Resolving SIMOTION Scout V4.2 TPdcblib Technology Package Error

Problem Description and Symptoms

When a SIMOTION project created with SIMOTION SCOUT V4.1 is opened in SCOUT V4.2, the project conversion routine runs automatically and rewrites the project metadata. Although the conversion appears successful, the consistency check (and the subsequent compile) aborts with the following message in the compile log:

Reference to not installed technology package TPdcblib_SIMOTION_4_1_4.2.0 found --> Select technology package

The error string identifies two distinct version fields inside the package name. The first version, 4_1, identifies the technology package build (TPdcblib for SIMOTION 4.1). The second version, 4.2.0, identifies the SCOUT engineering release that the TP is tied to. The combined token TPdcblib_SIMOTION_4_1_4.2.0 means that the SCOUT V4.2 build is looking for the DCC library technology package that was originally compiled against SIMOTION V4.1, but the V4.1 TP binaries are not present in the V4.2 installation.

Additional symptoms observed in the field:

• The menu path Edit → Select Technology Package… is greyed out and cannot be invoked.
• Right-clicking the SIMOTION device in the project tree does not expose a "Map technology package" entry under the global Edit menu.
• The Download to target system button is disabled.
• Any attempt to compile a DCC (Drive Control Chart) inside the project reports TPdcblib as unresolved.

Affected SIMOTION SCOUT Versions

The conversion mismatch is reproducible across the following engineering environments:

SCOUT V4.1 and V4.2 both predate the TIA Portal integration. Starting with SCOUT V5.2, the engineering environment was integrated into the TIA Portal and the same TPs are delivered as TIA Portal option packages. The fix described in this article applies to the standalone SCOUT V4.x line; TIA Portal users will see the same dialog under Options → Technology packages on the SIMOTION device.

Root Cause Analysis

The error is not a project corruption. It is a binding mismatch between three pieces of metadata that SCOUT V4.2 stores per SIMOTION device:

1. The list of technology packages the project was last compiled against, written into the project XML by SCOUT V4.1.
2. The list of technology packages installed on the engineering PC under the V4.2 runtime, located in the SCOUT install directory under TechnologyPackages\.
3. The per-DCC chart technology package reference stored inside the DCC editor that produced the chart.

When SCOUT V4.2 opens the project, it re-binds the device entries to its own TP catalog. If a TP was originally referenced by its V4.1 internal name and the V4.2 catalog only ships the V4.2 build of the same TP, the project XML still points to the old V4.1 reference. The consistency check flags that reference and refuses to compile.

The reason Edit → Select Technology Package is greyed out is that this command is enabled only when the project is bound to the active SCOUT version. The V4.2 catalog recognises the device, but it cannot rebind the package list because the project has not yet been "adopted" to V4.2 at the device level. The rebind action lives in the device context menu, not in the global Edit menu.

Preconditions and Required Components

Before you start the recovery, verify the following:

• You are logged in on the engineering PC with write access to the SCOUT working directory and the project folder.
• SCOUT V4.2 is installed. The build version must match the version field embedded in the error (here 4.2.0). A service pack change moves the field; an HF change typically does not.
• The DCC technology package TPdcblib is installed in SCOUT V4.2. Check SCOUT → Help → Installed technology packages. The list must contain an entry whose name starts with TPdcblib and whose trailing version field matches the SCOUT V4.2 version.
• If you intend to work on a DCC chart, you have the DCC editor licence enabled in SCOUT.
• You have a backup of the project folder. The recovery only modifies metadata, but the project should still be backed up before the first compile attempt.

Diagnostic Procedure

Run the following checks in order. Each check produces a specific output that determines the next step.

1. Open the project in SCOUT V4.2 and let the project converter complete. Do not interrupt the conversion.
2. Open the project tree, right-click the SIMOTION device and select Target system → Check consistency. Confirm the error string in the output window.
3. Open the Windows menu Start → Programs → Siemens Automation → SIMOTION SCOUT V4.2 → Information → Installed Technology Packages. Verify that a TP whose name starts with TPdcblib is listed with a version field that matches the SCOUT V4.2 build. If no TPdcblib is listed, install the DCC option package from the SCOUT V4.2 setup.
4. In the project tree, expand the SIMOTION device and look for a Charts node. If the node contains a DCC chart (icon shows a DCC symbol rather than an MCC, LAD, or FBD symbol), note its name. The DCC chart must be updated separately from the device-level rebind.
5. Open the project's XML file logical.xml in a text editor and search for the string TPdcblib_SIMOTION_4_1_4.2.0. The number of occurrences tells you how many DCC charts and device references still point to the old TP build.

Resolution: Mapping the Technology Package at the Device

The device-level rebind is performed through the project tree context menu. Follow the steps below exactly. Steps that look redundant are required because SCOUT V4.2 has two binding points, the device and the chart, and only the device is bound through this menu.

1. In the project tree, click once on the SIMOTION device (not the program, not the chart, not the axis). The device object is the one that carries the SIMOTION order number, for example SIMOTION C240 PN or SIMOTION D435.
2. Right-click the device. The context menu lists several entries. The entry you need is Assign technology package… (German: Technologiepaket zuordnen) or, in some localised builds, Map technology package…. Do not confuse this with the "Technology packages" sub-menu further down the list; the sub-menu only displays the currently bound packages and is read-only.
3. The dialog that opens lists every TP installed on the engineering PC on the left, and every TP referenced by the project on the right. Move the TPdcblib entry whose version field matches your SCOUT V4.2 build from the left list to the right list. If more than one TPdcblib build is shown, select the one whose version field is _4.2.0.
4. Click OK to close the dialog. SCOUT V4.2 will rewrite the device-level TP reference and remove the V4.1 reference from the project XML.
5. Re-run Check consistency. The original error should be gone. If the project contains a DCC chart, continue with the next section.

