Have I told you how much I love my new PanelView Component C400?

I had a project where I had spec'd a PanelView C300 (2711C-K3M)
I got it working and it was functional, but I needed a few more options, and I ran out of Real Estate on the screen.

I ended up getting a 2711C-T4T
I transferred the .cha file from the C300 and I was very surprised how much of the program transferred over. The screens, tags and Alarms, all came over surprisingly well.
I had some modifying to do, but it wasn't too terrible.

Wow! this C400 is so cool in comparison to the Monochrome C300.

• First off it's touch screen, so you don't need to put Function Labels on all of the buttons.
• Color
• The resolution is way better.
• The screen size is a lot bigger.

All this for $30.00 delta.
Yes, I know it takes a while to Edit, Verify, and Save, but for a small project, it's really not that bad.
Plus I like the fact that you don't have to purchase programming software.
It is a pretty good deal.

Panelview Component series.... *shudder*

So cheap and nasty and slow, and a pain in the *** to work with.

I've used the C300 and C600's before but now for budget options I've been using Pro-Face HMI's.

Check out the Pro-Face GP4100 series, which is comparable to the PV Component C300 or the PV 300 Micro.

The programming software is free for the GP4100's (possibly some other low models as well) and the screens are much brighter, clearer and responsive, and the software is much faster and easier to use.

Also compare with the G304K from Red Lion.

OkiePC said:

Also compare with the G304K from Red Lion.

Click to expand...

Indeed! Once you try the G3, you will never go back...



-Eric

The mere thought of programming a Component HMI makes me shudder.
I just don't have the patience for the software.

And wouldn't you know, today we got a job where my boss priced in a C600.
I reckon I'll survive somehow...

I've used a panel view component, on a customers machine... I think with development time, the cost is higher than other mfg units.

I won't touch one even if Rockwell gave me a dozen free.
I'm glad you like it, but I'm done with Rockwell HMI's. Too much cost, too many problems, too limited, too much development time, poor response, long start up times... never again.

I belive the OP jumped the gun on this one its not quite April 1st

bce123 said:

I belive the OP jumped the gun on this one its not quite April 1st

Click to expand...

Haters gonna hate.

That little HMI is happily running.
The operators are happy,the Boss is happy, and most of all, I'm happy.
We will see how long it lasts.

I am a diehard AB fan, but I worked with the Panelview Component C300 in 2008 and swore we'd never buy another. At the automation show show last year, the engineers convinced me that their earlier release problems were solved so I bought 2 new C600's touch.

Problems I've had this week: For some reason, Internet Explorer on my PC will not open the application even though our IT department upgraded and reloaded it. I have to use Mozilla firefox but PVC Offline Designer only works with IE.

I developed offline on another using PC Designer, then transferred to the PVC. The local AB rep and I never could get that to communicate with the PLC, so I started over with developing online. Now it gives me the message "alarm does not have message" even though I typed in a message.

We had just finished doing some projects and used the Maples display's. They work great, but now finding out they do not reconize the ST(String) registers that we use in some of our programming. I have actually talked to Maples and you can work around it, but it takes about a page of code compared to just a couple of instructions if we had used the panelview 300 or 600 display. did not find this out until we went to add barcode scanners and feed them into a micrologix 1400 plc. I still lik the Maples HMI display units, but if I ever think I might want to someday use a barcode scanner then I will have to look at using the AB or some other. Anyone else ran into this type of situation when using a non AB product with a AB plc?

Len Bigdog said:

...I have to use Mozilla firefox but PVC Offline Designer only works with IE....

Click to expand...

Connected Components Workbench Works. No IE needed As far as
I Know. The downside is that it won't validate.

I sell a lot of the PVC trainers and not that many Red Lions... may just be the market and the AB name

DO NOT USE IE... if you do you will shoot it with the biggest gun you can find Done that and I have some big guns

I use Firefox for programming them and it works the best I have found

Google Chrome ~ surfing the net
Fire Fox ~ programming the PVC
IE ~ running on my shipping PC

Programming my first PVc right now. I have literally spent the last hour looking for the Validate button. It's nowhere. Not in CCW, and not in the embedded PVc Workstation online on the Unit. The manual says "Click the Validate Icon On the Application Toolbar."

Here's the thing: There is no Application Toolbar. There is no Validate Button. The manual is literally telling you to click on a button that doesn't exist.

I've only been involved with automation for a decade or so, but I've never seen a more poorly executed product than the PVc series. This has to be the absolute WORST Interface in the industry. I agree that Pro-Face (what the PVc series is trying to mimic) is MUCH easier. The C-More Micro series from AutomationDirect is a lot easier. Nothing grinds my gears more than when my local Rockwell rep shrugs off the numerous bugs of CCW with "hey, it's free." C-More software is free and it's a hell of a lot better. GP-Pro EX is damn near free and it's a lot better as well.

I think Rockwell's problem is that they are trying to be too many things to too many people. What's been happening is they'll "dabble" in a market for a little while, then abandon it when it doesn't pan out. I honestly can't see the PVc series being around in 5 years. And it's a shame, too, because all those people who the Rockwell Distributers conned into buying them will be SOL.

You can only validate when online. The Design station you can't. I did a job with a PVc. I didn't like some of the limitations of it, but it worked as it was supposed to.