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System Overview
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SoftLogix5800 System Overview
A SoftLogix5800 system enables you to integrate programming, control, motion, visualization and data concentration on an industrial or desktop PC to minimize hardware costs and integration effort. Combining a high performance Logix control engine with the power and openness of your PC, the SoftLogix5800 system provides a reliable, open, PC-based control solution for improved flexibility, connectivity and information integration.
Using an integrated soft-control solution like the SoftLogix5800 system lowers the total cost of both development and ownership of your control system. Complete compatibility with all other Rockwell Automation Logix platforms and NetLinx open network architecture helps ensure your engineering investment is protected. In addition, SoftLogix offers you the flexibility to:
- Choose the memory size that your application requires.
- Built-in I/O simulation model for easier system design and validation.
- Select the communication you want via communication cards.
- Determine how much I/O you want to control and pick the modules needed for the application, with room to expand in the future.
- Divide your application into tasks for structured program development.
Benefits
Using the SoftLogix5800 controller for PC-based control is:
- Fast—Programs execute 1000 lines of logic in less than 1 ms on a Pentium-based computer system.
- Extendable/Extensible—Write your own custom code through C programming.
- Connected—Open architecture provides for connectivity to EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, ControlNet, and other third-party networks.
- Flexible/Scalable—Build your own control system with functionality to suit specific needs.
Integrated Motion Control
The SoftLogix5800 system provides an easily-integrated, high-performance motion system with higher levels of performance than traditional PC-based motion controllers. It executes motion commands and generates motion profiles directly on the native PC processor. This "SoftMotion" approach permits you to apply the speed and power of today’s PCs to solve the most demanding applications.
Motion control is built-into the SoftLogix5800 control engine, for faster development and easier start-up and maintenance. Unlike control systems that require multiple controllers and programming packages, the Logix approach is fully integrated, using a single controller and programming software.
The SoftLogix controller is SERCOS enabled with the addition of a 16-axis, half-slot PCI card (1784-PM16SE). All of the benefits of the SERCOS interface are carried into the PC backplane with common RSLogix 5000 programming, troubleshooting, and monitoring tools.
If an analog solution is what you need, a 2-axis analog interface module (1784-PM02AE) is also available. This interface provides the drive connectivity and control through traditional analog torque or velocity commands and incremental encoder feedback.
See the Allen-Bradley Motion Control web site for complete information on Rockwell Automation's Integrated Motion Solutions.
Support for External Routines
Use any programming language that can create a Windows DLL (C and C++) to develop RSLogix 5000 routine objects to invoke functions developed outside of the RSLogix 5000 Enterprise Series environment.
After you develop the routine, use RSLogix 5000 Enterprise Series software to add the routine to the controller organizer and use the routine properties to define the DLL to execute.
Support for External Applications (Windows Events)
Using standard programming tools, such as Visual Basic, you can develop external applications that:
• collect data from the controller
• let events in the controller affect an application
• let events in an application affect the controller
• save the current controller information (tag data values and configuration information
The SoftLogix controller can communicate with Visual Basic applications via Windows events. The VB application can cause the controller to execute specific code when the application detects the specified Windows operating system event.
Use the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) support built into Microsoft Office products such as Excel to display SoftLogix data. Use the RSLinx OPC automation interface to serve tag and status information to clients. The OPC automation interface is available in the Single Node, OEM, Professional, and Gateway versions of RSLinx software (not the RSLinx Lite software that comes with RSLogix 5000 Enterprise Series software).