Bryon Sol
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Posts posted by Bryon Sol
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With GOT1000 and GOT2000 series HMI's when you open GT Designer 3 software, (purchased as GT Works3 package) if you go to the Help menu and click Manual List it will open a PDF that lists all the various manuals for programming GOT terminals.
In this PDF is a list of "GOT2000 Series Connection Manuals" that describe how to configure both your HMI and your PLC.
The first one in the list is for connecting your Mitsubishi PLC to your MItsubishi GOT.
In the bookmarks section of the GOT2000 Series Connection Manual (Mitsubishi Electric Products) there are sections for every type of possible connection. We'll look at Ethernet Connection as an example as this is the most common today.
You will notice it lists all PLCs that can connect via Ethernet, then how to configure the system (built-in Ethernet vs Ethernet Module on the PLC, or with add-on cards on the HMI etc)
Then we get to 4.3 and 4.4 where it will give actual functional examples of configuring your HMI and PLC.
For example, connecting an R04PLC to a GT27 via Ethernet.
Overall - this is the critical picture - ALL the settings needed to make this work are shown here. Notice for instance that the PLC No (Station) is different on PLC and HMI. They each need a unique number!
On the HMI Side it shows the screens for configuring the above.
On the PLC side it shows the screens and how to configure the PLC:
If you follow through with each detail carefully you will be up and running in no time!
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Okay - this is tough because it depends on how you are connecting on your PC side and how you are connecting on your PLC side, and new products get added and things change, but here's a general summary.
Generally speaking this can be simplified:
- If you are on a PLC from the last 5-10 years (it's 2020 now) then mini-USB is probably available on the PLC, if mini-USB is not available, then Ethernet is with the exception of the FX3U and the Alpha. So this includes FX3S, FX3G, L Series, Q Series and R Series released in the last 10 years
- If you are working with an FX1S, FX1N, FX2N, FX3x PLC the front port is an 8 pin mini-DIN RS-422 cable and you can use the FX-USB-AW cable
- If you are working with an older FX PLC with the 25 pin connector, get the SC-09 cable and get a USB to Serial adapter like the Keyspan/Tripplite USA-19HS
- If you are working on a Q PLC that is slightly older it may have a mini-DIN connector on it, this is a 6 pin mini-DIN and is not the same as the mini-DIN on the FX series, it is RS-232. For this you need the SC-Q cable with a USB to Serial adapter, or the GT10-RS2TUSB-5S and a mini-USB cable
As an experienced Mitsubishi programmer, I keep 5 cables in my bag and this setup covers me for 99% of what I need:
- Classic SC-09 Cable to program either new or old FX series and some old A series PLCs
- Keyspan/Tripplite USA-19HS serial to USB converter
- Mini-USB Cable with Ferrite core like the MR-J3USBCBL3M or GT09-C30USB-5P
- GT10-RS2TUSB-5S converter to connect to old Q series and some HMIs with the round RS232 connector
- A good quality Ethernet cable around 10' long.
If I didn't have to worry about the old FX and A series, then the FX-USB-AW would replace cables 1, 2 and 3 in this list!
Below is a table that shows what cable you should need for what PLC.
Family Model Connection Type PC Side Connection Type PLC Side Cable # Alpha Alpha2 RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) Front Panel Connection AL-232CAB FX FX-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (DB25) SC09 FX FX1N-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX1N-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX FX1S-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX1S-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX FX2NC-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX2NC-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX FX2N-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX2N-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX FX3G-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX3G-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX FX3G-XXX USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M FX FX3S-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX3S-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX FX3S-XXX USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M FX FX3UC-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX3UC-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX FX3U-USB-BD USB FX3U-USB-BD MR-J3USBCBL3M FX FX3U-XXX RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-422 (mini-Din) SC09 FX FX3U-XXX USB RS-422 (mini-Din) FX-USB-AW FX5 (iQ-F) FX5U-XXX Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) FX5 (iQ-F) FX5UC-XXX Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) FX5 (iQ-F) FX5UJ-XXX Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) FX5 (iQ-F) FX5UJ-XXX USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M L L02 Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) L L02 USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M L L06 Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) L L06 USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M L L26 Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) L L26 USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q00U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q00U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q00UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q00UJ USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q01 RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q02 RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q02H RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q02U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q02U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q02UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q03U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q03U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q03UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q04U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q04U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) QCPU Q04UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q06H RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q06U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q06U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q06UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q0OJ RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q100U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q100U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q100UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q10U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q10U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q10UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q12H RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q12PH RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q13U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q13U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q13UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q20U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q20U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q20UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q25H RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q25PH RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q26U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q26U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q26UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU Q50U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU Q50U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU Q50UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) QCPU QO1U USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M QCPU QO1U RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q QCPU QO1UDE Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) AnSH AnSH RS232 RS422 SC09 Qmotion Q172D USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M Qmotion Q172D RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q Qmotion Q170M RS-232 (9 Pin Serial) RS-232 (mini-DIN) SC-Q Qmotion Q170M USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M Qmotion MRMQ100 Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) Qmotion Q170M Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R00CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R00CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R01CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R01CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R02CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R02CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R04CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R04CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R08CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R08CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R16CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R16CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R32CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R32CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R120CPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R120CPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R04ENCPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R04ENCPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R08ENCPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R08ENCPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R16ENCPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R16ENCPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R32ENCPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R32ENCPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) RCPU R120ENCPU USB mini-USB-B MR-J3USBCBL3M RCPU R120ENCPU Ethernet (wired) Ethernet (wired) -
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While this doesn't cover absolutely everything this is a good start at a listing of the most common batteries needed for Mitsubishi PLCs.
