RSView SE Distributed Display

Hello all,

I have been using RSView Studio for a month now. I have used a lot of information from this site to assist in making the displays, thanks guys! I have read most of the forum topics on RSView and have not seen my issue addressed previously.

I need to make a display for my project that takes a heartbeat of all the plcs. This project runs a large assembly line and if the users are experiencing issues they need to click on the heartbeat screen to see if any plcs are not running/available.

If I were creating a software application I would send a ping command to check the status of an IP. How should I do this in RSView? As an IT admin I feel more comfortable using vba code than tags but an willing to give it a go.

With proper regards.

(BTW, is there a RSS feed for this site? I have been unsuccesful in my attempts to locate it)

Well, RSView SE or ME?

In the simple case, it doesn't matter. Any tag pointing to a non-available item will go to an error state... wireframed, question marks, or such.

If you are using RSLinx Enterprise for communications to Logix controllers, you can look at some of the information in the RSView libraries; there is a status display specifically for Logix Processors.

Otherwise, to monitor View -> PLC comms, I just use a timer in each PLC to send a heart-beat clock to View, and an event in View to invert it and send it back to the PLC as another tag. The return bit oneshots a reset on the timer. If the timer times out, comms has failed.

There is a Pre-Defined Item in RSLinx Entprise for each controller Shortcut that is named "@IsPresent".

For Logix controllers, this indicates (1=present, 0=absent) a good link through any CIP network (ControlNet, Ethernet, serial, etc) to the controller.

There are some other Pre-Defined Items that tell you the processor mode.

I've seen some hiccups with this Item before; in one short-lived release of RSLE it didn't work at all. I know you need a different definition of it for PLC/SLC than for Logix controllers.

Check with RA Tech Support to be sure this will work as you require in your release of RSView SE and RSLinx Enterprise.

If what you want is what is shown in the attached figure, let me know, as fas ar my memory recalls i got this from the knowledgede base of AB, there is one screen for ctrlgx and another one for slc and micrologix.
This image is part of a bigger one I could not upload, anyway i found it on the knowledge base, you use only one screen and use parameter in order to see all the processors.

hope this help

If you are using AB PLCs, you can place an RS Who object down on a RS View Screen to see the status of PLCs.

Sheldn,

I like a lot of people just use a timer I have in a background routine I use in every project. I set in PLC and reset by RSView application. What do you mean by an RS Who object?

In RS View Studio, select OLE object from the toolbar. Place it on the screen and then follow the popups for selecting an RS Who object from the list. They start with "RS.." in the name. I don't have RS View Studio handy but know it is available.

Very Interesting

So, does the RSWho object contain diagnostic functions similar to RSWho Classic?

My personal preference is to display the system time of each PLC on a small popup graphic.
Use a GSV element in each PLC and dump that value to a 'current time' tag every scan.
That holding tag can then be referenced by RS View (ME or SE, both work fine).

It serves two purposes, one to ensure the PLC is actually there and secondly to see how far out of synch the processors are.

Thanks for the responses. I tried the RSWho ActiveX control and it is pretty sweet. Good to know for future reference.

I have decided to use the timers. What is a GSV element?

Regards.

GSV = Get system value

The GSV/SSV instructions get and set controller system data that is stored in objects