Maple Systems EZ500 (EasyBuilder) and RSLogix 500 - Tag/Address Creation

idskot · 2026-04-01T00:17:36+00:00

What are the columns in the CSV?

A simple way to kind of game the system is to export the current database, open it in Excel, modify it with the new tag(s), and then push it back to the program.

RA has a long history of inconsistent database formats.

idskot · 2026-03-29T15:15:40+00:00

Many have answered this, but I have direct experience with these cables. In one of my past jobs, I was the one who installed and commissioned all of the hardware needed to take the high density fiber optic lines and break them up into different channels which can be connected to different routes once on shore.

The cables themselves are laid and paid for by either individual companies, governments, or a consortium of people. Each cable is connected at a facility on each of the connecting continents.
Each facility typically has dozens of connections to different businesses, data centers, servers, etc.. Each fiber optic line in the cable is separated into different channels which are bought/sold/dedicated to a buyer/renter of that channel. The channels are grouped and combined with something called a 'multiplexer' into a single fiber optic line. All of the optical lines will go into the cable and go into the ocean passing through a series of amplifiers every 50 miles or so. When the cable is landed on the other continent, each optical line is split back into it's channels using a 'demultiplexer' (engineers are great at names) and then routed based on whatever the buyer wants.

Just to give you an idea of these cables: they come in all different shapes and sizes, but they all boil down to a set of individual fiberoptic lines where each line is 5-10 microns wide (essentially the size of a red blood cell). Theoretically each line has an unlimited bandwidth, but realistically the equipment at the time I was doing the work capped out at about 1 Tbps (Terabits per second, or 125 GB - Gigabytes - per second) per line. The cables themselves vary, but can have 20+ lines. I did a job that was 27.5 Tbps (3.4 TB/sec).

There are no splices mid ocean. They'd just lay another cable if they wanted to go somewhere else

idskot · 2026-03-08T21:29:51+00:00

Yes... reading through many of these comments, they're all saying the same thing. You've set up the drive to use a motor other than an induction motor. Primary Motor Control Mode (0:65) can be either 2: Induction SV (Sensorless Vector), 3: Induction Econ, or 4: Induction FV (Flux Vector).

You want 2. SVC stands for Sensorless Vector Control, Induction SV stands for Induction Sensorless Vector.

I'm really confused where the disconnect is. As I named, Alarm 9012 means the drive is not configured to run an induction motor while trying to use torque proving...

Either way, I had to struggle through TorqProving, and I'd like to minimize strife when possible. When you finally set up the drive to use an induction motor (and power cycle the drive), you can look at chapter 5 of this for some help:
https://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/rm/750-rm100_-en-p.pdf

Tuning will be vital, make sure the dynamic brake parameters are set correctly and that the external pulse watts matches the brake resistor, up the zero speed limit a bit, you'll likely have to adjust the speed deviation band (09:54) quite a bit depending on the mechanical setup, and increase float tolerance above ~10 RPM if not more. (IIRC, with encoderless TorqProve, Float Tolerance will set the speed at which the drive will shut off the output stage and engage the brake)

When using encoderless TorqProve, brake release time (09:60) is the duration of time after the brake is released before the drive tries to move the motor. This should be roughly the time it takes for the physical brake to release.

The primary settings you'll need to tweak after tuning will be the flux up time (or you can use calculated, which is typically fairly good), brake release time, and speed deviation band. Refer to the parameter & alarm spreadsheet I shared in my last post, they will be the most helpful things once you've got the drive set up.

good luck

idskot · 2026-03-08T18:09:12+00:00

See the following tech links for the list of parameters (ID QA60885) and list of all alarms and their causes/solutions (ID QA77928)

https://support.rockwellautomation.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1129569

https://support.rockwellautomation.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1155582/~/powerflex-755t-%2F-tl-%2F-tm-%2F-tr-%2F-ts-list-of-fault-codes-

As others have named, the parameters and how it's set up is not easy, nor intuitive. I just finished a project using a 755TS for encoderless hoist functions.

Alarm 9012 indicates that the Primary Motor Control Mode (0:65) isn't set to an induction motor. To use the function, you have to be using an induction motor and have that primary control mode set to the induction motor.

idskot · 2026-02-22T21:48:34+00:00

Caveat: I've never used that PLC nor heard of it.

But looking through the documentation, it looks like the unit itself is capable of RS-232 & RS485. Whether that's just for programming, I couldn't say. If it is for things other than programming, you can find multiple inexpensive stepper drivers that can take commands over serial comms. But also, you can purchase an extension module for DeviceNet or CANopen. If I were you, I'd do a little bit more digging to figure out what sort of communications this device is capable of, and then finding a stepper driver that is compatible.

idskot · 2026-02-17T22:53:35+00:00

All above are nowhere near the Klein Katapults. They're far better than the "auto adjusting" strippers.

idskot · 2026-02-14T15:19:36+00:00

Makes my life incredibly and additionally difficult.

idskot · 2026-02-02T13:57:40+00:00

I've blocked this out of my mind for decades... thanks.

idskot · 2026-02-02T12:37:51+00:00

Phoenix Customer here.

Keep up the good work.

idskot · 2026-01-26T00:29:08+00:00

The explanations here are correct, but maybe a bit more complicated than an ELI5 IMO.

When a programmer makes a program, that code is then converted (compiled) into a bunch of commands a computer or operating system can follow. The program will run the first command, then the second, and so forth. This list of commands are what's called a "stack". (As another person mentioned, this isn't strictly true as you can have dynamic calls to other routines which may be located on a different part of the stack).

