Quickdesigner question

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica]Hi,

I'm using Quickdesigner 3.5 with a QPI2... 10" Quickpanel. The PLC is a Square D Sy/max Model 600 Processor. I'm converting an old TCP Smartscreen to the Quickpanel, and numerous places, the bit pattern is Bit 2-3. This gives 4 states and 4 different messages. How can I duplicate this in Quickdesigner? It would be easy if those were the only bits of the 16 Bit register, but thats not the case. Because of this, I can't use the Local Message Display choice. I did try to "Stack" lites on top of each other, but that didn't work.

Thanks
George[/font]

Hey George,

First, you may need to check into whether or not you can still use release 3.5. To program my QuickPanels (which are newer), I needed to get version 3.7.

Secondly, it may be easiest to take the 4 bits of your 16 bit register that you need and make simple rungs in the PLC to reduce it to only 4 bits.

--|reg bit 1|-------------(new reg bit 1:1)

--|reg bit 4|-------------(new reg bit 1:2)

--|reg bit 7|-------------(new reg bit 1:3)

--|reg bit 9|-------------(new reg bit 1:4)

It maybe not the best way, but then you should be able to use a local message display.

On a side note, Xycom/Pro-Face is the original manufacturer of the Quickpanels. Until recently, they have not been able to sell the panels on their own. Whatever contract it was has since expired and they have been competing with GE ever since. The panels are identical. They have their own programming software which, from what I hear, has a few more nice toys. It is supposed to handle all of the Xycom/ProFace panels and all of the QuickPanels as well. I don't have it, but I heard it's a little easier to use than QuickDesigner.
One of my collegues had to replace a bad TCP unit with a QuickPanel, and QuickDesigner could not convert the old program. He tried the Xycom/ProFace software, and it converted the old TCP program to the newer QuickPanel without problems. It saved him countless hours of work. He hasn't used QuickDesigner since.
Good luck, John

Hi John,

I know that I could reprogram in the PLC inorder to use the Message display, but since there are many instances not only in this Smartscreen, but we have 7 more that at some point will have to be replaced. I will look into the Proface software.
Thanks
George

Having used both QuickDesigner and the Proface software (GP-Pro), I would choose the Proface software everytime. QuickDesigner is s**t. But the really s**tty thing is that you can't convert a program written in QD to GP-Pro or vice-versa. Neither can you upload from the HMI to GP-Pro a program written in QD (or the other way round). Expect QuickDesigner to follow the Dinosaurs very very soon.