Fault Code LUT (Studio 5000 - CompactLogix)

[FingRed69]

I want to create a lookup table AOI. Does anyone know a practical way to implement this?

For example,
The AOI will receive an integer and an array of strings. The AOI will read the integer as an index value for the array and return the string at this position.

Inputs:
i Integer
S String Array
Outputs:
S(i) String

Background:
I am writing a program that is going to be run on an AB 1769-L33ER. My program controls several VFDs (Powerflex 525s). I have selected Fault Code 1 as one of my output parameters (Output in terms of the VFD). I want to store the corresponding fault descriptions as a string array so I can lookup the string and use it for troubleshooting.

 

[jkerekes]

Look at the Plant PAx VFD AOIs. They have already done this with the fault descriptions.

 

[ASF]

I do exactly that with my PF525 AOI.

I created a UDT with two elements: FaultCode(INT) and FaultMessage(STRING). I created an array of this UDT called "PF525FaultCodes" with enough space for all the existing fault codes and a few spare for future.

Then I populated it with all the fault codes and their respective messages. Any unused array elements I populated with "999" and "Unknown Error", because that way if they ever upgrade the firmware to the 525's and it gets a new fault code that my array doesn't know about, it will just pick the last element in my array and say "Unknown Error" so at least I know vaguely what the problem is.

I added an InOut parameter to my PF525 AOI, of datatype (array of my UDT) and point it to that UDT.

Then within the AOI, I used an FSC instruction to search the .FaultCode elements of the array for whatever FaultCode1 happens to be. If I find it, I copy the corresponding string to a string within the AOI.

Works like a charm, and I get a whole lot less phone calls asking "what does fault code 4 mean?"