How to Translate Foreign Comments in Omron PLC Programs

Question:

If you are experiencing difficulties reading PLC programs imported from Japanese machinery in CX-Programmer, you may notice comments appearing as random numbers, symbols, or letters instead of English. Is there a way to convert these into a readable format? Perhaps a conversion process is needed to decipher characters like Samples...¶¯À°ST¸×ÝÌßPL‹‹–û‰Áˆ³AV. Explore options to translate these foreign characters for a better understanding of the program.

Top Replies

Are you looking to add Japanese fonts to your computer?

Inquire with the supplier for an English version of the product.

geniusintraining suggested reaching out to the supplier for an English version of the manual. However, these machines are quite antiquated, as the manufacturer is no longer in business.

Sean Teague mentioned that the machines in question are very outdated, with the company that manufactured them no longer in business. To address this issue, Engineerj22 recommended installing Japanese CX One (CX Programmer) and possibly reinstalling the software, allowing for language selection during the process. Subsequently, a conversion of the Japanese interface to English may also be necessary.

It is highly recommended to store a backup of the original program in a secure location as a precautionary measure. James.

This looks like an encoding issue rather than a language translation problem. Japanese machines often use the Shift-JIS encoding format, whereas most Western programming tool like CX-Programmer typically default to UTF-8. There should be an option in your software to change the encoding type to Shift-JIS. Try to import the program again after changing this setting. If it's not possible within the software, it may be useful to use an online converter tool to convert Shift-JIS to UTF-8 before importing it into your PLC program. Remember to make a backup of your original files before making any changes!

From my experience with CX-Programmer, this issue tends to occur if the original comments were made in non-English language using characters not supported by your setting. It could be useful to switch your computer's system locale to Japanese and then import the program again. Bear in mind, this doesn't translate the text from Japanese to English but renders Japanese characters correctly. For translation, there are several online tools or professional services depending on the complexity of the PLC program. It's also important that you backup all your data prior to making these changes to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Indeed, the issue you're referring to is due to the language encoding mismatch. While PLC programs from Japanese machinery are saved in a specific encoding format, CX-Programmer might be using a different one, hence the gibberish characters. One simple solution might be to try changing the language setting in your software to Japanese, if it's available. If not, you may need a more complex approach that involves using a text editor that supports encoding conversions, such as Notepad++. Import your PLC program into it, then try different encoding settings (like Shift-JIS, a common Japanese encoding) until you find one where the text appears legible. Then, save the file and import it back into your CX-Programmer. It might not work perfectly, but it should help clear up a lot of the nonsense characters you're seeing.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

FAQ: FAQs:

Answer: 1. How can I translate foreign comments in Omron PLC programs displayed as random characters in CX-Programmer? - You can convert these foreign characters into a readable format by using a conversion process or a translation tool. 2. Why do comments in PLC programs from Japanese machinery appear as random numbers, symbols, or letters in CX-Programmer? - This occurs due to differences in character encoding between languages, leading to the display of non-readable characters.

FAQ: 3. Are there specific tools or methods recommended for translating foreign comments in Omron PLC programs?

Answer: - Utilizing online translation tools, custom scripts, or manual translation methods can help in converting foreign characters into English for better understanding of the program.

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