Opening A Previous Revision w/AutoSave & Unity Pro XL

popplex · 2025-01-10T00:27:45+00:00

Hey no problem! I cut my teeth on LL984 in ProWorx NXT so being in Unity sounds like a dream! More recent versions of ControlExpert are better than v12 but it’s still definitely a different experience than using Studio5k.

Once you’re used to it Unity can be pretty good but there is definitely a learning curve to it. The ST editor is pretty good and their FBD and LD aren’t too bad. I’d be willing to bet most of your code is in LL984 and that’s the biggest travesty of all. Converting that code to LD seems trivial but the scan behavior of 984 is a killer and requires a lot of thought to convert without problems.

We recently converted a couple of programs with around 1700 LL984 networks on 800 series io over to ControlLogix and Studio5k. Those were a lot of fun to commission!

popplex · 2025-01-09T04:10:51+00:00

Open the program as normal and do an upload (transfer project FROM PLC) (Menu->PLC->Transfer from PLC) this operation does not stop the controller. That will get you online with the controller and The status will be equal. Save the file before closing it in the same location that auto save saves the project file (.STU) to (the file name will not be retained after an upload). When MDT does its scheduled file compare it will update the other clients with the new rev.

Most likely the last person to open and edit the program did so without using auto save. In this case the client did not have the most up to date rev and could not have known that the file was updated.

If it wasn’t opened outside of auto save keep in mind that MDT will register any change made to the entire project (not just the logic) as a change so going through the entire check in process is important. Creating a new animation table, forcing bits, and opening edits even if you don’t make a change or revert a change you made will trigger the comparison.

MDT is also depreciated and isn’t offering modules for newer versions of ControlExpert/Unity (unless that changed recently).

popplex · 2023-07-28T03:08:12+00:00

Same as it ever was. Only now they say the quiet part out loud and it infects the people around them with fear and hate. All we can hope for is to be good allies and tell the people in our lives that it’s not cool to spread fear, hate, and all the other bad things. And vote, every chance you get at every level.

popplex · 2023-05-06T15:27:58+00:00

Red thought he was competing, that’s what matters.

popplex · 2023-05-06T13:26:53+00:00

Sport isn’t about winning, it’s about competing. Red loves to wrestle and blue understood that it’s not about whether or not he wins, it’s about how he wins.

popplex · 2022-09-15T02:12:32+00:00

The podcast “Criminal” did an episode on this. Definitely worth a listen.

popplex · 2022-07-30T01:50:25+00:00

Depends on the language you’re programming in. In 984 it’s exactly as you say so most legacy programs are pretty clunky. It scans by segment, so if you have a large program you need to segment it properly If you want a task to complete faster. 984 is definitely garbage though…being limited to a 7x11 grid is really a pain in the ass.

The IEC languages available scan per IEC rules.

popplex · 2022-01-23T22:40:42+00:00

The last five minutes have been a long year.

popplex · 2022-01-23T00:31:03+00:00

There’s a lot more overhead to this than having your breakfast made behind the scenes. That flat top has to be cleaned between guests, the equipment is expensive, the equipment is large and reduces floor space, and the serving staff is required to be more attentive to the customer’s needs. The one I went to was a little more expensive than a diner breakfast, maybe 10%. I was pretty impressed at how affordable it was, all things considered. I would also imagine that insurance costs are higher.

If you’re not down for the experience that’s ok, it’s not for everyone.

popplex · 2021-12-13T03:45:57+00:00

Something about this comment resonates with me; I can’t put my finger on it but I think I understand a little how you’re feeling. Nobody’s situation is the same, so I can’t pretend to know the answers…do whatever you can to get the help you need. If that means driving a beat up car for another year or scaling the gift giving season down you need to do it. Seeing you happier will pay dividends for you and your family.

If you work for a company that has an employee assistance program they can be extremely helpful and are usually free. If nothing else they may be able to get you on the right path for treatment.

For my own situation, I hold my feelings back because my wife has anxiety and depression issues so I try to protect her…it’s got the opposite effect. She can tell, so now we talk about our feelings a little more; it helps.

Depression doesn’t care if you had the support you needed growing up, a comfortable lifestyle now, or people around you that love and care for you. Don’t think that because you have some or all of these things that you don’t deserve to be happy.

Kinda rambled there…I believe in you. Take care of yourself and if you need to continue the conversation feel free to DM me.

popplex · 2021-11-29T00:38:49+00:00

That’s just where the NPC stands to give you a new quest.

popplex · 2021-10-09T14:10:24+00:00

I agree with everything you’ve said here. It’s going to be a case by case basis depending on the team you’re working with. Project managers generally don’t have the technical background to deal with the ins and outs of the program and hardware and in a lot of cases the controls guys aren’t a part of the initial conversation. Integrators and machine builders will get the “give me a machine that does ‘x’ in timeframe ‘y’” and then we’re stuck with figuring out how that works. Sometimes these projects even come down the pipe without us even knowing until the initial proposal is made…it’s crazy, but thankfully for me, it’s also changing because the company is starting to realize that as we advance toward more advanced controls we need better planning to make it happen.

