How many Screens are too many?

I don’t do too much process stuff, so I would like some advice.

I am trying to allow an operator to make adjustments to parameters using the HMI.

There are about 20 steps in the process.

I want to add some parameter screens to each step of the process to allow the operator to change settings.



Step1…Paramater1…Parameter2…Parameter3

Step2…Paramater1…Parameter2…Parameter3

Step3…Paramater1…Parameter2…Parameter3

…

The reason that I was thinking of doing it this way is to make the screens less cluttered.

This will end up with 80 screens.

Does this sound like too much?

I am using a Micro300 2711-M3A18L1 PV300 Micro Key

Thanks for any advice

Gbradley

Hi George,

Have you ask your operators what they would prefer?, I have a Mitsubishi HMI that is very confusing to me, but the operators seem to like it, the last Panel View app that I did I tried to keep it to a minimum but it grew and grew and grew

I agree with the fact that you can over build the application on one screen and should be as clean as possible, sometimes less is more.

If you don’t make 80 screens…what are your other choices? If you need it, then you need it.

I still may go to the end user.

I genuinely think that a PanelView 300 Micro is too small, both physically and electrically, for this application.

The 300 Micro doesn't even have a numeric keypad; you have to navigate to each digit of a numeric entry and use the up/down arrows to modify the entry.

There is no pre-set limit to the number of screens that a PanelView Standard will hold; the memory capacity of the terminal is the limitation. Even with only three numeric entries per screen, I don't think that an 80-screen application will fit in PV300 Micro memory.

I would strongly recommend a larger terminal for this application.

Can you demo the project for the operators.

If so, demo with the biggest screen you can get your hands on. Once they see the ap on a big screen they will fight to get the funding for it. It's just amazing ....

I just went from programmign a 15" color HMI to a 4" monochrome screen. I thought I was in the 1920's and stuck small closet.

Anyway, I'm with Ken. At least get a PV600 Keypad or combo if not a PV1000. You can try to sell it on there being much less chance of operator error when entering data and you would not be lying or blowing smoke.

Too many screens. Definitely. Ask yourself - would you want to change screens that many times?

Ken is right, the Micro 300 won't cut it here, you need something with more visual capability.

At the risk of being accused of hijacking the thread, I have been using an EA7-T15C Cmore panel from Automation Direct, and one of the features I've gotten TONS of mileage out of is the pop-up windows.

Essentially, you can configure a button on the screen to call up a separate screen as a popup. Put whatever you want into the popup screen (including a button to close it, the parent screen is made completely inactive while the popup is open).

What you are trying to do sounds custom-made for this kind of functionality. If you upgrade the panel, you might want to give this a look.

Thanks GIT/ Ken

The 300 Micro doesn't even have a numeric keypad; you have to navigate to each digit of a numeric entry and use the up/down arrows to modify the entry.

Click to expand...

That is what I wanted to do.
I was thinking of putting the Values that I want to change on like screens
Step1…Paramater1…Screen
N7:10 F1 WarmUpTimerSetting
N7:11 F2

Step1…Paramater2…Screen
N7:13 F1 WarmUpHighTemperature
N7:12 F2 WarmUpLowTemp

Step1…Paramater3…Screen
N7:14 F1 WarmUpMagnehelicSetting


Versus one screen where all settings can be changed

Single Parameter Screen

N7:10 F1 WarmUpTimerSetting
N7:12 F2 WarmUpLowTemp
N7:13 F3 WarmUpHighTemperature
N7:14 F4 WarmUpMagnehelicSetting

I am going to have to combine like items and give them the flexibility to only change values that are really important.
I tried a sample application with oodles of screens, and the Application Size... feature told me that the file size exceeded the capacity of the Panelview.
Thanks

You can do all sorts of things to display alot of information in a very small space. You are just talking about programming time.

HOWEVER, keep in mind that your time costs money, too. If it takes me two days to come up with, code and troubleshoot a solution to make a PV300 work, I am financially farther ahead to just buy a 10" PV+ and do it the easy way. Remember that your time costs someone money, just like a new HMI would.

Keith

I was thinking of putting the Values that I want to change on like screens

Click to expand...

I've done stuff like this before and as Keith said, it is time consuming...

The total number of screens isn't the most siginificant factor in opertor access. It's how the screens are organized. I don't know you application, but in many cases you can create a menu structire or a cascading screen arrangement that takes you to greater detail on specific aspects of machine function or recipe entry. There may be a lot of screens, but if the arrangement is logical you can burrow down on various aspects of the HMI function and only see the few needed for a specific function or machine area.

Of course, you still have to program all 80!

Actually, with a panelview, I have programmed generic screens and then used string variables to populate the labels for each parameter.

You need one register that stores the number of the current parameter set that you are dealing with. Then, based on this register you swap in different values from a lookup table and different labels from a string file.

It's a great exercise in indirect addressing and also working with string files.

Mucho up front work in both the HMI and PLC, however, this system becomes very adaptable to changes down the road.