V560 Keypad Entry

[Malcolm 1]

Hi all,

I wish to use a V560 in a project only for its color properties and not for the touchscreen.

Still I wish to use the keypad for entries like in a V130 for example. With blinking cursors and a tab entry when I press enter.

Is this possible? If so does anyone have a sample program?

Thanks!

[Stein Yair 2]

Hi, unfortunalty there is no option to change the user entry. Anyway, I am not sure I understand what exactly you want to be different.

[Malcolm 1]

Hello Stein,

This is because the operators usually damage touchscreen HMI. The client wishes to have a color screen but not use the touchscreen to place values.

Is there any way to do this?

[Stein Yair 2]

You can use the arrows to move between the variables and Enter to enter values and to exit the variable.

[Malcolm 1]

Great!

That is exactly what I needed. So I will quote with the V560.

Thanks!

[Joe Tauser 276]

I think what he was looking for here was to be able to use the keypad to enter data on the V560, which is what I am now trying to do. Pressing the Enter key pulls up the virtual keyboard, but the keypad still doesn't do anything. The reason for this is the PLC is going into a nasty environment and the operator's hands are normally filthy. I don't want them grubbing up the color screen. Is there an SB to allow the keypad to work?

Joe T.

[Simon 41]

So you are looking for a function like SB22 in the V280 - seems this is not supported in the V560.

I haven't come across this issue yet from our customers, but the question is sure to be asked.

[Joe Tauser 276]

So what is the purpose of the numeric keypad on the V560? Does it do anything?

Joe T.

[Walkerok 29]

Thought I might chime on on this topic. I happen to have a V560 in my office and I just tried to use the arrow keys to pick an enterable variable and was able to do so. After the item was picked the number entry pop up comes up after you press the enter button. After the number entry pop up comes up the membrane keys do work to enter numbers, go forward and backwards and enter in a value. However there is no way to prevent the number entry pop up from allowing only entries from the membrane keypad and not from the touch screen.

Joe I am not sure why your keypad will not work at all, but it may possibly be due to a problem I had the other day where the firmware on my 560 was off, but not so off as to trigger the Visilogic program to tell you the firmware was out of date. You might try a forced firmware update like I had to do to correct my issues (my problems were completely different but just as anoying)

I beleive that is some of what was being for originally. I find the inability to prevent the entries from being touch to be way too tempting for those dirty grimy fingers that we are talking about stoping. So if there were a way to block touch screen entry on certain entry blocks to take away the temptation to touch......that would be good.

If we realy want to be hard core I guess the touch screen cable could be disconnected so it just did not function then you can write a dedicated program to use the function and number keys to do everything. Of course this will be a problem if you want to bring up a QWERTY key board and you do not have the touch cable installed, but that is the best I can come up with.

Thanks

Keith

[Walkerok 29]

As second note on this. I just tried to activate on screen buttons and text boxes from the enter button. The on screen buttons workd fine but the binary text boxes would not activate with the enter key ws pressed. Im not sure why but this may blow your ability to use the keyad only unless you can do what you want without any binary text boxes you are trying to activate as a switch.

Thanks

Keith

[GetAGripOnIt 0]

At some point they added SB 111 which allows you to disable the virtual keypad entry (but does not substitute regular keypad entry like the V280).  However, if you do this it will not display the cursor like on the V130 or V280.  You could capture the keypad keystrokes (see SB 40-49) and put them in the appropriate memory address when enter was pressed, but there would not be any visual feedback (until entry is complete).  You could also put a temporary variable on the screen then update it every keystroke and move the temporary data to the real memory address upon entry, if you really care you can manually draw the cursor on the screen (see DRAW LINE instruction).

 

If you title your variables, then having the virtual keypad come up is not a disaster.  If you fail to title your variables, then when the virtual keypad is active the user can forget which entry is being completed.

 

I too wish for a V130 like option, and don't understand why they are so resistant to this ability.  They did it for the V280.

 

 

A poor work around,

 

Troy