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A very common question is "what software do I need to purchase to program my PLC?".
Luckily with Mitsubishi, the answer is simple. GX Works3.
As of the release of the iQ-F (FX5) and iQ-R series PLCs, Mitsubishi released their newest programming platform, GX Works3. And the best part is, when you buy it, you get the two previous programming platforms with it. You also get GX Works2 and GX Developer, all for one price and the price is the same as GX Works2 was, so you are paying the same as you used to and you are getting 3 packages.
So which package do you need for which PLC?
Use the following chart:
*** there is a compatibility mode whereby GX Works 3 will open Q or L or FX3 series projects that is not noted in this chart
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Download and install the the version of InSight Explorer that matches the firmware on your camera.
https://support.cognex.com/en/downloads/in-sight/software-firmwareIf you are unsure which version you need, get the latest and greatest, then you can use it to determine what firmware you are running and therefore what version of software you should be running as the two should always match.
After installing InSight Explorer, you will need to get your Emulator License:
- Open InSight Explorer
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Using the pull-down menu at the top:
-> System -> Options - From the dialog box, choose “Emulation”
- Copy “Offline Programming Reference” to the clipboard
- Go To http://www.cognex.com
- At the top right create an account, or if you already have one, log in.
- Open this web page - https://support.cognex.com/en/InsightEmulatorKey
- Enter a value for "Company Name" and paste your Offline Programming Reference key into the entry field.
- Click “Get Key”
- Copy the provided “Offline Programming Key”
- Paste this key back in your InSight Explorer dialog box for “Offline Programming Key”
- Click Apply
- Click Okay
- Restart InSight Explorer
You should be all set!
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Picking the right actuator and determining the pitch required to meet cycle times and carry the desired load can be tricky at times, but not if you are using IAI actuators. By using the cycle time calculators created by Intelligent Actuator which can be found on their website linked below, you can quickly and easily figure out the right actuator for your application.
https://www.intelligentactuator.com/cycle-time-calculation-software/
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Typically when setting up most industrial devices for the first time on your network, you need to configure your PC for a Static IP Address.
There are many websites out there that can walk you through this, but this one from Microsoft should be kept current. You can select your OS from the top and get specific instructions:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15089/windows-change-tcp-ip-settings
This will cover Windows 7, 8 and 10.
Make sure to expand the section on specifying the IPv4 settings manually for Windows 10.
There are also a lot of good resources out there from other sites, but they may not be as stable or current as the Microsoft link above.
Here's one I have used which has good pictures to follow along with:
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/19249/how-to-assign-a-static-ip-address-in-xp-vista-or-windows-7/ -
Please go to the Mitsubishi section for the related article shown below.
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Please see the post in the Mitsubishi Controllers section about connecting your Aubo Robot to a Mitsubishi iQ-R PLC over Modbus TCP with the Aubo being the master.
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Please see the post in the Mitsubishi Controllers section on controlling an IAI CON type controller over CC-Link from an FX5 PLC.
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Please see this post in the Mitsubishi section about connecting a Mitsubish iQ-F (FX5) PLC to an IAI CON controller using Modbus RTU
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The new Mitsubishi IQ-R line of PLCs is expanding it's functionality to cover things rarely seen in an industrial automation control platform.
With the new iQ-R PLC, utilizing the built-in SD Card, we can create and use SQL databases right on the PLC itself.
These are great for recipe management, long term storage of data and can even be made visible and accessible to PCs via a simple ODBC driver.
