This is kinda a "what-if" question.

Just simply and breifly - how would a person
connect a LED Panel Display to a SLC 5/03's
output; in order to show the 'Time' of day.
(using the RTC of the PLC S:40-42)(I would Think) ?
What would you use in the software and how to hardwire it ?

Thank you for your help.
K-

When you say LED panel display, I assume you mean one of these LED matrix display units that can display a word or scroll text accross by lighting the correct leds in the matrix. The only units I have seen configured are such that you actually communicate with them via RS232 or 485 and send a text string to the unit. To send the date time, you would need to compile a string by converting the integer values in the status file to strings and concatenating them together to the string you want. To go any further, I would have to have the make and model of the LED unit.

Well, I was trying to figure some things out in my head.

When you describe a LED matrix I'm sure that's what would be called for.

I have a LED panel disply that has 2 wires (+) and (-) going into it (besides the 2 other wires

supplying power to the unit). The displsy can go as high as 1.999. I've used it before while connected

to a analog output.

I was wondering what would I use in RSLogix 500 if I just wanted to display the time.

Hmmmm you said "compile a string by converting the integer values in the status file to strings"

and " concatenating them together to the string you want" - - - I don't know what this means.

I don't know what concatenating means.

Without me being a pain-in-the-you-know-what, is it possible you could explain what you are saying.

I would be greatful with anything that you could pass on.

Thank you,

K-

First, dont worry about being a pain (abreviated). Just glad I can help here and there. Obviously sometimes I will be able to help more than others. The problem here is that there are many different types of LED displays so it's hard to give a solid answer. It sounds like the one you worked with took an analog signal to display a value. I have worked with those also and usually you have a calibration on it to set the min/max value the display will show corresponding to the min/max analog input.



Concatenate is a term for "adding" strings. You can actually add two strings together, but you can arrange them one after the other in a single addressable location. So for a time, you would have three numbers in three different status words: hours (S:40), min (S:41), seconds (S:42). Each would need to be converted to a string - check out the AIC instruction. You would then have 3 strings that would need to be displayed in a way that people would understand as time. That's where the string concatenate comes in - check out ACN instruction. With the ACN, you have to work two strings at a time so you would need several concatenates to create the final string. Why dont you go ahead and take that info and see what you can come up with in a program? We can go further after you have a chance to play with these new ideas.

Thanks for the help.

I'll check out the ACI and ACN instructions - I'll play around with these over the next several days and see what I can learn.

Thanks again.

K-