PanelView communication switching between two PLCs

dmned64

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Jun 2013
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A while back I submitted the following post:

I have an application with two PanelView Plus 7 devices with each one talking to its own PLC. The project files (PLC and OIT) are identical except the IP addresses of the PLCs and the OITs are different. All are on the same subnet.

The desire is to have a third PanelView with the ability to view either of the other two systems, one at a time, for remote monitoring (view only). I have worked with Siemens projects before that have the the ability to from one OIT to another. I am wondering if that is possible with PanelView or some similar setup.

I know I can VNC in from a PC or smart device but that is not the question.

I also do not want to create a separate project file for the third PanelView that simply combines the project files from the other PanelViews.

Thoughts?

I had not had any replies so i thought I would try again. In this application the three devices are identical PanelView Plus 7 Standard. To accomplish what I would like with the third device I will not be able to simply configure it to simultaneously communicate with the two PLCs.

I saw another post where a PanelView had two applications on it and the ProgramLauncher ActiveX was used to switch between the two. From what I understand when switching the registry is modified and then the PanelView reboots to use the other application. While it appears to be a solution having the PanelView reboot is less than elegant.

In my case the two other PanelViews are configured identically except the PLC with which they communicate, one PLC per PanelView. The third PanelView uses the same configuration as the other two and I would like that third device to be able to toggle between the two PLC.

Example:
PLC1 = 192.168.1.1
PV1 = 192.168.1.10

PLC2 = 192.168.1.2
PV2 = 192.168.1.11

PV3 = 192.168.1.12

As can be seen above all the devices are on the same network. What I would like is the cleanest means for PV3 to switch between PLC1 and PLC2.
 
*I have not tried this*

You could use the topic name as a parameter.
Have a start screen that calls the same main screen with the topic as a parameter. Change all screen open/goto buttons to pass that initial parameter to each subsequent screen.

This is course only if you are using direct addresses instead of hmi tags.
 
I also do not want to create a separate project file for the third PanelView that simply combines the project files from the other PanelViews.

You may not want to do it, but it is still the lowest-effort, highest-reliability way to accomplish what you want.

Or, just run VNC Viewer on your third terminal and use it to remote to one or the other of those terminals. You can configure FTView ME to never even start up, so after booting the PV+ you just get a CE desktop.
 
Is there any reason that you cannot segment the tags as Machine1\ and Machine2\ and have both sets? Then you can have a selection screen to select which screen. In your object addresses they can reference the variable that decides which set of tags to use. This could also make the design quite modular. I was thinking about doing this with a pair of water heating systems but I didn't end up getting the job.

Sorry, you mentioned you didn't want new project, but with that method you could also run the exact same project on all three panels.
 
Last edited:
What about having PLC1 reading the data from PLC2
And then you will deal with only PLC1 to read your both PLC1 and PLC2 data,in the PV3 put a tag that switch between reading either PLC1 or PLC2.
 
*I have not tried this*

You could use the topic name as a parameter.
Have a start screen that calls the same main screen with the topic as a parameter. Change all screen open/goto buttons to pass that initial parameter to each subsequent screen.

This is course only if you are using direct addresses instead of hmi tags.

That's the approach I would take. Sparkie also gives an idea that you can do the same with HMI tags.

Make a test project with just a few screens and objects (numeric input enables) to get this working for your needs:

1. Change your screens to use parameters
Instead of [PLCshortcut1]TagnamePath
Use this [#1]TagnamePath

2. Create a new Startup screen with three GoTo buttons. Those buttons will assign a PLC shortcut to the #1 parameter
3. When you start your project, select a GoTo button for the PLC that you want.
4. To change PLC, go back to the startup screen and choose a different GoTo button.


For each of your other screens, you will have to edit the GoTo button. Assign #1 to the parameter list in that GoTo button.
From then on, your PLC shortcut is always going to be #1.

That won't help you with alarms.
It won't work if you use Global Connections to do remote display change.
You need to be very careful if you are using parameters anywhere else.
 
Last edited:
...a third PanelView with the ability to view either of the other two systems, one at a time, for remote monitoring (view only)...

In my case the two other PanelViews are configured identically except the PLC with which they communicate, one PLC per PanelView. The third PanelView uses the same configuration as the other two and I would like that third device to be able to toggle between the two PLC.

The "view only" requirement seems to imply awareness in the Panelview program to appropriately block write access. Can this be done at the shortcut level? Or will there need to be some explicit programming to determine whether a particular Panelview is the primary or remote, and manipulate display objects accordingly?
 
