Red Lion G304K vs. Allen-Bradley PanelView 300 Micro

[MikeGranby]

> PF still has 1 or 2 feature that I added to the RL wish list.

Did we get them all in C3? If not, plese let us know...

 

[JeffKiper]

> PF still has 1 or 2 feature that I added to the RL wish list.

Did we get them all in C3? If not, plese let us know...

Mike let me start off by being honest I haven't looked at C3 yet. I got to play with my little boy so this work stuff got put on the back burner.

Last time talked to Dan he noted these Logix 5K program tags. Have talked to Jesse about it.
The next is hardware I guess a NTSC video input card. The PF can have 4 video ins and displaying with no noticeable slow down. This is extremely helpful with Banner cameras so I dont tie up my ethernet bandwidth with bitmaps.

 

[MikeGranby]

Thanks for this, Jeff. I know the program tags are in progress; the video inputs are obviously not something we can fix in software, but I'm sure your comment has been noted.

 

[OkiePC]

I had a nice visit from our rep today with a demo unit. They are going to give me a loaner to try out on my machine before we purchase.

The G403K looks like a very good little HMI. It is very bright and readable from nearly any angle. It boots up (with their demo app) in just a few seconds too.

I think I got my application written, but still have some questions.

The main question I have remaining is how do I control the page being displayed by the G304K from a PLC address?

I have found the scripting section of the manual which explains how to write a script like GoTo(Main) where Main is the name of a page, but is there a way to do that numerically?

Or do I need to write a little switch/case script in the G3 to call the screen by name depending on which value is held by the PLC tag?

 

[JeremyH]

OkiePC,

You are on the right track with the switch/case script. Based on the value in the PLC register you can execute the appropriate gotopage() command. If you need any help with this you can PM me or email me.

Thanks
Jeremy

 

[504bloke]

I had a nice visit from our rep today with a demo unit. They are going to give me a loaner to try out on my machine before we purchase.

The G403K looks like a very good little HMI. It is very bright and readable from nearly any angle. It boots up (with their demo app) in just a few seconds too.

I think I got my application written, but still have some questions.

The main question I have remaining is how do I control the page being displayed by the G304K from a PLC address?

I have found the scripting section of the manual which explains how to write a script like GoTo(Main) where Main is the name of a page, but is there a way to do that numerically?

Or do I need to write a little switch/case script in the G3 to call the screen by name depending on which value is held by the PLC tag?

Case/Switch is good but rather than calling the program on tick it would be better to assign a tag as a change in state to call the program when the plc wants to change the screen.

I used a program a while back and it had an on tick program and this screwed a few timing issue up (but i cant remember what ) !

Or another method would be some tags with triggers with say a data match and then action would be goto(main) etc.

if its only a handful of screens then tags with triggers would be ok.

RL have yet (i believe) to address the plc controlling the G3's screens from a tag I think it was in there we want list

 

[OkiePC]

Alrighty then, I got my application working with only some minor confusion...until today...

Today, I decided to learn C3, and I think I turned my little G304K into a brick.

Crimson3 has some bugs, and I could not get it to properly display a multi-state text message box, so I decided to shelf C3 and download the C2 application that works as expected. Note that when I downloaded using C3, it updated the firmware of the unit.

When I downloaded the C2 app, it appeared to be sending (reverting?) firmware first, then it stopped and reported an error. Now I can't get past the logo screen with BOOT V61 in the corner with either C2 or C3.

I tried setting the dip switches on the back to clear the db, but I don't think the device makes it that far...

I should have left C3 alone for now...

Any ideas how to force a firmware update or otherwise unbrick this little HMI?

Paul

 

[MikeGranby]

We're on it...

 

[geniusintraining]

Alrighty then,....

Paul

LOL.....

