InTouch Touch screen

Has any one any experience on using a touch screen with a pc running InTouch my boss likes the idea of this and has give me the job of looking in to it for a new project. Has anyone got any advice on compatibility issues with touch screens and InTouch.


Jezz

WonderWare's InTouch is a very powerful HMI software and, IMHO is one of the best on the market. I have used it quite extensively. I am also a fan of touchscreens provided they are integrated into true industrial PC's. There are several good makes and models out there.

The only hardware precaution I would offer at this point is with respect to your environment. Some touchscreens do not do well in harsh environments where chemicals or abrasives are used. There are some that are designed for those areas too, so be sure what you are looking at.

Steve

Who's touch screen's have you used ??

I used Xycom. They definitely make a good screen, but they are a bit pricey. Pretty easy to upgrade, too.

Steve

Siemens and Allen Bradly also make very nice Touch-screen panel mount PC's, the Siemens MP's and the AB Versaview's are both very good, 17" display with Win 2000, 800Mhz ish CPU, 128MB Ram, 20-40G HDD should run around 4000-6000 $US (List)


One thing to remember, if you buy an industrial PC from almost anyone, order the one with the minumum amount of RAM they will ship with it, and buy extra RAM at your local computer store. It works out much cheaper to pay 30 or 40 cents per megabyte at the local store rather than paying 3 to 5 dollars per meg from the manufacturer.

AB has been discounting the Versaview line quite extensively lately. You can actually get a versaview 15" for LESS (by about 30% even) than a panelview plus 15". Personally, ive found wonderware to be a piece of junk, but not really for its control abilities, but for its useablity over the long term.

We are stuck with the InTouch as it's our site standard I happen to quite like it but then again it's the only one I've realy used, I've messed with RsView and that was ok.

Jezz

My issues with intouch deal more with the licensing and maintaining apps across the versions. Being an OEM I have to support Intouch 5.6, 7.0, and 7.11 apps. Now, I have to have 3, count em, 3 different PCs to work on, cause you cant have 2 different versions on the same machine (How f'ing ignorant is that?!?!). I have to develop in the RES the app runs in. Ever try supporting an older app in 640 x 480. It gives me a whole 300 x 200 to work with! And. I just LOVE having to change my screen res 400 times a day. You cant open multiple instances of intouch, and, thus, you cant do any cut and paste between apps. Now, they have 8.0, so now I need 4!!! machines (actually, yet another partition) to work on. Ever open an app in the wrong version or res, better not covert it. Older apps arent compatible with newer versions without coversion. Or how about that bug so whenever you click on anything it moves it a pixel or two. Thats been there thu three versions. Or how about the double apprearing script bug. Dont hit ok on that second screen or its crash city...

I could go on, but im getting angry again. So, like I said, its not that wonderware doesnt do a decent job as an HMI...