Created Date: January 16,2004

Created by: franji1

DNLoader is a utility to help OEMs (or anyone else) who wants to do "field upgrade " of their PLC programs WITHOUT their end-customers to have DirectSoft (or to "protect " their intellectual property).

It's on Host Engineering's website under "utilities ", or click on http://www.hosteng.com/SW-Products/SP_Demo_Utilites.htm#DNLoader

Here's an excerpt from the README file:

DNLoader is a free utility that allows you to upload and download PLC programs without the use of DirectSOFT.

Use DNLoader to read the ladder program and (optionally) the retentive V-memory register values from a DirectLOGIC PLC and save this data in a file. You can then use DNLoader to write the contents of this file to another DirectLOGIC PLC of the same type.

DNLoader can use either a serial connection or an Ethernet connection (via an ECOM) to communicate with the source and destination PLCs.

Created Date: January 16,2004

Created by: franji1

Yup. That's its function. So if you had more of a "manufacturing " environment - you could streamline the "PLC programming " aspect of it using this utility.

It is a no-frills utility - it is NOT meant for debugging! Think of it as an PLC programmer's "firmware download " utility (equating the PLC programmer's ladder logic/user memory as "firmware " to his/her end-user)

Created Date: January 19,2004

Created by: franji1

Thanks, Tim, I misunderstood his question. Basically if you password protect your PLCs out in the field, the OEM must enter the password on HIS side of the DNLoader function (the "suck it out " half, before he ships out the file). Then, when the end customer tries to use DNLoader to download it to the PLC, the password must work (the end-user does not enter the password, the software does it automatically, unknown by the end-user). If it does not work, the end-user gets a warning message.

Created Date: February 03,2004

Created by: cdobis

I can't seem to get this utility to "Write File. " I can read from the PLC just fine, but when attempting to save it to file, with or without the password, it gives me an, "An unknown error occurred while accessing C:\DirectSOFT4\Program\PLCFour.dat.

What am I doing wroing here? BTW, this is Win2K on an Athlon 1gig with 512K.

Thanks,

CD

Created Date: February 03,2004

Created by: cdobis

...one other thing I forgot to mention, all of my PLCs are on the network via Ecom modules, DL260s for CPUs, why did I have to hit the "Select " about a dozen times before it can see any of my PLCs on the network? The Serial hookup works fine, first time, but not the Ethernet. Any ideas?

Thanks,

CD

Created Date: February 03,2004

Created by: GKiser

cdobis, regarding the "An unknown error... " that was a bug in DNLoader. Just download the latest from our website (http://www.hosteng.com) and that problem should go away for you. As far as the multiple "Select " button thing . . . I'm checking on that one.

Greg Kiser

Host Engineering, Inc.

Created Date: February 04,2004

Created by: cdobis

GKiser,

Thanks for the response. As for the multiple "Select " button presses, I have DL 'ed the NetEdit3, it finds the PLCs after about 13 presses. It seems to be worse than NetEdit. Could it be our network that causes that? Our IT dept. says it is the latest and greatest available.

As for DNLoader, the new versions works fine, except that it has trouble finding the PLCs also.

Thanks!