[?]: Beckhoff BC9000 cloning

Velund · Post by **Velund** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:00 am

Just got a question from a friend, but have no experience with Beckhoff equipment at all.

There is two exactly identical machines, controlled by BC9000 PLC with a few I/O modules (both analog and discrete).
After a nearby lightning hit, Ethernet port on one of BC9000 went bad.
Everything is working fine locally, but unable to monitor it remotely anymore and unable to change settings
(there is some custom VB program that used to monitor operation and change process settings, not full-featured SCADA system).

Company who developed this project does not exist anymore, no way to get any support from authors. No any project source files available.

Now the main question - is it possible to purchase new BC9000 "head" and clone full contents of failed one to a new one, or use second machine with operational BC9000 and exactly the same project loaded as a "donor" to load a new BC9000 unit?

Both machines still in use, and swap must be done in a single weekend, once started.
No extreme hurry, but it would be good to know ASAP if there is no way to simply clone loaded code and there is need to re-create everything from scratch.

PS: Alternate way is on-site component level repair of failed BC9000, keeping programming intact, but with the same "one weekend" rule.
This looks not so realistic to me.
Does anyone looked inside BC9000 or have schematics/service manual for this beastie?

enrique_gf · Post by **enrique_gf** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:36 pm

BC9000 its not a PLC it is a distributed IO, you just need to configure the "box". The real PLC program runs in your PC. you should make a back up of the file or an image of the entire HDD;
Here is an example:
http://www.infoplc.net/Descargas/Descar ... ystem.html
it tells you to open the system manager, thats on the twincat icon that is on rigth botom corner of the desktop computer near the clock

regards

Velund · Post by **Velund** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:53 pm

Looks like you mean BK9000... It looks really just remote I/O unit, according to specs. BC9000 has built-in PLC, if Beckhoff website is corect...

Buxexas · Post by **Buxexas** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:55 pm

enrique_gf:

BC9000 has built-in PLC, it´s right, but only run a boot file .

You must have the plc source code and twincat or ks2000 to transfer to bc9000 or change the eprom in bc9000.

without plc source code I think it´s not possible to create some custom VB program.

Regards,
Buxexas