New Beta

[tmoulder]

Hi guys,

Playing around with the new beta, generally loving it. Definitely loving the 16k colors, can't wait for the official release, and the 1040 to go on the market!

The new tab structure for HMI. It seems to me the zoom feature is "zooming" further, which I like. Not sure how I feel about having to change tabs for jumps, let me try a project on it and I'll have more thoughts.

But one thing that did occur, in Visi we've always assigned screen jumps by placing them in the list box under the HMI. I was thinking that if a "screen jump" option were placed in the button properties box, we wouldn't actually need that at all. Additionally, assigning a screen jump button is a multi-stage process:

1. Create button

2. Assign MB to button

3. Assign Jump to MB

I have a vector of 10 MB set aside entirely for navigation. If you could configure a button for screen jump, you wouldn't need an MB at all.

Now that we have 16k colors and the new resolution on the 1040, I have a new challenge for you - gif playback. I know, we can brake gifs down to individual images and use list-of-images, but frankly, it's a pain in the neck. I'd like to see a gif object that can be set to play continuously or once, either from MB or touch.

Thanks! Everything's looking great so far.

TM

[Ash Neilson]

Tim,

I have to agree - its looking quite awesome!

Just thought I'd throw something in on the HMI Display Jumps - I know most of the time we use Buttons to Jump between Displays, but at times we still use MB's or SB's on the HMI Jumps List Box that aren't hooked up to buttons and are either controlled by the OS or by us Users in Ladder.

A couple of uses are things like the Entry of a Password using SB250 or SB251. And at times using SB16 to "Jump" out of a Screen Saver.

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it would take quite a lot of re-designing to use a Button without an MB to "Jump" an HMI Display.

It would definitely be cool though - to have "HMI Jump" Buttons that we could just drop onto Displays

[tmoulder]

>>Just thought I'd throw something in on the HMI Display Jumps - I know most of the time we use Buttons to Jump between Displays, but at times we still use MB's or SB's on the HMI Jumps List Box that aren't hooked up to buttons and are either controlled by the OS or by us Users in Ladder.<<

Hi Ash,

Yeah, I thought of that too. Fortunately, there is already the Jump to Screen function in Ladder that makes that capability redundant.

Speaking of redundancy, I do think it's time to consider some editing to Visilogic itself. The growth has been pretty organic, and in some respects it shows.

Consider this - in the current form, you can make a screen jump by:

1. Assigning a boolean operand in a Jump link, triggering by touch

2. Assigning a boolean operand in a Jump link, triggering from ladder.

3. Use the Jump to HMI ladder FB, triggered from ladder.

I'm as big a fan of options as anybody, but by adding a "jump to hmi" function in the button properties, you can streamline #1, eliminate the entire jump table, and manage ladder-based jumps via FB.

I'm all in favor of Joe's idea for streamlining modbus. Instead of relying on the user to make every decision regarding busy bits, trnamsission times and the occasional dodo using Scan_EX in an illegal context (d'oh!) set up a config box like CanOpen has, and let the OS sort out the most efficient way to manage it. If CanOpen can do it behind the scenes, why not Modbus?

I'd still like to see individual bar graphs eliminated and replaced by a trends-style bargraph object that would be easier to configure, scale, etc, etc.

Did I mention adding change-of-state to CanOpen?

I just think maybe it's time to prune the tree a bit.

Thanks!

TM

[Cara Bereck Levy]

Hi guys

Okay--first or all, I'm glad that the first reaction to the new 'tab' interface is fairly positive. We really had no choice, because of the size of the V1040 screen.

I will submit the other ideas to the relevant people--some of them are, I think, easy to implement.

I will take this opportunity to remind you all that even if we don't implement something in VisiLogic, your observations and requests are very valuable as we define the Next Generation, so keep 'em coming.

[tmoulder]

Another suggestion:

I've been using grids on my screens of late (like an excel sheet) because they make a nice way of displaying alot of data, and are also useful for aligning buttons. Drawing these in paint is a nuisance, and I can't use one and stretch it because the lines get messed up.

It would be nice to have a grid object. Say, specify row height and column width, then as you stretch it, it adds additional rows and columns. Then populate the cells with either text or operands. To be really nice, allow cell backgrounds to be set individually.

Thanks,

TM

[Cara Bereck Levy]

Duly noted and passed on :-)

[tmoulder]

Hi again,

I finished updating a project in an old V280 (thanks Ash) that brought back some fond memories along with the modbus headaches. One that I recalled fondly was the way a V280 ALWAYS downloaded the project to the controller for future upload.

I'd like to see an option in Visilogic I could set to always download and burn upload project. This would include streamlining the download process so it happens without me having to sign off on a couple of pop-ups warning me about doing it. Essentially, make that portion behave like a 280.

