Write bitmap?

[Ken Roach]

I close the door but I can still hear the hamster wheel.

You certainly wouldn't want to try to store even a tiny bitmap file inside the ControlLogix tag database.

I'm not sure if you could access a *.BMP file byte-by-byte on a CF/SD card and spit it one string at a time out the serial port. It would be pretty hairy.

What are you printing ?

 

[TConnolly]

Can you order paper with the image pre-printed on it - then print the necessary text around it, similar to letterhead stationery. The printer control strings to position the text will occupy a lot less memory and be a lot easier to program.

 

[R_C]

Just saw the part about the printer. Is this just a basic ascii serial printer?

Yes, it is just a Sato printer that receives Ascii commands.
The customer would like a bitmap of their logo on the printed label from a Control Logix PLC no PC available and no expanded memory in the printer.

 

[Jeebs]

First off, is the printer able to print bitmaps?
How much free memory you got in the PLC?
How big is the bmp?

If either the first answer is no, or the third answer is larger than the second, you're out of luck.
Otherwise, it be best to contact Sato to find out the string needed to print pictures.

Just remember, even the smallest of BMP's take loads of Kb's. Our simple logo already takes 214Kb.


EDIT: Please specify the exact printer model.
I tend to keep digging out of pure curiosity and it seems it might just be possible. With certain Sato printer you can create custom graphics, it's just the setting up of the data streams that's going to take some time.

 

[R_C]

First off, is the printer able to print bitmaps?
How much free memory you got in the PLC?
How big is the bmp?

If either the first answer is no, or the third answer is larger than the second, you're out of luck.
Otherwise, it be best to contact Sato to find out the string needed to print pictures.

Just remember, even the smallest of BMP's take loads of Kb's. Our simple logo already takes 214Kb.


EDIT: Please specify the exact printer model.
I tend to keep digging out of pure curiosity and it seems it might just be possible. With certain Sato printer you can create custom graphics, it's just the setting up of the data streams that's going to take some time.

Plenty of free memory in the PLC.
The Bitmap is 23Kb.
Sato GL412e.

 

[TConnolly]

The customer would like a bitmap of their logo on the printed label...

Then buy labels with the logo pre-printed on them. This is so common that almost every podunk town in America has a print shop that can do that. A pre-printed logo will look a lot better and a lot more professional too.

 

[Clay B.]

I also recommend the pre-logo paper. You are going to have your hands full with the code to get all the other stuff on the label. Most times adding a logo to label stock is not that much of a cost adder to begin with if you buy the labels in bulk.

But if you are dead set on getting a graphic then what you really need is some label making software like bartender or something along those lines.

In the label making software setup a print job with the printer you have spec'ed then create the label the way you want. You then do a print to file command and once you open that file you will see your logo as code the printer uses.

Dump this into several string variables and combine it with your other label parts and you can now print a label from a PLC. Even if you can store the bmp you are still going to need to get the data combined with the other code to generate a complete label so I do not see the point of storing the bmp.