A Free HMI with Eye Catching Graphics is Now Available

[BryanG]

Hi Archie

I am at the stage of getting the Write sections to work for the Siemens PLCs driver and hit a minor snag. In the code for SelectorSwitch and BasicButton, Toggle, you use ReadAny to get the current state of the bit. I am roughly using the TwinCATcomm as a model but you don't use the ReadAny function in that driver. Have you got some other way of knowing the current contact state. Sorry if I am being a bit thick here.

Also spotted but don't know if it is deliberate, in SelectorSwitch and BasicButton in OnCreateControl you have code that only mentions TwinCATCom.

 

[Archie]

In the code for SelectorSwitch and BasicButton, Toggle, you use ReadAny to get the current state of the bit. I am roughly using the TwinCATcomm as a model but you don't use the ReadAny function in that driver. Have you got some other way of knowing the current contact state.

In TwinCATComm, line 557 is the ReadAny function. ReadAny is a method declared in ICommComponent, therefore any driver that is to work with AdvancedHMI must implement that function.

Also spotted but don't know if it is deliberate, in SelectorSwitch and BasicButton in OnCreateControl you have code that only mentions TwinCATCom.

When a control is added to a form, the first thing it does is look for a comm driver to link to. If none exists, it will add a default driver to the form. The only reason those particular controls reference TwinCATComm is because they came from a project I did that only had the TwinCAT driver in it, therefore it adds a TwinCATComm driver by default instead of the typical DF1Comm.

The purpose of adding a default driver to the form is so the CommComponent property could automatically be set to a driver instance. Mostly to make the software easier to use.

 

[BryanG]

Ah, I only figured the second ReadAny which has two parameters, that one does nothing, the first ReadAny does do something. I haven't got a clue what because it just seems to call itself, I really really will have to spend some time studying VB.Net. I am guessing that the DLL(MyDLLInstance) is the important bit.
OK, now I have to figure out how to get mine to work, Ho Hum, another busy weekend.

 

[Archie]

Ah, I only figured the second ReadAny which has two parameters, that one does nothing, the first ReadAny does do something. I haven't got a clue what because it just seems to call itself, I really really will have to spend some time studying VB.Net. I am guessing that the DLL(MyDLLInstance) is the important bit.

The ReadAny method is overloaded. It can either accept a single parameter (PLCAddress) or two (PLCAddress and number of elements to read). If it is called with only the PLCAddress, it assumes only one element is to be read, so it calls the second definition by passing a fixed value of 1 for the number of elements parameter.

DLL(myDLLInstance) is the Data Link Layer used for actual communication with the device. In your case, this would actually be an instance of libnodave. An array is used in order to allow comms to multiple PLCs.


EDIT:
Now that I go back and look at the TwinCATComm code, you are exactly right. The ReadAny overload that is intended to read multiple elements has never been implemented. Only the one to read a single element was complete,which was enough to get it working with AdvancedHMI

 

[userxyz]

Nice

Very nice, just installed it.

Why free ?

Kind regards,
combo

The first Beta release of AdvancedHMI is now available for download. AdvancedHMI is an HMI development package based on Visual Basic Express 2008 (also free). Although it is based on Visual Basic, it contains a group of controls that allow you to build an HMI without the need to write any code. Even those that have never written a single line of Basic can use it to develop an HMI. It includes a driver for Allen Bradley SLC/Micrologix over RS232, but will also work over DH485 and DH+ with appropriate hardware (KF2,KF3, DL3500, UIC). Also includes a very basic driver for Beckhoff TwinCAT (very early in development). All source code is included, making it very easy for more advanced VB programmers to expand the object library.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/advancedhmi/

A quick how to video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-E8NlUNiX4
(can be watched in High Quality with link below and to the right of video - this seems to load faster too)

This is a community project, so anyone that wishes to contribute (graphics, code, testing, suggestions, etc) please let me know. Future additions include communication drivers for Ethernet/IP and Omron.

Any vendors interested in having their products (e.g. meter, scale display, etc.) made into components and added to this project, get with me.