The attached file walks you through setting this up and provides an example program.
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Attached is an example program for communicating with an Intelligent Actuator MSEP controller over CC-Link from a Mitsubishi L or Q series PLC.
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Mitsubishi's FR-D700, FR-E700, FR-A800, FR-F800 line of VFDs have the ability to be controlled via the PU port over RS-485. Using Mitsubishi's own FREQROL protocol we can change speed, acceleration, deceleration and other parameters directly from our PLCs.
This is made especially easy on the FX5U series PLCs with the built-in RS-485 port and using built-in commands.
Mitsubishi Electric created an example program for the previous FX3U series. Gibson Engineering has updated this to work on the FX5 series and added some extra documentation.
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For a simple and easy way to control your Intelligent Actuator PCON, ACON, or SCON type controller with the built-in 485 programming port (the round 8-pin mini-DIN port), you are able to use Modbus RTU.
To make life even easier, the Mitsubishi FX5U series of PLCs all come with a built-in RS-485 port. Using simple commands and a library custom written by Gibson Engineering, it's possible to get your CON controller moving through your PLC code quickly and easily.
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Using the built-in MC Protocol Scanner driver in the Cognex In-Sight series Vision Systems, getting data to your Mitsubishi PLC couldn't be easier.
Watch the video on this setup and use the attached files and you'll have it set up in no time.
iQ-R InSight MC Protocol Scanner v1.0.pdf iQ-R InSight MC Protocol Scanner v1.0.docx
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Setup and application notes for connecting your Aubo Robot to a Mitsubishi iQ-R PLC.
This configuration uses Modbus TCP Function blocks generated by Mitsubishi Electric and the built-in Modbus Master capability of the Aubo Robot.
Aubo to iQ-R via Modbus TCP.pdf MEU+RCPU_ModbusTCP_00A.mslm MEU+RCPU_ModbusTCP_00A_Server.gx3 meur0002001a.ema RCPU_ModbusTCP_Communication_Function_Block_Reference_rev00A.pdf
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Attached is an example GOT Project and PLC Project for an FX5 (iQ-F) PLC that demonstrates updating the IP Address of the PLC Via the HMI.
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Attached is an application note that demonstrates controlling and monitoring an Intelligent Actuator (IAI) Controller such as a PCON or ACON via CC-Link from an FX5 PLC. This requires the CC-Link module on both the PLC and the IAI CON controller, but provides high speed, deterministic positioning control of the IAI actuator from your PLC.
***Files are only available to logged in users***
FX5 CC-Link IAI PCON Demo.gx3 FX5 CC-Link IAI PCON Setup.pdf PCON_FX5_v02-2018-02-21.usl
Connecting to an In-Sight Vision System or Sensor
in In-Sight Vision Systems
Posted
Often with new In-Sight Vision Systems or Vision Sensors, or ones that have been on the shop floor for a while, you find that you can't connect to the system. You may forget what the IP Address is of the camera, or if it's new it comes set to DHCP and you can't get connected.
The steps below will help you get connected. We recommend in order to simplify the setup, use hard-wired Ethernet from your PC to a simple Ethernet Switch and nothing else. The reason for this is to make sure that we don't have any address conflicts and that simple communications can work. Do not use a router, or a managed switch, just a simple unmanaged switch. Typically we could also go directly from the PC to the camera without the switch, but some older PCs do not have auto-crossover hardware whereas most switches these days do allow for this.
Step 1: Connect your PC and camera to a stand alone network switch, use the wired network port of your PC.
Step 2: Set a Static IP Address for the PC's Ethernet Port
This depends greatly on your operating system how you get to the list of network adapters. But in the end we typically want to get to "Network Connections"
In most Windows operating systems once you get to Control Panel, go to Network and Sharing Center, then "Change adapter Settings", you should see a screen something like this with your various network adapters.
Right Click on Ethernet (or whatever your wired network adapter is) and select Properties.
Next select the IPV4 line and click Properties again.
Set the IP address to a static address. Most companies will use 192.168.0.X or 192.168.1.X for their company network, some will use the 172.16.X.X range and some will use the 10.X.X.X range. We just want to pick something that does not conflict with your company network. Often a 192.168.3.X address will work, so for our example we will use 192.168.3.100
So your settings will look like this:
After you click OK, you will now have a static IP Address on your PC.
Step 3: Open In-Sight Explorer
Step 4: Click on Get Connected
Step 5: If you see the camera in the list, you can select it and click Connect, but most likely it will not be there, so you will need to click Add
Step 7: Go back to Get Connected and select the camera and connect!