This blog is Part 3 of a multi-part series. Make sure to check out the other blogs on this topic:

1. Beckhoff Setup Basics: IPC Configuration Steps
2. Beckhoff Setup Basics: Getting Started with a Beckhoff PLC
3. Beckhoff Setup Basics: HMI Configuration Steps

Term Definitions

Throughout this blog series, I refer to two devices repeatedly. For clarity, those devices are as follows:

1. “Beckhoff IPC” – The industrial PC that will run the PLC and HMI server. Device configuration will occur on this device. Beckhoff sells these directly. Third-party IPCs can also be used, but licensing is more expensive.
2. “Programming Computer” – A computer, such as an engineer’s laptop, where the TwinCAT XAE development environment is installed. Programming happens on this device, as well as some of the configuration of the Beckhoff IPC.

Configure HMI Server

First, we’ll need to configure the HMI server so we can publish to it. On the Beckhoff IPC, find the HMI server tray icon, and click on it.

Note: If you do not see this icon, double-check that TE2000 HMI Server is installed on the Beckhoff IPC following the instructions in Part 1 of this blog series.

Select “Service Configuration.”

The webpage http://127.0.0.1:19800/ should open in the default browser.

On that page, add a new Server Instance by entering the information in the form and creating an HMI administrator password.

In the menu that appears, select the HMI Instance we created and select “Config.” (If there are issues, you may need to restart the HMI server through the same menu).

The default startup page will open.

If you get a “License Expired” error page, then double-check that you have a valid or trial license for TE2000.

In XAE Shell, ensure that TF2000 is selected and there is an active trial license.

If you have created a new trial license but still experience this error, then restart the HMI Server Instance.

Once the HMI Server has a valid or trial license, the Config page will show this. Enter the HMI administrator password created on the “Server Configuration” page.

The configuration will open. Navigate to TcHmiSrv > Webserver.

Expand the Endpoints menu and select “Add.”

Add the IP address of the HMI Server where it will be accessed externally (an external browser or HMI) and use your HTTPS port.

For this guide, we will assume the HMI server is on the Beckhoff IPC and use the URL: https://192.168.42.42:1021/.

An “Add successful” message will appear at the top of the page if it is successful. If not, make sure the URL is correct and you’ve used https:// as a prefix to the IP address.

Publish HMI Program

Now that the HMI server is configured, we can create the HMI Project in XAE Shell on the Programming PC.

Once the HMI project is complete, we can publish it to the HMI server.

To do this, select the HMI program in the project tree.

At the top of XAE Shell, change the platform dropdown to “TwinCAT HMI.”

At the top of XAE Shell, select TwinCAT HMI > Publish to TwinCAT HMI Server.

If you have not created any profiles, TwinCAT will prompt you to enter a profile name. Different profiles can be used for different environments (ex: development, release, etc)

Enter the IP address of the HMI endpoint created earlier, the appropriate port (1020), and the administrator password for the HMI Server set up earlier in this guide.

You can also click the “…” button to open a pop-up of available HMI servers to connect to.

It’s a good idea to click “Validate Connection” to ensure all information is correct and a connection is successful. If an error occurs during validation, you will not be able to publish until you correct it.

Then click “Publish” in the top-right corner to publish the HMI project to the Server.

It may take a long time for the project to publish. You can track progress in the bottom bar of XAE Shell.

Full-Screen HMI Start in Chrome/Firefox

When our Beckhoff IPC is booted, we usually want it to immediately open the HMI screen instead of requiring an operator to start the HMI manually. This can be accomplished with a very simple batch script.

Open Notepad on your Beckhoff IPC and paste in the following code:

@echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk -fullscreen --incognito http://127.0.0.1:1010/
exit

@echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk -fullscreen --incognito http://127.0.0.1:1010/
exit

Save this file as “StartHMI.bat” in your startup folder. For convenience, if the HMI screen ever does need to be started manually, create a shortcut for this batch script and place it on the desktop.

This will automatically open Chrome in full screen on startup. You may want to do this step after you’ve finished other setup steps, as it can be a bit of a nuisance after restarts.

