S7 - Example ProTool project

In a recent post, Jesper mentioned that there should be example ProTool projects installed when you install ProTool. I've looked all over and haven't been able to find any anywhere. Do you have to copy these from the installation CD separately, or are they just stuck in some subdirectory somewhere, which I haven't found yet?

On the same tack, if I go through the Start -> Simatic -> Documentation menu, there is no documentation available for either ProTool or WinCC. I eventually found some manuals on the Siemens support site, but so far haven't been able to find any example projects yet. So if somebody knows where I can find some example ProTool projects which include alarm handling (since that's specifically what I'm interested in), I'd be grateful if they could post a link.

Thanks in advance

Roy

I have ProTool lite and found examples but in the protool folder but nothing with an object I could open. I can send you an OP7 file if you want to look at it.

There should be some sample projects in

C:\SIEMENS\PROTOOL\SAMPLES\SIMATIC_S7_300_400.

with ProTool Version 6 sp2. If not they should be on the CD. I don't remember doing anything special when installing the CD, so I think they should be on the hard disk. There is a PLC program called quick, and sample programs for the different varieties of panels. If they are not there they should be on the CD. The sample project does include some alarm and event messaging.

I had to open the PLC project called "quick", then manually go to the directory, open the OP project, and it gave me the option to insert it into the quick project.

I can send you an OP7 file if you want to look at it.

Click to expand...

Thanks Ron that would be helpful. Up till now I've just had small projects with so few alarms they were integrated directly in the ProTool pictures. My current project is going to be generating 1000 - 2000 Alarms, so I need to use the built in system. Actually, if possible could you send the whole (or at least a cut down version) of the project. What I need is to get a feel for handling the whole business, including from the PLC end.

At the moment I feel a bit like the student who sits through the Maths lesson thinking "yes, I've got that" and then gets back home, wants to do his homework and finds he doesn't know where to start!

There should be some sample projects in

C:\SIEMENS\PROTOOL\SAMPLES\SIMATIC_S7_300_400.

Click to expand...

I'd forgotten that ProTool installed itself into a separate directory, however, the directory is empty.

I guess I'll have to have a look and see if I can something on the CD.

Edit: Just had a quick look and found a whole load of manuals, which may or may not prove useful. Couldn't find anything resembling a demo project though.

This was another learning curve for S7...geez. This will create a Siemens folder with a bunch of subfolders, the file is in there.

Doesn't seem to be my day for getting archived copies of Siemens projects today.

For some reason I don't understand the archive was tucked about three levels down under Siemens\Step7\s7proj\rw186 instead of just being directly available - never had that happen to an archive before!

Anyway, thanks to my previous experience today with Rolf's Weeknumber program I still managed to find it and open it up. However:

1) There is no ProTool project in there, perhaps ProTool wasn't integrated in Step7 for this project

2) The Symbol table is empty - completely, so even the blocks have no names, which makes it a bit difficult to follow.

Only thought, could this possibly be something to do with the fact that the project was for an OP and I'm trying to open it on a PC? I've never used any of the OPs, so I don't know in what way they differ from PCs as far as ProTool is concerned.

Thanks for taking the trouble so far though.

Ok let me try it again, yeah its all integrated. Try this one for some reason that didnt have the OP7 project included. May want to create a separate folder and drop the files into it, the actual project name is RW95. You should be able to open it with Simatic Manager and see the Master, Slave and OP. It has some English but it is primarily in German.

I forgot that Simatic S7 has an archive feature that would have made this easier.

Roy,
I uploaded a Step7 Project to the SIEMENS download area called "Dust_System.zip" it has a TP170B used in it. Perhaps it will be helpful for you if you just want to see how the tags and alarms are set up and interfaced.

Regards,
Chris

Sorry Ron,

I don't understand what's happening here. I did exactly as you suggested and created a new Folder and extracted the files into it (did this the last time as well), but when I open the project up in S7, once again there is no ProTool object there and all the sysmbols are missing.

The funny thing is, in the Software folder the Symbol table is listed as being 738 Bytes large, but when you open it, it's totally empty.

One thought just crossed my mind, what version of Step7 are you using. I'm using V5.3 and while I would have assumed (that word again!) that it would be backwards-compatible, maybe this is not the case.

@CT782

I downloaded your file and opened it up and I'm finding my way around OK. Thanks for pointing it out, I'd forgotten about the download area.

A couple of questions, you don't seem to be handling acknowledgement of the alarms in the program. What happens when you acknowledge an alarm on screen - as I understand it each message has its own acknowledge button (haven't seen one yet!). I assume that if the alarm has gone, the message disappears, but what happens if the alarm is still present?

Another thing that puzzles me is that in your "screen selection" picture all of the buttons (that I've looked at, anyway) just clear the "HMI_CHG_SCREEN Bit. How is the jump to the required screen actually handled? Or is this some function of a Touch Screen which I don't see, because I'm looking at the project on a PC?

Oh, that reminds me, I assume the silly little keyboard that pops up and that I can't get rid of, is also a result of the project being for a panel.

Finally, by default ProTool has two groups of messages, which I would translate out of the German to (approximately) System Messages and Fault Messages. I notice you're using the System Message group. Is there any difference between these to message groups, or can you just use them as and how you please?

Thanks again to both of you for the assistance.

Cheers

Roy

Roy

I assume that the TP170B will handle alarm messages the same way that the TP270 does.

When an alarm is triggered, the message configured for that alarm bit will flash up on screen, it will stay on the screen until it is 'acknowledged', once it is acknowledged, the message disappears and is replaced by a warning triangle, which will have the number of how many alarms are still active. If the alarm bit is then cleared (in the PLC), the warning triangle will also disappear.

The system messages (I believe) just appear on screen as they are triggered but they only appear for a set time, they do not require acknowledging like the alarm messages.

When you are viewing these on your PC are you in the protool configuration software or protool simulator?
If you view it in the simulator you can trigger the various bits and see the results as they would appear on the genuine HMI

Paul

Hi Roy,

Message types for Protool are "Event" & "Alarm"

All the best

Steve
PS - i'm not at work at the moment, But there is one project i can thing of that i learn't alot from. I'll find it and post it for you.

When you are viewing these on your PC are you in the protool configuration software or protool simulator?
If you view it in the simulator you can trigger the various bits and see the results as they would appear on the genuine HMI

Click to expand...

Have just tried it out, now I'm starting to get a feel for it I can see that I'm suffering my usual problem of trying to make things too complicated. At the back of my mind I had Jesper's system, which resembles pretty much how I used to handle things on the DCS, but the more I think about it, I think it's overkill here.

By the way, if got the time, could you try loading Ron's project and see if it works for you. It would be nice to know whether the problem is with the file, or if I'm doing something wrong.

Cheers

Roy

Message types for Protool are "Event" & "Alarm"

Click to expand...

Is there any preferred way of using these, or are you pretty well free to do what you like with them!

Cheers

Roy

RMA said:

By the way, if got the time, could you try loading Ron's project and see if it works for you. It would be nice to know whether the problem is with the file, or if I'm doing something wrong.

Click to expand...

I have just 'retrieved' Rons file(s) using Step 7, opened it up and... no OP in the project, just the 314 and no symbols table..

Oh well..

Paul