Why do we code PLCs, design HMIs, create complex SCADA networks? The short answer is - so that somebody can use them to get a job done. For an HMI to be useable, it must be readable. Readability isn't just a matter of word choice. Technical choic...
I recently developed an HMI using WinCC 7.4 for an automation project. Building it from the ground up afforded me the opportunity to deviate from WinCC’s default skeuomorphic controls and instead experiment with more modern, flatter UI ele...
Siemens TIA Portal Libraries have helped me develop PLC and HMI code faster and manage it better. Recently, I have been working with the HMI Styling section of the Portal Library, and I have found it very helpful. This blog shows some practical ex...
Global Objects are a great way to cut down on development time, modularize, and add repeatability to your FactoryTalk HMI project. We previously explored this topic in our blog, Rockwell FactoryTalk Studio Basics: Global Objects and Tag Substitu...
With Siemens TIA Portal V14, a great new tool for PLC and HMI development called MultiUser Engineering was released. MultiUser Engineering allows multiple developers to access a server project through local sessions and quickly and ...
This blog is an instruction guide to installing the necessary Comfort Panel HMI software for interfacing with a Siemens RFID card reader. Additionally, the guide will demonstrate the necessary setup elements in the PLC project, as well as instru...
If you use Inductive Automation's Ignition server software designed for total system integration, you might encounter instances when your script doesn’t run correctly the first time. Here are a few tools to help you find the bu...
Ignition is a modern HMI/SCADA based software platform from Inductive Automation that closes the gap between production and IT with unlimited, web-based monitoring and central control of an entire facility via a single central server. There a...
Ignition is an expandable and scalable Java-based SCADA platform from Inductive Automation. As a developer, the two main components that you interact with are the Designer and the Gateway. The Designer is where you edit the lower level compon...
ProTool is an HMI software package from Siemens. Most people (myself included) are most familiar with WinCC Flexible and Portal as the two primary Siemens HMI software packages. ProTool is the predecessor to WinCC Flex, and was phased out in 2004. So...