FACTis HMI Software

Two questions:

We are about to replace an old(er) HMI on a machine with FACTis - another old piece of software. We about to buy a *new* old PC -- that is, brand new, but with PIII-era hardware. It must run DOS, have a parallel port for the dongle, have slot for an ISA RS422 card, and serial or PS/2 mouse. USB is useful for loading the software into it. But the prices being charged for hardware that I can literally go pick out of the e-waste bin, is ludicrous!

Q1: Does anyone else on this form use Factis, and if so, what is the most modern hardware on which you have successfully run it?

Q2: If any of you /used/ to use Factis, might you have a dongle - or several - for it lying around, that you would part with?

What is the obstacle to using a more modern HMI software? Which PLC/controller is involved?

Have you priced the replacement with something modern to bring it forward to the man holding the chequebook?

I know of one, now dead, offshore drillship that was saved by a 10$ part off of eBay. Had the person selling it know that it was going to save an upgrade of several thousand dollars, the price would have been different.
Have you had a look there? I know it's a longshot nowadays, but you never know.

Have you looked to see if the dongle can be reverse engineered?

We have 24 machines with the majority running Factis connected to Siemens 505 series PLCs. I'm sure I could find something just as capable and more modern, but with the time and effort they've put in here, I'd have to prove out a change before they would.

Over the next two to three weeks I'll be delving into some changes on the HMIs, so will get to know the software, and what we really need from it ... But change may have to wait for machine #2 - I've until March 1 to get this one back in commission, and likely won't have time to re-write an HMI. But, open to ideas. It may be a prime time to quickly learn AdvancedHMI ...

Wow, FactIS have not heard that name in a long time. Developed by Tom Bertha and Marion _____ ( last name escapes me ) out of Livonia MI.

YACL

Yet
Another
Computer
Language

was the windows big brother of the DOS ICM Alert

RoTaTech said:

have a parallel port for the dongle,

Click to expand...

Have you checked if you can get a dongle upgrade?

I had a VisiWin project with a LPT dongle there was a USB upgrade available for at a decent price after the all-in-one touchscreen died.