Topics

31

Open Discussion / 4-20 mA AC output

« on: January 25, 2018, 04:58:20 PM »

I am hoping to leverage the controls experts on this forum to see if there is a device or output card that will give me milliamperes AC output from a PLC. I'm working on a project that I want to control AC mA to a device. This can be in the form of a converter or direct PLC output card. I can work with any range of mA but I figure 4-20 would be my best bet. For that matter a variable resistance output would work and I can supply the AC voltage. I am using GE PACS controllers. Thanks for any info.

32

Open Discussion / Any bugs in VS2017?

« on: September 18, 2017, 11:31:31 PM »

Hello AHMI community.  I am wondering if there have been any issues found with vs2017?  I avoided going to vs2015 due to some bugs Archie found and stuck with vs2013 which seems pretty stable.  Just your thoughts on upgrading, thanks. 

33

Support Questions / display time in label

« on: July 20, 2017, 11:55:04 PM »

Hello Archie, I am trying to display a time that shows just the Minutes:Seconds:Milliseconds in a label.  So far this code shows HH:mm:ss:ffff and I only want to remove the hours and only two places on the milliseconds.  I am using two TimeStampLabel controls and taking the time span between the two as shown below.  Just not sure how to trim off the excess and only show mm:ss:ff  How can I do this?  thank you.

   
    Private Sub tslOnEmer_ValueChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles tslOnEmer.ValueChanged
        Dim difference As TimeSpan = DateTime.Parse(tslOnEmer.Text) - DateTime.Parse(tslLossOfNorm.Text)
        lblTimeDiff.Text = difference.ToString()

    End Sub

34

Support Questions / Tab control: write vertical text

« on: November 21, 2016, 10:26:30 PM »

Hello, this is more of a general VB question.
I am creating a new AHMI project and I am using a standard tab control as a retractable menu docked to the right border of the main form and tab alignment set to "left". I have come to find out that changing the text color and alignment is not so simple and requires a custom 'Owner Draw Fixed" procedure.  I have the following code that does write the text vertical, however it is written "Top to Bottom".  I would like to write the text "bottom to top" as shown in the attached pic  Any one able to point me in the right direction?  Thanks

    '  Set the Alignment of the Text
     Dim sf As New StringFormat()
       sf.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center
     sf.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center
    sf.FormatFlags = StringFormatFlags.DirectionVertical

35

Additional Components / pretty cool slider control

« on: October 18, 2016, 09:32:37 AM »

came across this slider control in search for a better option than the standard trackbar in windows.  I just right clicked toolbox and added a tab called gTrackBar then add items to the new tab.  browse to the bin/debug/gtrackbar.dll and added to my toolbox.  A lot of nice features.  if anyone can advise how to add this to the Barlevel control so the user could adjust min/max thresholds and possible change the barlevel fill color on value. 


https://www.dropbox.com/s/19tesp0x0tw4weu/gTrackBar.zip?dl=0

36

Support Questions / Moving components at runtime

« on: October 15, 2016, 09:52:42 PM »

How would I go about moving a component at runtime?  I would like to use a label as a slider and move it along a bar level control to adjust min/max  tolerance values of the bar level.  Basically I want one as "min value" and another as "max value" and be able to slide them the full length of the bar level control.  Not sure how to link the labels to the length of the bar level either.  Thanks. 

37

Feature Request / Screen clean

« on: October 14, 2016, 02:45:51 PM »

Hi Archie. I was just at a site that had a screen clean feature that freezes all controls while the screen is being wiped down. I suppose this can be accomplished by just creating a separate form that automatically times out after a minute or two. It may have additional features to ensure nothing is pushed by accident. Maybe a nice feature to add to AHMI.

38

Open Discussion / Line connector for Vb at design time

« on: October 10, 2016, 08:41:06 PM »

Does anyone know of a simple line connector control I can use to connect controls at design time in VB?  the line shape is ok for straight lines only but I am trying to create a wiring diagram and need to connect many controls at different locations.  This is the same concept as the "elbow connector" in Microsoft word.  Thank you. 

39

Open Discussion / DDE to wonderware panel

« on: October 09, 2016, 10:20:14 AM »

Archie.  I may be way off base here but is it possible to read DDE information say from a DDE enabled device such as a Wonderware panel?.  I have a site that has a WW panel and wants to provide additional remote OIT displays without the cost of the WW.  I know DDE is out of date but I believe WW still uses it in some form... FastDDE, I think they call it.  I was just curious since DDE is a Microsoft exchange and VB is a Microsoft software that there maybe a native way to communicate thru this exchange???  Thanks   

40

Additional Components / NShape

« on: October 09, 2016, 10:10:13 AM »

Just thought I would share this link to an open source software called NShape.  I haven't fully grasped all the aspects of the software but it seems to fit in with AHMI very well.  My initial goal with this was to create a dynamic wiring diagram that showed not only the circuit but the energized parts with colors as they changed.  Even with my basic knowledge of VB, I was able to get the libraries and a basic project started.  There is also a good tutorial for ambitious newbies like me to learn VB.  Hope you enjoy. 


http://nshape.codeplex.com/

41

Additional Components / BACnet implementation

« on: September 20, 2016, 08:27:33 AM »

I just came across a nice open source tool called YABE(yet another bacnet explorer).  It is a tool to discover BACnet devices and appears to have a dll library written in C# or .Net that may be able to be implemented into AHMI as a driver.  This could possibly be implemented (by someone smarter than me!) and give an AHMI BACnet capabilities.   

https://sourceforge.net/projects/yetanotherbacnetexplorer/

42

Support Questions / keypad unhandled exception

« on: September 07, 2016, 10:54:32 PM »

Archie, I found the keypad will throw an unhandled exception if the backspace button is pressed when the caret is at the very left of the textbox.  I did a crude band-aid by adding the If else to check for any text or else disable the button.  However this does not work if the user arrows left to the end and presses the backspace button.  Thanks

43

Open Discussion / Hungarian Notation

« on: September 03, 2016, 09:26:34 AM »

Hello AHMI community.  So I decided to expand my understanding of visual basic so I have enrolled in a local college and I am taking some online courses.  My instructor has been teaching the use of Hungarian Notation (btnSubmit) style coding.  I remember a post awhile back where Archie advised against this style of coding but I cannot locate it.  I would like to step out of the academic world and get some real world input as to why or why not to use this style.  Thanks!

44

Feature Request / TimeStamp control

« on: August 08, 2016, 09:40:41 PM »

A control that can capture the PC time based on value or bit change with all features of the basic Label.   

45

Support Questions / Capture time on bit value

« on: August 04, 2016, 08:44:14 PM »

Hi Archie.  I'm starting a project where I need to record time that a bit changes state in a Modbus device.  I will be using the Modbus TCP driver.  I want to keep it pretty simple by using something that resembles a label.  Looking at the toolbox, it looks like I can use the MessageDisplaybyBit control and write to its text field to display PC time using the BitChanged event.  My question is how do I access the bit "status" of this control?  I only want to write to the text of this control when the bit is off.  When the bit turns back on, I need to record that time in a different label.text as to not over write the time that it turned off.  Basically I need to timestamp when a bit goes off then again when it goes on.  Hope that makes sense.  Thanks.