A large municipal wastewater district needed to remove its reliance on end-of-life PLC5 hardware for long term maintainability. These systems were operation critical permitting downtime windows of only ~8 hours. DMC was uniquely qualified to undertake this project due to our history with legacy system upgrades, in-house electrical design and assembly capabilities, and expertise in Rockwell PLC systems.
Software Conversions
DMC utilized Rockwell’s RSLogix migrator tool to convert old PLC5 programs to Studio 5000. We developed custom tools to automate the IO mapping between the new hardware and old program tags. DMC also developed an interim solution to maintain data exchange between legacy and upgraded systems until all upgrades were complete.
Electrical Design and Build
DMC performed multiple site visits and worked with existing drawing sets to create new drawings and spec appropriate hardware for upgrades. Allen-Bradley conversion hardware was used to significantly reduce installation time and risk, since existing field wiring would not have to be modified. Rockwell’s Integrated Architecture Builder (IAB) was used to assist in the BOM generation process. Special consideration was given to space constraints of the existing panels, and in some cases, new enclosures were installed. DMC procured all hardware, which was then assembled in its panel shop.
Hardware Testing
To ensure that all hardware was functioning properly prior to installation, each system was powered on and checked at DMC’s panel shop. This included flashing firmware, setting IP addresses, checking network functionality, and testing each individual IO point. To facilitate the checking of IO, DMC developed custom test boards for each unique combination of IO module its’ conversion hardware.
Onsite Installations & Commissioning
Electrical prework such as running new network and power cables, panel cleanup, and hardware replacement was performed prior to power down to minimize downtime. By utilizing Allen-Bradley conversion hardware, the electrical work was frequently completed in less than three hours. The conversion hardware and previous bench testing allowed for functional testing to begin as soon as the system was powered on. Throughout the installation process, DMC provided onsite support and troubleshooting to ensure the new system was functionally identical to the old system.
Learn more about DMC’s Rockwell Programming expertise and contact us with any inquires.