Panelview Problems

[pete3589 0]

I am getting calls on a system I did that is out in the field (a great deal away unfortunately). The user is complaining that that our main screen is no longer updating. He says that in order to see values change he needs to change screens, and then go back to the main screen. At this point the values have changed, but again no longer actively update. The customer says that the new values appear to be the correct ones for that particular instant. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Could it be the Panelview? I was leaning towards the fact that some of the inputs may need some sort of filtering, but again I am not totally sure. For reference, this is a CompactLogix L35E with digital in/out cards with one alalog out card and a series of 6 analog input cards. Any advice would be appreciated.

[rgurin 0]

First a couple of questions: 1. What type of PanelView is being used? PanelView Standard? PanelView e series? The new PanelView Plus? 2. What network is being used to communicate between the PanelView and the CompactLogix? 3. Have there been any changes made to the network by the user? How long has the system been in place? 4. Does the user have the ability to modify the system, or is the code locked down? At first blush, it appears that something may have changed on the user's end. From what you have told us so far, I'm gussing the system was working as expected when it was commissioned, and now the main screen is no longer updating. Getting a sense of what changed (although it could be more difficult remotely than on-site) may give a better picture of what's happening. Rick

[TimWilborne 108]

rgurin pretty much covered all of the questions but I've got a couple more If it is a Standard Panelview are you using Controller Address tags or Assembly Object tags? How much load is there on the network? Mainly how many connections to the Compactlogix and and Panelview?

[pete3589 0]

Sorry for the lack of information, i posted it in a bit of a hurry 1. The HMI in question is a panelview plus 600. It is an older one and was commissioned sometime around May 2004 2. We are using ethernet comms between the Panelview and CompactLogix with a Rades unit 3. Yes, and this is what I think may be the problem. I should find out if they did anything recently but it seems that they may be taxing this system. They are tapping into the rades unit and are using some kind of wireless network to transfer data to a SCATA system of some kind ( i wasnt there when they did this, but it has worked fine for over a year). 4. The user could theoretically modify the code. I probably should lock them out of it but it seems that there is always some reason why I don't in the end. It prevents alot of headaches. This could be the problem also, but their communications seem like they may be bogging things down. I also just called a friend, he said that he had seen this before, described exactly what the service tech was telling me. Said that he simply unplugged the Panelview (left the PLC running as to not shut down the machine) and plugged it back in, let it reboot and it was fine. He also said he gave it new firmware and has not heard back since, though he was quick to point out that it may be because they are now cycling the power on the HMI when it slows down, and that it may not be the firmware update.. Could this be compared to the slowdown seen in regular PC's when they are left running for long periods of time? They tend to slow down and become sluggish, though not to this extent it seems.

[gravitar 3]

Maybe I'm not reading the problem right, but the thing I find odd is that ONLY the main screen has this problem. If the network is under heavy load, wouldn't that affect all screens? Or like I said, maybe I'm not thinking about this the right way. Is the main screen the only one with real-time changing variables, hence that is the only one they complain about?

[hakko808 0]

When did it stop working? Just all of the sudden after working fine for years, or after a code change to the screen?