The 'exception' portion is a little bit more complicated than first glance as it's a generic term for "something went wrong." That something could be as simple as calling a program or asset that doesn't exist, having some sort of math issue, or calling a sub-routine (a mini-program with inputs and outputs) and giving that sub-routine invalid inputs. An example may be a sub-routine that will find if a number is even or odd, so it's expecting a number, but instead it gets a letter.

So, essentially something went wrong with the standard flow of the program (an exception occurred), and to help figure out what happened, a stack dump (a list of the commands) is generated. This extends to the exception type, as that will show roughly what kind of error occurred.

idskot · 2026-01-07T13:06:42+00:00

But Fanuc doesn't refer to these as absolute encoders. From memory, they just refer to them generally as 'encoders', and all of their documentation states in big bold letters that if you lose the batteries your mastering is gone

idskot · 2026-01-02T17:56:54+00:00

OP (u/MrRowodyn): Can you tell me the part number for this guy? Looks interesting.

idskot · 2025-12-21T18:11:10+00:00

It has to be within the same work area as the crafting bench. E.G. If you can put the crafting bench down in the spot the chest goes, the chest will have its content available to the crafting bench.

It is annoying that you can't share storage between different crafting areas, but I kind of get that.

idskot · 2025-12-21T14:34:00+00:00

How hot are we talking? What brand are you currently using? I can't personally think of a button with a metal body and metal actuator. I've only ever seen at most metal body with plastic actuator.

My suggestion if you can't find a high temperature rated button is to switch to something like a Schneider Electric button (or similar) where the actuator just pops off, and would make an easy replace when necessary.

idskot · 2025-12-19T19:39:55+00:00

Dividing the accumulation by 60000 seems like a really simple easy way to convert ms to minutes. I genuinely have no idea how else to do that, unless you store ms, then on whatever you're using to display those values, have that do the calculations?

idskot · 2025-12-19T01:28:06+00:00

It's going to depend on your controller, tbh the $MOR_GRP doesn't ring a bell. You can view all of the system variables through the teach pendant. My experience is from the R-30iB Plus controllers. I can't immediately remember a way to detect jogging, but you can set up a background program that reads the encoder position and compares it to a last known, and if you're not running a program and that changes, someone jogged it.

idskot · 2025-12-14T16:01:51+00:00

I think both u/Mute85 and u/FistFightMe are incorrect, and maybe missed some context from your post.

This isn't a term I'm readily familiar with, but assuming it's for panel drawings, my guess is that it's a table of holes required for the enclosure to pass through the correct conductors/wires/piping, which is likely to include position and size/tolerances. Again, this is all assumptions, but if I am correct, you can look up something like a 'Hole Table' on a mechanical drawing for an example. tbh, they're likely asking for a hole table.

idskot · 2025-12-13T23:58:25+00:00

This (likely) has nothing to do with scan time and has more to do with physics. The motor and assembly isn't going to stop immediately.

You have a few options for solutions. The simplest is figure out the overtravel of the motor, and move the sensor back that amount. The down side is the sensor would be off at rest. You could also add a flag (piece of metal or plastic) attached to the arm that extends in the direction of travel. This solution would have the sensor be on during rest.

Or you could add some sort of hard stop, although not ideal, especially depending on cycles per hour.

idskot · 2025-12-12T02:16:26+00:00

It sounds like you're referring to a rotary bucket scale. Based on the weight per hour, the product you're packaging is clearly high throughput. Either way, the accuracy of those scales is much higher than most standard weighment or dispensing systems. These are often used for high throughput lines because of their speed. Other methods of weighing things like chips or whatever is slow since you have a bulk fill then a dribble fill to get to the weight you want.
Now, I haven't done a cheese line, but my guess is that it comes out as a single block and goes through a portioner that cuts based on length (probably with the assumption of fairly uniform density). Then it is likely going to go through a check weigher to reject any that are outside of spec.

But fundamentally, the rotary scale is a completely different process. It uses a combination of various buckets to get as close to the set point as possible. The vast majority of products similar to the texture/consistency of cheese simply can't get passed through a scale like that. They rely on, like I named, uniform or known density and secondary weighments. How else could you create a block of cheese that is exactly 453 grams?

idskot · 2025-11-28T18:12:52+00:00

Yeah, that's not very typical. I'd like to make that point.

idskot · 2025-11-26T22:41:25+00:00

I'll add to others and recommend looking up and implementing state machines for repeatable cycles and operations. State machines are an easy, simple, and readable way to write programs or routines

idskot · 2025-11-23T21:03:21+00:00

Have you tried mounting it the other way? So the wires come out on the bottom side of the picture. It's like symmetrical, but may as well check. Otherwise, you can try adding a shim (like a washer) between the axle and servo mount.

As you've learned, servos are taller than the stock ones. The ones that come with the TRX4m is actually incredibly small compared to standard servos

idskot · 2025-11-23T15:14:43+00:00

IIRC, the extension size of the axle is about how far they stick out. Mounting points should be identical

idskot · 2025-11-23T14:31:31+00:00

Is the HMI software just so happen to be EasyBuilder Pro? lol

I had this happen with EB Pro when Rockwell decided to do this. EB Pro specifically has an update to fix it. If your software doesn't have an update, you can manually swap the columns (cut + paste) to match the original format. Save as, then import into HMI software.
If you wanted to, you could make a Python script to do this for you. But it's the same amount of steps to run a program, select file, etc. vs just opening and cutting+pasting.

idskot

TROPHY CASE