 

[BryanG]

Hi Archie

I started a new thread for the Siemens PLCs drivers:
http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?p=436012#post436012

 

[Abed Mqayyad]

Thank you very much I am very new to HMI. So, I might have some questions about how to use your program. Thanks again

 

[kjacoby]

Archie, I am getting ready to set up a new machine with Control Logix. I havent used this driver yet, have you had any issues with it? Do you have any examples of the Tags?

Thank you

 

[userxyz]

Why free...

Just had a little discussion with my boss and I agree with his arguments. We only may use HMI from a known vendor like Siemens or Wonderware or... because of the support,...
So it's nice that Archie is able to develop his own HMI soft and even write his own communication drivers, but we only may use known soft. When a machine runs on free soft, and there is a bug that disturbs the process, then this will cost a lot more then a trustable HMI.

But, it's great for home use I think, or for really small not critical applications.

Kind regards,
Combo

Very nice, just installed it.

Why free ?

Kind regards,
combo

 

[ndzied1]

Just had a little discussion with my boss and I agree with his arguments. We only may use HMI from a known vendor like Siemens or Wonderware or... because of the support,...
So it's nice that Archie is able to develop his own HMI soft and even write his own communication drivers, but we only may use known soft. When a machine runs on free soft, and there is a bug that disturbs the process, then this will cost a lot more then a trustable HMI.

But, it's great for home use I think, or for really small not critical applications.

Kind regards,
Combo

I have not used Advanced HMI for anything other than testing and playing around but love it. I actually have a customer that wants to have a summary screen of data from several PLCs and recommended they take a look at it for use as display only.

I don't think they would use it for control but as display I don't think it will be a problem.

 

[BryanG]

So it's nice that Archie is able to develop his own HMI soft and even write his own communication drivers, but we only may use known soft. When a machine runs on free soft, and there is a bug that disturbs the process, then this will cost a lot more then a trustable HMI.

I disagree, I have used 'trustable HMIs' and had major problems and it has taken a long time to sort out. If it had been open source I could have traced the problem myself instead of having to wait for a development team to get around to fixing my problem.

You are assuming that the people who write the 'paid for' software are better programmers than those who write 'free soft' and I know that that isn't true. Then you get to numbers, the 'trustable HMI' team is limited because the company has to make a profit, but you can have unlimited people working and debugging on a 'free soft' system.

And I am sick and tired of being tied to one vendors hardware system and having to wait for deliveries. And then when new screen technologies come along I have to wait for the HMI people to get around to updating their product line.

All in all I am taking a serious look at 'free soft' and so far the future looks bright.

 

[bguinn]

I don't think I've found an HMI package that is completely free of bugs. Some are from the software, and some are from the end user. Either way there are usually bugs to be worked out, or worked around.
As far as support, this is VB.Net based. How much more support do you need. The is Microsoft support, user support, many forums and tutorials all over the web, training books in every book store.
All Advanced HMI is doing is giving you ready made tools, which make this more like any other HMI software package. The limitations are almost endless depending on your ability to program in .NET.
If you feel you have to pay for it, you can buy .NET Studio, then use the tools that Archie has given.

 

[Vinnie_vdb]

This looks a really nice package. Any idea if this can work with the Schneider M238 PLC??? Thx

 

[Archie]

Just had a little discussion with my boss and I agree with his arguments. We only may use HMI from a known vendor like Siemens or Wonderware or... because of the support,...
So it's nice that Archie is able to develop his own HMI soft and even write his own communication drivers, but we only may use known soft. When a machine runs on free soft, and there is a bug that disturbs the process, then this will cost a lot more then a trustable HMI.

But, it's great for home use I think, or for really small not critical applications.

Kind regards,
Combo

Yes, you are correct. Free support for free software is limited. However, customers that contract our company to develop HMIs, or developers that contract to have custom components developed, receive full support. We may also start investigating pay per incident for priority support services.

As bguinn points out, this is an open source .NET application. If I had to guess, I would say there is probably an order of magnitude more support for .NET software than all of the HMI packages combined.

 

[rguimond]

Can anyone tell me if this will run on Maple Systems
OMI5070A-CE? They're based on Windows CE.