jrupp82

Preferred HMI with RSLogix 5000

8 posts in this topic

I'm guessing there are going to be a lot of fans for using the PanelView HMI's with RSLogix PLC's, and I understand that.  My question is whether it is the only real good choice?

Currently I've been using Maple Systems HMI's with all of my systems.  It's only because it was the first that I was introduced to and became familiar with the software.  As busy as things can get, I've just stuck with using them instead of learn something new.  However, my eyes have recently been opened to some best practices in programming in RSLogix, such as Alias Tags, and UDT's, etc.  Maple Systems doesn't handle all of this stuff well, some not at all.  

So are there different 3rd party HMI's that are easier/better than Maple Systems?  Is the PanelView worth the price from a plug and play standpoint?  Or is it even plug and play?  If PanelView is the best, what are my software requirements to program them?

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We used to use the big Panelviews but the then client, now employer, had moved to ClearSCADA so we switched to a Nematron Panel PC running a ClearSCADA client and talking to a ClearSCADA server running Kepware. At the time the SCADA dept was very small and resources were few. One guy was particularly good with ClearSCADA programming. He and I teamed up, I tailored my UDT's to meet his needs in ClearSCADA, and he wrote scripts and created mimics that made the integration between the two systems almost seamless. We use the same tag structure (UDT's to the rescue) and I wrote the programs (52 stations, one with 12 pumps, (5) 250hp, (7) 1500 HP) and he did most of the ClearSCADA development. Eventually I had to learn the HMI said and thanks to his hard work it was very easy. We had the system down so well that we could do a decent sized station in a couple of days. That's PLC and graphics. When I FAT'd the panels, the graphics were done and waiting to he linked. I would use a cell modem to link to the server, pull the PLC database into ClearSCADA, install ClearSCADA on the HMI, have an IT guy remote in an add the license, turn on the comm in Kepware, and bingo... all done. Needless to say, I'm a fan of ClearSCADA / Kepware for AB CLX PLC's

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We've been using Red Lion G3 series HMIs for several years now.  They do well with most things, but arrays and UDTs aren't always straightforward or simple.  I started using them initially for 2 reasons: price and the PanvelView+ software was a painful torture to use.  With the newer series of PV+ (the 6 compacts and now the 7 standards), the price is actually pretty comparable once we get to a 10" HMI.  The software is still a bear, though.  And if you need to connect a single HMI to multiple PLCs, the 6 compact / 7 standard won't work for you while the Red Lion G3 will work beautifully. 

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Gotta agree with the Red Lion and the way it integrates with CLX. We went client / server so the HMI lives in one place and looks the same everywhere. For machine (in my case, pump, expander, compressor, etc) dependent HMI's the Red Lion works really well.

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How does Red Lion handle Alias Tags?  And what about Program Level Tags/Parameters?

As for the ClearSCADA option, that sounds a bit over my head.  I'm looking for a machine dependent solution in my HMI choice at this point in time.

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Just now, jrupp82 said:

How does Red Lion handle Alias Tags?  And what about Program Level Tags/Parameters?

As for the ClearSCADA option, that sounds a bit over my head.  I'm looking for a machine dependent solution in my HMI choice at this point in time.

ClearSCADA would be too expensive for you then

We don't use many alias tags. I map IO to tags into a tag created from a UDT. The UDT also has two strings for the HMI. Tag and Description.

Like so:

P1000.RunStat := Local:9:0.0; <-- not the exact format but I use a spreadsheet to build the map file so I really only need to know Rack, Slot, Tag, and Description

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The Red Lion can read any tag name in the processor, including controller- and program-scoped tags.  It can drill down to timer/counter accumulators, presets, EN, DN, etc. bits.

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"You could look at AdvancedHMI . It has a very stable ControlLogix driver that has been benchmarked against many others and proved to be the fastest. The driver reads both controller and program scope tags. One of the advantages of the software is that it is free to develop with and does not require a run time license. Another advantage is that it is open and non-proprietary. Although panel PCs that have been optimized and fully tested are available from the web site, it is not required that you use them. You can run the software on any WIndows PC. The AdvancedHMI panel PCs do offer things such as an HDMI port that can run a TV for a large production display and plenty of communication ports. The pricing is much lower than most HMIs, but the speed and quality out performs them.

You can get an idea of using the software by searching YouTube for "AdvancedHMI Quick Start" which is only a 3 minute video.

 

Edited by arj3090

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