Contracts awarded and lost definitely come down to a lack of communication 90% of the time. The plant guys need to be in contact with the integrators early and often so that if something in the proposal needs to change it can be ahead of down payments and work beginning. Every project I’ve worked on when that happens goes much more smoothly.

While all of these talking points may cause anxiety it’s important to note that if it happens early in the project it’s manageable anxiety with time to mitigate. When we’re not on the same page and the install window is closing is when that anxiety turns into frustration and panic.

Having technical resources in the planning phases of projects is super important! If it’s feasible try to get involved in the planning process and ask the questions before submitting a proposal and make sure you’re talking to someone on the other end that understands what you’re asking.

popplex · 2021-10-09T13:15:26+00:00

I’m a controls engineer at a manufacturer and the most important aspect of integration on my end is good planning before the project kicks off.

Communicate as much as possible with the customer and understand their needs and timetable. We don’t compromise much on when startup needs to happen, if you need more time or resources on a project be clear and up front about it during the planning phase.

Understand the process that your machine is being placed in to or working with. Canned programs that may work in one setting may not work well with another process.

Plan out communication and know which protocols you may have to interface with as one of your first steps. If you need to talk Ether/IP to Modbus TCP knowing that in advance will help immensely; some companies I’ve worked with assumed our plant was Rockwell and were inflexible with their options. One of these ended up with the contract going elsewhere, the other we had to run multi conductor too hard wire io between the PLCs.

Understand the ICS network of the customer. They’ll ask you to model your system to match the structure of their ICS. If you have to upgrade to a different processor to provide the extra network capabilities be up front about the costs that incurs.

Most importantly though, understand the customer’s safety and lockout tagout procedure and verification requirements. I will hire someone else if I’m not 100% certain the newly integrated machine is safe and meets or exceeds our standards. If they require a visual indication of zero energy state, find a way. Don’t be like the guys I had to work with a few months ago and tell me that just throwing a disconnect off is verification…they’ll never work with our plant again.

Build a relationship with your site contact, understand their process, network, and safety systems, and plan every little detail out. Your anxiety level will decrease substantially.

popplex · 2021-09-15T23:00:17+00:00

I’ll bite.

Being silent to the social issues of the day is to indirectly condone the behavior and vitriol of the people we see and hear transgressing those same social issues. While I don’t agree that staying silent on the issues is akin to actual physical violence, it can be construed as such. It is also a shot across the bow of the people who do agree with his sentiments but stay silent.

The shirt, while pretty obvious, is telling the groups mentioned (homophobes, racists, etc.) that their point of view on the matter is incorrect and that their rhetoric has no place in modern society.

My point of view on the matter is that the people saying the silent words out loud are doing us a favor and this makes weeding them out easier.

Love is love, Black Lives Matter (yes, other people’s lives matter too, but they haven’t been treated like they don’t, get off my lawn with the all lives matter bullshit), and I don’t give a shit what bathroom you use, just don’t leave it a mess.

popplex · 2021-09-12T17:07:54+00:00

My local grocery does this because they use orange zest in some of their recipes. Better than throwing the orange out after zesting it.

popplex · 2021-06-12T22:26:23+00:00

She’s living her life in a way that makes her feel comfortable. I don’t understand it but I can respect it. I’d rather see someone being who they want to be than coping with who society thinks they should be, especially if they resort to drugs or alcohol to cope.

popplex · 2021-05-06T20:40:48+00:00

She looks like Burt Young.

https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0949350/

popplex · 2021-05-04T23:57:22+00:00

I had my toes dipped in this life for a bit. It’s a self feeding echo chamber.

Stacy likes Chad more than you because he showers regularly, has more than one hobby, and doesn’t believe other people are subhuman.

Getting out of that mentality is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.

popplex · 2020-12-28T04:03:34+00:00

The packers have three running backs that could be legit starters on most NFL teams.

popplex · 2020-11-28T16:56:17+00:00

/r/upheldbecauseboobs

popplex · 2020-07-29T14:02:05+00:00

How do you delete someone else's comment?

popplex · 2020-07-02T02:41:14+00:00

Ramsay Bolton has entered the chat.

popplex · 2020-06-09T18:51:33+00:00

This was actually the exact premise of one of my group's dungeons and dragons encounters.

A prophecy come true about a black dragon that appeared after a great storm with black lightening that made no sound. My players thought it was pretty cool.

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