Think N Do

JoeM1

Member
Join Date
Jul 2015
Location
Tucson
Posts
71
Good Afternoon,
I am building a HMI screen for a flowchart in Think N Do, the latest rev.
The flow chart works, and has been running for a long time.
The screens did not import, but I had to rebuild them anyway, so not a great loss there.

My issue is that the variables in FlowView do not seem to carry over to ScreenView; and it would be very helpful if they did. What do you guys think?

Thanks
 
I use TnD quite a bit. There is a glitch present in TnD 8.1 in screenview where it will not accept tags that have not been used in screenview before, usually if you try to type the tag name in directly.

Usually, when using new tags that have recently been created in the data items, you have to pick them once using the selection tool instead of typing them in directly. Once they are picked once and associated to an object, they can be typed in directly.

If you are importing screens and flowcharts into a project, try to import the screens first and let it create the new tags and then import the flowchart. If you do it in the reverse order, you will likely have to go into screenview and pick each one of the new tags by doubleclicking on a tag box and selecting them from the list of tags before they will work on the screens.
 
Joe,
I am working on TND 5.7 to TND 8.1 upgrades. I am having the similar issues!

Silverhound- Why is it necessary to create additional tags for the screens, this seems to just add a layer of complexity that isnt needed. I am used to just pointing to the I/O address to to report motor status, or to show an analog value. For example I added a start button on the main HMI screen and clicked on Tag/Exp in object properties and it opens up the object finder window and i go to data items/float folder click on my motor start. When I try to close the object folder I get "Invalid name in expression". UGH!!!
 
Joe,
I am working on TND 5.7 to TND 8.1 upgrades. I am having the similar issues!

Silverhound- Why is it necessary to create additional tags for the screens, this seems to just add a layer of complexity that isnt needed. I am used to just pointing to the I/O address to to report motor status, or to show an analog value. For example I added a start button on the main HMI screen and clicked on Tag/Exp in object properties and it opens up the object finder window and i go to data items/float folder click on my motor start. When I try to close the object folder I get "Invalid name in expression". UGH!!!

There is a glitch in handling new tags between Think and Do's logic side and the HMI (Screenview - which is a third party developed HMI they integrated into Think and Do). It acts like there is a seperate database for tags that the HMI uses that you can't see and it gets out of sync with the logic side database.

I am not saying to create separate additional tags for the HMI.

Usually, the problem manifests as I described above. I.e., when a new tag is created; it has to be picked from the list first like you described instead of being typed in to avoid the error you describe. I use a lot of expressions (multiple tags with math & and/ors) so I will sometimes cut and paste text with a new tag name and get that error. I end up having to pick the new tag by itself first (without adding any other text) and then close out the properties box and then go back in and then put in my expression to get it to be accepted.

I have seen what you are describing once, as well. In that case the reverse was true. I was able to type in the tag and it would accept it, but would give the error if I picked it like you describe. It happened at the think & do training class I took and the instructor had no good answer as to what was going on.

If I ever import stuff from another project, I always import the screens first and let them create the tags that they are using before the flowcharts. If I import the flowcharts first and they create the tags, it often creates the same problem. When I import the screens after the charts, the objects on the screens that are associated with newly created tags do not work and I get the same invalid expression error when trying to close the properties box when investigating. I usually end up having to create a new object and pick every one of the new tags once in one of its property boxes and then deleting it when done. Once every new tag is picked once, all the dead objects start working again.
 
Think N Do....Urgh.

My introduction to Automation in University. PC Based control with Wago I/Oo_O

How I ended up in this career after that mess. Still have nightmares.

Good luck
 
I bought a Think N Do panel PC back in the day when RSView32 first came out. We also bought a brand new Allen Bradley rack mount industrial PC becfause our distibutor assured us that the Think N Do was junk and that he had something better.

The Think N Do software trial was too bizarre for me to take seriously as a control option, so I put RSView32 on it and ran it side by side with the A/B PC.

The Think N Do Panel PC ran great but the A/B PC "blue screened" daily. I sent the A/B PC back to our distributor and put the Think N Do PC into production running RSView32. I didn't have a good way to mount that rack-style PC anyway but the Think N Do was about like a SLC rack and I was kinda fond of it.
 
Silverhound- Thank you so much for the information!!! I will keep plugging away at it!!

Morphuis, Okie I agree!!! Very Bizarre software package. Like nothing I have ever used before.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom