Category: Bright IA

Hello everyone,

Thanks for landing here on our blog.

Today I’d like to talk about software conversion tools.

As most Allen-Bradley / Rockwell system integrators are aware, the platform offers a quick conversion tool from old SLC / PLC-5 / Micrologix to the most up-to-date platform, AKA Studio 5000, utilizing compact or control logic hardware.

What if I tell you that now there is something similar to migrate from AB to Codesys?

For those who are not familiar with Codesys, it is an open-source, OEM/hardware agnostic, OOP-oriented IDE that can be downloaded for FREE and deployed right away from your laptop. It has an embedded simulator, and you can also develop web-based graphics that reside in the same file as the PLC codes!

Main advantages:

• Free software (the Codesys runtime license comes with your hardware – included in the price, no extra costs)
• The graphic interface resides on the same file/application (there is no more need to open multiple programs)
• Hardware and software costs drop dramatically
• Virtualization – the ability to deploy your codes on the cloud or edge devices

Now, going back to the conversion tool, our friends at Northern Dynamics in Ontario, Canada (a Codesys system partner) developed this nice tool. In minutes, we can convert Rockwell files to Codesys, select our platform, and start deploying right away!

The software is called “LEGAAT” and…

Now, there are no excuses anymore to give it a try:

• No More time-consuming manually converting applications
• Learning curve reduced (and we are always here to support you if you need a bump start! – DO NOT HESITATE!)

And, Bright IA is now an official reseller and integrator for it in the US southern regions.

How this works:

For system integrators: you have two options – 20 or 50 tokens licenses (we suggest the 50 tokens), once you deplete them, you can recharge and purchase more tokens.

For end-users: sit in there and enjoy the free licensing benefits of Codesys.

Once we start converting your AB applications, we’ll provide you with all the software copies and install Codesys on your maintenance laptop, so you are able, at any time, to log into your machines and troubleshoot them as needed.

How does this sound so far?

Not bad I think, especially compared to the alternative.

However, If you are not convinced yet, check this link below to where Paul @Northern Dynamics demonstrated a couple of conversions and how easy it is to do so:

(Scroll down at the bottom to see the videos)

http://www.northerndynamics.ca/Services/

Do you want to see it in action in real time?

Come and see us at the Automation Stars ⭐️ of Texas ASOT24 in Dallas – on October 29th and 30th, we’ll have demos for you!

https://lnkd.in/gFsFCYGv

You don’t want to wait? No problem! Go to our website and book a call now:

https://brightiatx.com/systems-automation/#call

P.S. If you are looking to convert PLC-5 and motion controls instructions, we don’t have it yet, but wait for the next release where at least one if not both will be included.

Disclaimer: the conversion tool will not completely convert and compile your application. Pay attention and review objects like timers, AOIs, and other particular function blocks. In other words, the final functionality of the conversion is at the discretion of the system integrator and/or user of Legaat.

Have a great day and keep automating!

The future looks bright!

Hi, y’all, and howdy from Texas!

Here again on our blog page to tell you something great! We have put together an automation and robotics event!

We called it:

Automation Stars of Texas – Expo 2024! ASOT24

It will held at the Marriott DFW South Airport between October 29th and 30th

4151 Centreport Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76155

Here is the link to register for FREE, bring your kids as well with you:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/954367548027?aff=oddtdtcreator

We thought that the great state of Texas was missing an event like this, guess what?
We built one!

Get ready to witness the latest and greatest in automation and robotics technology at this year’s expo. Join us in person to discover cutting-edge solutions, network with industry experts, and gain insights into the future of automation in Texas. From robotics to AI, this event has it all!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with fellow automation enthusiasts and learn from the best in the business. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, there’s something for everyone at Automation Stars of Texas – Expo 2024.
We have local representatives from big automation brands and some companies are coming from Europe as well…

Come and participate in the event to witness what Texas is capable to do in terms of industrial automation for your manufacturing factory!

Overcome supply chain challenges, find ideas to implement, inspect parts for quality checks, assembly lines, painting, 3d printing, machine motion controls new or retrofit, grippers of every kind, automation assets solutions, and more…

Here is a quick list of exhibitors you will find at the show:

• Fanuc America
• Kuka
• Keyence
• Phoenix Contacts
• Igus
• Schmalz
• Zimmer-Group
• Banner
• Siemens
• AWC
• Turck
• CMZ
• Helmholz
• Codesys
• Vention
• ARS – Flexibowl
• ADC
• Onrobot
• ATI
• Bright IA
• Software Defined Automation

And more are signing up as we talk.

The future of automation looks Bright! Stay tuned for more and follow us on Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, and of course Linkedin!

#automation #robotics #controls #event #2024 #dallas #fortworth #dfw #airport #vision #AI #solutions #manufacturing

Hi, y’all, and howdy from Texas!

We are here again to tell you about another automation adventure we were part of last week.

We commissioned several production lines with some archaic setup (considering what we have nowadays…), utilizing potentiometers, LCDs, point-to-point controls, etc…

The devices used were: Powerflex 525 drives and Compact Logix PLCs.

As most automation professionals know, you can easily use a 10K potentiometer, utilize the analog output from the drive to reflect your speed in a display or something similar, however, from a specific request from the customer, we would’ve need to scale the speed frequency according to the cuts/min and “clamps” added to the minimum/maximum frequency span on the drive itself.

Even though the drive was hardwired, we could connect or bring the VFD into the PLC, and start manipulating the data by introducing them to the PLC via ethernet/IP, and that’s what we did!