Updating the DCC Chart Reference

A DCC chart stores its own copy of the TP reference, separate from the device-level list. The consistency check will continue to fail if the chart still points to the V4.1 build. The chart-level update is only available from inside the DCC editor.

1. In the project tree, double-click the DCC chart to open the DCC editor.
2. Inside the DCC editor, open the Options → Technology packages… menu (German: Extras → Technologiepakete). The dialog lists the TPs that this chart depends on.
3. Select the TPdcblib_SIMOTION_4_1_4.2.0 entry and click Update or Replace with…, depending on the locale. Pick the TPdcblib build whose version field matches the SCOUT V4.2 install.
4. Save the chart with File → Save. Close and reopen the chart to confirm the change persisted.
5. Return to the project tree and re-run Check consistency on the SIMOTION device. The TP error should now be fully cleared.

Project Compilation and Download

With the TP reference cleaned, the project is ready for a full recompile and download to the target SIMOTION controller.

1. In the project tree, right-click the SIMOTION device and select Target system → Compile and download objects. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F7 followed by Ctrl+F8.
2. Inspect the compile output. A clean compile produces a line No errors, no warnings. Warnings that begin with TP indicate that a TP was used as a reference but not installed; treat these as errors.
3. Connect to the SIMOTION controller over the configured PROFIBUS or PROFINET interface. Use Target system → Connect to target system.
4. Download the project with Target system → Download to target system. Accept the default option to retain the actual configuration data on the controller unless you intend a full reset.
5. After the download, the controller runs in STOP state. Switch to RUN with Target system → Run and verify the drive enable and axis homing behaviour.

Verification Checklist

Use the following checks to confirm that the recovery is complete:

Common Pitfalls and Edge Cases

1. The context menu entry is missing. The "Assign technology package" entry only appears if the SIMOTION device in the project tree is selected, not the program, axis, or chart. Verify the selection by looking at the Properties window header: it must show the device's order number, not the program's name.

2. The error returns after a clean compile. The DCC chart still holds the V4.1 TP reference. Repeat the chart update described above. If the DCC editor is not licensed, the chart-level reference cannot be updated through the UI and the chart must be recreated.

3. The controller rejects the download with a TP version mismatch. The SIMOTION firmware on the controller does not accept the new TP version. The TP build is forward-compatible to newer SCOUT versions only if the controller firmware is at the same major version. Cross-reference the firmware version on the controller with the compatibility matrix in the SCOUT V4.2 readme, available at SIMOTION SCOUT V4.2 readme (Siemens Support, PDF).

4. The project was last saved in SCOUT V4.1 with a service pack newer than the V4.2 install. The conversion cannot roll forward. Open the project on a PC that has the matching V4.1 SP install, perform the rebind there, then move the project to the V4.2 PC.

5. The "Assign technology package" entry is greyed out. This indicates that the project is in a read-only state. Check the Windows file attributes on the project folder and the *.sdf database files in the working directory.

6. Multiple SIMOTION devices in the same project. The TP rebind must be performed on every device. The dialog is per-device; there is no project-wide rebind command in SCOUT V4.2.

7. The DCC editor compiles with the "=>" token error. This second error pattern appears when a V4.1 firmware is targeted from a V4.2 SCOUT. The compiler rejects the V4.1 control flow syntax. The fix path is described in the same SCOUT readme referenced above; the project must be re-targeted to a V4.2 firmware before the "=>" warning will clear.

Firmware and TP Version Compatibility Reference

SIMOTION technology packages are versioned independently of the SIMOTION firmware. The version field embedded in the error string, 4_1_4.2.0 in this case, is composed of the TP internal version and the SCOUT version the TP was built against. Use the following table as a starting point when matching the TP build to the SCOUT install.

The version string is described in the SIMOTION SCOUT V4.2 readme, which also documents the "=>" token that can appear during compilation when a V4.1 firmware is targeted from a V4.2 SCOUT. The readme is the authoritative source for firmware / TP pairing; always verify against the readme shipped with the specific SCOUT service pack on the engineering PC.

Preventive Measures

To avoid the same TP reference error on the next upgrade:

• Pin a single SCOUT version per project. Use the same SCOUT build on every engineering PC that touches the project. The project XML stores the SCOUT build number, and a roll-back to an older SCOUT will reintroduce the binding mismatch.
• Maintain a project-side technology package list as part of the version control commit. The list is visible in the project tree under the device, and any change to it should be reviewed.
• Perform a consistency check after every save, not only before download. The consistency check is fast and will surface a TP reference error before it reaches the controller.
• When upgrading SCOUT across a major boundary, install both the old and the new SCOUT on the engineering PC for the duration of the migration. The old SCOUT remains the only tool that can roll back a project to the old TP catalog if the new build has a regression.
• Document the DCC chart TP binding in the project README. The chart-level binding is invisible from the project tree root and is the most common source of repeat errors after a copy-paste of charts between projects.