Make sure the path for Chrome in the batch file is correct. The above is the default location, but it may not be correct.

Note: Similar instructions are available for Firefox.

Once the HMI is published on the server and starts in kiosk mode on startup, you are now complete with your Beckhoff PLC and HMI.

The post Beckhoff Setup Basics: TwinCAT HMI Configuration Steps appeared first on DMC, Inc..

This blog is Part 2 of a multi-part series. Make sure to check out the other blogs on this topic:

1. Beckhoff Setup Basics: IPC Configuration Steps
2. Beckhoff Setup Basics: Getting Started with a Beckhoff PLC
3. Beckhoff Basics: HMI Configuration

Summary

This is the second installment of a three-part blog series covering all you need to know about getting started with a Beckhoff PLC/HMI. In this blog, we’ll be covering how to configure and license the PLC to run your code.

Term Definitions

Throughout this blog series, I refer to two devices repeatedly. For clarity, those devices are as follows:

1. “Beckhoff IPC” – The hardware, likely obtained from Beckhoff, that will run the PLC and HMI server. Device configuration will occur on this device.
2. “Programming Computer” – A computer, such as an engineer’s laptop, where the TwinCAT XAE development environment is installed. Programming happens on this device, as well as some of the configuration of the Beckhoff IPC.

Connect to the IPC Via a Programming Computer

First, we’ll need to check if TwinCAT XAE is able to communicate with the IPC. If you’ve done this before, feel free to skip this step.

Next, make sure your programming computer is connected to the Programming Port on the Beckhoff IPC. On the programming computer, right-click on the TwinCAT gear icon and select Router > Edit Routes.

On the TwinCAT Static Routes popup, select “Add.” The Add Route Dialog will appear. Check the Advanced Settings box at the bottom left to expose the full connection settings.

The most reliable method to find the IPC is to enter the IP address in the field at the top, then click “Enter Host Name / IP.” If the Beckhoff IPC doesn’t appear, make sure you can ping it (if the firewall pinging rules are enabled) and check your IPC’s or network’s firewall settings.

Select the Beckhoff IPC. The most reliable way to add a route is to set the address info to reference the IP address, not the hostname. This is because many plant networks don’t have DNS set up in such a way that allows access of factory devices via hostname. Select this option, then “Add Route.” Enter the proper credentials for your IPC in the popup and click “Okay.” Default credentials for Beckhoff IPCs are:

• User: Administrator
• Password: 1

If you have changed these, use the appropriate credentials. If the connection process succeeds, you should see an X or a small lock appear under the Connected column in the Add Route Dialog and the TwinCAT Static Routes window. You can exit these windows now.

From within TwinCAT XAE Shell, open your project. Then use the target dropdown menu and select “Choose Target System.”

Note: these instructions will show screenshots from 32-bit XAE Shell, but can be followed the same in XAE Shell 64-bit.

In the window that pops up, expand the browser tree and select the Beckhoff IPC. Click “OK.”

If you are prompted to change the solution platform, do so.

Set IPC Boot Settings

Before the TwinCAT project can be downloaded to the PLC, a few boot settings need to be configured. First, right-click on the PLC project in the solution explorer and make sure “Autostart Boot Project” is checked. This ensures the project starts automatically when the Beckhoff IPC boots.

Next, double-click on “SYSTEM” in the solution explorer, then navigate to the Settings tab. Select “Run Mode (Enable)” under Boot Settings (Target). This will make sure the PLC enters run mode on boot.

If you want to enable auto-login for the Beckhoff IPC, check the Auto Logon box. Enter the username and password for the IPC and click Apply to save the boot settings to the IPC.

Confirm Hardware Configuration and Activate Configuration

Next, we will need to activate the PLC configuration. Make sure your IO cards are powered and connected to the IPC before continuing with this step.

To do this, first navigate to I/O > Devices > [YourEtherCATMasterDeviceName]. For example, in this project, the EtherCAT Master device is named “Device 1.”

Double-click to open the device settings. On the Adapter tab, click “Search…”

The pop-up window should include a list of NICs with the TwinCAT RT Ethernet Driver installed. Select the NIC that will be used to connect to IO.

