Urgent Flexy Issues

Ewon Support Ewon Flexy
#1

Chris,

Im at an install where we are trying to set up our first flexy. We are having a lot of trouble, particularly with the OPCUA server. The Flexy keeps rebooting on me and it keeps saying the reason is because of a watchdog. I’ve tried 20 dozen different things to nail down what that means but I can’t figure it out. Here is the backup: MOVE TO STAFF NOTES

I’m going to be in the plant from 7AM to 10AM EST before I have to fly out. Is there anyway I can get some technical support in that time. I’m sorry for the short notice and tight time limit but I appreciate your help.

Thanks,

#2
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Hello Justin,

Per our conversation, you have a device that experiencing the following issues:

Device reboots due to Watchdog process (OPCUA)
Controll Logix not reading the Flexy device

As stated, it would be beneficial if you could have an onsite technician create a backup with support files through the ebuddy. I will reach out to your associate to get the event logs.

I have attached a couple documents that may prove useful.

I will attempt to reach your associate to get the event logs.

#7

Kevin,

I have downloaded all the files I could off the Flexy remotely. Below is a list of files which were not included because my FTP client wouldn’t download them.

Thanks for your support,

#8
#9

Hi Kevin,

I will be unavailable for the next 30 minutes or so. Can I have a number to reach you whenever I get free? I’ll try to review the documentation you’ve provided before we speak. If not, please contact me after 10:15.

Thanks,

#10

Hello Chris,

I would need the following files:

config.txt
comcfg.txt
events.txt
sysinfo.txt
rtevents.txt
stats.txt

Also supply any BASIC IDE code you have running on the device. I can review the files to help determine the root cause of the reset issue.

#11

Hi Kevin,

Turns out I was able to do the support backup through eBuddy even while remotely connected. It looks like the program.bas has the BASIC script we were running.

Let me know if there’s anything else I can provide.

MOVED TO STAFF NOTE (163 KB)

#13

Hello,

I looked through the logs, it looks like the BASIC script is encountering an error regarding a variable format type. Can you disable the script temporarily, and see if the device keeps rebooting?

Also, I noticed that the TCP socket connection is not functioning properly either. The TCP port for the Flexy is 1194. Ensure that port is being used for Control Logix.

#14

Hi Kevin,

The Flexy has had about 6 ½ hours of uptime as of right now, and the script was already running, so I don’t think that’s relevant. If you’re talking about the below errors, they seemed to be FTP related – I had an error trying to transfer some files this morning.

cid:image001.png@01D54237.2F0949B0
cid:image001.png@01D54237.2F0949B01657×172 9.91 KB

I don’t have access to the PLC as I am not onsite, but the connection was working at one point, and neither the network configuration nor the PLC settings have changed.

The continuous rebooting seems to happen only when we have the OPC UA server enabled, and only then after a while of being up. The only way we’re able to stop it once it starts rebooting is by doing a factory reset. The error we see before each reboot looks like this:

cid:image002.png@01D54237.6C473C60
cid:image002.png@01D54237.6C473C601656×36 4.8 KB

I was able to find an article online related to the HTTP watchdog, but the corrective actions didn’t seem to apply.

Another error that may be relevant is this one:

image003.png1669×30 1.92 KB

I’d like to avoid taking any steps that would cause the unit to go into a reboot loop like it was before, as it is our only communication link with our system. What other steps can we take to gather more information about the system?

#15

Hello Chris,

Looking through the back up of the device, I noticed the OPC UA port is set to 4840. Under the general settings in the our OPCUA documentation, it states the default port for the FLEXY OPC UA is 48020.

image
image713×390 113 KB

Try adjusting the the port settings found under IOSERVER -> OPCUA. It also shows that the OPCUA is not enabled.

OpcuaEnabled:0
OpcuaPort:4840
OpcuaPublishTagsA:0
OpcuaPublishTagsB:0
OpcuaPublishTagsC:0
OpcuaPublishTagsD:0
OpcuaLoginType:0

Also, just for verification, is the device located on the East Coast? Your timezone is set to EST. If the device is not located in this timezone, you will need to update the machine for the correct zone to avoid issues.

I can see the device is connected via Wifi, with a GSM signal of 17. The device requires a level of 18 to function. If you can, try to move the attenna to a position with better signal. While this is on the cusp required levels, repeated dropping of service can cause issues.

What are you using for FTP software? The device FTP port is at the defualted 21. Are you adding or removing files?

Also, i would double check you Tag variable types. Ensure they are translated correctly from the PLC. (Example: “INT” to “INT”, “String” to “String”)

#19

Kevin,

Here are my findings:

MOVED TO STAFF NOTE (175 KB)

#22

Hello,

I will review this back up. I am concerned about the BASIC IDE code. YOu do have a significant chunk of code in the cycle section. This can cause issues with the operation of the unit. I advise modifying the code, and removing it from the cyclic section then placing it into the init section for better operation.

#23

Gentlemen,

We turned the BASIC IDE code off and we were still getting the OPCUA watchdog error. That doesn’t seem to be related. We are really being pressed to get this issue resolved and we haven’t heard anything from your end in a few days. This issue is holding up our project. Is there anything else we can do from our end to help get you more information or to get this issue escalated so we can get a resolution?

Thanks,

Justin Jeanes

Digital Leader

ITW Hartness

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Hello Justin,

You have several errors in the event logs that I see. Addressing these errors may resolve the reboot issue. The errors i see are as follows:

image
image910×66 27.7 KB

Your Alan Bradly IP’s are set as:
10.0.14.x

You LAN IP is set as
10.11.104.x
Subnet: 255.255.255

You device is not able to read the PLC’s due to your LAN IP restricting it’s range to the 10.11.104.x. This is the reason for your TCP Socket connect errors and the slow poll mode errors. Either, alter the IP’s for the Alan bradly PLCS, or update the Ewon LAN IP to match the same IP range and subnet.

Also, how is your device communicating with the internet? I have a GSM signal, which indicates the use of a cellular modem. As well as a wifi entry with SSID. Your GSM signal is at a 15, which is below the minimum requires for connection. Are you using the wifi network as a failover?

I would advise updating the LAN IP issue, as this also inhibits your tag settings from coming through correctly.

Solving these errors may solve the watchdog reset issue as well.