CX-Server OPC User Manual
Contents
1. OMRON False True False True 0 Analogue 1 Digital 2 Text True False E amp H00000000 amp E amp H00FF00008 Output Flow No1 W 8H02C4723E amp 0 Integer 1 Real True optional eee ot False MaxCharacters 6 MaxDecimalPlaces 999 99 mane SiC MinorTicklnterval 999 99 NumberOfDigits DisplayMinorTicks DisplayMinorUnits DisplayType Enabled Font FontColour Height IndicatorColour IsPointvalid ItemName KnobBorderPercentage KnobColour KnobStyle LeadingZ eros LEDColour Left ListPoints Getting Started with CX Server OPC rue Show False Hide Shows or hides the minor tick marks of the scale True Show False Hide Shows or hides the minor units markers of the scale True Show False Hide Determines the type of display 0 Analogue as a numeric value 1 Digital as textual value 2 Text as text Switches the object on or off True On False Off his is the system name of the font used for the object title Use the browse button to display the font dialog Arial is the default The code determines the colour of the title font Click the browse button to display the colour palette Sets the overall height of the object in pixels The code determines the colour of the indicator Click the browse button to display the colour palette Returns whether a point is valid Use of this property is described in the script inte2. ServerProjectName C CXSPROJ CDM The project file used by the OPC Server optional may be blank Shadow True Adds or removes a shadow from the object giving it a raised appearance False True Shadow On False Shadow Off StateOColour HB amp HOOOO00FF amp The code determines the colour of the toggle switch in the 0 state Click the browse button to display the colour palette StateOText This is the text indicating the 0 state of the switch i e Off Stopped Halt etc State1Colour W amp HOoooFF00 amp The code determines the colour of the toggle switch in the 1 state Click the browse button to display the colour palette State1Text This is the text indicating the 1 state of the switch i e On Running Start etc StateFont Arial This is the system name of the font used to display the sate of the switch ro button Use the browse button to display the font dialog Arial is the default StateFontColour E amp Ho0000000 amp The code determines the colour of the title font Click the browse button to display the colour palette Title This is the title that appears in the object TitlePosition 0 Top Determines where title will be placed in the object Above or below the scale 1 Bottom Determines the position of the object from the top of the work area in pixels 1 UnitPostion 0 Inside Positions the dial units inside or outside the scale Outside UpdateMethodID The ID of the method that will invoke the update to the
3. CV and C PLCs It does not provide detailed information concerning the PLCs themselves for this information the commercial manual for the device must be consulted This manual contains the following information Getting Started with CX Server OPC This describes the CX Server OPC software in general terms Using the OPC Server This describes running and setting up the OPC Server for use by any OPC Client Using Omron OPC Client Components This describes using the supplied Activex components to access PLC data and includes a tutorial for Excel and Visual Basic host applications Appendix A Component Properties This appendix summarises the available properties for the ActiveX objects Appendix B Script Interface The Visual Basic script interface for the OPC Server communications control A Glossary of Termsand Index are also provided Warning Failure to read and understand the information provided in this manual may result in personal injury or death damage to the product or product failure Please read each chapter in its entirety and be sure you understand the information provided in the chapter and related chapters before attempting any of the procedures or operations given Page 4 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Table of Contents Getting Started with CX Server OPC adele eiiieaen iee 6 About this Manua i e ee alien ele tite aude cama odode dae System Requirement cccceeeeeeees Installing Un
4. that you copy and move any projects you saved in the CX Server OPC folder Save a copy of your projects in another location on your hard drive such as your My Documents folder before uninstalling CX Server OPC T2 Biv From the Start menu select Settings Control Panel Double click the Add Remove Programs Click the Install Uninstall tab From the list programs that you can remove select CX Server OPC Click Add Remove At the prompt select the Remove item and click Next and follow any further prompts 7 Wait until the uninstall program indicates that the process is complete OOTA ON S Page 8 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC The Help system and How to Access it CX Server OPC comes with a detailed help system At any time while using the software it is possible to get help on a particular point that is currently being worked on or on general aspects of CX Server OPC This system is intended to complement the manual by providing on line reference to specific functions of the software and how to use them The manual is designed to provide tutorial information and discuss the various facilities offered by CX Server OPC Help Topics The help can be launched in several ways The Contents page can be launched by selecting Help from the CX Server OPC folder on the Start button Alternatively if the server is running right click the CX logo in the system tray and select Help from the menu About CX OPC Serve