If no Ethernet adapters are listed, then please return to the “Install the Beckhoff Real-Time Ethernet Driver” section in Part 1 of this blog series.

If EtherCAT devices are already connected to the PLC, you can add them to the I/O tree by either manually adding the devices in the correct topology or scanning for devices. To scan, right-click the EtherCAT Master and select “Scan.”

Note: Scanning is only possible when the PLC is in Config mode.

Now you can activate the hardware configuration using the steps icon in the top ribbon:

If the button is grayed out, make sure you have selected the correct target in the TwinCAT XAE software and have a valid route.

When the Activate Configuration confirmation window appears, click “OK.”

If issues arise during this step, you may need to troubleshoot your hardware setup and verify that your TwinCAT project is configured correctly.

If your Beckhoff IPC does not have runtime licenses installed, which is common during an initial setup, TwinCAT XAE will prompt you to generate trial licenses. Click “Yes” and follow the prompts.

If you have purchased full runtime licenses, you can install them in a later step to replace the trial licenses.

Enter the Captcha required for trial licenses.

You can now click the login button to log in to the PLC. Once logged in, you can also click the start button if you need to start the PLC’s runtime.

You can now click the login button to log in to the PLC. Once logged in, you can also click the start button if you need to start the PLC’s runtime. 

Activating Licenses

Activating licenses in TwinCAT can be somewhat tricky, and this walkthrough will cover the basics. For further help with licensing, your contact at Beckhoff is a great resource.

First, you’ll need to select the proper license device. If using a USB dongle or card, it is critical that you select the right device before sending your license request file to Beckhoff. License request/response files are tied to device IDs, and so once a request has been sent and a response received, that license can only be used with that device. To change devices, you’ll have to get in touch with Beckhoff headquarters in Germany, and depending on your location, that might take some time. So try to avoid that by getting the license device correct first!

To select the proper device, go to System > License.

If you’re using a dongle and it’s already in the project, you can select it from the License Device dropdown in the “Order Information (Runtime)” tab.

If you are not using a dongle, select Target from the dropdown to bind the licenses to the Beckhoff IPC’s hardware ID. In this case, you can skip the remaining dongle-related steps and proceed directly to generating a license request.

We do recommend the use of a dongle when possible, so the IPC can be replaced without losing licenses.

If the dongle is not already configured in your project, click “Add…” to the right of the dropdown to add it. The dongle will then appear under License in the project tree.

After you click “Add…”, the License Device window will open. From here, you can select the appropriate dongle on your target Beckhoff IPC by clicking “Search in I/O Configuration…” or “Search USB Dongle on Target…”.

To use either option, TwinCAT must be in Config mode. You can switch to Config mode by clicking the blue gear icon in the TwinCAT engineering environment. After selecting the correct dongle, return TwinCAT to Run mode by clicking the green gear icon.

If the dongle doesn’t appear while searching, be sure your IO is configured correctly and the IPC recognizes the dongle. When the dongle has been selected, the dongle status information should populate.

Now that the dongle is in your project, you can go back to the License window, and you should be able to select it in the license device dropdown. Make sure that when you select it from the dropdown, the system ID changes (indicating the dongle system ID is different from the target system ID). Also ensure the system ID of the dongle is something reasonable (e.g., not a bunch of 0s; this might indicate you’re not communicating properly with the dongle).

If you have multiple license devices (e.g. target and a dongle), a “License Device” column will appear in the table at the bottom of the window. Make sure to select the correct device that you’d like to store each license on (most likely choose the dongle for all licenses).

Now that we’ve selected the correct license device, we need to generate a license request file. To do this we’ll first need to enter a license ID (provided by your contact at Beckhoff) in the license ID box. You can also enter a customer ID and a comment, but these are optional. Once you’ve entered a license ID, click “Generate File…”.

TwinCAT will prompt you to save the license request file to your programming computer. Save the file, then, when prompted to “Send license request to Beckhoff,” select “No”. We’ll send the file manually instead.

Note: This is your last chance to turn back before tying licenses to a device ID! Check over your license hardware setup and make sure everything is in order. If there are problems, regenerate the license file with the corrected settings before sending to Beckhoff.

