Topics

16

Support Questions / Display Position By Integer Value

« on: December 16, 2017, 09:25:30 AM »

I am updating a panel that has an iFix HMI presently that has a hoist graphic that moves across the screen as the X-Axis value changes. The way I did something similar was to have the PLC check the position value and set one of 23 bits and use the bits as Visible bits for 23 graphics. For this system I would need 76 graphics. I am writing this using v399x.

Is there a way in VS of putting the horizontal position value as a PLC integer as iFix does? I tried to enter the tag address a few different ways in the position box but it pops up a window 'Property value is not valid'

17

Support Questions / AB NET-ENI Series Compatability

« on: August 05, 2017, 06:33:57 PM »

I have been setting up old PLC's for home automation and monitoring. Currently I have a SLC5/05 and a MicroLogix 1400 connected directly to my network. I have a SLC5/04 connected through a NET-ENI Series D that work fine. I have 2 SLC5/03's connected to Ethernet serial ports that will only allow one computer at a time talk to them, where with Ethernet connections I can have multiple HMI's and programming PC's connected at once.

I just acquired another NET-ENI, but it is a Series A, so I replaced one of the serial ports with it. RSLinx sees it fine, RSLogix connects fine, I can ping the NET-ENI address OK, and if I put the address in Internet Explorer the webpage for it shows - but no matter what I try my HMI project will not see it (RSLinx is turned off)

I have a scaled down AdvancedHMI copy on a Windows 10 tablet that can also see the other PLC's but not this Series A. Is there something about the Series A (other than the 10MEG speed) that Advanced HMI can't talk to, or a different setting or driver? This HMI is written using an older release of AdvancedHMI that I have had for a couple years now (V399a). I just haven't migrated to a newer release because the 2 times I tried it I had problems and ended up staying with the older version)

18

Support Questions / Instructions For Logging Data Through Cycle

« on: May 16, 2017, 03:46:15 PM »

I have been searching for a video to show how to create a datalog on a project. I need to log 8 (integer) temperatures and 1 (real number) pressure with date/time for the length of a cycle that can be 5 hours, and not log when NotInCycle bit is on. This is for a AB SLC503.

I would like to have a separate Excel log for each cycle run that can be copied and archived with the lot's archive. Or after a cycle would the log be copied and deleted for the next cycle?

Is there a video that shows a good way of doing this?

19

Support Questions / Development On Multiple Computers

« on: March 07, 2017, 08:15:02 AM »

I am developing a new project in 399vR1. So far it is going smoothly. I use 2 computers - 1 in the office and 1 at home, with the project stored in my OneDrive cloud folder - so any updates are automatically put on the other computer. Both computers are using Visual Studio Community 2015 with all updates and every install option. (I plan on upgrading to the new VS2017 when it is released this week) Both computers are Windows 10 Pro X64, with all updates and all .NET components installed. Both computers will create and edit projects on their own as long as the project is not opened on the other computer.
 
The problem I am having is if everything is good on one computer and I open the file on the other it opens fine, but then the next day if I open it on the original computer every page pops up a warning and if I click on Ignore either the pages that open are back to 300x300 with no buttons, labels, etc OR all the formchange buttons on every screen are gone. This has happened more than once.

If I don't open the file on the other computer everything is great day after day.

20

Support Questions / Prohibit Close Unless On Home Screen

« on: November 25, 2016, 07:56:42 PM »

If a multi-page AdvancedHMI is running and it is closed on any other screen except the MainForm screen it closes by the looks of it. However it is still running in the background, still communicating through the network, still using a good portion of the CPU resource (34%) and over 9MB of RAM locked up. I have to go to Task Manager, select it and click End Task to fully close it. I have tested this on different projects on various versions of Windows with similar results.

Is there any way to prevent AdvancedHMI from closing except on the Mainform? I searched the forum but nothing related came up.

21

Support Questions / UIC & RSLinx & AdvancedHMI For A SLC

« on: December 09, 2015, 12:05:49 PM »

I am trying to connect to a SLC using a UIC, but searching for UIC I got a lot of quick responses & one that said: "Using the UIC & RSLinx OPC server works wonderfully to communicate with a SLC5/01" without mentioning how. I've never used RSLinx OPC, and when I try to open it I get errors of services & other Windows anomolies.

Does anyone know how to operate OPC, and use a UIC? I'm trying to use a SLC5/03

22

Open Discussion / Good Work, Archie

« on: October 13, 2015, 08:34:31 PM »

I have updated 2 projects to version 399a & just had to praise you. This is a well running version of AdvancedHMI. (Only had a few small problems adding the existing project to ver 399a [colors & ranges changed on a few objects in the adding] but once I got those changed back to where they were this version is the best I've used.)

The only issue I do have is a few of the objects move down by themselves about an inch when a page is opened, so I have to move them up to be over another object & save, then when the page is loaded they move down to where I want them, as long as I don't save while they're down there.

But, again, a well working version

Thanks

23

Support Questions / Ver 399 Objects Keep Moving.

« on: September 26, 2015, 12:43:28 PM »

I'm updating a project from ver398t to 399, it frequently stops working & closes. (I tried a few things suggested - even replacing the computer with a new one)

The first anomaly I noticed: all the screens except the MainForm came up missing the "Home" FormChangeButton - I had to go through each page & paste a copy of it, then rebuild.

