arj3090

What did you try to make AdvancedHMI work on the Pi? Did you follow these steps: https://www.advancedhmi.com/forum/index.php?topic=666

If you already have your data in a Raspberry Pi, an option is to create an AdvancedHMI application to send the data from the Pi to the CompactLogix. AdvancedHMI includes an Ethernet/IP driver for the CLX and the application will run on a Pi via Mono. See this for details on running AdvancedHMI on the Pi: https://www.advancedhmi.com/forum/index.php?topic=666  

Now that I re-read the post, I'm not so sure I provided a good solution. Is the goal to edit individual values in the PLC? If so, wouldn't the PanelView do the job?  Are you wanting a PC based solution to edit values in the PLC, which is why Excel was mentioned? In this case AdvancedHMI could be a solution, but not necessarily with the RecipeButton.

The AdvancedHMI software has a component called a RecipeButton. Using a text file, you define a list of PLC addresses and values you want to write to the PLC. When the RecipeButton is clicked, it will read the text file and write the group of values to the PLC. This second post on this forum thread gives an example of using the RecipeButton:   https://www.advancedhmi.com/forum/index.php?topic=2041   The software includes a driver for the ML1100, does not require any AB software, and is no cost to use.

AdvancedHMI has native drivers for both PLCs and also has a ComBridge component that reads from one PLC and writes into a register of another. Very simple setup: - Add an instance of both drivers to the form - Set the communication properties of each - From the Toolbox, add a ComBridge to the form -Set ComComponent to point to the driver of the PLC you want to read from - Set PLCAddress to the source address (e.g. N7:0) -Set ComComponentTarget to the driver of the PLC you want to write to -Set PLCAddressValueTarget to the address you want to write to (e.g. MyTag) - Run the application   It's a no cost solution except for the PC (as low as $100) to run it on a the few minutes to create the application

You can actually add an ASP.NET project to the AdvancedHMI solution and use it through a web page (with a bit of code writing), but I generally do not suggest it because support for it is limited. But for the more adventurous, it is a possibility. There are a couple users on the AdvancedHMI forum that mentioned their web based applications.

Does it have to be done through a web browser?

When writing a string, you need to consider that it is a UDT defined like this: Length : DINT Data : SINT[81] It is necessary to write both values and it can be done at the same time. In your packet address only Z_PRD_NM[3] and insert 4 bytes prior to the character data to represent a DINT for the length.

I just tried the AdvancedHMIcs project and it is missing a reference. Add a reference to the AdvancedHMIcs project to the file AdvancedHMIDrivers\Support\MfgControl.AdvancedHMI.Drivers.dll And another reference to AdvancedHMIControl\Support\Mfgcontrol.AdvancedHMI.Controls.dll

Where did you see that AdvancedHMI is free for students only? The only restriction is that it is under a GPL license that requires you to pass the full source onto the end user.

So you say you can't use AdvancedHMI because it is free, but then you say you only have 10 tags, so you don't want to pay. Does this mean you want something that is not free, but you don't want to pay anything for it?

AdvancedHMI is a SCADA/HMI package that uses Visual Studio for development. It includes the drivers to communicate with the CompactLogix. You can create simple HMIs without the need to write code or you can use VB or c# to do more advanced things. The base package is no cost to use.

Does your Connection_Path match that of the Forward Open and the Connection Serial Number match that of what was returned by the Forward Open?   If you need reference packets or something to test on the Pi for comparison, AdvancedHMI works on the Pi and has a full working CIP driver. It is a .NET application. advancedhmi.com/forum/index.php?topic=666.0  

I'm not aware of any HMI that will communicate with a Zebra printer. The last project I did with a Zebra printer, I used AdvancedHMI with a panel PC. That let me install the printer using the driver from Zebra. It did require some code writing, so it took a little time to do.

It depends on the protocol used by the device and supported by the HMI. The most common protocol used by non-PLC devices is Modbus. 

From this video, it seems the FOCAS dll can be used with VB.NET    Therefore you can download the AdvancedHMI base package, import the FOCAS DLL into the AdvancedHMI solution, then follow the example in the video and go by same examples for AdvancedHMI to move the data to/from the PLC. I would give more exact examples, but I do not have the FOCAS dll.

If your FOCAS DLLs can be used in a .NET application, you can add them to AdvancedHMI, then use the AdvancedHMI CLX driver to read/write the PLC data and use FOCAS in the application to pass the data to the CNC. But I agree with Ken, if you could get a direct connection between the PLC and CNC, you will have more reliable communications.  

The panel PCs listed on the AdvancedHMI web site have features to take advantage of the software and have been designed for serviceability. They are preconfigured to boot up an AdvancedHMI project and come with all of the expansion packs. http://www.advancedhmi.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=f72278d9e09694eaaeb9a2f75943f19c  

How complex is the Panelview 550 program, as in how many screen and about how many tags? Are all 25 of them the same program?

What are you logging? Data from a PLC? Or raw analog voltages/current?

I have not used SFC in Rockwell PLCs, but have used them extensively in CodeSys based systems. The amount of time spent programming state machines using SFC vs ladder is reduced by probably 5 fold. Inserting and deleting states in SFC can take seconds versus minutes in the same thing with ladder. SFC self-documents the flow of the program. As opposed to a state machine in ladder, you will need to manually draw a state transition diagram. In my opinion, SFC is the proper tool for state machine programming.

VB6 is kind of dated, I recommend using the latest Visual Studio Community Edition because it has a lot better tooling and is free. You could also use AdvancedHMI which includes the communication drivers you need and will reduce your time invested to less than a few hours.

"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.  

You should be able to use the display and menu buttons on the front of the PLC to check the Ethernet communication settings. As already mentioned, if it is setup for BootP or DHCP, you can use the DHCP/BootP tool to give it an address.

An industrial panel PC with HMI software is an option that gives you flexibility. If the hardware fails, then you have the option of replacing with another vendor's panel while using the same HMI software application. If you find the software lacks the capabilities you need, you can use another vendor's software on the same panel (e.g ScadaBR, RapidSCADA, PeakHMI, Cimplicity, WinCC, Indusoft, Citect, Wonderware, etc.). With it running Windows, you are open to many options such as loading VNC (or TeamViewer) and remotely controlling it. Or you could even go to the extent of installing a database server directly on the panel. This is one such panel developed for AdvancedHMI software (which supports Modbus), but is not strictly limited to running AdvancedHMI: http://www.advancedhmi.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=15