Embedded Variable in FT View ME-

Howdy guys!

I have a few numeric input enable buttons on a pv+ 1500 that the managers want monitored for access and value entries.
I have set them to only be visible if user is logged-in under a generic login that we use for all the shift electricians, but that (theoretically) the operators don't have access to.
A log-in history screen is already set-up, but the mgr's would like to have a dialog box under each num. input button that displays the last time the value was changed.
What I'm wanting to do is embed the system date and time when the enter tag is activated.
Is there a way to take a "snapshot" of this, and have it update every time button is pressed?

Thanks,
Bmac

Hi,

We've been asked in the past to also record certain events/functions of either the process or operator activity. One method we have used is to create individual Alarm lists (and associated alarm triggers), that do not display the alarm banner, but still record the trigger Time/date. You can also embed any dynamic tag data into the alarm text to give quite a comprehensive history of any activity you wish.

One method anyway.

Hope this helps.

Rob

Kidblue said:

Hi,

We've been asked in the past to also record certain events/functions of either the process or operator activity. One method we have used is to create individual Alarm lists (and associated alarm triggers), that do not display the alarm banner, but still record the trigger Time/date. You can also embed any dynamic tag data into the alarm text to give quite a comprehensive history of any activity you wish.

One method anyway.

Hope this helps.

Rob

Click to expand...

Yes, I think this will work.

I'm wanting to have this info displayed continuously underneath the numeric input buttons, not on a pop-up display like an alarm banner screen, but I think I can use the alarm set-up to have the enter tag be a trigger for an alarm tag that I can then embed in a text underneath the button.

Does this sound feasible?

I will have to wait until Monday to give it a try, will inform on how it turns out.
Thanks for the suggestion!

Cheers,
Bmac

Correct. You can set the individual alarm lists to behave in the way you describe. The lists can just be regular objects that are displayed continuously.
You can use filtering to then display certain alarms on certain lists.

We regularly use this method to capture system variables at the start and end of a machine cycle.

Rob

Rob,

I've been playing around with this, and I've run into a problem.
The application is already using the Alarm List object to show system alarms, but the tags I'm wanting to use to date/time stamp when the numeric input values are entered, I don't want those in the alarm list, I want them to go to another text object that I create for each numeric input.

Now if I go into the advanced options of the alarm setup screen, I can change where the alarms are displayed, but it changes the display for ALL alarms. Is there a way to change the display of individual alarm messages, w/o changing all the others?

Another route I had considered is using the optional trigger message connection, and setting that to a specific tag which contains the date and time string tag when the enter button is pressed. Would that show a running system date/time, or only the date/time for the moment the enter tag is true?

I don't know, I guess I'll have to keep playing with it.

Bmac: can you try to use a FIFO table,I do not know about what plc you´re using but you can set up a FIFO table that includes time&date. You can use the enter key of your numeric entry to trigger you table. Then you can display your data on the PV+

if you make a second Alarm Screen then you can use the filter to show only the alarm tags you wish to see. You will have to also setup the alarm filter on your original screen to show only alarms. Another, method would be assign a tag to Enter Button of Numeric Inputs and use WallClock to One Shot Time Values to each Display.

widelto said:

Bmac: can you try to use a FIFO table,I do not know about what plc you´re using but you can set up a FIFO table that includes time&date. You can use the enter key of your numeric entry to trigger you table. Then you can display your data on the PV+

Click to expand...

I'm using a AB PLC5/40e, E-series, and it does support FIFO instructions, but I have never used them, so there would be a learning curve there for sure. Would you load the PLC date/time S bits into the FFL and then out of the FFU on XIC of enter tag? And then, what, MOV date/time into integers that PV+ monitors?

cwal61 said:

if you make a second Alarm Screen then you can use the filter to show only the alarm tags you wish to see. You will have to also setup the alarm filter on your original screen to show only alarms. Another, method would be assign a tag to Enter Button of Numeric Inputs and use WallClock to One Shot Time Values to each Display.

Click to expand...

This may sound like a dumb question, but would the second alarm screen just be a duplicate of the first, since all alarms have to display to only one screen?
Or, for the other method, what do you mean by "WallClock" is that PLC time, or is that a system tag in FT View?

