VTube-LASER to Eaton Leonard Premier Communications Tutorial

This page covers how VTube-LASER communicates with legacy Eaton Leonard controls.

VTube-LASER understands and can use the legacy Eaton Leonard communications protocol to communicate with Premier, EL-2000, and Velog controls. VTube-LASER transfers ALL the data available in these controls. This allows you to setup and store completely Eaton Leonard setups inside VTube-LASER.

Eaton Leonard benders use a proprietary Current Loop protocol. This diagram demonstrates how a Benderlink Ethernet Module is used to complete the Current Loop connection between a VTube-LASER computer to an Eaton Leonard Premier, EL-2000, or Velog bender control.

Communications Setup at the EL Premier Control

The most common interface is to Eaton Leonard Premier controls. So we will show the setup for that bender here.

About The VECTOR 1 Menu

All communications from the PREMIER control occur in the VECTOR 1 screen shown here.

VTube-LASER knows how to communicate using the VECTOR 1 protocol.

When you enter this screen note that the REQUEST TRANSFER box on the right is BLACK. This means that the Premier is not ready for communications yet.

Premier Communications Active

• To put the Premier in communications mode, make the REQUEST TRANSFER box active (green). The WAITING field will be highlighted.
• Before you make that button active, check the following settings:
  
  

CHECK 1 - CORRECT MODE IS ACTIVE

• The MODE in the upper left corner should read "EXTERNAL MODE". It is controlled by the yellow button on the bottom right side of the screen. This mode allows VTube-LASER to control the communications.

CHECK 2 - BENDER NUMBER MATCHES

• The bender number in both this menu and the VTube-LASER Benderlink setup must agree. If they don't, then VTube and the PREMIER will at least issue warnings or dialogs.     

How to Edit Premier Control Data Inside VTube-LASER

• VTube-LASER will allow for the complete setup of all bender and setup data that can be stored in a Premier control in the VTube-LASER Eaton Leonard Setup window.
• (Note: This data is also compatible with older EL-2000 and Velog controls.)
• Click on the image on the right to see a closeup of the Eaton Leonard Setup window.
• You can load this window from inside the VTube-LASER Bender Setup window.
• For more information on how VTube-LASER handles the data internally, see VTube-LASER Data Handling for Premier, EL2000, and Velog Controls.

How to Send a NEW Part from VTube-LASER to a Premier

1.    Enter the Bender Setup window. Set the bender number (at the top of the window). The protocol should show as Eaton Leonard.

2.    If the blue columns only have zeros, or there are no rows in the LRA grid, bring new part data into the Bender Setup window by using the Setup this Window button on the right. Click on "Copy MASTER LRA to Setup LRA". This will bring the MASTER LRA data from VTube-LASER's main memory into this Bender Setup screen.

3.    Press the Additional Bender Setup button at the top of the Bender Setup screen to load the Eaton Leonard Setup window. For information on how VTube-LASER allows you to edit legacy Eaton Leonard data, see VTube-LASER Data Handling for Premier, EL2000, and Velog Controls

4.    Edit any of the Eaton Leonard Setup values.

5.    Press the Close and Keep Changes button in the Eaton Leonard Setup window.

6.    In the Setup the Bender expanding menu on the right, press AUTO SEND. (Be sure that the bender is ready for communication. See the "Premier VECTOR 1 Menu With Communications Active" section above.)

How to CORRECT an Existing Part from VTube-LASER to a Premier

1.    Enter the VTube-LASER Bender Setup window. Set the bender number (at the top of the window). The protocol should show as Eaton Leonard.

2.    In the Bidirectional Communications expanding menu on the right, press RECALL. (Be sure that the bender is ready for communication. See the "Premier VECTOR 1 Menu With Communications Active" section above.) This action will update the BLUE columns and also the bender data in the Eaton Leonard Setup window.

3.    Make changes to the data if necessary. You can change any adjustments. You can change any of the extended Eaton Leonard data in the Eaton Leonard Setup window before correcting the bender.

4.    Pressing the AUTO SEND button next to the number 2. This will send the ORANGE column data to the bender control.     

Premier, EL2000, and Velog Controls Internal Data Handling in VTube-LASER

This page covers how VTube-LASER handles Legacy Eaton Leonard data internally. For a separate tutorial on communications, see VTube-LASER to Eaton Leonard Premier Communications Tutorial.

STORAGE of ALL Legacy Eaton Leonard Data in PROJECT FILES

VTube-LASER will allow for the complete setup of all bender and setup data that can be stored in a Premier, EL2000, or Velog control.

The Eaton Leonard values are never lost because this data is now stored inside each VTube-LASER project file.

Press the new "Additional Bender Data" button at the top of the Bender Setup screen, and VTube will now load the new Eaton Leonard Setup window shown (see the second image).

YBC Velocity, Function, Stop, and C Last Included

This data includes all the part setup data and all the data that is included in each YBC row, including these data columns:

• Y
• Y Velocity
• Y Function
• Y Stop
• B
• B Velocity
• B Function
• B Stop
• C
• C Velocity
• C Function
• C Stop
• C Last

YBC Data Automatically Synchronized with Blue Column LRA Data in the Parent Window

The YBC data in this Eaton Leonard Setup window is always synchronized with the blue columns in the parent VTube Bender Setup window.

Change the data in either window, and the corresponding data in the other window will automatically change.

Use Either Inches or Millimeters

The screen allows you to switch between Inches and Millimeters and back again with the press of a single button.