Locate the license request (*.tclrq) file you just saved. Create a new email, attach the file, and send it to tclicense@beckhoff.com.

If everything is set up correctly and your license request is valid, Beckhoff will respond with an automatically generated email that has a license response file (*.tclrs). Save this file to your programming computer.

If the file is not attached to the email, the email will include whatever issues the automated system had with your license request, and you may need to work this out with your Beckhoff contact.

Back in the license window, use the “License Response File” button to select the license response file. For the new license response to take effect, you’ll need to restart TwinCAT on the target, which you can do with the green gear icon.

If everything worked properly, the Current Status column in the License window should be green and read valid for every license. You may need to refresh the window (close it and re-open it) to see this status change.

Now that we’ve correctly activated and configured the licenses, we are ready to configure the HMI server, which we cover in part three of this blog series.

The post Beckhoff Setup Basics: Getting Started with a Beckhoff PLC appeared first on DMC, Inc..

This blog is Part 1 of a multi-part series. Make sure to check out the other blogs on this topic:

1. Beckhoff Setup Basics: IPC Configuration Steps
2. Beckhoff Setup Basics: Getting Started with a Beckhoff PLC
3. Beckhoff Basics: HMI Configuration

Summary

This is the first installment of a three-part blog series covering all you need to know about getting started with a Beckhoff PLC/HMI. In this blog, we’ll be covering how to initially set up your Beckhoff IPC to run PLC code and a TCHMI server.

Within DMC, we often find ourselves setting up a new IPC, and it has proved very helpful to have a standardized guide to start with. So, we’ve compiled this guide to serve as a resource both within our organization and externally, and we’ve updated it for TwinCAT build 3.1.4026. Some key steps have changed significantly with build 4026, so if you are using an earlier version, please consult the version notes on the package install steps.

Note: If you aren’t planning to use TwinCAT HMI, you may disregard any steps specific to it. If you find yourself needing to use it in the future, you can perform those steps at any point.

The process below was developed and documented on a Windows 10 development machine, but the process will be functionally identical for Windows 11.

Term Definitions

Throughout this blog series, we refer to two devices repeatedly. For clarity, those devices are as follows:

1. “Beckhoff IPC”– The industrial PC that will run the PLC and HMI server. Device configuration will occur on this device. Beckhoff sells these directly. Third-party IPCs can also be used, but licensing is more expensive.
2. “Programming Computer”– A computer, such as an engineer’s laptop, where the TwinCAT XAE development environment is installed. Programming happens on this device, as well as some of the configuration of the Beckhoff IPC.

Power-On and Connection

Most Beckhoff IPCs do not have a power button; rather, they power on as soon as power is supplied. When ready, supply power. A keyboard, mouse, and monitor will also be useful for first power-on and initial configuration.

Beckhoff Device Manager

If your device is a Beckhoff IPC, Beckhoff Device Manager will generally run on startup. For a basic setup, you can step through the wizard with default options, and on the last page, uncheck the box that says “Run Beckhoff Security Wizard on next startup,” so it won’t run on startup in the future.

Change NIC Settings

We’ll begin with some basic network setup. Open up the IPC’s adapter settings by right-clicking on the Network Icon in the system tray and selecting “Open Network & Internet settings”.

From this window, select “Change adapter options” (“Change adapter settings” on the left side of the window in Windows 7).

This window should display the Network Interface Connections (NICs) available on your Beckhoff IPC. There are often two (though there may be more or less) – one that you can use to connect a programming computer and another that can be used to connect to IO racks/devices. Before you proceed, identify which NIC you will be using for each purpose and the IP addresses that you’d like to assign to these NICs. A helpful (but optional) step is to rename each NIC to describe its purpose.

To do this, right-click on a NIC and select Rename. In this example, Programming Port will be used for programming, and EtherCAT Master will be used to connect to IO.

To change IP addresses for these NICs, right-click on them and select Properties. Then navigate to Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and select Properties. You can then input your selected IP addresses. For advanced network configurations, the subnet mask can also be changed at this point.

