Siemens OP17 Back-Transfer: ProSave Upload and Backup Guide

OP17 Back-Transfer Overview and Hardware Constraints

The SIMATIC OP17/DP is a 4-line, 20-character text-display operator panel from the SIMATIC HMI product line. The panel occupies the same mechanical footprint as the OP7 but provides a larger character set, more function keys, and an optional PROFIBUS-DP interface on IF2. Unlike the OP27/OP37, the OP17 cannot store an editable ProTool project internally. The panel stores only a compiled runtime image. This single architectural fact governs every back-transfer decision:

• The OP17 runtime image is a binary snapshot, not a re-importable ProTool project.
• The image can only be restored to a panel with the same device type, firmware version, and configuration class.
• Source modification requires the original *.pdb file from ProTool, not the runtime image.
• Back-transfer is a one-way upload of the runtime image — no symbolic tag names, comments, or screen source scripts are recoverable from the panel alone.

For a successful upload from the panel to a PC, the operator must use ProSave. ProTool V6.0 SP3 can open the original *.pdb source file but cannot reliably establish a serial back-transfer session to the OP17 in the same way that ProSave does. ProSave is shipped both as a standalone utility and bundled inside the ProTool V6.0 SP3 installation media.

OP17 Hardware Variants and Catalog Numbers

OP17 Interface Map

For a back-transfer to PC, always terminate on IF1A. IF2 is the PROFIBUS interface and will not accept ProSave transfer commands even if the bus appears "online" in the PG diagnostics. Mistakenly connecting to IF2 is the single most common cause of "comms link is up but transfer fails" symptoms on the OP17 family.

Tool Compatibility Matrix — ProTool, ProSave, and WinCC Flexible

The OP17 belongs to a transitional generation that predates WinCC Flexible and TIA Portal. The supported toolchain is narrow and the wrong tool will silently compile the project incorrectly or refuse to connect.

ProSave 7.x is shipped as a standalone utility and is also bundled inside the ProTool V6.0 SP3 installation media. Running ProSave directly is generally more reliable for upload operations because it bypasses the ProTool project loader and avoids the project's transfer permission checks.

If your PC no longer has a native COM port, you must add a USB-to-serial adapter (FTDI FT232 or equivalent). Confirm the adapter enumerates as COM1–COM9 and supports full RS-232 voltage levels (±12 V). Some low-cost adapters are RS-232-compatible only on RX/TX and omit the RTS/CTS/DTR/DSR handshake lines — these will cause intermittent transfer aborts that look like a missing *.pdz error. Industrial-grade adapters from companies such as Moxa (UPort 1110 series) or SIIG (USB-to-serial) are field-proven alternatives.

Where to Find the Software

ProTool V6.0 SP3 and ProSave 7.x are available from the Siemens Industry Online Support legacy downloads area. Search for "ProTool V6.0 SP3" or "ProSave 7.4" to find the download package. The installer is approximately 380 MB on a single CD image. Siemens no longer ships ProTool on physical media but the legacy digital download remains available through standard support contracts.

Cable Specifications and PC Interface Requirements

The standard transfer cable is the Siemens 6XV1440-2KH32 (often labeled "PC-OP MPI/Serial Transfer Cable" in field stock). Pin-out:

The 6XV1440-2KH32 cable implements these bridges internally. Do not attempt to use a generic 9-to-15 pin null-modem cable without verifying that the handshake loop is correctly bridged at the OP17 end. The OP17 requires the local handshake loop to assert "ready" before it will accept transfer commands. A floating handshake input causes the OP17 firmware to abort the transfer sequence immediately after the initial connect frame.

PC COM Port Configuration

ProSave expects the following default COM parameters when targeting OP17 over IF1A:

• Baud rate: 9600 (default) or 19200 (selectable via OP17 firmware menu)
• Data bits: 8
• Parity: Even
• Stop bits: 1
• Flow control: Hardware (RTS/CTS)

In ProSave, navigate to File → Settings → Interface and confirm the PC COM port, baud rate, and target device type match the physical OP17 hardware. The ProSave device type selector defaults to the most recently used device — if you previously connected to an OP27 or TP170, you must reset it to OP17 explicitly before initiating the upload.