5. Net see the separate Guide to Using CX Server Lite in Microsoft Net Page 7 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Interfaces to Hardware PLC Communications Interfaces to PLC and temperature controller hardware are via the CX Server and or Fins Gateway 2003 runtime systems Interfaces to Network Service Boards NSBs are achieved using a Fins Gateway driver which is supplied and supported as part of the CX Server product Interfaces to Hardware Peripherals Interfaces to PC hardware printers graphics keyboard mouse Ethernet etc are supported by drivers installed and supported by Windows Installing Uninstalling CX Server OPC The CX Server OPC software is supplied on CD ROM and is installed easily from within Windows To install CX Server OPC 1 2 3 1 Close all programs 2 Insert the CD labelled CX Server OPC into your CD ROM drive If Autorun is enabled on your system the installation starts automatically otherwise see the README TXT on the CD ROM for instructions to launch manually 3 Follow the instructions on the screen By default CX Server OPC is installed in C Program FilexOmron Additional Omron applications will be installed in a subfolder under Omron Common components are installed into C Program FilexsCommon Files Omron Components To uninstall CX Server OPC When you uninstall your CX Server OPC project data remains intact uninstall only removes program files It is recommended however
6. PLC at runtime UpdateRate 10 The value sets the frequency in seconds at which the data passing to or from the object is updated Value Determines the default value of the ActiveX object This is typically although not always the default property for a control so ControlName 10 is usually the same as ControlName Value 10 Visible True Switches the object between visible and invisible in run mode False True Visible False Invisible Width 98 25 Determines the overall width of the object in pixels Page 34 OMRON Appendix B Script Interface The Script Interface defines the Visual Basic script interface for the OPC communications control Note The container application may also display additional container specific methods that apply to all objects e g Excel provides a BringToFront method Consult the help for the container application for details of these methods Functions Value Value Read Write GetData StopData OnData EnableGroup Enableltem IsBadQuality About Help ConnectToServer Disconnect ListGroups Listltems VarType Getting Started with CX Server OPC Function for getting and setting an OPC item value Function to read the value of an OPC item Function to write the value of an OPC item Function for starting OnData events Function for stopping OnData events Event for receiving notification of a change in data Function for enabling or disabling active state of a
7. Start and configure the OPC Server as described above Start the OPC Client Depending on the client either browse for local OPC servers and select OMRON OpenDataServer 1 or type the name directly Note If the client supports browsing for servers but the server is not shown the client may not be fully OPC version 2 compliant Create an OPC Group from the client Create an OPC Item from the client If the client supports OPC item browsing facilities browse the OPC Server to list the namespace groups and items to create the OPC Item ID Otherwise type the CX Server logical name as the OPC Item ID Configuring the PC for remote connection The OPC interface uses a Microsoft technology called DCOM This allows the OPC client and OPC server to be seamlessly Distributed over a PC network The OPC Server should be running on the PC with direct connection to the PLC or PLC network However the OPC Client or indeed multiple OPC Clients can be run on different networked PCs and will automatically read and write data over the PC network To do this the PC running the OPC Server must be correctly configured For full details of DCOM configuration and security issues see your Microsoft documentation The following is a quick guide Configuring DCOM 1 2 3 1 WStart 2 Start DCOMCNFG EXE e g by selecting RUN from the Start button The default location on NT is C WINNT SYSTEM32 View the Default Propertiestab found und
