Using Display Module 8EAD0000.000-1 for ACOPOStrak Diagnostics

[johnathoncato]

There is a diagnostic tool for ACOPOStrak that I feel is not discussed often, but can quickly provide great information about an ACOPOStrak segment’s condition.

The Display Module 8EAD0000.000-1 can be connected to an ACOPOStrak segment and immediately give you a good idea of what state that segment is in. While the ACOPOStrak documentation mentions this display module, it does not go into much detail about what the module is capable of or how to use it in diagnostics. As such, I wanted to write this post to detail the module’s capabilities and give an example of how they can be applied in the field.

Connecting the Display Module to a Segment

The 8EAD display module includes a small display and four buttons to navigate various menus when connected to a segment via adapter cable 8F1CU000x.313U0-0. When connecting the display to a segment, it is recommended to always connect it in the order listed below. Not observing this sequence could result in potential damage to the segment!

1. Connect the adapter cable to the segment’s X2 port without the display module plugged in.
   
   
2. Once the cable is securely connected, plug the display module into the USB side of the cable.
   
   

Display Module Menus and Features

When you first plug the display module into a segment, the following screen will appear:

This first screen tells you what ACP10/mappMotion version is installed on the segment as well as the segment’s node number. The node number tells you whether the system is using manually assigned node numbers(NN xxx) or Dynamic Node Allocation(DNA xxx).

NOTE: If the display module does not turn on at all, the segment is likely not receiving power!

By pressing any of the four grey buttons, you will be taken to the Main Menu:

From the main menu, you have four different sub-menus to choose from. The menus can be navigated by pressing the grey button directly below each command:

• Node Number

  
  • From this menu, you can manually assign a node number to the segment. ACOPOStrak systems typically use DNA, but if they don’t, this menu is necessary when replacing a segment.
    • NOTE: If a node number is already set but you want to use DNA, set the Node Number to 0 using this menu.

• ACP10 Version

  
  • This menu displays which ACP10/mappMotion version is being used for the base operating firmware(BSL), what version is installed on the segment (SYS), and what time each was last updated (Note: The Date/Time for “ACP10 SYS” specifically refers to the last time that module was built in the AS Project, so may not reflect the last transfer date).

• Segment Information

  
  • Segment Information is broken up into 3 sub-menus:

    • Segment Status

      
      • The Segment Status screen displays the operational state of the segment, Powerlink status, and whether the segment is receiving an Enable signal.

    • Segment errors

      
      • The Segment Errors screen will display any active errors on the segment

    • Boot Status

      
      • The Boot Status screen displays Boot Reason, Hardware Status, Target ID, Bus Status, and Network Status

• Display Information

  
  • The Display Information screen provides information about the display module itself, including base firmware version, current firmware version, Serial Number, and Revision.
    • Note that only Revision C0 and higher 8EAD display modules are permitted to be connected to ACOPOStrak segments

As you can see, some very useful information is available just by plugging the 8EAD display module into an ACOPOStrak segment.

Field Example

Here is an example of how I have used this display module in the field. I was able to see on the machine’s HMI and the System Diagnostics Manager that segment 108 was experiencing a communication fault, but wanted to narrow down the source of the fault.

Within moments of plugging the display into an adjacent segment, the screen with basic information about the segment appeared, including the ACP10/mappMotion version used and the segment’s node number:

Without needing to access another menu, just plugging in the display module already gives a few good pieces of information about the segment. From the above image, we already know:

• The display turned on, so the segment is receiving power
• “DNA 107” tells us that the PLC has already assigned a node number to the segment, so it is receiving communication
• If this segment was just replaced, or if the version of motion was updated in the project, you can verify that the ACP10/mappMotion version was properly transferred to the segment.

In the image below, I connected the display module to the segment adjacent to segment 107, which should be segment 108.

You can immediately spot the difference here, “NN 0”. Based on the information taken from the segment 107, I know that this system has DNA (Dynamic Node Allocation) enabled, and that this segment should be displaying “DNA 108”. The fact that the display module turned on tells me the segment is receiving power, but the lack of node number immediately tells me that this segment is not receiving communication.

Given that information, I can begin tracking down the source of the communication loss. Let’s try connecting the display to the next segment:

This segment is receiving power and communication, as evidenced by the display module powering on and “DNA 109”. Given all the information I have gathered with the display module, I have now narrowed down the most likely source of the problem to the two communication cables connecting segment 108 to segments 107 and 109. In this case, I compared the track’s wiring diagram to the physical cables and noticed that an ISC-only cable was swapped with an ISC+PLK cable. After powering down the track, correcting the cables, and re-energizing the system, the communication faults to segment 108 were resolved! Without even using the additional menus on the display module, I was able to narrow down where the communication fault was originating.

Thank you for reading to this point, and please feel free to chime in if you have anything to add!