USB-Serial Adapter Recommendations

Back-Transfer Prerequisites — *.pdz File and Memory Card Backup

A "back-transfer" (the term Siemens uses for upload) on the OP17 family can ONLY proceed if one of the following preconditions was satisfied at the time the project was originally downloaded to the panel:

1. The original *.pdz file exists on the PC — this is the file produced by ProTool during the original download when the "Enable back-transfer" checkbox is selected. The *.pdz contains the compressed source plus all screen and tag data needed for a full re-import.
2. A memory card was inserted into the OP17 during the original download — ProTool/ProSave writes a compressed backup of the project to the memory card during the download operation. The card then holds the recoverable image.

If neither condition was met, the OP17 contains a runtime-only image that cannot be reverse-engineered into a ProTool *.pdb project. You cannot create a *.pdz by performing an upload — the upload produces a different, non-editable *.img file. The user's situation in the source case (missing *.pdz, no memory card) places them firmly in the image-only recovery path.

OP17 Supported Memory Cards

Memory cards were inserted into the rear slot of the OP17 after the cover plate was removed. The card slot uses a 50-pin connector identical to the OP7/OP27 family. To check whether a memory card is present in the OP17, power on the panel and watch for the "Memory card detected" line in the system menu.

Step-by-Step ProSave Upload (Back-Transfer) Procedure

1. Connect the 6XV1440-2KH32 cable between the PC COM port and the OP17 IF1A port.
2. Power on the OP17 and wait for the panel to reach its normal operating screen.
3. Launch ProSave 7.x on the PC.
4. In ProSave, select File → Backup (Upload) or click the "Backup" toolbar icon.
5. Select the correct target device type — "OP17" — from the device drop-down. Do NOT select OP7, OP27, OP37, or TP170 unless you specifically intend to attempt a cross-platform transfer (which is rarely supported).
6. Select the PC COM port (COM1, COM2, etc.) and the baud rate (start with 9600).
7. Click Start. ProSave will attempt to put the OP17 into transfer mode automatically by sending a break signal on the RS-232 line.
8. The OP17 displays a transfer dialog and progress bar. Do NOT power off the panel during transfer — interruption corrupts the memory image.
9. When the upload completes, ProSave saves a backup file with the extension *.img (image) or *.abk (archive backup), depending on the ProSave version.
10. Verify the file size matches the project memory size reported by ProTool (typically 64–512 KB for a typical OP17 project).

Transfer State Diagram

Resolving "Could Not Open File" Errors During Upload

The error message "Could not open file" reported during upload to ProSave has a small set of root causes, in order of probability. The exact wording varies slightly by ProSave version ("Could not open file", "File open failed", "Backup file not accessible") but the diagnostic path is the same:

If ProSave successfully displays the "Connected to OP17" status, the cable and port are correct, and the issue is purely a missing *.pdz or memory card backup. The error wording is misleading — it is not a Windows file I/O error, it is ProSave reporting that the OP17 did not deliver an uploadable image because neither prerequisite was met.

ProSave Error Code Reference

Device Type Quirk — OP7 vs OP17 Selection in ProSave

Field reports indicate that switching the ProSave device type from "OP17" to "OP7" sometimes allows an upload to succeed where the OP17 selection fails. This is symptomatic of:

• ProSave's OP17 device driver (older builds) having a stricter handshake check that the OP's firmware does not satisfy under certain timing conditions — the OP17 firmware check is faster and rejects older ProSave frames.
• A panel that has been reflashed or had its configuration reclassified in the field to a generic OP7-compatible profile by an inexperienced technician.
• A corrupt ProSave OP17 device definition file in the Windows registry, especially after a ProTool upgrade or downgrade.

The OP7 fallback path produces an OP7-format backup image that cannot be downloaded back to an OP17 without re-selecting "OP17" in the device type before download. This is a one-way recovery path: it preserves the runtime image but loses the OP17-specific tag and screen metadata extensions (alarm history buffer, recipe file index extensions, time-of-day clock formatting).

