Frequent communication failures
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One of the PLC units used for water treatment in our factory is equipped with INTOUCH as the upper-level software, while the lower-level system uses GE’s PROFICY MACHINE EDITION; the PLC hardware also comes from GE, and a dual-redundancy configuration is employed. Last night, there were frequent communication errors, caused by the repeated switching between the two PLC units. This led to the data on the INTOUCH interface being reset to zero, and communication errors were displayed. It was necessary to manually reset the PLCs and log back into INTOUCH in order to restore normal operation, but the problems recurred shortly after. I wonder if other users have encountered similar issues and how they resolved them. Thank you!
What if we try shutting down one of the redundant units? Will this kind of problem occur when running with a single controller? For redundancy, single-machine operation should be allowed; if possible, it should be caused by redundancy……
First, check the hardware wiring, then check the software configuration.
It seems to be a hardware failure; environmental interference factors can be checked, such as short circuits and grounding issues. . . .
Redundant switching shouldn’t cause the problem you mentioned, right? :(
It seems that there is indeed an issue with the redundancy mechanism, which hasn’t been resolved properly. Although communication failures and failures to update display data have occurred when the device was used in standalone mode in the past, such incidents were rare. We are currently working with the manufacturer to address this issue. Thank you all for your concern! :)
Agree with what was said on the first floor: try running it with a single PLC. If both CPUs work fine, then focus on investigating the reasons for redundancy, and consult the manufacturer or agent.
Everyone is generally in agreement: 1. Run the PLC independently, while checking the data on the upper-level system as well as within the controller itself. 2. If there is a problem with the upper-level system but the controller is working fine, check the HMI itself and the OPC status to determine whether it’s an issue with Intouch or OPC. 3. If there is a problem with the controller, examine the hardware and configuration settings. 4. After ruling out problems with the standalone unit, check the switch and network first (a software fault in the switch can cause such issues). 5. Verify that the redundancy configuration of the GE PLC is correct. 6. Check whether the Intouch software configuration is proper. If you encounter any other problems at any stage, please contact us promptly. It would be great if you could share a conclusion with everyone; thank you!
By checking step by step – starting with operation with a single controller, then with redundant controllers working together, followed by operation with redundant controllers connected to a network, operation with redundant controllers and an HMI but without communication, operation while monitoring without making any changes, and finally operation with actual adjustments – the issue will eventually be identified.
Has this problem been solved? I’ve encountered a similar situation here as well; please help solve it