Internet PLC Forum

I'm using a Nano-10 as the brains in a microwave generator.  A fairly simple design with three digital inputs (2 thermal switches and "mag energize" from the main System PLC) and one analog input (transformer current).  Digital outputs consist of 1 output to energize the transformer and another output to send feedback to the System PLC.  Jumpers J1 and J4 are OPEN.

So, I'm looking at On-Line Monitoring to monitor the Analog Input (transformer current) and this weird message pops up... "PLC paused by DIP SW #4    Turn OFF DIP Switch #4 to release it"
According the documentation, DIP #4 is the same as J4 on the Nano-10.  And, it should be OPEN for NORMAL RUN mode.  Which it is. 
Also, the PLC is still running.  It's NOT paused.  I can monitor the Analog Input and see it changing values.  I can turn the microwave ON and OFF.  I get feedback to the System PLC.  But, the message remains.  Oh yeah, it only pops up when On-Line Monitoring is active.

The message is not currently a problem.  It's just weird.  I've never seen this before.  But, this is only the second generator of this design I have built.  I'm building a third unit and I'll let you know if the same message pops up.  Meanwhile, if anybody has any ideas about this weird message, I'm all ears.

Neal Cooper

Hi Gary
Thanks for that, what you suggest makes perfect sense and should do the trick.
i will try that as soon as my replacement FMD1616 turns up as yesterday when I turn the machine on the PLC refused to respond for a while
then powered up the first four outputs plus RTC, pause, and error LEDs   lit up, plus it would no longer communicate     Unlike the old T100MD
series these aren't easy to plug in a replacement chip and get it back into service maybe a marketing strategy 
 Cheers Pete

Getting FileZila to communicate with the TRI PLCs is a little tricky.  FTP is a protocol that dates back to 1971 before TCP/IP or the internet existed. The FTP support built in the the TRI Nano10 PLCs is very limited in what it can support.  You must configure FileZila very carefully to get it to work.

The two big issues is that the FMD PLC can only support a single FTP connection at a time. The FMD PLCs only work with text ASCII text files. The TRI PLCs do not use meaningful time stamps on the files.

OK. Your question talks about the "TLServer". The Nano10 has a builtin Ethernet support and builtin FTP support and does not require the TLServer application to function. If you are actually running TLServer on your PC you will fail.

If your Nano10 and PC are connected via Ethernet to a common network on the same sub net  then you should be good to go.

I have attached a .pdf to this reply that is screen shots of the current version running on a Windows 10 PC and communicating with a FMD series PLC. The Nano10 and the FMD PLCs behave identically when it comes to FTP.

Best of luck,

Gary Dickinson

The programming of the FMD PWM ouputs to meet your needs is not very difficult.

I've attached a .pdf file that shows the programming for 1 of the 2 PWM outputs that your application may need.

The programming for the 2nd PWM output is the same but uses the slope/incercept values for the other channel.

You still have to solve a host of other things.


Gary Dickinson

The PLC can provide the PWM signal using the SETPWM command. That should be the easy part and I don't think you have any trouble with that.

We have no knowledge of how a system you described would work. What device is currently providing the two PWM signals you mentioned to the engine.

If you fixed one PWM signal and vary the second signal you might be able to plot out a curve of speed vs PWM2. You can then increment the PWM1 duty cycle and repeat the above. In the end you may have a series of charts that could give you a better idea of how the engine speed changes with respect to each PWM signal.

Once you get a better idea of how the speed vary with respect to the PWM duty cycle of each signal you may be able to work out an algorithm for controlling the engine.