The second anomaly was a few screens had MessageDisplayByValue - but neither the collections of any of them, or the .txt INIFile got copied. Had to Add Existing Item & add the StatusValues1.txt into ver399, then had to re-enter all the collections. (Plus - when I entered the first collection everything went smoothly with entries from 0 to 9, but when I entered the collection for the next message it started at #10 for the new collection, then the next collection started at #24, etc. I had to select the number & change it for every message entered on all screens after the first collection entry.)

Reason For Post:
The third anomaly that keeps popping up: whenever I open MainForm 6 objects appear moved down about an inch & over or behind other object. I have moved them back a few times, saved & rebuilt - but every time I re-open MainForm they are moved again.  Even if I just save, close & open MainForm they move.

24

Feature Request / HMI Command To PLC #2 Based on Signal From PLC #1

« on: September 23, 2015, 08:33:18 PM »

I am experimenting & trying to find the limits/possibilities of AdvancedHMI. I have a test setup of 2 computers & a tablet running A-HMI connected to 4 PLC's: SLC5/05 over Ethernet, SLC5/04 with NetENI over Ethernet (Which message between themselves) and 2) SLC5/03's connected through Ethernet COM ports.

A-HMI reads & controls all 4 PLC's OK.
 
Is there any way that A-HMI can receive a signal from the 5/05 on one Ethernet driver (the main PLC in this test set-up) and command the COM based PLC's through the 2 DF-1 drivers?

25

Open Discussion / Visual Studio Community 2015???

« on: September 14, 2015, 09:05:39 PM »

Just notice Microsoft now has VS Community 2015 for download. Has anybody run this yet? Any noticeable changes (or bugs?)

https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/products/visual-studio-community-vs.aspx

26

Open Discussion / Features

« on: July 23, 2015, 04:37:08 AM »

Just thinking of new projects for AdvancedHMI & was wondering about 2 things I haven't found out if it does:

1. Will it support more than one form open on a computer with 2 monitors?

2. Can a picture box (or similar) show either a movie file from the hard drive, or live video from a video capture card?

Just thought of these because my second desktop system I am using to learn/practice on has 2 monitors & a video capture with a live camera. Did search the forum for "video" but only got a lot of hits for posted Utube videos.

27

Support Questions / AdvancedHMI.exe Stops Working / Crash

« on: July 21, 2015, 08:03:06 PM »

I have a problem that happens a few times a day.  I did a final rebuild of my project & like Archie suggested in an earlier post did not Publish with VS, but copied the Debug folder to My Documents & run it from there. However a few times a day a window pops up saying AdvancedHMI.exe has stopped & the program closes. Is this a AdvancedHMI problem, a Visual Studio problem, or maybe a computer problem? Any experience with this?

AdvancedHMI v398t, Windows 7 PRO, 2GIG RAM, plenty of swap file on barely used hard drive, brand new computer

28

Application Showcase / My First AdvancedHMI Project

« on: July 13, 2015, 06:46:21 PM »

This is my first project with Advanced HMI, a replacement of an old PanelmatePC HMI that the computer died on. Simplified some things that were done, modified quite a few things that were done wrong (direct reads of PLC I/O, direct writing to timer presets w/out any checking of new value, no All-Stop button at all (let alone on every page), no birthday wish to the owner one day a year, no indication or alarm for low level in the 3 tanks with heat & pumps, the Inputs & Outputs pages skipped a lot of points the programmer didn't think were important [I guess] and more).

Ended up with 12 screens at completion, based on another forum members recommendation I deleted two Directory pages that I copied from PanelmatePC and put all the form change buttons on almost every page.

The monitor in the machine is not a widescreen so I set the screen size at 1280x1024. Then I added a Signature page with my name & company logo (and phone number).

29

Support Questions / Unused Local Variable 'TNS' & 'TNSLowByte' in SLCMicro Driver

« on: July 13, 2015, 02:02:13 PM »

Installed the new HMI computer in the line today, only had a couple bugs I had to fix, but then when I did a rebuild I got 2 errors: 
Unused Local Variable "TNS" in SLCMicro driver.
Unused Local Variable "TNSLowByte" in SLCMicro driver.

The other thing I noticed, the screens load quickly (after the first load) but sometimes take up to 10 seconds to show the status of the PLC, and sometimes clicking on something takes a few seconds to get a reply after the screen has been loaded too.

To speed up the comm's I un-remarked the line & set it to &H5B for a SLC5/04 as suggested, and set all DF1 drivers to 19200 baud from the default 'Auto' so it doesn't look around first. I didn't change anything else in the SLCMicro driver other than that one line.

30

Support Questions / Project crashed overnight

« on: July 11, 2015, 09:27:08 AM »

Yesterday my project was 90% completed, only one screen left to do, all others were working reliably.

This morning when I opened the solution I immediately got a bunch of errors. A lot of the errors went away after I deleted a couple of MessageListByValue entries, rebuilt, then added them back.

Now I get a lot of other errors when I rebuilt the project - and I didn't change anything other than the above Message List's.