Misubishi PLC control from LabVIEW via RS-232

[EdDickens]

I�ve been tasked to build some VIs to control a Mitsubishi PLC that controls a Temp/Vibe chamber. The PLC series in question is on the OPC server support list, so that�s not an issue.

Since there are only a dozen items that I need to communicate with, I though I�d try using Datasockets. The issue is I do not have the PLC on hand to connect to and getting to it will be a 7-hour drive. Plus this is the first time I�ve had to control a PLC or use the OPC server at all so I�m not exactly sure on how it works. They don�t want to use DSC because they want to integrate the PLC control into a large test sequence.

So my question is, can I create the needed VIs without having the PLC to connect to so the Server Explorer can see wh
at is available? I do have the list of addresses currently in the PLC and what each one does.

But without being able to connect to the PLC, it seems all I�d end up with is a bunch of controls and indicators that would have to linked to the correct address later. That wouldn�t help much.

They are running LabVIEW 7 and Windows 2000.

Hope this makes sense.
Thanks
Ed

[Remzi]

Hi Ed,
I would recommend you to use LabVIEW DSC instead of Datasocket. LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control Module provides the tools such as HMI Wizard, Tag Configuration Editor to make you more productive.
Regarding to your question, first of all there is no any dependency between Server Explorer and your LabVIEW application. Server Explorer is just a diagnostic tool to monitor OPC Server tags. It is like an OPC client.
So the answer is yes, you can create your VIs without having PLC to connect to if you have the list of addresses. You just cannot check the connections and thus the performance of your application without the hardware. Make sure that the OPC server is installed on the Development PC. You can either use Front Panel Datasocket or Datasocket
VIs in your application.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Remzi A.
Applications Eng.
National Instruments