HMI for PLC

How should HMI on a pc for a PLC look like, what is important, are there any rules?

c16 said:

How should HMI on a pc for a PLC look like, what is important, are there any rules?

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I dont know of any 'rules' but keep it as clean looking as possible, if it starts to get cluttered make another screen

There are a ton of google pics https://www.google.com/search?q=SCA...p9TTAhXBPiYKHdvPDHgQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1920&bih=988

There have been a lot of studies done on HMI effectiveness and user interaction. It's a whole field of endeavor among "UX" designers.

There's a well-regarded HMI design book that's aimed at the process control industry: https://www.amazon.com/High-Performance-HMI-Handbook/dp/0977896919

For color codes related to safety systems, I like to follow the guidelines in the ANSI 535 standard.

https://www.nema.org/Standards/z535...all-Six-Standards-and-Safety-Color-Chart.aspx

But those are probably going to be a different ISO standard for systems in your part of the world.

In my opinion, all HMIs should simply be modeled after the LCARS system used by Starfleet.

Hey, another nice tutorial on some of the HMI recommendations in that book, from a Rockwell user's group a few years ago:

https://www.rockwellautomation.com/...s/automation-fair/2011/psug/afpsug11_ed09.pdf

Last summer I borrowed a Tesla Model S for a couple of days and spent a couple hours at a charging station just flipping through menus and making notes about how the selectors and user interface worked. I get to look at the Ford Sync system every day and use elements from both whenever I can.

Thank you

ISA-101 is the standard for HMI design.

This is a good overview on some of the stuff:
http://wilmingtonisa.org/files/Download/ISA%2DApplying%2DISA101%2Dto%2DExisting%2DHMIs_MikeHawrylo.pdf


There is an international standard for the color of push buttons and such. IEC 60204-1. It's also an European machine safety standard.
You'll get the gist of the colors here:
http://www.schneider-electric.co.uk/en/faqs/FA28043/

You might have to take industry dependent or company specific color codes into consideration as well.


A few "rules":

* make it easy to understand and easy to use
* don't make the HMI screen look exactly like the machine or process (simplify it so it's easier to understand)
* don't use 3D objects (visual clutter, makes it harder to see what is important)
* don't use animation (it distracts)
* use color only when it means something (it's easier to see color that stand out that way)
* never use the color red for stop or stop buttons (harder to see alarm and abnormal conditions)
* use light/medium grey backgrounds (easier on the eyes and it allows you to use both white and black as different colors).
* think about what's important for the operator to see (not all the things you could show him)
* make it easy to understand what is an abnormal situation (for instance is this 231.2mm good or bad?)

Another issue is what does the customer want? Many 'good' design HMIs on the web have grey as a background - most of my customers reckon grey is not a colour! I normally use a blue as a background these days - it works very well.

Hi C16,

You should also make sure whatever HMI software you use (purchase) or create for a PC is scalable to any size resolution. Some users will user larger monitors and you want to make sure the images are not distorted when stretched out.

Try to be consistent. If the operators use other HMIs, try to make it intuitively familiar. But at the same time, don't limit yourself. I've seen retrofits where the new HMI tries to painstakingly mimic 1980s text only graphics from an obsolete HMI, instead of taking advantage of new graphical synoptic capabilities.

Ask or observe the operators, on common functions. It's amazing what they put up with without complaint. They may go routinely go through 10 pages, for one control on each, in sequence. Reduce 90% of their workflow to one page and they will help you through your bugs. If this is a new installation, you may want to revisit them in a few months.

Yes...
Keep it operator friendly. Think from their point of view....not an engineering point of view.
Most operators are not fully familiar with operation of pcs. Don't use multiple mouse buttons....try to keep right click only.
I use a tab bar on the bottom to call up main windows. Some of those windows also call up windows, but the tab bar is "common" and always there, so the operator can easily go back, without feeling lost.

Again...
Keep it operator friendly. Think from their point of view....not an engineering point of view.
(Unless requested....of course)