Wonderware

Could some one out there give me a simple description of what Wonderware is in programming terms.

Thank You

Not sure what you mean exactly... But, wondware (intouch) is an application used to build hmi screens. It offers a relatively easy way to build graphical objects to communicate with a plc. It also has a wide array of logging, trending, and database abilities.
As far a programming goes, its more akin to an IDE, where you drag and drop objects onto a screen to build screens; and, then assign connectivety or scripting to the objects. Most control is done in the PLCs that WW communicates with. Does that help?

matt

From Wikipedia:


Wonderware is a supplier of industrial automation and information software solutions, having sold more than 400,000 software licenses in over 100,000 plants worldwide.[citation needed]
Wonderware has customers in virtually every industry — including Utilities, Power Generation, Mining,Oil & Gas, Food & Beverage, Facility Management, Pharmaceuticals, Transportation, Pulp & Paper, Semiconductors and Metals.

Wonderware is a business unit of Invensys.

Wonderware supplies plant-to-enterprise integration solutions.

More to read below:

http://us.wonderware.com/

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...isions_inline&resnum=0&ct=broad-revision&cd=8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCADA

in very basic terms:



suppose that your PLC has already been programmed to control a piece of machinery ... now you want the machine operator to be able to tell the PLC when to “start” and when to “stop” ... the operator will also need to know the “current speed” ... and the “number of parts made” ...



now you COULD buy a steel enclosure and mount some pushbuttons on it ... you could wire those buttons up to the PLC and let the operator push them to give commands to the PLC ... you could also mount some displays - and let the PLC use them to give the operator the status and information that he needs ...



or ...



you could hook up a computer to your PLC and use Wonderware to replace those “real world” input and output devices that the operator needs ...



basically you’d use Wonderware’s WindowMaker function to design (draw) a screen with pushbuttons and displays ...



then the operator would use Wonderware’s WindowViewer function to actually work with the PLC at “runtime” ...



so ... the operator clicks the mouse on the picture of the “start” button on the Wonderware computer screen ... Wonderware communicates to the PLC ... the PLC turns on the machine ...

a number located inside the PLC’s data table changes as the speed increases ... Wonderware communicates with the PLC - and displays the speed reading on the computer screen ...




buzzword: Wonderware is an HMI (Human Machine Interface) ... in most cases it doesn’t really “control” the system ... it just provides a way for the human operator to interact with the PLC ...



now going beyond “basic terms” there’s “data logging” and “alarm handling” and “trend line graphing” ... etc. ... etc. ...



is that the type of information that you were looking for? ...

response

thank you ron I'm currently talking with a company that uses wonderware and allen bradley ladder logic. thank you everybody for your quick response

thank you
heckpalm76

this might be useful ...

it's been years since I've tried this trick - but if you can get your hands on a set of Wonderware CDs for a few minutes, try installing it ... you'll need a "key" to make it run "wide open" - but - it USED TO let you click "Ignore" the key - and then run in "demo" mode ...

you could actually develop screens - and run a small project - and learn a LOT about how the software worked ... it would shut down after a couple of hours - but you could restart it as many times as you liked ...

it's fun to play with ... let us know if you can come up with a copy ... we'll show you how to get started ... biggest idea: you do NOT need to have a PLC hooked up in order to learn ...

does anybody out there know if the latest versions still allow the "demo" mode? ...

Yea, as of 10.0, demo still works on the raw intouch windowmaker.

Not sure about archestra IDE tho.

matt

I'll describe SCADA/HMI packages - the class of software that you're inquiring about. In programming terms it's a WYSIWYG program development tool that loosely resembles a general purpose IDE. It is specialized to simplify PLC/device communication including displaying text/animation based on register values. It includes a VB-esque scripting language to satisfy user demands, who generally think the package is capable of being a general purpose programming language (it's not). The packages simplify common operations which can include: Window navigation, historical data logging, trending, distributing the application to multiple clients, auditing, etc. Objects are typically similar to objects in a general purpose IDE, with the addition of "industrial objects": pumps, valves, pipes, motors, etc.

The end result programs tend to be characterized by: large text labels, lots of images and colors. The idea is that an operator can quickly look at the screen and know the status of his system. Very different usage, than say, an accounting package.

heckpalm76 said:

Could some one out there give me a simple description of what Wonderware is in programming terms.

Thank You

Click to expand...

I have used WW in the past, but am faced with a new challenge. I need to connect to bout 30 AB plc's of various flavors, as well as a few Siemens S7-300's and several Siemens Soft PLC's. I am able to connect to everything with RSLinx and Kepserver except the Soft PLC's. I am able to modify the logic in the Soft plc's with Step 7. The Soft plc's are panel pc's running Protool(?) and connected to the I/O with Profibus, and networked together with ethernet. Is it possible to "see" the i/o somehow in a similar fashion to how i "see" i/o on my AB platform?