phuz

Thanks Ken...I am going to go with the flow here and assume my maps are correct. I was just hoping to test a few points because I have several thousand I/O points coming through the RIO connections over 3 different modules and it's not something I wanted to be changing on-site. I've checked and double-checked my mappings and I assume they are right.

Update, it helps to have DSACTASK.exe running :)

I have a bunch of DI tags used for alarming and my understanding is that the DI tags are always on scan, but they are showing up as OFF and Current Value is showing "????" even though it is addressed correctly. My DR values are working fine. I am using the IGS driver with individual channels for each of the datatypes. I have exhausted a few hours of playing around with this and decided it was enough and time to ask for help. Thanks.

I have two IFIX 3.5 SCADAs and we will call them SCADA1 and SCADA2 for simplicity (no pun). SCADA2 can open databasemanager and see browse the database from SCADA1, but when I try to open SCADA2's database from SCADA1, I get the dreaded "Connection to NODE not Established." I have tried adding/removing the IPs to/from the window's hosts file, but it doesn't matter. I can ping each machine from the other without a problem. Every once in a blue moon, I am able to get the database to open, but its extremely rare. The IPs are different, they are on the same subnet. There are no other machines on the network with a duplicate IP. The SCU is setup with the appropriate Remote Node name for the other machine. I've exhausted hours on this so far so I am considering myself stuck.

First and foremost, I am not very seasoned with VBA That being said, I am trying to monitor an oxygen sensor in the background of a header file. It's purpose is to load a popup graphic if an alarm condition is triggered. (We are not using the background scheduler because of some issues with it, just an FYI) This is an example of what I have, and if I use F8 to step through the subroutine, it's OK, and it will actually launch my popup graphic if the alarm condition is active. However, it does not work when I am in the run-time environment. Private Sub CFixPicture_Activate() Dim PauseTime, Start, Finish, Totaltime Dim O2_Alm_Stat As Boolean PauseTime = 1 Start = Timer Do While Timer < Start + PauseTime If Fix32.LBMACHG3.CHG3_AIT_RM101_03_ALM_50_7.F_CV = 1 and O2_Alm_Stat = 0 Then openpicture "CHG3_ALARM_MESSAGE.grf" O2_Alm_Stat = 1 End If DoEvents Loop Finish = Timer End Sub I thought CFIXPicture_Activate() runs continuously as that picture is open. Am I wrong?

This is my first Fix32 to iFix 5.1 conversion. For the most part, things are working. One of the things I am concerned with is the "slider" data entry that was used in Fix32 vs. iFix. On the Fix32 app, they were able to not only display the slider in a vertical position, but also use it to input a value. With the new iFix method, they click on the slider and it pops up with another window. Is there any way to use the old style functionality where they can drag the slider on the main graphic without popping up a separate prompt? Much thanks in advance.

I will be setting up Eaton SVX9000 drives on a CLX over DeviceNet in the next couple of weeks. If anyone has any experience with this, I would greatly appreciate any advice and precautions you have to offer. Thanks.

I am fairly new to Cimplicity and I am struggling to figure out how to reference a timer or counter DONE bit. I just recently figured out that the offset field is actually used for bit locations, which complicates things. I'm clueless.

I have attempted to use the autotune feature on this one temperature control loop, but it quits with a few errors such as too long of a deadtime. This system is already in place and operational so I need some tuning help. I have current values of P:2 I:6 D:0 and when going from a steady state of 125 degrees F, it takes about 1/2 hour to reach (and stabilize) its setpoint of 180 degrees F. Sometimes it overshoots to 192, which is beyond the customer's request. I don't think the loop is pulling back enough before it crosses the setpoint, and I know that adding some derivative in there should do the trick, but I am hardly an experienced tuner, so based on the given change in PV and change in time, what kind of derivative would you guys plug in there to help that overshoot? CompactLogix PID Equation Type: Independent Control Action: E=SP-PV Calculate P using E Calculate D using PV

And a side note...I found out why Autotune would never complete successfully. Apparently you need to have the PID function block in a periodic task, which I did not. It runs now!

Thanks guys...huge help!

We just used the last of our incentive dollars to buy a USB to DH+ adapater and USB to DH485 adapter. The DH+ one works great, and fast. The DH485 has an RJ45 port on the front, but I am not sure what cable to use. I used a regular patch cable, and it works, but its slow. I was wondering if the wires need to be crossed or if they should remain straight through. It just seemed slower than normal DH485 communication. Thanks.

I have installed a VPN on a customer's site, and I need to add the gateway address to each of the PLCs. Unfortunately, 3 of them are running processes right now and will be doing so until after I am already gone. All of the them are PLC5's. Can I add the gateway without taking the processor out of run mode? or when I hit apply will it put it in program mode temporarily? Thanks.

