Can I use RSEmulate 500 to test a FactoryTalk View Studio ME application

I have a new client that wants a modification to a PanelView Plus screen, I have the original .apa and .mer files and also the .rss files. I was able the use RSEmulate 500 to simulate the Micrologix 1500 ladder logix and was able to set up the OPC data server topic for RSLinx Classic so that I was able to access the tags to make adjustments to the HMI screen in FactoryTalk View Studio Machine Edition.

Now that I have made the necessary adjustments I would like to click "Test Application" but of course that does not work because it wants to connect to the PLC that's set up under the communication settings under RSLinx Enterprise.

I have came across this in an "RSLinx Enterprise getting results guide publication LNXENT-GR001I-EN-E" on page 39-40

Use RSLinx Enterprise with RSLinx Classic:

If your RSLinx Enterprise configuration consists of a 1784-PKTX, Serial-DF1, or 1784-PCIC(S) drivers, and you need RSLinx Classic to communicate using that same driver, then you must share the driver within RSLinx Enterprise with RSLinx Classic.

See “Sharing an RSLinx Enterprise driver with RSLinx Classic” in the RSLinx Enterprise Help for this procedure.

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But I beginning to think it's not possible to do this with RSEmulate 500 and that it has to be actually hardware to "Test Application".

Can somebody confirm my suspicion or point me to this documentation that I can't find

See “Sharing an RSLinx Enterprise driver with RSLinx Classic” in the RSLinx Enterprise Help for this procedure.

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or help me figure out how to do this because it would be nice to use RSEmulate 500 to be able to test the RSlogix and PanelView Plus virtually!!

Thanks,
Luke

See this How-To on Youtube. This requires a paid version of RSLinx Classic in order use it as an OPC server.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnBSoR7ko4

OG

Ah, I was beaten to the punch. I recently did this, using this video as guidance.
What I found most amazing was that all my tags still worked.

I made the OPC server the same name as the Shortcut in RSLinx Enterprise, deleted the shortcut in RSLinx Enterprise and after a couple of reboots it suddenly started compiling the application and using the OPC server instead of RSLinx for my tag device. I guess it was interpreting the tag name as a string and making the best of it.

Looks like there is at least one programmer still at Rockwell who deserves a pint.

I don't think this functionality is intended as it is temperemental and intermittent. (but wait, isn't all of FactorySuite?) The change from RSLinx (Ent) to OPC and back can take a lot of messing about with reboots and Refresh All Folders in the tag selection list, compiling the app, rebooting, copying the app, renaming it, rebooting, refreshing all folders.

It is pretty impressive once you get RSEmulate500 running, and FactoryTalk App running on same machine, communicating via OPC and you can fully relate your HMI program to your PLC program without using any hardware at all. Welcome to 2013.

Branded you're the man!!!

That was the missing piece of the puzzle that wasn't in OG's video that I had already watched that got me as far as I got before I posted here in the forum.

Like I said I was able to see the new tags, or actually the same tags but from the emulated MicroLogix 1500, but when I would try and test the application it still wanted the old tags that was configured under RSLinx Enterprise communication settings that had already been made before I got a hold of the application that needs modifying. Your insight gave me a good clue what to look for, I went and looked at the old tags and they all had a prefix on them that was in brackets;

::[xxx]N51:16/4

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which ended up being the old shortcut to PLC configured under RSLinx Enterprise. I then went back to RSLinx Classic, right clicked on the plc that was being emulated and changed the name that I originally created under "Configure New DDE/OPC Topic" to match the one that was configured as the shortcut under RSLinx Enterprise communication settings. Then I went back and deleted the RSLinx Enterprise communication shortcut in FactoryTalk View Studio and ran the application and BINGO IT WORKED!!! I have never had to reboot or restart the program, the only thing I did was refresh the tag folder and it has worked flawlessly!!

Thank you Branded & OG It's very much appreciated!!

I'm sitting in my office miles away from the machine and I'm able to run the machine virtually and go online with RSLogix and toggle the inputs and interact with the HMI to get it to do exactly what I need and was able to figure out the issue!!

Thanks,
Luke

Hi. I know that this thread is really old. But I would like to know how you guys (hope you are still around), achieve communicating emulator with the application. The link of the video is not working anymore and I couldn't understand the method with just the messages.
What I truly want to do is to communicate a panelview with an RSLogix emulate 5000 and I know that this is not possible by RSLinx Enterprise, but I guess that your method with OPC could work.

To use RS Emulate 5000, you have to replace the CPU in your project with the Emulator CPU in the correct slot, and use the "Virtual Backplane" driver in RSLinx.

sigmadelta said:

To use RS Emulate 5000, you have to replace the CPU in your project with the Emulator CPU in the correct slot, and use the "Virtual Backplane" driver in RSLinx.

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Yes, I've done this before. The Emulate is communicating with FactoryTalk View ME perfectly via OPC. Problem is the comunication between Panelview and Emulate.

I ran the runtime of the Panelview from my computer to connect to RS Emulate, but I used FactoryTalk View SE... I don't know if ME can do the same.