I think what I may have to do is use XIC's of each enter bit to move PLC time date status bits into dedicated integers for each time stamp of each numeric input, and then embed those integers into a text display next to a string text display for each numeric input.
I can then increment a counter each time one of the enter tags is active, then use the counter value to index the integers and string texts, which would stack newest to oldest on a table of string and text displays built into a dedicated screen for tracking these value entries.

I've seen it done this way on another machine, so I've got a road map, but if I could figure out how to make alarm messages show up on different screens, then it sure would be easier to just use the built-in timestamping function of the FT View alarm set-up.

Thanks all you guys for all the replies and interesting ideas

Cheers,
Bmac

You can have additional Alarm screens. Can be a Copy or New one. Just go to Alarm Setup and add the tags and triggers. Then create new Alarm list on a New Screen. Right click on Alarm List for properties and Under Alarm Tab you will see a filter at the bottom of the property page. click that and all your triggers will be there to choose which will be displayed. Just check the appropiate box. Make sure if create 2nd Screen to do the same with original because if filter boxes are not checked then the alarm list will display all. Tags and trigger must be created first to show up in filter. My current project is Using 2 Different Alarm List. One for Alarm History and 2nd for Tool Change warnings but all my tags triggers and messages are done in Alarm Setup.

cwal61 said:

You can have additional Alarm screens. Can be a Copy or New one. Just go to Alarm Setup and add the tags and triggers. Then create new Alarm list on a New Screen. Right click on Alarm List for properties and Under Alarm Tab you will see a filter at the bottom of the property page. click that and all your triggers will be there to choose which will be displayed. Just check the appropiate box. Make sure if create 2nd Screen to do the same with original because if filter boxes are not checked then the alarm list will display all. Tags and trigger must be created first to show up in filter. My current project is Using 2 Different Alarm List. One for Alarm History and 2nd for Tool Change warnings but all my tags triggers and messages are done in Alarm Setup.

Click to expand...

Ahh! That makes perfect sense now. I didn't realize that you could create Alarm List objects in other displays, I thought it was the pop-up display or nothing.

I knew there had to be an easier way to accomplish this tracking function than creating a whole bunch of indexed timestamps and string tags in the PLC. Besides adding a lot of (for me) complex programming, there's also the issue of tieing up a few hundred words of data in the processor.

Man, I love this forum!

Thanks again, guys

Bmac

Don't have my terminal handy, but could you not use the panels 'on change' logic to log a time stamp/new value?

bmacattack33 said:

Would you load the PLC date/time S bits into the FFL and then out of the FFU on XIC of enter tag? And then, what, MOV date/time into integers that PV+ monitors?

Click to expand...

No, you have to trigger several FFL´s at the same time, one for hour, one for minutes, one for data and so on. They´re dischanged (FFU) from the queues once the table is filled up.
Then you can make a small arrangement to be display on your PV where you can show HH:MM mm/dd/year data oper code , etc.
Your Tables size depend on your display size( how may lines can be displayed at the same time) and plc memory size.
Send me a PM and i can send you and example in Rslogix 500.

One other word of warning if you use multiple Alarm Screens. If you use Clear Alarm Button you will need to set filter on the button also. This will allow you to Clear Only Alarms that are Checked. As far as Alarms there are 3 types to choose from Alarm List,Alarm Status list and Alarm Banner. The Alarm List will give you the timestamp you need for when Enter Button is pressed. When you enter you triggers in Alarm Setup for Entry Button make sure you uncheck the box for Display. This will keep it from displaying on Alarm Banner and poping up the Alarm Banner.

One more question-

Is there anyway to edit the header on the alarm list object, i.e. where it says "alarm time", "acknowledge time", and "message"? I would like to modify that for the specific application.

Also, just to make sure, unchecking the display box for the entry tag alarm triggers (in the alarm setup menu) will only keep them from displaying on the pop-up display, but they will still show up on the 2nd screen, as long as the list filters are set-up, correct?

Thanks,
Bmac

Question #1. Yes.....Modify Header on Property Page there is a check box to activate each header title and you can change it once you check the box. I change mind to say Alarm Clear in the Acknowledge column and use the Acknowledge tag property in Alarm Setup for each Individual Trigger to Timestamp when the Alarm was Reset. I put code in plc and use tags to know when alarm is no longer active. Question #2. Yes..... By unchecking the display box in Alarm Setup will only effect pop-up not Alarm List.