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Need help with Van Dorn Pathfinder problem

Created by: bmason1623 at: 5/19/2012 8:44 PM (19 Replies)

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5/19/2012 8:44 PM	Rate (0)
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)	Hello everyone, First time poster so pardon me if I break any forum rules. :-) I have a 94 van dorn 170 ton, 14 oz molding machine with a Simatic S5 Pathfinder control. This machine has been sitting idle for over 2 years but it needs to run very soon. So I went to start it up this morning and encountered some problems. The control went through its self start up diagnostics in the following sequence: "SELF TEST RUNNING" "PC COMMUNICATION 1" "PC COMMUNICATION 2" "PC COMMUNICATION 3" "PC COMMUNICATION 4" "PC IN STOP" What does "PC IN STOP" mean? The input boards light up but the two output boards seem like they have no power feeding them. I've checked fuses and they seem to be fine. I have swapped out other boards from other machines and same issue. Are the boards bad? Are they not getting power? Do the molding gods just hate me? Any ansers and suggestions are greatly appreciated. TIA
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)
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5/20/2012 9:51 AM	Rate (0)
edsel lin Experienced Member Joined: 5/17/2010 Last visit: 2/21/2022 Posts: 80 Rating: (1)	Hi bmason1623, 2 years is a long time. What type of S5 do you use? Have you tried to upload the program? Do you have EPROM or battery? The program might be gone already. The digital input board, you can check by using a cable to the input and check the status using the software. The digital output board, you can modify the value using the software also. I guess the DI & DO boards doesn't have the power light, there is a chance that the DI or DO state is actually off.

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5/20/2012 6:34 PM	Rate (0)
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)	It's a Simatic S5 115U-CPU-943. I have not tried to upload the program because I don't have it saved any where. I'm way behind the times with machine controllers; I come from a world of relay logic. Anyways, I have a copy of the latest version of STEP5. I'm hoping it will run under XP mode in Windows 7. Typically, how large are the programs that are stored on the eprom? Is the problem that the program was erased somehow? I thought once you wrote to the eprom that it was stored until it was altered/erased? Or do I have a hardware problem? I tried swapping out boards from anothe machine and it didn't solve anything. I'm at my wit's end here. TIA
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)
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5/20/2012 6:52 PM	Rate (0)
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)	OK, here's some more information on the status lights: RN-off ST-on QVZ-on ZYK-off BASP-on Thank you in advance once again.
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)
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5/20/2012 7:32 PM	Rate (0)
IBN-Service Posts: 8946 Rating: (999)	bmason1623 ... I thought once you wrote to the eprom that it was stored until it was altered/erased?... After a couple of years if protection sticker is not OK, may be the EPROM will be corrupted / erased. QVZ = ON means, that some I/O card is not OK / no voltage. Check U -Stack for error adress.
IBN-Service Posts: 8946 Rating: (999)
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5/20/2012 8:10 PM	Rate (0)
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)	OK, I checked the voltage and I'm getting 32 VDC. Is the voltage too high and it burned out the card maybe?
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)
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5/20/2012 8:38 PM	Rate (0)
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)	I took one of the 6ES5 454-7LA11 boards apart thinking that maybe there was a fuse or something I could replace but there isn't from what I can tell. But there were a bunch capcitors in there. Are these normally problematic on these units? TIA
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5/20/2012 9:44 PM	Rate (0)
BeVee Gold Member Joined: 7/18/2011 Last visit: 10/14/2024 Posts: 521 Rating: (91)	bmason1623 OK, here's some more information on the status lights: RN-off ST-on QVZ-on ZYK-off BASP-on Hi bmason1623, The CPU is in stop mode. BASP means BetriebsAusgangen SPerren. As long as the CPU is in stop mode their won't be any output active . First you should find out if there is still a program in the CPU. Maybe you can post a pic of the PLC? Is there any remote IO that need to be powered up also ? Can you go online with CPU using STEP 5 and check the stacks to get more information? Kind regards, BV

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5/20/2012 10:12 PM	Rate (0)
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)	Thank you for your reply, BeeVee. As far as I know there isn't a remote IO that needs to be powered. The machine ran fine two years ago. I did do a reset per the following instructions below; I pulled out the eprom card when I did this. "Overall Reset via the Switch for "Default/Overall Reset" on the Control Panel of the CPU Switch on the power supply module Set the CPU mode selector to STOP (ST) Set the switch for "Default/Overall Reset" to the "OR" position and hold it in this position (if the switch is not held in position it will automatically spring back to the "RE" position). While you hold down the switch for "Default/Overall Reset" in the "OR" position: Switch the CPU mode selector twice from "ST" to "RN". The STOP LED will momentarily go off. Release the switch for "Default/Overall Reset". The switch automatically springs back to the "RE" position. The internal program memory and any RAM submodule (plugged into the CPU 941/CPU 942) are now "overall reset". After Overall Reset, the CPU automatically tests your internal program memory; in the event of a fault, the STOP LED flickers." I would like to go online with STEP5 but I'm not sure what cable to use with my laptop which only has USB ports and no serial connections. Here is a picture of PLC. Thank you. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_TzfDBkV-sMM3JrOVlmZTJpLWM EDIT: Picture with status lights being displayed: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_TzfDBkV-sMdFNGOXRkdm9CM00
bmason1623 Posts: 12 Rating: (1)	Last edited by: bmason1623 at: 5/20/2012 10:25 PM
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5/20/2012 10:54 PM	Rate (0)
BeVee Gold Member Joined: 7/18/2011 Last visit: 10/14/2024 Posts: 521 Rating: (91)	Hi bmason1623, You can find info about necessary cable here The program is in eprom, and since you performed an overal reset the PLC should read its program from the EPROM Some things you can do: Tighten all screws from all modules (CPU, output cards) Switch the PLC once from run to stop and back to run What's connected to the special CP cards? Kind regards, BV

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