For this tutorial, we will be using:
Programming Port: 192.168.42.42
EtherCAT Master: 192.168.43.43

(Optional) Rename PC

While this step isn’t necessary, it can be helpful to rename your PC so if it’s connected to a network in the future, it can be easily identified. To do so, navigate to Start Menu > Settings > System > About > Rename PC.

After you rename your IPC, it will prompt you for a restart. You may postpone this to save time, as some of the following steps will also require a restart.

Install Chrome or Firefox If Using TwinCAT HMI

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox work well with TwinCAT 3, and we’ve seen issues with other browsers in the past. So, we recommend you install one of these browsers if you’re going to be using TwinCAT 3 HMI on this IPC.

If you’re working on an IPC that cannot be connected to the internet during setup, you will need a standalone installer.

• Chrome requires a special installer for this.
  • At the time of writing, Google does not make it clear on the webpage whether the installer is standalone or not.
  • The downloaded file from the given link should contain “Standalone” in its filename, which confirms it is correct.
• Firefox install files are generally standalone by default.

Download or transfer the install files to the IPC and follow the instructions in the installer. Once installed, you may want to launch the browser and disable distracting features such as suggested homepage links or password-manager prompts.

Create a Beckhoff Account

If you do not already have a Beckhoff account, you must register so you can download software. Beckhoff generally requires an account for any software downloads, so this will be useful going forward as well. Go to https.www.beckhoff.com, where you can register for an account as shown below.

Setup Packages

The installation process has changed significantly for build 4026. Package Manager is a new feature that streamlines downloading and installing packages, and it must be used when working with 4026.

Legacy 4024 installation notes

If you are using 4024, you have two options. You may install legacy packages through Package Manager. Or, you may follow the legacy installation procedure using EXEs.

The legacy installation procedure:

1. Visit https://beckhoff.com/, log in, and navigate to Download finder > Software and tools.
2. On your programming PC, you will need eXtended Automation Engineering (XAE) and the engineering versions of any TwinCAT functions.
3. On the Beckhoff IPC, you will need eXtended Automation Runtime (XAR) and the runtime versions of any TwinCAT functions.
   • Note: If you require a build of 4024 not available on the website, you will need to reach out to Beckhoff support for assistance.
   • TwinCAT Functions are Beckhoff-developed applications that allow for special functionality on the PLC. They will have their own separate EXE to install.
   • Common TwinCAT Functions include the following–install the ones required based on your project; you can install more functions later if required.
     • TF2000: TwinCAT HMI
     • TF3300: TwinCAT Scope
     • TF5000: TwinCAT NC PTP
     • TF6100: OPC UA Server
     • TF6250: Modbus TCP
     • TF6255: Modbus RTU
     • TF6310: TCP/IP
4. For any Engineering EXEs, install them onto your programming PC.
5. For Runtime EXEs, transfer the EXEs to your IPC, then install them. Install XAR first, then the remaining packages.

You cannot use the legacy EXE installation along with the newer Package Manager-based installation. If you need to upgrade or change versions, you must carefully follow the instructions in this Infosys page before installing the other version.

Install Package Manager

You will need Package Manager on the IPC–it should come preinstalled with Beckhoff 4026 IPCs. You will likely also need Package Manager on your programming computer.

Once you have registered or logged in on Beckhoff.com, go to Download Finder as boxed in the figure below.

Package manager should be the first option at the top of the page; if it isn’t, search for it in the download finder.

Download the available version as an EXE, and install it on your programming computer and IPC if it is not already installed.

Configure Feeds

Feeds are repositories of packages that Beckhoff provides. Beckhoff provides a Stable Feed, Outdated Feed, and Testing Feed. We recommend using the Beckhoff Stable Feed for any production systems. See this Infosys page for details on each feed.

If your IPC is (or can easily be) connected to the internet directly, you will likely find it easiest to download and install your required packages from the online feeds.

If the IPC cannot be connected to Beckhoff’s servers, then you can follow these instructions from Beckhoff to transfer the packages onto your offline IPC. Beckhoff supports using a file directory with package files as a personal feed. Beckhoff also supports a compressed file containing all selected packages, transferred from a programming computer.

To configure the feeds, launch Package Manager.

