Html hmi

After creating some html reports in Indusoft, I can't help but wonder if you could do an entire HMI in HTML.

I have done that before. Just setup a tag server using SQL database and a small VBA program to use RSLinx to update the SQL records. Then I used .ASP pages to generate the 'screens'. But with things like the free VBA HMI out now it's much easier to make a quick cheap HMI without having to write a bunch of html code.


Also did a very small HMI using the newer SLC html pages you write into special text tables. It's read only tho.

CoDeSys does HTML5 web visualisations, as of version 3. Several PLC vendors build on top of CoDeSys v3 or make their own flavour (like Wago E!****pit, Beckhoff Twincat 3) and thus offer HTML HMI's directly from the PLC. Works fine, with the added benefit that you build the visualisation in the same environment as the PLC program.

It can be done. The issue is updating the items on the page when they change in the PLC. As stated above you can create a SQL table/tables that contain PLC data. The ASP.net application can use AJAX, SignalR, etc, technology to update the web page as the values change. If you need to show production data throughout your factory this can work well. We do this using 50 inch TVs connected to thin clients. We have a windows service that reads data from the PLC and sends it to SQL server. When we need to add a PLC tag we just add it to the "Tag Database" table in SQL and the windows service automatically creates it and groups it into a packet. It reads the data from the PLC and updates a "PLC Data" SQL table/tables. The web pages reacts to the data changes in the "PLC Data" SQL table.

JaxGTO said:

But with things like the free VBA HMI out now it's much easier to make a quick cheap HMI without having to write a bunch of html code.

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Which VBA HMI do you speak of ?

passwordg said:

Which VBA HMI do you speak of ?

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https://www.advancedhmi.com/

HTML itself is not capable, but through JavaScript it is. Using solely JavaScript wouldn't be as good as using a server side language, such as an ASP .NET language (VB or C#). I'm working on a PHP codebase to do just that, but it's far from seeing daylight. It all depends on what you're comfortable with programming, or if programming is outside your capabilities who you can find to outsource it to.

I am a huge proponent of the plc sending the data when the data changes and visa versa on the hmi end instead of just polling, but since it doesn't matter much in this application, I'm going to re examine advanced hmi.
I'm out of tags in Indusoft, plus it costs me $700 per runtime, plus modbus addressing a M251 is going to be horrific.

AdvancedHMI drivers are subscription based.

Phrog30 said:

AdvancedHMI drivers are subscription based.

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But they prices are totally reasonable.


For the record, Ignition in release 8 is going to be based on HTML-5, which allows subscriptions to data providers.
I think I'm going to stick with the current release, but may go to 8, since it is fully backwards compatible.


HTML-5 Applications are perfectly targeted to tablets and mobile apps though, so there will be a huge benefit there.

No, subscription based didn't mean price, functionality.

passwordg said:

Which VBA HMI do you speak of ?

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AdvancedHM. Couldn't remember the name off the top of my head.

rdrast said:

HTML-5 Applications are perfectly targeted to tablets and mobile apps though, so there will be a huge benefit there.

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Correct, but be aware that this is also a risk. If you expose your HMI to a tablet or smartphone that can be anywhere in a wide area around a machine, then the user starting things from that tablet may not have direct visual or audible contact with the machine and more importantly people working around. From a safety point of view I am very cautious allowing to start or control any process like that.