# Q for the RSLogix 5000 gurus



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Had an issue yesterday, and there must be an easier way.

Had a 1hp 480 volt Powerflex 40 drive go bad. It was Ethernet connected to the PLC. CompactLogix, if it matters. Anyhow, it was important to get this process up and running quickly, and the only drive available in town was a 480 volt 3 horse PowerFlex 40. No big deal there so far. The replacement drive had no HIM module, or LED HIM, so I scrolled down in the tree in RSLogix to double click on that drive to change a couple parameters (accel and decel needed tweaked). 

When I brought up that drive in the RSLogix directory tree, and went to connect to it, it bawlked at me and said that the connected drive did not match the drive in the project. Okay, I understand that. I put in a 3-horse, and the old one was 1 horse. To change the drive type in the RSLogix project, you need to go offline with the PLC, change the drive type to a 3 horse, then download the program to the PLC again before going back online.... BUT... I can't download this program again, because this controller is part of a huge continuous process and values in the program are constantly changing. I'd crash a lot of stuff.

As a workaround, I logged into the drive with Drive Executive and changed the accel and decel and got things going again. This still bothers me, because from now until eternity, if someone tries to connect to that drive through RSLogix, it will say the connected drive does not match the drive in the project.

Is there a way to change the drive type in the project without downloading the program into the controller again, much like we do online ladder logic edits??


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> Had an issue yesterday, and there must be an easier way.
> 
> Had a 1hp 480 volt Powerflex 40 drive go bad. It was Ethernet connected to the PLC. CompactLogix, if it matters. Anyhow, it was important to get this process up and running quickly, and the only drive available in town was a 480 volt 3 horse PowerFlex 40. No big deal there so far. The replacement drive had no HIM module, or LED HIM, so I scrolled down in the tree in RSLogix to double click on that drive to change a couple parameters (accel and decel needed tweaked).
> 
> ...


 
I've never done what you're speaking of, but couldn't you stop the entire process, burn to eeprom, then make your change, burn to eeprom again, and start back up?


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

sure he could, but they don't want to stop production.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

wildleg said:


> sure he could, but they don't want to stop production.


I don't know of a way to program on the fly


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

that why i hate when a scada/hmi software control a system, i try to always configure them so plc control system and scada only read/writes register but dont do any logic. in that way even if scada craches system will not stop


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

mcclary's electrical said:


> I've never done what you're speaking of, but couldn't you stop the entire process, burn to eeprom, then make your change, burn to eeprom again, and start back up?


Uh, no. The process employs several thousand people and would put hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of product at risk.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> Uh, no. The process employs several thousand people and would put hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of product at risk.


When "product" is used in a sentence that way, I find it funny, and I am not sure why.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> Uh, no. The process employs several thousand people and would put hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of product at risk.


 
Well any changes that are made on the fly without burning to eeprom, are gonna be lost as soon as the first power outage comes.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

mcclary's electrical said:


> Well any changes that are made on the fly without burning to eeprom, are gonna be lost as soon as the first power outage comes.


I think you're about 10 years behind the curve.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> I think you're about 10 years behind the curve.


 
It's been about 10 years since that happened to me, so you could be right


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## albert (Mar 17, 2011)

I have had this issue before. I recall having to inhibit the module and uploading the database structure from the drive then upload the parameters. I am not completely certain but if I had to do it again this is where I would start.

I did struggle with it and may have finally just downloaded the new program.

Regards,

Albert in Oakville


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