Thanks,

TM

[Simon]

I have now given the Beta a run, and also like the higher colour depth. Will this flow on to the colour selection for HMI objects like buttons? I note that the choice is still only 9 colours for 3D buttons and 256 colours for flat objects. Rather than a colour picker with 65536 colours, just the ability to enter the RGB code would be fine...

Also, since this update brings 16-bit colour to the V350 and V570, are we any closer to seeing an active USB port on the V570?

(I tried it out after loading the Beta OS and it came up in the Windows Device Manager as an Unknonw Device called Test2, but went no further.)

[Cara Bereck Levy]

...are we any closer to seeing an active USB port on the V570?

Well, Simon, this is on the To-Do list, but I don't believe we will see it in the V570 in the near future.

[Damian]

I have now given the Beta a run, and also like the higher colour depth. Will this flow on to the colour selection for HMI objects like buttons? I note that the choice is still only 9 colours for 3D buttons and 256 colours for flat objects. Rather than a colour picker with 65536 colours, just the ability to enter the RGB code would be fine...

Also, since this update brings 16-bit colour to the V350 and V570, are we any closer to seeing an active USB port on the V570?

(I tried it out after loading the Beta OS and it came up in the Windows Device Manager as an Unknonw Device called Test2, but went no further.)

Simon has a good point. Makes little sense to have 16bit color if the HMI objects can't support them. Should be able to pick from a color pallet and save that RGB code as a favorite. The 3d buttons would really benefit from having more than 9 colors.

[Emil]

Sorry, but:

- the object will remain with the colors as now.

- There will not be USB in V570/560.

At least such changes are not planed for now.

[Ash Neilson]

Emil,

What about the V1040?

Will it support more than just 256 colors for the HMI Objects?

Will it support USB for Programming / OS Updates?

Thanks

[Daniel L]

I am getting started with v1040 beta 9.0.0

I has been quite painful really compared to other Unitronics products. I am sure all part of Beta testing.

I am using Windows 7 which may be exposing some bugs as well.

The usb driver which is auto-downloaded and installed via the Connection > Communication OS > usb tab seems to crash Windows 7 with a blue screen of death. This seems to hapen about every other down load. Tried com1 and com4, 115Kbaud.

Switched back to trusty Dynex USB serial adapter and do not have the problem.

Had to upgrade the v1040 bios to down load a program to the v1040. This brings up the popup OS upgrade manager window, a nice feature. It would be good to change the warning message about where to plug in the PLC from COM1 to PORT1. much less confusing!

[R.Mozes]

Hi,

Is it WIN7 32bit or 64bit?

Follow the steps below for proper installation:

-Remove the drivers from control panel>Program and features:

-Follow the instructions from the PC Setting window>install USB Driver

-In "Silicon Laboratories" mark the Launch the CP210x…… window

-Now, when the Driver Software icon appears in the task bar below, click to open the window and click on "Skip obtaining driver software from windows update"

-Verify that you get the window with the addressed com port

Please note – using USB cable, PLC's COM 1 will inactive

Let us know your results!

[Malcolm]

The gif idea is really nice for animated graphics.

[Deke]

Ash Neilson

Will it (V1040) support USB for Programming / OS Updates?

The V1040 does use the USB cable for programming and OS updates.

As I had to update the OS on my V1040 with the CD included Version (Beta) 9.0.0

It worked fine updating the OS @ 115200, but when I continued to use the USB cable for programming @ 115200 it did not work so great, experienced BSOD

Which in turn caused by DB to be corrupted, so I went back to standard serial cable as my laptop has the connector anyways, running Windows XP

If you use it, I recommend caution and use the 57600 setting instead of the highest 115200 setting.

Deke

[Flex727]

Sorry, but:

- There will not be USB in V570/560.

Never say never! I was surprised to find a mini-USB port on a V570 that just arrived in our inventory. While trying to figure out where to find a driver I stumbled upon this very old thread.

Now, if we could just get online editing, a PLC simulator, and 640x480 resolution on a V570, I will be in heaven.

By the way, I installed the driver, per the instructions in this thread on my Win7-64 bit laptop (using Visilogic 9.4) and everything went smoothly. The USB port appears to work properly - I was able to connect to the PLC, but I haven't tried downloading a program yet.

[Cara Bereck Levy]

>Now, if we could just get online editing, a PLC simulator, and 640x480 resolution on a V570, <

I know...I know

I'll submit them again. The resolution is a matter of hardware, which is pretty much determined by market demand...if enough people want it, it may make the list.

The PLC simulator--heck, even I want one <sigh>

But yes--never say never :-)

[Flex727]

Cara, you always make me smile.

[Cara Bereck Levy]