First Panel View Project

Hi everyone,
I am starting my first Panel View Project. It is a Panel View + 600. I have done a few Red Lion HMI's using Crimson 3.0 and feel pretty comfortable with that. I am hoping that experience will help me moving forward.

Is there any advice you can offer as I move to this different platform? Things like common pitfalls? Differences that are not obvious? If you have some files that you would be willing to share with me that would also be appreciated!!

Anything you can do to help me start out would be appreciated!!
Chris

bump

My first thought is "don't". Stick with the Red Lion.

Failing that, install your PV+ software in a virtual machine all by itself. It does NOT play well with others. The only other software on the VM should be RSLinx Enterprise. Neither should be installed on your host. Once you get them successfully installed and working, IMMEDIATELY make a backup of your VM so that WHEN (not if) it crashes and burns you can easily restore it.

If you have access to a working project in the correct version with at least similar hardware, you're a step ahead. Most of my HMI work has been with simple machine control, nothing fancy. For this kind of application, the most complicated part of the process is the first: establish a communications link between the HMI and the PLC. Once that's done, the rest isn't too bad. I've found that with the PV+, this step can be a doozie. I'm willing to share a file with you, but ours are in an old version (3.2/4.0) and communicate via DH+/RIO.

What part number PV+ are you using, and what PLC is it talking to?

RA has some pretty helpful "Getting Started" videos on their web site. Give them a look, particularly the part about setting up communications. The Runtime configuration is a common problem people have when they first get started.

http://www.rockwellautomation.com/r...rated-architecture/tools/overview.page?#/tab4

Run through the My First Project videos and you will have a good idea of where to get started.

I would echo the comments about virtual machines. But I install everything in virtual machines anyway.

OG

What controller are you using it with ? Both products have syntax and browsing functions that are very different for PLC/SLC/MicroLogix versus ControlLogix.

Even though it can be confusing at first to set up the Shortcuts for both Development and Runtime, RSLinx Enterprise does a very good job of integrating the controller Tag Database into the FactoryTalk View project.

"HMI Tags" are very similar to Tags in Crimson 3; the Tag name and scaling and datatype are part of the HMI database and are linked to a PLC data table address or PLC Tag.

But you don't have to use the HMI Tag database; you can directly link an object to a PLC data table address or Logix controller Tag. This is called "direct referencing" and is generally easier and faster.

The "offline tag browsing" function of RSLinx Enterprise makes a link between the *.ACD file and the Shortcut so you can browse the RSLogix 5000 tag database . This is very similar to the L5K driver in Crimson 3, but without the intermediary export-to-L5K step.

In general the thing that is the most different between the products is that Crimson is very Tag based; Alarming and Events and Datatypes and Colors and Text are all tied to each Tag, and parts of those Tags are exposed to the user in various Primitives and Programs.

FactoryTalk View is very Object based. You create an Object (similar to a Primitive in Crimson) and connect all of its attributes to object settings (colors, text, etc) and to PLC or HMI tag values.

While FactoryTalk is much slower to deploy to a device or a full runtime, the 'Test Display' function is fast and easy to use while just checking individual objects or displays. Test Display uses the 'Development' communications shortcut, while 'Test Runtime' (the 'running man' icon) uses the 'Runtime' shortcut.

Pay attention to the very useful FactoryTalk diagnostics bar at the bottom of the screen; it tells you all kinds of development, validation, and runtime information, where Crimson runtime just fails to execute quietly if you get a bit of syntax wrong.

Thanks for all the advice Guys,
For those of you who have asked here is a run down of what I am using:
1. PLC is a CompactLogix L18
2. PV is a PV+ 600
3. I plan on using Ethernet/IP for communications
4. I have FactoryTalk View ME v7.0.

Joseph - I really want to stay with Red Lion but the customer has "standardized" on PV. So I am stuck. We use to have the PLC and HMI work done by our electrical contractor but I am taking it on so that everything is in house.
I hope to have one of his older programs to look at. Haven't got it yet, don't think he is happy to see the work go
I have never used Virtual Machine. Could you give me some background on that? I just installed the FT software to my hard drive like everything else.

Ken - Thanks for the info. I was hoping you would chime in on this as I know you were working with a G3 recently. I figured you would have a good idea on the differences. I just took a ControlLogix class taught by one of your old co workers. He said you were the man!!

Any more advice you can give I am all ears.
Thanks again.

A Virtual machine is a software program that "emulates" a real world PC. As far as the guest OS is concerned, it's running in an actual computer. Because of that, you will need a valid license for the OS so it can be activated and updated.

There are several vendors of this software. The two I've used are VirtualBox and VMWare Player. Rockwell supports VMWare, so that's what I've used the most lately. Both used to be fully free, but it looks like VMWare has now restricted their free version of Player to personal use. You can buy Workstation ($250) to have more features than Player, but I haven't had to do that yet. I may have to with the new licensing. I need to contact them to be sure.

Basically, you install the VM software, then create a new VM, then install the OS on it as if it were a real computer. Then you install your software.

Since you already have the software installed directly on your computer, it's too late to get much benefit from virtualization.

FactoryTalk software, including FactoryTalk View Studio, has a notorious reputation for being difficult to install, un-install, upgrade, or maintain. It greatly simplifies things to just install one coordinated release (RA even calls them 'Coordinated Product Releases' of related FactoryTalk software on a virtual machine. VMWare Workstation is the best money I've ever spent on software.

Did you get one of the newest PanelView Plus 600 terminals ? I know that RA has started this month shipping new hardware with a faster CPU, more RAM, and compatibility with v7 firmware. It's not a Series change, but rather a new set of part numbers with an additional '8' or '9' at the end.

Ken,
The CAT# is 2711P-T6C20D. On the label is says FTView ME v5.10.10. Is that a new one or older one?

That's an old one; it will only ever run version 5.10 firmware.

But that's OK... there are not a lot of features in v6 or v7 that you can really take advantage of on a 6 inch screen (video player, PDF viewer, etc).

Your FactoryTalk View Studio ME software can create Runtime files for any older terminal; just use the pulldown menu to select 5.10 when you create a *.MER Runtime file.