Steincollector Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Good morning, I am new to the Unitronics world, our company just become a VAR/Distributor last week. I've visited a couple of customer with the product and came out with a list of questions. Through the Forum and manuals, I've gotten several questions answered, but several are still outstanding, and I'm curious if this forum is where I can get them answered? 1) The free software download is awesome - but opens the question of backwards compatibility to older programs and hardware. If my customer is updating the software on a regular basis, does Unitronics have a general statement regarding compatibility with older hardware and previous programs? 2) Mitsubishi and Omron have a neat function where they can display the ladder on the HMI and monitor it - no software or PC required to troubleshoot. No editting allowed. With the Vision series, can this be done - the ladder montiored on the HMI screen? 3) Other HMIs I've worked with allow run-time access to "system screens" - setting contrast, IP address, screen calibration, etc. I've seen in the manuals that these screens can be accessed by holding your finger on a blank area of a screen for several seconds, but is it possible to use button (perhaps password protected) to do this as well? 4) I've seen information about program scan time, but little about local I/O update times. Is there a place to look this up? I haven't found it yet. Thank you for your time! Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP 2023 Joe Tauser Posted October 26, 2011 MVP 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Ted, Welcome to the pack! I am a distributor in St. Louis - feel free to call me anytime at (314)878-9910. I've had the line for 10 years and I've programmed most of the PLC's out there. You'll find the forum to be an excellent resource with several non-paid moderators such as myself that bring a lot of real-world experience to the table. I'll try to answer your questions in my usual heavily-opinionated manner: 1) The free software download is awesome - but opens the question of backwards compatibility to older programs and hardware. If my customer is updating the software on a regular basis, does Unitronics have a general statement regarding compatibility with older hardware and previous programs? Yes, it is very awesome considering the price. It's one of the main selling features of our product. You can almost always (99%) open an old program in a newer version of the software but it will ALWAYS require an update of the various OS files in the flash ROM of the PLC. You'll have fun learning about this. 2) Mitsubishi and Omron have a neat function where they can display the ladder on the HMI and monitor it - no software or PC required to troubleshoot. No editing allowed. With the Vision series, can this be done - the ladder montiored on the HMI screen? Short answer- no. The HMI is not linked to the ladder editor in any way. You could draw and animate pictures of the logic on the HMI screens if you really want some practice with the screen editor, but this would be a pain in the butt. Go back to answer (1)- free software and give copies of the program to those who need to view it. Threaten bodily harm and/or immediate termination to un-authorized edits. Or keep the code to yourself if you have a problem child who likes to play and doesn't listen. 3) Other HMIs I've worked with allow run-time access to "system screens" - setting contrast, IP address, screen calibration, etc. I've seen in the manuals that these screens can be accessed by holding your finger on a blank area of a screen for several seconds, but is it possible to use button (perhaps password protected) to do this as well? Dive into the Help and read all about System Bits and System Integers. These are very useful bits and registers that you can access from your logic and HMI variables. You're only limited by your imagination here. 4) I've seen information about program scan time, but little about local I/O update times. Is there a place to look this up? I haven't found it yet. Digital I/O are updated every scan, and I/O on the main board can be updated faster using Interrupt Routines (again, read the Help here). Analog I/O have a response time of about 25 ms. I may be a little off here- if it's really important then send a question about it to support@unitronics.com. If they don't get back to you right away then send an email to Emil- he's really the expert on this. Good luck in your Unitronics adventures. Post any more questions you have and keep us up on your success! Joe T. PS - Don't hold your breath for a simulator. It's been the most requested item for years and they know we want it, but Unitronics has only so many developers and they spend most of their time working on new products and adding new functions to the software. I've found the best thing to do is buy some extra PLC's and put them in demo stock for your own use. They're not that expensive in the big scheme of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steincollector Posted October 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Hi Joe, Thanks for the input - your thoughts, insights and phone number are appreciated! I'm looking forward to diving into the world of Unitronics, the product seems interesting. It's unfortunate about the simulator - most of the OEMs we deal with are rather spoiled ih that regard. Not so concerned about my own testing - we'll always have a couple in our lab- but our customers may be less game for the extra hardware - not to mention the convenience of course . But if they like the product enough otherwise, they'll adapt... Take Care, Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cara Bereck Levy Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Digital I/O are updated every scan, and I/O on the main board can be updated faster using Interrupt Routines (again, read the Help here). I suggest you start with the Help topic Program Sequencing. It is a good starting point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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