Please shoot me!

:angr: bawling banghead

It's just gone 4 in the morning here, the sun's not anywhere near being up and I suspect the answer to this question may just make me finish myself off!

I've just started playing with CX Programmer and NT Shell for Omron C200HE PLC and NT31C Touch panel.

How in God's name do I add an integer to an existing dataword?? The help files don't give syntax examples and there are no integer instructions. Using the binary and BCD codes is going nowhere. Please save me.

Less annoying, does anyone know if you can download libraries (or whatever) for PT panels? If I want to create a string entry field do I have to design my own qwerty screen?etc.etc.

TIA - you're good, kind, honest people - I can sense the light of the sun in you all!!

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We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
Carl Sagan

Could you please give better explanation of what you want.
Omron use DM for integer.If you want to create a string entry field you have to design screen for that.
You better get the book the help is not enough.

manuals?

I don't have any experience with Omron, but it looks like most of the manuals can be located here .

I just went through the manual... Geez...

Why would anyone design their software this way?

Apparently, BCD is the "normal" way to look at numbers, and occassionally one must convert them to Binary for some rarely occurring and obscure reason. Could it be this way simply because the Red Queen says it shall be so and so it shall be, otherwise, "off with their heads"?

I've often said "Be the Computer" and "See it from the Computer's Point of View", but this is ridiculous. This is almost as bad as expecting you to monitor and manually control the air/fuel mixture in your car engine as you drive to Gramma's house. In normal situations, like driving to Gramma's, we shouldn't have to be involved at that level. It can only distact you from the more important task of watching out for the cops as you go speeding along.

Sorry, Kenny. I have no other advice except to suggest that you start looking for a way out of "Wonderland"... before they decide to "off yer head!"

There are plenty of PLCs out there that "listen to us" in our terms, rather than demanding that we "speak to them" in their terms. Some of them are as cheap as Omron. Many are at least as capable as any Omron PLC.

I think that if I had to use the Omron PLC for serious programming (math intensive), it would probably drive me to drink... uurrp... oops... I forgot... programming in general has already done that.

Ah, Terry, Terry.....

If you are using NTST for the NT31C touschscreen, you already have QWERTY keyboards installed.

Drop down Window|Symbol Manager. Right Click Keyboard NT31 and Copy.
Right click on your new screen and paste.

For a NTST Quickstart, download this NTST Tutorial:
NTST Tutorial @ MrPLC.com

Terry
The earler Omron PLC's, including the C200HE, were mainly BCD based. There are, however, binary functions that are easy to use. It is like any brand of PLC you touch. There is a learning curve the first time around. We have all been through it and will again. GE, AB, Omron, Hitachi, Siemens etc. They are all as different as chalk and cheese.

The latest Omron PLC's, CS1 and CJ1, have awesome maths instructions, right through to 64 bit. Learning curve again because all the European word types have been included. When writing symbol table, select a word as binary (integer) and forget that it should have been signed integer and your readings make no sense. Happens in all PLC's with the European word types.

I understand that there are different word types again for various IEC languages. More to learn about and, finally, after hours of frustration find out what you are doing wrong. As manufacturers migrate to all the IEC languages, I think we are all in for the biggest learning of our lives, if not at present using all the languages.

Thanks guys.

Thanks for all the replies.The shotgun has been unloaded and is back in the cupboard.

Terry, unfortunately the Omron gear is part of existing plant so I've got to figure it out. I don't have a problem adding a binary or BCD, it's a one time operation with a constant - I just can't seem to get the new rung to compile??!

Tom, thanks for the link, I think I've been on that site by some other circuitous route. The stuff I've read so far hasn't helped, maybe I'll download a few more PDFs. This must be blindingly simple!

Jay, thanks, I never noticed that menu command. However, it seems I don't have a NT31 keyboard, think I'll reinstall the package.

Kenny

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Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning!

huh?

Jay,
what version of NTST do you have? I've done a reinstall twice, auto and manually. Still no NT31 keyboard. My v. is 4.6, it came as part of the NT Shell package,version 2.2 which I'm told is the latest.

In answer to your first request....
BANG! your shot.

I do not know what Jay has. I have NTST V4.7 and cannot find the NT31 keyboard. Found 620 series OK but not that one.

To convert a word to binary, use the function BIN(23) (source word) (result word).

Then use function ADB(50) (augend word) (addend word) (result word).

Normally use DM words for manipulating data but be careful as they are memory retentive.

Enlightenment

Bob,
I also d/loaded v.4.7 last night - no joy. I have since found out that Arik is correct, you do have to make your own screen. You can take a 631 and adapt it. I'm going to have fun trying that right now. Someone must have already done this on Jay's s/ware, there is apparently a way to add new stuff to the spplmnt.sbl file.
As for maths prob, I did not realise you MUST have some sort of logic before an instruction in ladder. The block is already written in ladder so my first notion was just to start a new rung and drop a "box" on the end. Now I know better (I've stuck in a P-On contact). Thanks again for all the input.

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PROGRAM - n. A magic spell cast over a computer allowing it to turn one's input into error messages.

Hold up! I'm trying to make you a copy of the keyboard. Be back soon!

re. "blindingly simple"

shucks, i was right about the blindingly simple bit, guess phil will have to make a new smiley with a sheep's head on it!

OK Here it is:

Jay,
thanks a million, works a treat!! Now if I could just edit my signature...
Kenny