Click the “+ Add new feed” button to add a new feed.

As discussed, you may enter the Beckhoff online feeds if connected to the internet, or if offline, you may use any local folder as a feed.

If selecting the outdated feed, you may get a disclaimer as shown. If you are comfortable with the disclaimer, you may accept it by clicking “Yes,” and the feed will be added.

Multiple feeds can be added, as necessary, and will be used in the priority order displayed.

Package Manager will next ask to integrate with Visual Studio (if installed), or XAE Shell or XAE Shell 64-bit. XAE Shell 64-bit is a more modern, faster version of XAE Shell, newly added with the release of 4026.

Select a location to install the TwinCAT Packages.

Note: This is a different default location than legacy 4024 XAE/XAR installations.

Use Package Manager to Install TwinCAT Packages

Once Package Manager is set up, we can now install packages onto the IPC.

If the IPC is connected to the internet and can access the Beckhoff-hosted feeds, you will see a list of available packages to install.

The packages can be filtered by Engineering Packages and Runtime Packages:

• Engineering Packages are meant to be installed on your programming computer and will allow you to connect, modify, or control the PLC.
  • Common examples include:
    • TwinCAT Standard
    • TwinCAT XAE Shell / XAE Shell 64-bit
    • TE9000: Safety Editor
    • TE1300: TwinCAT Scope
    • TE2000: TwinCAT HMI
• Runtime Packages provide applications that will run on the Beckhoff IPC.
  • Common examples include:
    • TwinCAT Standard
    • TC1000: TwinCAT ADS
    • TF2000: TwinCAT HMI Server
    • TF3300: TwinCAT Scope Server
    • TF5000: TwinCAT NC PTP
    • TF6100: OPC UA Server
    • TF6250: Modbus TCP
    • TF6255: Modbus RTU
    • TF6310: TCP/IP
    • Beckhoff Device Manager

Select all the packages that you need for your system. Then either click Install (Blue Download button) to install locally, or Download to send to an offline IPC (Press 3 dots button, then “Download”).

Once all the packages are selected, either click “Apply Modifications” to install them locally, or click “Start Download” or “Start Download as a Zip”. Please refer to Infosys for more information on installing offline feeds.

Install the Beckhoff Real-Time Ethernet Driver

Next, you will need to install the Beckhoff Real-Time Ethernet Driver on the NIC to which you plan to connect your IO. This will allow the Beckhoff IPC to communicate with said IO.

Navigate to C:\TwinCAT\3.1\System and run TcRteInstall.exe.

In the Compatible devices section, select the NIC that you will use for IO (EtherCAT Master if you configured your NIC settings as described earlier) and click Install.

After the process is completed, the NIC should move to the Installed and ready-to-use devices (real-time capable) section. You can close out of the application.

Set Firewall Settings

It’s important to maintain secure firewall settings on industrial devices to avoid allowing unwanted access to an industrial network, especially if said devices will be connected to the internet. But we must allow communication to the TwinCATTwinCAT runtime/HMI server via a programming computer to download code. To do this, we will enable a few rules within the firewall. Beckhoff will pre-configure certain ports on IPCs, but we recommend going through these steps to confirm that no traffic will be blocked. You may also need to refer to this section if firewall settings are inadvertently changed or reset.

Navigate to Start Menu > Settings. In the search bar, search “firewall” and open Windows Defender Firewall.

In the window that appears, select Advanced Settings on the right.

In the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security window, select Inbound Rules on the left and click New Rule on the right.

Details on important TCP/UDP ports required for TwinCAT Services can be found on Infosys, but in our experience, the most important ports are:

• TCP 48898 (TwinCAT ADS Not Secure)
• UDP 48899 (TwinCAT ADS Discovery)
• TCP 8016 (TwinCAT ADS Secure)
• TCP 1010 (TwinCAT HMI <=1.12 Local)
• TCP 1020 (TwinCAT HMI <=1.12 Incoming)
• TCP 2010 (TwinCAT HMI >=1.14 Local)
• TCP 2020 (TwinCAT HMI >=1.14 Incoming)

Step through the wizard, using Port as the rule type, and add rules for all required ports.

