HMI Software

Can anyone recommend a relatively low cost HMI software package?

SeeThru at www.tractrola.com

Best Bang For Your Buck Is Netscada.

Define what you mean by "relatively low cost"?

What are you willing to spend or budget for this software?

Are there any specific features that you are requiring for your application? This may determine the package you will have to work with.

Low Cost is relative. If you are spending $10,000 on software, then $5000 would be a lower cost than what you are currently using.

I have successfully used the SeeThru package mentioned in another reply. I used the modbus module talking to (low cost) Unitronics PLCs (using both serial and ethernet) and needed a SCADA package commensurate in price. It has a great data logging package and other good features that I was surprised to find.

I took a look at the Tractrola link.

There web site is very basic...and provides no information regarding location...no telephone number...no physical address.

You can only contact them via website based contact form.

I would be extremely cautious with something like this, especially if you are in need of support.

Nothing beats "free" as in Visual Basic Express 2005 (if the comm driver is available for free). But understand the pro's and con's as discussed in this recent thread

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=21989

nexus said:

Can anyone recommend a relatively low cost HMI software package?

Click to expand...

Redlion's G3 HMI software is completely free, of course it only works with their products.

http://www.redlion.net/Support/Software/Crimson2.0/Setup.exe

When you say HMI do you mean pc based or a complete system i.e. terminal+software.

if terminal there are a number of good HMI based units like redlion, beijers to name a few.

If you mean a pc based HMI then I have just used the Beijers new package called CEZAR, there was a demo version that ran for 10 mins & I found it easy to use, logs data to almost any database good scripting & has a number of plc drivers.

it requires a dongle for runtime available in usb or parallel & costs about 1200 Euros for a 512 tag system.

I used it on a mitsi the graphics are good (you can create symbols in paint or any other package & you then set them to transparent to get rid of borders something lacking in some packages).

I was very impressed.

#SCADA
http://www.sharpscada.com

Stephen Luft said:

I took a look at the Tractrola link.

There web site is very basic...and provides no information regarding location...no telephone number...no physical address.

You can only contact them via website based contact form.

I would be extremely cautious with something like this, especially if you are in need of support.

Click to expand...

You are quite correct regarding the simple website etc. However I downloaded the demo software first and had a few questions which I sent via email and received answers in < 5minutes plus a Skype ID so that I could speak to them which I did more out of curiosity than need. Ended up having a great conversation with the author of the software and gained a much better understanding of the concepts behind the SeeThru package.

Check out the C-More software by Automation Direct. My first project using the software and the touch screens went relatively smoothly and the learning curve wasn't too steep at all.

www.automationdirect.com