If you want to try a HMI check this out

I was looking to buy a HMI and found this on the net.
At www.nematron.com you can download their ViewBuilder software (for free) that is used to program their HMI's.
Nothing special so far but the cool thing is that you can connect your PLC with the programming cable to your pc and simulate the HMI on the pc without actually needing the HMI.
(bad explanation but you know what I mean)
I tried it using a Mitsubishi FX2 and it works just fine
Pretty cool!

Thierry,

Nothing special so far but the cool thing is that you can connect your PLC with the programming cable to your pc and simulate the HMI on the pc without actually needing the HMI.(bad explanation but you know what I mean)

Click to expand...

Probably a good explanation but on the other site a bad understander.
Can you give it an other try for me?

Rudi

It sounds to me like Thierry is saying that you can use your PC to simulate the HMI screen without actually having the HMI hardware.

If I understand Thierry correct.

Then it would give you a free PC based HMI !?

Are there any limitations. Does it time out after a while ?

Hello,

OK I understand and yes this is a big advantage

Rudi

The ones that I have seen that can do that, like RSView Studio, can only simulate for a certain amount of time before having to be re-started. I don't know about nematron.

Re: If I understand Thierry correct.

JesperMP said:

Then it would give you a free PC based HMI !?

Are there any limitations. Does it time out after a while ?

Click to expand...

No limitations that I'm aware of. I've been testing the software with KEP touchscreens. You can simulate the HMI online or offline. So even if you're not connected to a PLC, you can check your screens before downloading. You just won't have any data. I haven't run a simulated screen long enough to see if it shuts down after a while, and I can't remember if you NEED to feed through the touchscreen (that would make sense). But, running the HMI on your PC wouldn't really be practical anyway.

The HMI has "three" DB-9 ports. One port with separate RS232 and RS485 built in and a second port with RS232. This really makes for some interesting applications. You can even use the ports to daisy-chain screens, although I haven't tried it yet. Have you ever had one of those applications where you needed the same data in two places?

Nematron, Maple, and KEP touchscreens are the same animals. You can download KEP's software for free as well, it's the same software. I'm not 100% sure about Maple.

AK

Did anyone else check out the rest of the things that they have to offer? I am very interested in the Windows Ce device for only $695. This would replace the Touch Panel and the CPU...

Has anyone had any experience with CE devices? I have not as of yet (I still have not learned CC+ or VB yet). It is very intriguing.

testsubject said:

Did anyone else check out the rest of the things that they have to offer? I am very interested in the Windows Ce device for only $695. This would replace the Touch Panel and the CPU...

Has anyone had any experience with CE devices? I have not as of yet (I still have not learned CC+ or VB yet). It is very intriguing.

Click to expand...

Several of the Siemens Protool based panels use Windoze Crippled Edition.

DD,

I take it that you do not like Windows CE???

One thing to watch with the CE HMIs is that many of them simply use CE as their operating system and drop their HMI software on top of that. They don't allow access to the operating system. So just because it says it's a CE screen doesn't mean you can put your own applications on it. It really just means the HMI manufacturer can more easily integrate tools they have developed for PC based HMIs into their stand-alone HMIs.
I personally haven't found the CE based HMIs any more or less reliable or more or less easy to use.

Keith

There is no limitations at all, you just connect teh PLC to the PC and that is it. Activate an input and you can see it on the simulated HMI, change a dataword on the HMI and it will be send to the PLC, ...
Great stuff

testsubjec,
It's alright, I do find Windows in general to take a comparatively huge amount of memory to do the same as others and it's not as stable but it is getting better. I actually end up using it quite a bit but it's fun to pick on.