Change AMS Net ID

The AMS Net ID is used by the TwinCAT XAE programming suite to identify specific PLC runtimes, and to connect to that runtime. It is made up of 6 values from 0-255, period-delimited. At DMC, we usually set the AMS Net ID to be the same as the IP address of the programming port of the Beckhoff IPC, followed by “.1.1”, for instance, “192.168.42.42.1.1”. This makes it easier to remember than using an entirely different number (though any value technically works).

Click on the TwinCAT gear icon in the system tray and select Router > Change AMS Net ID. If this gear icon does not appear in the system tray, you may need to restart your IPC first. After typing in your selected AMS Net ID and confirming, you will be prompted to restart. Now is a good time to do so.

Legacy Troubleshooting Steps

In the past, when using build 3.1.4024, we have sometimes seen an error message when trying to put the PLC into Run Mode:

Init4\RTime: Start Interrupt: Ticker started >> AdsWarning: 4115 (0x1013, RTIME: system clock setup fails)

We have not seen this yet with build 3.1.4026 but have preserved the resolution here. If you encounter this error, you can navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Beckhoff\TwinCAT\3.1\System and run win8settick.bat as administrator. This sets some TwinCAT-required clock settings and resolves the error.

The post Beckhoff Setup Basics: IPC Configuration Steps appeared first on DMC, Inc..

Interface and Editing

You Can Select Multiple Controls and Change the Same Parameter for all Controls at Once

Have a bunch of items in a grid, each one with the same 5% margin from the left, and suddenly you decide 3% looks much nicer? No need to click through each one nor find and replace in the HTML source files! Just select all controls and change the parameter in the properties tab. The property you changed is now changed for every control you selected.

The Document Outline is a Great Help When Working on a Screen

Having trouble selecting a control, or is a control lost behind another? As great as the main WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor screen is, the Document Outline provides greater visibility into nested controls (when using Grids and Containers) and invisible controls. I almost always have this pinned to my XAE layouts when developing with TwinCAT HMI.

Symbols and Parameters

“Symbol” and Related Terms to Know When Searching Infosys

Symbol just refers to a tag or variable, in TwinCAT HMI. There are variations:

• Server Symbols are symbols saved in the TwinCAT HMI server. Most notably Mapped Symbols are a type of server symbol which comes from the PLC.
• Internal Symbol are symbols which are limited to a single browser instance.
• Symbol Expression refers to the text

You Can Double Click on a Symbol to Pop Up a Nifty Binding Details Window

When you have a symbol in a data binding or function binding, you can double click on it to pop up a ‘Edit Binding’ window. This can show you some details on modes and settings and can also be used to quickly edit the symbol name. In the screenshot below, I might have a similar ‘IsAlarmLowEnabled’, and I can switch this symbol binding to that symbol more quickly than reopening the Create Data Binding window

When Making a Parameter for a User Control, Comments are Very Underrated

User controls are great for creating reusable custom controls, but they’re even better when you comment any parameters you make. Now, not only can developers that use your control (including future you, probably) hover to see your comment, they’ll also be able to hover to see the datatype!

Function Bindings and Scripting

Function Bindings are Basically Javascript

Consider a function binding as a continually evaluating single JS expression where symbol expressions get evaluated as their value and the result of the JS expression is what the parameter sees.

Remember that the function binding accepts and evaluates only a single JS expression. With that in mind…

“IIFE”s are incredibly useful when you want multiple expressions in a function binding but don’t want to write a full TwinCAT HMI function

Custom Javascript or Typescript functions in TwinCAT HMI are an excellent tool, especially when you will need to run the same snippet in multiple places. But sometimes you want to have a few expressions together in a one-off function binding. Ordinarily, one can’t do the following in a function binding:

let a = 1;

let b = 2;

return(a+b);

Well, you could write that in a function binding, but you won’t get anything useful back. Instead, you can write this:

(function (){

  let a = 1;

  let b = 2;

  return(a+b);

})();

I’ve grown to really love TwinCAT HMI for its power and extensibility, for industrial HMI applications from simple to complex. I hope these tips are useful as you create your design.

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