Red Lion HMI programming

Crimson is very powerful, but you do need time to adjust. If at all possible, I would suggest using Crimson 3.0 to program the unit. It's editor is so far superior to the rest of the pack, it should quickly make up for most of the time you are spending getting acclimated to the syntax and toolbox in the G3.

I have done around a half dozen G3 projects now, and I still found myself looking up the syntax for the If/else statement the other day, as well as switch/case. I started my search looking for select/case...

If you are used to having certain objects already done for you, then yes, it is like being given a half finished ferrari and a box of strange looking tools, when you could just jump in the chevette with power windows and start driving...

Yes, post questions here, but if you need fast answers during business hours, call them too.

Do you have any computer programming languages other than ladder logic in your past? The C-like syntax of Crimson is not a far reach from someone who's been exposed to BASIC or any of several other human language based programming languages.

My background is ladder logic with the omron,ab,siemens and a few others. That is what all of our production and prototype equipment use. At some point I realize I need to try and learn more about the C+ and Basic type format, but like a lot of other folks out there the company I work for has downsized so much over the last few years that just trying to take care of what i use to have to take care of everyday and now what they had to deal with every week that it is almost impossible to stay abreast of everything. Thanks to everyone on this site for the help you give.
This project is CT Configurator and Ct components all the way. Not choice, while i was working in El Salvador and Arkansas my boss who is a mechanical person was convinced it was the way to go. I actually had the design complete and the HMI complete using simple Yaskawa drives and AB plc and maples display. I get back the whole concept was changed and everything i had done was almost useless, but that is just the way it is. What I am dealing with now is just lack of time, project was suppose to have been finished yesterday if you know what i mean. I have talked to some other folks that I know that are in this line of work and they have the same problem. The folks in charge have no problem spending thousands of dollars for outside mechanical assitance but if you even suggest bringing in some one to help with something control related they go nuts. Well enough *****ing, but once again, THANKS
 
Hi Jeremy,
The attached file is NOT a .zip file. Change the extension to .ctv and it will load into CTVue.
Change the extension to .cd2, and then upload it into Crimson 3.0 build 493.003.

After I check both boxes and hit import, it opens with no errors.

Possibly the error you mention happens if you try to bring it directly into Crimson 2.0. I don't have C2 installed on this computer yet, so I couldn't try.

Are there any issues having both Crimson 2.0 and Crimson 3.0 installed on the same machine?

Now I see what you are doing. If you try to open the file directly as the .cd2 file you will receive the error. I will submit this to our software team and get this Crimson 3.0 issue resolved.

There is no problem having both Crimson 2.0 and Crimson 3.0 installed on the same machine.

Thanks
Jeremy
 
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Looks like I missed the boat here, but here's the way I usually force screen changes in the G3. Rather than a single integer for screen control, I use a series of bits in the PLC. I set the logic up so that each required screen change will activate a particular bit.
1. Create flag tags in Crimson that reference the screen control bits in the PLC.
2. In the Triggers tab of the each tag's properties, create an "Active On" trigger with the Action "GotoPage(xxx)" where xxx is the name of the screen you want to switch to. This will force a screen change at the rising edge of the bit.

The advantage is that no extra programming is required in the G3, but using individual bits for screen control can be unwieldy if you have lots of screen changes. I think this same method could also be used with an integer tag and single PLC register, but you'd have to use a "Change in Value" trigger--I haven't tested this.
 
Looks like I missed the boat here, but here's the way I usually force screen changes in the G3. Rather than a single integer for screen control, I use a series of bits in the PLC. I set the logic up so that each required screen change will activate a particular bit.
1. Create flag tags in Crimson that reference the screen control bits in the PLC.
2. In the Triggers tab of the each tag's properties, create an "Active On" trigger with the Action "GotoPage(xxx)" where xxx is the name of the screen you want to switch to. This will force a screen change at the rising edge of the bit.

The advantage is that no extra programming is required in the G3, but using individual bits for screen control can be unwieldy if you have lots of screen changes. I think this same method could also be used with an integer tag and single PLC register, but you'd have to use a "Change in Value" trigger--I haven't tested this.


Thanks, great idea, will look into that. It appears I will only have about 4 screens on this project, but on some of mahcines there are over a 100 screens with different information that is used.
 
i tried it by creating the tag and setting the trigger as described and it would change the screen that is displayed.

What is happening is that even though I turn the bit off in the plc that the above tag action was linked to in order to get the hmi to change screens, the hmi will stay on that screen.

I also still the program in the program section of the hmi that tells the hmi which screen to go to based on the value in a N register in the plc.

After doing the above tag and action, even though I now go into the plc and change the number in the plc register, the hmi will no longer switch to the screen number referenced in the N register. It is like that fact that the above tag and action once i created it and excuted it has kept it locked onto that page.

I hope this makes sense, for example on power up the hmi is showing page 1. I created the above tag and linked it to a bit in the plc and when i turned that bit on, the screen then chaged to page 2. I can turn that bit off and then go in a place a number in the N register that I was using to tell the hmi which page to now display, but it will now not show that page. the hmi stays on the page that the gotopage action that the tag that i created as described told the hmi to go to.

Am i overlooing something
 
After doing the above tag and action, even though I now go into the plc and change the number in the plc register, the hmi will no longer switch to the screen number referenced in the N register. It is like that fact that the above tag and action once i created it and excuted it has kept it locked onto that page.
I wouldn't recommend using both methods of screen changing simultaneously--they will most likely conflict with each other.

What is happening is that even though I turn the bit off in the plc that the above tag action was linked to in order to get the hmi to change screens, the hmi will stay on that screen.
The trigger you created is "Active On," also referred to as rising edge. It only executes its GotoPage action once, when the tag initially becomes true. If you want the screen to switch back to a different page when the bit turns off, you'll have to create an "Active Off" trigger as well. This will execute the associated GotoPage action when the tag value changes from true to false. Each tag has two configurable triggers.
 

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