Solved. It turns out the ActiveX object was somehow corrupt, and a simple re-install of View Studio corrected the problems. Matt

I'm completely baffled so I need some help. We have a FactoryTalk View (SE) server. It had 3 clients using a VersaView comparable HMI. Those three clients AND the server have no problem populating popups with the code we are using. However, I tried to use the client from my laptop, using an extended desktop (this worked no problem 4 weeks ago) and I can pop up some of the pop-ups, but not others. We have two popup graphics that are called from a bunch of buttons using parameter files. The two buttons use IDENTICAL code (with the exception of the graphic being called and the parameter file) which is listed below: We have one popup for HOA control, which works fine on my machine, and the other for PID control, which when I click the buttons on the screen, it doesn't do ANYTHING. I thought maybe it had something to do with my extended desktop on a 2nd monitor, so I made that monitor my primary monitor. I also tried loading the graphic directly on my laptop without the other monitor attached. Something is going on in the client on my machine that is forbidding the one set of popups. But being that they use identical code to call the popup graphic, I am baffled beyond belief: This code works on the server + 3 other clients, so I am not going to change it, but just to show you how we are doing it: Private Sub btnCR9_Released() 'Declare local variables Dim strDisplayName As String 'Set error handler On Error Resume Next 'Set Display Name strDisplayName = "IMS_HOA" 'Unload active menu display If Len(LoadedDisplays.Item("IMS_HEADER").globalActiveMenuFileName) > 0 Then Application.UnloadDisplay LoadedDisplays.Item("IMS_HEADER").globalActiveMenuFileName End If 'Open display Application.ShowDisplay strDisplayName, "/PHOA_P2402" 'Set Display Name global variable LoadedDisplays.Item("IMS_HEADER").globalActiveMenuFileName = strDisplayName End Sub

I narrowed it down a little. Trend objects prevent the display from loading because they aren't working on my machine. I opened the PID template in studio and went to "test" and it crashed studio.

It completes "successfully" according to its status, but has several warnings, including PV too small, etc. I am trying to run this on a temperature loop that takes about 20 seconds to respond to a CV output, even if the CV is 100%. The autotune finishes and gives results, but they are obviously inaccurate. I am doing an average of 100 samples on the temperatures coming in from the RTDs, so there is no "noise" that could be throwing off the autotune. Is there a way to get this thing to run properly, because it is never seeing the second steady state value associated with the CV change. Thanks.

I have 4 drives setup with this SM2 card and having a bear of a time. First off, the wiring in the SM2 manual is backwards. It shows left wire of SM2 port connected to right wire of drive COMM port, however this is not true. It is opposite. I have verified this in single-drive mode where everything works. As soon as I go back in to multi-drive mode (5X mode on the card), and plug the rest of the drives in, it FAULTS, and the drives show F081 (COMM LOSS FAULT). I have the drives setup for 19.2k baud rate, all the addresses are 100-103 respectively, and setup in the card configuration the same. I am at a loss, and so is Rockwell.

I have a CompactLogix rack with the L35E processor, two High Speed Counter cards, two thermocouple cards, an analog input card, an analog output card, digital in, and digital out. I am now having an issue that I am completely unable to troubleshoot. Aside from the headache I have from trying to configure these high speed counter cards to give me the RPM value desired, I tried to do a download to the controller, and the I/O was "OK" before hand. Right after it downloads, the I/O goes to Not Responding, and the processor stays in Program Mode. I can change it to Run Mode, and the I/O Not Responding stays the same. However, when I try to go back to program mode, it gives me the error: "The controller acknowledged your request for a transition to Program Mode, but it has not completed the transition." All my I/O has the nice yellow triangle complementing it, including the CompactBus Local, which states connection timed out. Some of the modules say "Shutting Down" and some say "waiting." In order to get the thing back, I have to power-down the whole rack, bring it back up, clear the fault....and I'm right back at square one...unable to successfully complete a download with I/O OK. The download is doing something to the controller, obviously. On a similar issue, when we press E-Stop on the panel, it shuts off all the I/O, but leaves power to the controller. After a brief period of time without the I/O responding, the controller will fault, which is undesired outcome for us. Any way to prevent this?

Here is a snapshot of my I/O config. I have slot 3 inhibited because the IO is physically not installed yet (I made that addition this morning). The power supply is a 1769-PA4, and is located between slots 3 and 4. There is a terminating end cap, yes. There are no messaging instructions or block transfers tacking place. After speaking with Rockwell last night, analog IO will cause the processor to fault if power is removed from the card, so all I have to do is remove the checkbox in the card configuration that tells the controller to fault if the card faults....so hopefully that solves that problem.

Another parameter file question....sorry guys. I am trying to set the Maximum field under a Numeric Input Entry Connection Tab, and I have my maximum value set in the parameter file, but when I try to call it from the display, it tells me the range is 0 to 0...even though the maximum should be 2000 from the parameter file. According to the documentation, I am able to use a tag, or expression, or value for that field, so why is this not working? This is pretty imperative for my application, since I am using a single PID template and passing all the parameters through to avoid creating a graphic for every PID loop. I would be on the phone with their support if I had service here in the plant....and I would be on Live Chat with Rockwell except for the continuous "No agents are available" message.

I did find a bug with this method. If I want to change the limits, I go into the tag editor, and change the "Initial Value" however the change is not reflected in the HMI, even after a complete shutdown/restart of View. Any ideas on easily being able to change these values?

Great! Thanks for the help. It works, but it's unfortunate that I cannot simply pass a value through a parameter file. With Intellution IFix, we can pass all kinds of parameters through their similar taggroup files. Anyway, it works, and that solves this issue! Thanks again.

Hey guys, is there a way to pass spaces through a parameter file? I tried using quotes around the string, but no luck.

OK, I found a solution, albeit not the most optimal. If you use the ASCII character (space), which is ALT-0160, FTView recognizes it as a character and it appears as a space on the display. For now, it works.