occured.
  • RUN LED off - No project running
  • RUN LED on - project running
  • POWER LED flashing - used with "Identify CE Station"
  • RUN LED blinking - unable to run project


Sometimes there may be exceptional problems that the WinPLC can't recover from. The WinPLC tries to trap these errors and give some indication of the error by flashing a pattern on the LEDs. The POWER LED constantly goes through a sequence where it blinks a number of times and then stays off for a while. The number of times it blinks between the pauses indicates the type of error it encountered:
  • 1 blink - runtime thread stopped running
  • 2 blinks - cpu exception in the runtime thread
  • 3 blinks - winsock server on WinPLC stopped running
  • 4 blinks - cpu exception in winsock thread
  • 5 blinks - cpu exception in serial comm thread
  • 6 blinks - cpu exception in background thread
  • 7 blinks - not used (indicates power-fail exception)
  • 8 blinks - unknown error


Here's the link to the Entivity/Phoenix Contact Knowledgebase entry
FAQ ID: 1046

Question: Can the WinPLC be used as a Serial Modbus Master?
Answer: Please see Application note #08. http://www.entivity.com/appnotesindex.htm This app note includes a downloadable example which consists of some subcharts which implement the Modbus master protocol. These Thinklets will run on either an NT/2000/XP-based system or a WinPLC utilizing the serial port. We recommend using the project 'as-is' and getting it to communicate with your device FIRST (before adding the subcharts to your project). It includes an HMI and serial port IO configuration and you should be able to read/write to the registers on the RMU.
FAQ ID: 1054

Question: I am having trouble getting the IP address of my WinPLC set up, is there an easy way to do this? Not using Windows Vista
Answer: The latest Netedit3 software can be used to assign IP addresses to WinPLCs.
You just need to be locally connected to the WinPLC, open Netedit, and select the IPX option.
Then change the IP address of the WinPLC to an appropriate address for your network.

NOTE! This will not work if using Windows Vista.
Vista does not support the IPX protocol.
FAQ ID: 1058

Question: How can I set the IP address in my WinPLC with Windows Vista?
Answer: Windows Vista does not support the IPX protocol. You cannot use IPX to reset the address. There is a workaround. 1. Insure that you have turned off your PC's firewalls 2. Power down the rack containing the WinPLC. 3. Remove the WinPLC and set dipswitch #7 (last to left) ON 4. Place the WinPLC back in the rack and apply power. The RUN and POWER LEDs will be flashing. 5. Use Netedit3 and scan network using TCP/IP 6. Double click on the WinPLC and change the IP address. 7. Power down the rack containing the WinPLC. 8. Return dipswitch #7 to OFF. 9. Place WinPLC back in the rack and apply power. The RUN and POWER LEDs will not be flashing.
FAQ ID: 1067

Question: Can the WinPLC be a Modbus TCP Server?
Answer: Yes but you must have the Modbus TCP enabled inthe WinPLC. 1. Open TnD and select I/O view. 2. Highlight the WinPLC module 3. Select Module Info 4. Set EZ Ethernet (Modbus TCP/IP) Port to Enabled The mapping is listed here; Entivity Mapping
FAQ ID: 1068

Question: Where can I find more help for Think & Do?
Answer: You can find more help here; Phoenix Contact Knowledgebase
FAQ ID: 1104

Question: What are the dipswitches in the WinPLC used for?
Answer: The switches on the WinPLC have the following functions:
  • switch 0 On = the currently loaded program is automatically started when the WinPLC powers up.
  • switch 1 On = the built in password is ignored. This is the back door for the case where the user forgets the password.
  • switch 2 (2-5) Should be Off. Some of these have been used in the past to enable custom code for particular customers.
  • switch 3
  • switch 4
  • switch 5
  • switch 6 Reserved for use by Host.
  • switch 7 On = the WinPLC powers up in the Booter and stays in the booter. This is useful for updating or resetting IP addresses of WinPLCs connected directly to Windows 2000 PCs. This is a new feature which may not be on older WinPLCs.
FAQ ID: 1186

Question: Can you use multiple H2-CTRIO modules with a WinPLC?
Answer: Yes
There is a software bug that you should be aware of
Place the CTRIO modules starting at the highest number slot and build downward. If they are placed in the lower slots and build up you can have addressing issues.
FAQ ID: 1237

Question: What versions of Think & Do and MS Windows are compatable
Answer: Please refer to TnD FAQ
FAQ ID: 1275

Question: I can't configure my WinPLC with TnD version 5.7.0 for the combination analog cards (F2-8AD4DA-2 or -1).
Answer: You need to update the WinPLC to version 5.7.1.
Entivity Customer Support
FAQ ID: 1326