What about having PLC1 reading the data from PLC2
And then you will deal with only PLC1 to read your both PLC1 and PLC2 data,in the PV3 put a tag that switch between reading either PLC1 or PLC2.

This would not be an option because there may be instances where PLC1 is offline and PV3 would need to communicate with PLC2.
 
What about having PLC1 reading the data from PLC2
And then you will deal with only PLC1 to read your both PLC1 and PLC2 data,in the PV3 put a tag that switch between reading either PLC1 or PLC2.

The "view only" requirement seems to imply awareness in the Panelview program to appropriately block write access. Can this be done at the shortcut level? Or will there need to be some explicit programming to determine whether a particular Panelview is the primary or remote, and manipulate display objects accordingly?

"View only" would be something secondary to the question about having PV3 access both PLC1 and PLC2. If I can solve the primary question then I will move onto the view only function.
 
You may not want to do it, but it is still the lowest-effort, highest-reliability way to accomplish what you want.

Or, just run VNC Viewer on your third terminal and use it to remote to one or the other of those terminals. You can configure FTView ME to never even start up, so after booting the PV+ you just get a CE desktop.

I do not believe creating the third project file would be an option for the PanelView Plus 7 Standard because the specs state "terminal functionality permits connection to 1 controller".

However, running a VNC Viewer on PV3 is intriguing. What put me onto this is the Siemens terminals have a feature like this that can be invoked via a button on the screen. I wasn't sure if there was similar function on a PanelView, like via an ActiveX control.
 
Last edited:
That's the approach I would take. Sparkie also gives an idea that you can do the same with HMI tags.

Make a test project with just a few screens and objects (numeric input enables) to get this working for your needs:

1. Change your screens to use parameters
Instead of [PLCshortcut1]TagnamePath
Use this [#1]TagnamePath

2. Create a new Startup screen with three GoTo buttons. Those buttons will assign a PLC shortcut to the #1 parameter
3. When you start your project, select a GoTo button for the PLC that you want.
4. To change PLC, go back to the startup screen and choose a different GoTo button.


For each of your other screens, you will have to edit the GoTo button. Assign #1 to the parameter list in that GoTo button.
From then on, your PLC shortcut is always going to be #1.

That won't help you with alarms.
It won't work if you use Global Connections to do remote display change.
You need to be very careful if you are using parameters anywhere else.

I think this approach or something similar is my best shot. I do use parameters in many other places but I do not have any remote display changing. As you point out, alarms would be an issue.
 
"View only" would be something secondary to the question about having PV3 access both PLC1 and PLC2. If I can solve the primary question then I will move onto the view only function.

In this case, there is the "brute force" approach to just add two remote Panelview terminals, one dedicated to PLC1 and the other to PLC2, instead of a single switchable device. Yes, extra up-front cost, as well as physical space for installation, but it may offer a simpler solution in the end.
 
In this case, there is the "brute force" approach to just add two remote Panelview terminals, one dedicated to PLC1 and the other to PLC2, instead of a single switchable device. Yes, extra up-front cost, as well as physical space for installation, but it may offer a simpler solution in the end.

The installation is, in fact, already just as you describe. I have PV1 linked to PLC1 and PV2 linked to PLC2. What I am trying to solve is PV3 able to link to either PLC1 or PLC2 by the easiest means for an operator to use.
 
I do not believe creating the third project file would be an option for the PanelView Plus 7 Standard because the specs state "terminal functionality permits connection to 1 controller".

However, running a VNC Viewer on PV3 is intriguing. What put me onto this is the Siemens terminals have a feature like this that can be invoked via a button on the screen. I wasn't sure if there was similar function on a PanelView, like via an ActiveX control.

Bingo - the PV can't have two devices in the communication setup. Yet other screens at a fraction of the cost can ;)
Another...slower...option might be to use the serial port and Kepware?
Either way, global objects like the alarms will still be tied to one PLC so I guess that's not a solution..

What about loading both PV1 and PV2 applications into PV3 and the user just manually loads them? That should replace the communication setup if selected.
If the time & steps it takes to switch applications is a concern maybe a Panel PC running FT could be used. Just have two shortcuts on the desktop to load each file.
 
The installation is, in fact, already just as you describe. I have PV1 linked to PLC1 and PV2 linked to PLC2. What I am trying to solve is PV3 able to link to either PLC1 or PLC2 by the easiest means for an operator to use.

OK. I was thinking PV3 would be at a different location from PV1 and PV2; so I was suggesting a PV3 and a PV4, for PLC1 and and PLC2, respectively, at that remote location.
 

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