Image-Only Limitation: Why You Cannot Re-Edit the Uploaded Project

The OP17 stores:

• Compiled screens (rasterized text + bitmaps in OP17 character ROM format)
• Tag database in runtime format (no symbolic names, only DB offsets)
• Alarm and recipe tables in binary
• PLC communication parameter block (MPI/PROFIBUS-DP addresses)

ProTool *.pdb source files contain:

• Symbolic tag names with comments and data types
• Screen scripts and event handlers in source form
• Project-wide settings and documentation strings
• Author information and revision history

The runtime image cannot be reverse-mapped to the source format. Even with the *.pdz file restored, ProTool imports it as a compiled project — not as editable source code — because ProTool V6.0 SP3 already stripped the source comments during the original compile step. To recover the symbolic tag names and scripts, the only path is the PLC-side S7 program plus the original ProTool project archive — neither of which is on the OP17.

Tag Name Recovery from S7 PLC

If you have the SIMATIC S7 PLC program (the user in the source case reported having the S7 program), you can partially reconstruct the OP17 tag mapping by inspecting the data blocks (DBs) referenced by the OP17 area pointer configuration. The OP17 uses fixed area pointers:

Inspect the OP17 configuration in ProTool V6.0 SP3 (if the *.pdb is available) to confirm the area pointer DB assignments. The S7 symbol table can then be cross-referenced to recover tag semantics for documentation purposes.

Contrast Setting Persistence and System Settings Menu

The OP17 does not retain the contrast setting across a power cycle if the contrast was adjusted via the SHIFT + +/- panel keys. The setting only persists if it was written via ProTool configuration under OP Properties → Display → Contrast and downloaded as part of the project.

To permanently change contrast:

1. Open the original *.pdb project in ProTool V6.0 SP3.
2. Select the OP17 device in the project tree.
3. Open Properties → Display.
4. Adjust the "Contrast" parameter (default is 50%, range 0–100%).
5. Re-compile and download the project to the OP17.

The system settings menu (entered by holding SHIFT and pressing ESC on the panel at boot, depending on firmware) does not offer a contrast control on the OP17 — it only shows transfer, version, and diagnostic options. Some operators confuse the OP27/OP37 contrast menu (which does persist) with the OP17 behavior.

Restoring the Image to a Replacement OP17

If you have a working OP17 backup image (*.img or *.abk) and need to deploy it to a replacement panel:

1. Identify the exact replacement OP17 part number (e.g., 6AV3 617-1JK00-0AX0 for OP17/DP) and confirm firmware version with ProSave Device → Information.
2. Connect the replacement OP17 to the PC with the same 6XV1440-2KH32 cable on IF1A.
3. Power on the replacement OP17 and enter transfer mode.
4. In ProSave, select File → Restore (Download).
5. Select the backup file produced by the original panel.
6. Confirm device type matches (OP17/DP → OP17/DP, identical part number).
7. Start the restore. The OP17 will reboot automatically when the transfer completes.
8. Verify PLC communication over IF2 (MPI/PROFIBUS-DP LED should turn green within 10 seconds of boot).

If the replacement panel is a different variant (e.g., OP17/DP-12 vs OP17/DP-24), the image may not be compatible due to memory layout differences. Verify part numbers before deployment. The OP17/DP and OP17/DP-12 differ only in project memory size (128 KB vs 256 KB), while OP17/DP-24 has a different firmware checksum field.

Verification Checklist After Upload

• Backup file size matches expected project size (cross-check with ProTool compile log)
• ProSave reports "Transfer complete" with zero CRC errors in the status window
• OP17 powers up into the same starting screen as the original
• All alarm and recipe data is visible on the panel
• Communication with the S7 PLC over IF2 is active (MPI/PROFIBUS-DP LED green)
• If a memory card was used, confirm the backup file is still present on the card after power cycle
• Date and time display matches the PLC time-of-day clock
• Function keys (F1–F8) trigger their assigned PLC bits when pressed

Troubleshooting Matrix

FAQ