FactoryTalk ME physical push button used as alarm acknowlege

[DaveZR2]

FactoryTalk View ME running on PanelView Plus 7, connected to Compact GuardLogix 5380 PLC

Customer is asking for a physical push button to be used to acknowledge individual alarms. I can't figure out if this is possible. Is there a way to do it? I have my alarms set up in FTV, and the HMI acknowledge button is working how I want it to. What I really want is a way to map the physical push button so that it behaves exactly like pushing the HMI ack button.

I was hoping I could use the AlarmIdentifier to feed the "current alarm" back to the PLC, and then press the physical PB, which would send a "remote ack" signal to the panelview, thereby acknowledging the current alarm. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get the AlarmIdentifier to update to the next alarm after the current alarm is acknowledged. Any ideas how I can do this?

 

[WhinnieThePooh]

When you go to alarm setup in FTV, you should be able to set any sort of boolean tag to ack the alarms. I recently did this on a project where the customer wanted a physical button to acknowledge the alarm.

I think this is what you are trying to do ?

 

[DaveZR2]

That's what I initially thought, too, but according to the help file the "Ack" connection is a write tag (i.e. PVP to PLC)

Next I thought I could use "Remote Ack" (PLC to PVP) but that is supposed to be an analog value so I figured I would have to have the PLC somehow know what the current alarm on the PVP was before I could send the analog value...

Or, am I interpreting this wrong?

 

[joseph_e2]

Hmmm....interesting help information...

Remote Ack connection

The Remote Ack connection allows for remote acknowledgment of alarms. The data source writes the alarm's trigger value to this connection, and all unacknowledged alarms with this trigger value are acknowledged.

Assign an analog tag to this connection.

If you assign this connection and select the "Use ack all value" option for the trigger, when the Acknowledge all value is sent to this connection, all unacknowledged alarms for the trigger are acknowledged.

Remote acknowledgment does not take place if the notification hold time is in effect for the Ack connection.

Not sure how you'd identify which alarm is selected. I'd have to experiment some with this, but I don't have a PV+ for testing...

So they want to ack the top alarm in the list with a pushbutton or do they want to select an alarm in the list and use a pushbutton to ack it?

 

[DaveZR2]

What they want is, a permanent "banner" at the top that only displays one alarm at a time. When the physical PB is pushed it will acknowledge the displayed alarm and then show the next alarm (if there are multiple).

I think I found a way to do it, though I still need to test:

• Create an on-top, can't be replaced display, that contains an alarm list object sized and formatted to look like an alarm banner, so it will only show the alarm at the top of the list.
• Use the Alarm List's AlarmIdentifier connection to feed a unique integer of the top alarm back to the PLC. I've already tested that this tag will send the AlarmIdentifier of the highlighted alarm in an AlarmList.
• Using logic in the PLC, depending on which alarm is currently displayed, select the correct bit in the Remote Ack DINT tag to energize when the physical PB is pushed. I'm using Trigger Type: Bit.
• If this works, the Remote Ack bit being energizedwill acknowledge the current alarm and then the next alarm in the list will appear at the top, be highlighted automatically, and send a new AlarmIdentifier.

 

[CageFreeBMW]

For machines with a lot of faults, I don't used the built in ACK button from FactoryTalk. It takes a lot of programming in the PLC, but I run the acknowledge portion it like this:

1. All acknowledgeable faults use a latch. All faults from individual stations/tooling get MOV/COP into a large DINT array.
2. The large DINT array goes through a FBC instruction to assign a list of fault numbers based on their position in the large DINT array.
3. On the HMI, create an 'alarm' popup that uses a Local Message with all the faults.
4. Add acknowledge rungs for each fault (that can be acknowledged). In that rung, add an EQU with the current fault number being displayed. When the button (I use a momentary button on the HMI) is pushed, only the fault with the current display number will be 'acknowledged' (but unlatched).
5. Add a scroll/next button to the HMI so you can cycle through the active faults (triggers the FBC again). Now specific faults can be cleared.

It's more work than using the built in ACK system, but it also allows me to block an ACK if specific requirements aren't made. If you're needing to add it to all faults, it may not be worth it. If it is only a couple, a modified version of this may be doable.

 

[robertmee]

Sometimes it's your job to tell your customer their idea is stupid.