The first step was introducing data from the drive and sending it out as well, so to scale the speed and write the correct value to the LCD, we had to use:

Parameter 88 – Analog Out Sel – which will define how your analog output will act, we select value 22, which corresponds to “setpoint”

We used This parameter to send the correct value to the LCD, and the way we initially worked was reading the output frequency but, down the road, we encountered another issue when we had to use the “JOG” button.

As mentioned above, since we “clamped” the min/max speed limits, every time we pushed the jog button the drive ramped up to the minimum value and did not respect the jog speed set to the drive’s associated parameter.

Now, all of a sudden, there was a need to figure out a solution to make these machines work as they did before the changes.

We then remove the clamps and build them in the logic.

We introduced a new parameter 360 – Analog In 0-10V, which is Mr. Potentiometer, and used to command the speed by scaling the values (0-1000) to the frequency command and soft clamp the min and max speeds.

At this point, we were able to build two types of situations, one that was “normal mode” and the other “jog mode”:

I know this is simple code at the end, but here we want to focus on how a VFD, in particular a Powerflex 525 in this case, can help you accomplish what you need without adding more hardware, but you need to get a little bit creative for sure!

Because, to be honest, our first thought was to add more cards, more crap, more more!

Well, sometimes you can do more with less!

Let us know what you think about this post, and let us know if you have a challenging project or issues you cannot solve, we thrive on them!

The future of automation looks Bright! Stay tuned for more and follow us on Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, and of course Linkedin!

Hi, y’all!

This year we took the opportunity to be at Automate 2024. Last year we walked the floor as attendees in Detroit, and don’t get me wrong, we had a blast.

However, we see this event as the place to be, so we decided, together with CMZ Sistemi Elettronici , to participate as exhibitors, and it was a great influx of people and awesome discussions.

We are looking to be there next year and in the years to come with more case studies and demos!

If you missed us at the show, please go to our contact page and send us a message!

Until next time, stay informed, stay educated, and stay automated.

The future looks Bright!

Romans 1:16

#cmz #automate #motion #tradeshow #booth #God #partnership #automation #controls

Hi All!

I hope to find you well!

We are dropping another post today regarding a hot topic that we discussed a few months ago with MarketScale

Fanuc America and Robot Advisor.

The question is “How can we overcome the supply chain issues and the workforce demand in manufacturing?”

The answer could be really simple and very feasible, but it depends on how all the parts involved are collaborating for the same target,

Be more profitable, be more effective, keep up with the demand and orders…

To know more, check out this link below where you can find the podcast recording:

https://marketscale.com/industries/software-and-technology/roadmap-future-intelligent-manufacturing-navigating-automation-workforce/

Until next time, stay informed, stay educated, and stay automated.

The future looks Bright!

BRIGHT IA is a trusted system integrator and service provider based in Fort Worth, TX.
BRIGHT IA is specialized in automation, systems, and services for Food & Bev., plastics, aviation, material handling, and manufacturing in general.
With deep expertise in system integration, training, maintenance, and overall support.
BRIGHT IA partners with clients through each stage of the system and its development.

BRIGHT IA is the official partner in the US for CMZ sistemi elettronici, a Motion OEM CODESYS based, located in Italy.

CODESYS Corporation System Partners have direct access to the CODESYS support team, product management, and bug tracker (JIRA database). A CODESYS Corporation System Partner delivers resources for application development and support, system integration and configuration of the runtime system (RTS) as well as driver integration.

All our CODESYS Corporation System Partners have long year experiences for CODESYS solutions with growing complexity and are specialized in applications for different industries.

For more information on BIGHT IA, please visit the website.

CODESYS System Partners are experts who support you in CODESYS programming and the implementation of your CODESYS projects. They provide the following services:

• Consulting
• Training
• Application Development
• System Integration

Please visit our website to learn more about CODESYS System Partners and what they can do for you.

We’re looking forward to continuing the cooperation with BRIGHT IA – our new member of the CODESYS Corporation System Partner family.

#automation #systemintegration #codesys #partners #CMZ #motion #robotics

We were invited as an expert to attend a podcast organized by MarketScale.

We discussed and debated the Connected Living 2030 plan, and we expressed our vision, concerns, and perplexities, but without any further due, please feel free to click on

the link below and check the recording + transcription:

https://marketscale.com/industries/industrial-iot/future-of-smart-cities-2030/

Let us know if you like it!

Until next time, stay informed, stay educated, and stay automated.

The future looks Bright!

1769-AENTR front view Details of production date (bottom right corner) I thought this last week was going to be quite easier or slowing down a lil bit…never mind… I’ve been in 3 different places, but on one in particular, where we have recently performed an upgrade, the system IS giving problems, the outputs are holding the last value even though the cards setup are the opposite.

The only way to reset the system is by power cycling the entire panel. All the symptoms were pointing to a faulty module.

Since I couldn’t be present at the times this event is happening (and it would do this randomly every 2-3 days), I decided to put a trap and log the faults of the adapter 1769-AENTR where all the outputs are connected, I discovered that the module is faulting out and throwing the following: 1769-AENT may exhibit the following fault hex #00204 (516 decimal) It is a known issue by Rockwell Automation So, if you have a module with production dates within Feb 2nd 2021 and Aug 25th 2022 you should ask for a replacement.

I hope this post help someone save some time and headaches in troubleshooting! Also,

Check here for the tech note https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1136614 Let me know if you have any question!

#troubleshooting #rockwell #allenbradley #plc #hmi #automationsmartguy #brightiiot #automation #problems #issues