Paul I was up at 2 am trying to fix mine, I spoke with Dan this morning... and yep they are working on it

The funny part.... I did it to two of them one at 2am and the other at 5am, not know what happened I downloaded the program to the other (that was already programed )

I am just glad my customer understood... it was going to ship today, I ordered two more and sent the others back for repair

I also have the cable now if interested... http://www.plctrainer.net/HMICables.htm

I think I am going to delete C2 from my PC to help

 

[MikeGranby]

Found it. No way to unbrick them in the field, I'm afraid, so Jesse will be in touch to arrange replacements. A fix will be rolled out tonight. I'll be staying late myself to make sure it gets done.

 

[geniusintraining]

I'll be staying late myself to make sure it gets done.

No need... its a holiday week

Heck thats why we were the beta testers

 

[Tim James]

I hate to ressucitate an old thread, but what ever happenned to streamlining connections for the Kadet model HMIs in 2010? It's 2012 and based on the Red Lion website if you want to plug into a AB PLC that uses DF1 on a DB9 connector you still have to run multiple adapters even though the Kadet HMI has a DB9 serial port. It's just a matter of matching pinouts.

I'm in the same boat as Okie; trying to find a suitable HMI to begin phasing out the PV 300's I've been using. But I don't particularly want to run two different types of communication cable and two adapters to get my HMI and PLC talking.

Paul,

The CBLSK will break out the single port into two, speeding up development time. However, since the PLC end of the SK cable brings out 232 and 485, the pinout probably won't work out for you.

For a connection between the G304K and the PLC's cable, you'd use a CBLGEN01, as well as a CBLADK03.

Have a look at...
http://www.redlion.net/Support/Downloads/DeviceDrivers/G3/AllenBradley.html

and...
http://www.redlion.net/Support/TechNotes/HumanMachineInterface/CBLADK.pdf

We developed the various CBLADK adapters so that we could make use of the numerous cables that we already stock. We intend to streamline the connection in 2010 so that you don't need two parts to make the connection.

The CBLSK will allow you to download to the Kadet without having to disconnect and reconnect the PLC cable, but won't be used in the final application.

Jesse

 

[JeremyH]

I hate to ressucitate an old thread, but what ever happenned to streamlining connections for the Kadet model HMIs in 2010? It's 2012 and based on the Red Lion website if you want to plug into a AB PLC that uses DF1 on a DB9 connector you still have to run multiple adapters even though the Kadet HMI has a DB9 serial port. It's just a matter of matching pinouts.

I'm in the same boat as Okie; trying to find a suitable HMI to begin phasing out the PV 300's I've been using. But I don't particularly want to run two different types of communication cable and two adapters to get my HMI and PLC talking.

We were attempting to streamline the connection required to go to the micrologix mini din port. We ran into supplier issues with the connector so that never happened. You reference the DB9 port on the HMI going to the DB9 port on the PLC. This still only requires one cable regardless of our Kadet series or standard G3 series. The only difference with the kadet is that the RJ12 connector of our cable plugs into an RJ12 to DB9 converter. Once the connection is made you end up with one cable.

Thanks
Jeremy

 

[OkiePC]

I just made my own 3 wire cable with the correct DB9 connectors on each end.

No matter how many cables I have to string together, the G304K is so far superior to the PV300 micro that it is worth it.

The Kadet I put in our waste treatment control panel has been running for almost two years flawlessly, while the PV300 micro it replaced was failing every 30 to 90 days in that environment.

I now have 5 G3 HMIs running and have not seen a failure, although this latest one (a G310) is being subjected to severe wash down nightly and severe vibration all day long, so if it survives there for a year that will be about 3 times longer than the pv600+ it replaced.

Paul

 

[Ken Roach]

Those are really good testimonials !

I had never seen a PanelView Standard hardware failure that wasn't the result of actual immersion in liquid or a blow from a hammer or screwdriver. The Kadet simply appeared less physically stout.

This gives me more confidence in using Kadets in harsh environments. Crimson 3 is just streets ahead of every other HMI editor and platform.