Component Workbench Programming

Patrick_P

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Join Date
Dec 2014
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Teesside
Posts
5
Hi everyone,

I have been asked by a client to provide some support on configuring an Allen Bradley Micro 820 PLC and Panelview HMI.

The requirement is fairly simplistic, and is to display the 4-20mA input signals onto the HMI (no actual control functionality required).

I have experience in working with RSLogix programming software however I have never used Components Workbench software.

Could someone give me some guidance/ examples on how to use Components Workbench to receive, scale and transmit the analogue signals to the HMI.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
 
CCW is a little weird and not as fancy as RSLogix 5000 or something, but if you've ever done any visual basic programming, you'll get the hang of it. the panelvies have the programming environment built right in and the tags are "connected" by the use of assigning Modbus numbers to them

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fliterature.rockwellautomation.com%2Fidc%2Fgroups%2Fliterature%2Fdocuments%2Fqr%2F2080-qr002_-en-p.pdf&ei=Nve2VJGhKMqWNtiQgqgK&usg=AFQjCNHcNVq2PHd_KKkqciigrvm-jYfYLA&bvm=bv.83640239,d.eXY

look at chapter 5

CCW will probably have you pulling your hair out for a while, but I actually came to kinda like the simpleness of it .. the building and downloading gets kinda old though

you get little analog modules that plug right in the front of the thing... you won't have any trouble figuring those out and support is free from Rockwell and of course there's this site with much more knowledgeable guys than I
 
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Thanks for the response.

Unfortunately I have not had much dealings with Visual Basic Programming on previous projects.

From what I can gather, the I/O points are created with the Local Variables editor. Is this correct?

I will then need to establish communications between the PLC and HMI. Then using Modbus Mapping to display I/O values on the HMI. Is this correct?

A quick example would be greatly appreciated!!!!
 
I am going from memory here which is pretty thin ice but I believe you configure the controller in the CCW and then when you program a new tag you can pick the Input or output from a list
there IS some sort of variable editor or something where you can make local ,global, I/O tags

the download is free ... just get the stuff and mess with it ... you'll get it

the Panelview is connected to the computer thru a USB cord, the software is contained within the panelview, and when you create a text box numerical display or whatever they call it, there is a connecton tab where you can choose one of the tags that you set up with Modbus numbers in the communications tab on the main screen.

I"ve played with it. Good luck. I found it to be a major pain in the ***.

you're talking to someone here who is in the process of getting a WIN 7 computer going to maintain several generations of PLCs and HMI's with Panelbuilder factory talk etc tell me about the PITA

I can't see how it's going to work at all with WIN 8. Hopefully, i'll be retired.
 
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I'm overseeing (the intern is doing it, but my *** is on the line) a project with a Micro820, 4M VFDs, and a PanelView C400. All of it programs in CCW and I think it's actually pretty slick compared to most of the **** software Rockwell puts out. The one software package does the PLC, HMI, and VFD programming and communication setup. The big difference is it is in line with what the rest of the world is doing instead of with Rockwell standard, so if you only have experience with RSLogix/Studio 500/5000 it will be strange and confusing, but if you've worked with other platforms it will be simple and familiar.

For instance, TON timer has IN, PT, Q, and ET (world wide standard inputs and outputs of a TON) instead of EN, PRE, DN, and ACC (only Rockwell uses these terms).
 
I found it to be rather simplistic I/O maps to global variables, created tags map to local, you can map to modbus addresses or Ethernet and use the tags.

The Ethernet option gets a little more involved...only the global tags are directly accessible by the Ethernet, you have to use aliasing to get your local tags to show up. I have not done it but it has been talked about in a few threads (one of mine and a couple others) that were posted in the past month or so.
 
I'm hoping to be retired. :)

time spent using Rockwell software and doing useful things / time spent with activations / trying to get Rockwell software to work with WIN 7 and old hardware ... aggravation of managers younger than my underwear and omnipotent corporate A-holes
2-time-spent-on-Adobe-graph.gif
 
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Hi Patrick,

Not sure if this helps at all but there is a Scalar function block built into CCW that does linear scaling very nicely. Drag an Instruction block from the Toolbox on the right and start typing Scalar in the search box. Or arrange by category and its the first block under Process Control. The tags you create in CCW for your variables are mapped to modbus registers. Double click the PLC name in the top of the project tree on the left and choose ModBus mapping from the tree under Controller. You must be disconnected from the PLC in order to map your variables.

Mongoid
 

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