Stupid Beijer, stupid IX Developer, stupid C#

What actually are you wanting to do that requires c# coding?

I have to say that IX Developer is about the least intuitive HMI package I have ever used. I gave up on Beijer for a couple of reasons. IX Developer was one of them. There are others that offer ease of use and then some kind of scripting if you need to do something special.

What actually are you wanting to do that requires c# coding?

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I am trying to replicate the 'No Protocol Mode' from the Cimrex and Exter range of Beijer HMIs. Though I could probably simplify the comms because the HMI is now smarter I prefer to keep it the same so that the rest of the system doesn't have to be changed. The same PLC code can then be used with either an existing Exter HMI or a newer IX HMI.

I am communicating with an embedded Linux computer that is acting as a Data Logger, it is programmed in C, it stores RS232 data that it also forwards to a thermal printer. There is a Siemens S7-1200 that is connected to the HMI that is connected to the Data Logger that is connected to a printer.

From the HMI I send the Data Logger a control character that tells it that the following character is a command, the Data Logger gets the command and sends a response back to the HMI.

In detail, the system as is:
The HMI is dumb so the PLC has to do all the controlling and storage of data.
They go on to 'Data Logger' pages on the HMI and the PLC tells the HMI to go in to No Protocol Mode. They press a button on the HMI and I clear the HMI RS232 port, the PLC receive registers and I set a send bit. Once the send bit is set I put an Integer value in to a PLC transmit register to tell the HMI to transmit the command to the Data Logger. The HMI signals that the transmit is complete by modifying the value in the PLC transmit register. When the PLC is told that the transmit is complete it sets a register that tells the HMI to go in to listen mode. The HMI receives the reply from the Data Logger and puts the received string in to PLC registers. Depending on the first character in the received string the PLC may tell the HMI to receive more data or it may parse the received data for use elsewhere.

I have been playing with the C#, and if the HMI works the same as my PC then I don't need to worry about telling the HMI to go in to different modes. But as I say I want to keep the PLC coding consistent no matter which HMI I am working with.

BryanG said:

I dream of my customer being able to give me information about Shock and Vibration, even a rough idea on Temperature, apart from 'don't worry, it will be fine'.

The machines are mobile and built to be rugged, they have onboard diesel generators and the whole machine vibrates when the generator is under load. Just to add to the fun they transport the machines out to the work sites from the holding yard behind rather large tractors. Though they can't tell me much about temperatures I do know that the chemicals have a fairly narrow operating band. They might not worry about cooking or freezing the panel but they wouldn't want to damage thousands of pounds worth of chemical. I do know about 'Antiglare, or high-bright'. Antiglare isn't much use when you have to fit a screen protector to stop them getting glue all over it, so it has to be high-bright. Putting all of the above together was why I was looking at the Beijer Extreme HB. It is just a shame that IX Developer is such a pain.

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Have you seen the Red Lion HMIs?
Their Graphite series might be worth a try:
4G vibration 40G shock
-20C to 60C
1000cd/m2 and 1500cd/m2 high bright for the 7" and 10"
Scripting in C ("like")


Beijer is X2 Extreme:
4G vibration 40G shock
-30C to 70C, but you said that wasn't a big deal
500cd/m2

1000cd/m2 on the Marine high-bright, but then you give up the tractor-jolting shock ratings (down to 1G vibration and 10G shock).


For your sanity, it's worth a try.

Thank you, I will have another look at Red Lion. When I first looked at going to a colour screen I had a couple of reps come in. At the time Red Lion caused me two issues, no High Brightness display and they insisted on having physical keys as part of the HMI that made the screen too big to fit in the space available.

For your sanity,

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That ship has long since sailed.