A-B 1784-U2DHP USB to DH+ mini review

[Mickey]

But I'm asking if we can use 1784-U2DHP to replace the 1784-PKTX to go online with the daisy chained PLC5/40 (200 - 300m away).

Your answer "YES" is referring to the above question?

Thanks...

Adding the 200-300m away part, I have to say I don't know. Because I have never done it. I see no reason why it would not work,that is well within the limits of a DH+ network. Hopefully the AB guys will be along to clarify.

 

[JesperMP]

Anyone care to report on the performance ?

I previously asked:

How is the performance ?
For RSLinx < v2.5.2 is says you have to install it as a KF2 at 19200 baud.
Does it mean that the performance is comparable to that ?

 

[geniusintraining]

Anyone care to report on the performance ?

What did you need to know? they work very good but they are not cheap, I hope to have an aftermarket soon... in a few weeks and it will be cheaper then 2,100

I use the PCM5 cable with a PCMK card and have made a few adapters for it, this one (U2DHP) only has the mini round din connector, so I will make an adapter to go to a serial or pig tail the end, not sure if it will work with the DH485

 

[Operaghost]

Seeing as how this thread has been dusted off, I will add to my initial mini-review now that I have had two years of usage....

I previously mentioned that the DH+ node number had to be entered in decimal instead of octal. Apparently that has been addressed in RSLinx as that is no longer the case.

Performance wise I have noticed no difference between the U2DHP and my older PCMK/b.

I no longer have need for DH485 connections or the PLC-5 "Classic" so the mini-din connector is just fine with me. But I can see where the lack of this and DH485 could be an issue for some.

I have been testing various notebooks lately none of which have had PCMCIA slots and this thing has worked like a charm on all of them.

One thing that was really frustrating on the older style Dells I had been using was the movement of the PCMCIA slot closer to the front of the PC. I used to use that little sticky-backed holder on the back of my screen to secure the PCMK cable but the changed location made that impossible. So the cable would hang loosely and could become disconnected rather easily. The secure connection that USB provides virtually eliminates this problem for me.

I am a big fan of virtual machines, VMware Workstation in particular, and this works perfectly within a VM which was not possible with the PCMK.

OG

 

[OkiePC]

One thing that was really frustrating on the older style Dells I had been using was the movement of the PCMCIA slot closer to the front of the PC. I used to use that little sticky-backed holder on the back of my screen to secure the PCMK cable but the changed location made that impossible. So the cable would hang loosely and could become disconnected rather easily.

I have this problem with our newest laptop. We need to get GIT to make one of those slide on wedge strain relief thingies that is generic and can be attached anywhere along the length of the cable. I am sure there are a lot of folks who could use that on all sorts of PCMCIA and even some USB cables.

 

[Paul B]

GIT - be sure and post when you have your solution.

I second the comments on the new location of the PCMCIA slots not allowing for the AB sticky-back strain relief on the lid of the laptop.

OG - your VM comment is very meaningful!

 

[nailhead33]

I am a big fan of virtual machines, VMware Workstation in particular, and this works perfectly within a VM which was not possible with the PCMK.

OG

I like the VMs too. I use VirtualBox and have had pretty good luck with it so far with Ethernet devices. Unfortunately, no virtual machine I'm aware of supports PCMCIA slots, and they're going away on new laptops anyway, so I'm looking for a replacement too.

1) What hoops do you have to jump through to get the 1784-U2DHP to work with the VM? Do you have to install drivers on the host and guest, guest only, or host only? According to earlier comments, the 1784-U2DHP shows up as a COM port, so is that all you need in the guest (i.e. run Linx, load the U2DHP comm pkg, and point it at the COM port)?

2) Boy, these guys are pricey! I'm not seeing anything else out there that does the same job for less money. Anything I'm missing?

 

[Operaghost]

There was nothing to do. It is USB so Windows recognizes it automatically when it is plugged in. Just make sure as with plugging in any USB device that your VM (guest) has "focus" otherwise the host system will grab it.

The driver is part of RSLinx Classic so when Windows pops up the New Hardware Found dialog box you should be able to just click through the "Next" option to find the driver. If that doesn't work, you'll need to point to the CD/DVD or hard drive location where the RSLinx install files are located.

It will automatically add itself to Windows using a COM port. It is not necessary (at least with VMware) to add a COM port manually.

Overall, very easy to setup, as USB should be.

OG

 

[nailhead33]

OK, thanks for the response. I guess I'll have to see if I can get someone to spring for one.

 

[kongshitt]

Any new options?

Looks like this device is as easy to use as my 1747-UIC. I have a suspicion that either my PCMK card has died or my PCM slot on the computer has died. With the direction computers and windows are going, I am looking at this USB to handle my DH+ (PLC5 and SLC 5/4) needs.

Are there any known non-AB units out there, or other cost effective solutions?

 

[dmroeder]

In fact there is here

There is an aftermarket UIC as well as the U2DHP

 

[pw3]

One issue we have run into--being this is a usb device you would think you could just unplug it and plug it back in at will. Not the case.

Page 10 of the 2008 U2DHP manual states, "Do not disconnect the cable without first using RSLinx Classic software to stop the driver. Disconnecting the cable without stopping the driver can shut down or cause RSLinx Classic software to become unresponsive."

This means if you unplug it--as RSLinx normally runs in the background--and then plug it back in later, the driver will crash and the device will not functioon. Tried both the latest Win driver and FW ungrade, no-go.

The old/reliable PCMK card, by the way, was on the Silver Series list last time I checked. And good luck finding any new laptops that still have the full-sized ATA slots.

 

[mutabi]

We use the U2DHP cable quite a bit. I like it. Yes you can't unplug it and plug it back in as the driver will stop working. All I do is, shut down RSLinx completely, unplug it. When I want to use it, plug it back in again, wait a few seconds for Windows to recognize it, and then start RSLinx. Works every time.

Note that if you plug the cable into a different USB port you will be assigned a different COM port which you will need to enter into RSLinx.

It is a much more robust solution than the PCMK cables. We use an adapter to connect to the older processors (DH485?).

 

[pw3]

Thanks, I agree, we were always worried about snapping off the connector from the side of the PCMK, but it was always ready to go--never had to shut down Linx. I suppose that being due to the fact that the card was always plugged into the PC.