8. as inactive when communications with it is lost otherwise the FB Active and Inactive setting will always be treated as correct i e the redundancy will be under full Function Block control PLCNAME_OKConnections Number of currently valid connections to a device e g in a system with both device redundancy and network redundancy this value will normally be 4 Consult the function block documentation for further details of function block operation Page 17 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Predefined System Points In addition to the redundancy system points described in the section on redundancy CX Server OPC includes several other predefined points which can be used for reading status and diagnostic information These points include Note In all of the points below PLCNAME is replaced with the actual name of the PLC PLCNAME_ Status Current PLC Status as an integer the values correspond to the standard OPC values and should be displayed in hexadecimal e g OxCO the Ox prefix indicates hexadecimal 0xC0 is 192 in decimal means OPC status OK Note the most common OPC values are OPC Quality Bad 0x00 OPC Quality Uncertain 0x40 OPC Quality Good 0xCO0 OPC Quality Configuration Error 0x04 OPC Quality Not Connected 0x08 OPC Quality Device Failure 0x0C OPC Quality Out of Service 0x1C The status text point see below will contain a description of
9. client functionality included may need some basic understanding of OPC OPC client developers will need a complete understanding of OPC and the interfaces defined For more information on OPC see the OPC Foundation web site at www opcfoundation org Starting CX OPC Server To launch the OPC Server 1 2 3 1 From the Start button select OPC Server from the section Programs MAStart Omron CX Server OPC 2 The server will start Note the CX logo in the system tray 1518 3 Configure the server namespace by clicking the CX logo with the right mouse button and selecting Select CX Server Project from the popup menu Page 11 OMRON 5 Getting Started with CX Server OPC About CX OPC Server H Ip Server Info Select ver Project Disconnect Gients Shutdown i To open an existing CX Server Project CDM file e Click the Open button and in the Open Project dialog navigate to the file you wish to open When you click the Open button the full path name of the selected file will be entered into the Project field Caution When sharing a CDM file with other applications it is important to realise that any changes that are made to the CDM file may affect the other applications ii To create a new CX Server Project CDM file e Click the New button and in the Create Project dialog navigate to the directory in which you wish to create the new file Inthe File Name field ente
10. installer is supplied on the CX Server OPC CD The Server Info dialog which can be reached by clicking on the CX Server OPC Windows Toolbar icon using the right mouse button contains options for configuring communications One of these options controls the use of Fins Gateway If the Fins Gateway option is set and Fins Gateway 2003 is present on a computer then the Fins Gateway drivers will automatically be used for runtime communication to CS CJ devices via Ethernet and Controller Link CX Server will still be used for any non CS CJ devices and for any devices that don t use either Ethernet or Controller Link In addition it will still be used for any devices for which dual network redundancy is enabled CX Server is also always used for configuring the point data Note This is an advanced option For most applications communications via the standard Omron CX Server communications drivers is ideal but in some cases performance may be better or more consistent using the Omron Fins Gateway 2003 drivers This option allows the user to choose between the two sets of drivers Page 13 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Using with Third Party OPC Clients The exact procedure for connecting Third Party OPC Clients to the OPC Server will depend on the client being used Consult your OPC Client documentation for full details However the following is a basic overview 1 2 3 1 GAStart PAStart 2 3 4 5
11. submenu that is obtained by right clicking on the CX Server OPC icon which is present in the Windows task bar whenever CX Server OPC is running Most of these utilities are only available when CX Server OPC is connected to a PLC i e when a client is connected in which case a PLC selection dialog is shown before the utility is launched The utility will then automatically connect to the PLC The Network Configuration Tool and Performance Monitor Tool are always available The Network Configuration Tool is particularly powerful including options to scan serial ports for PLCs or to check communications with a PLC go online and configure it For full details of these utilities consult the CX Server help files Note If access to these powerful utilities is not required and no other program that requires them e g CX Programmer CX Supervisor is being used on a machine then they can be removed by uninstalling CX Server PLC Tools from the Windows Control Panel Fins Gateway Option CX Server OPC normally uses the Omron CX Server Communications software for both device and point configuration and also for runtime communications reading and writing values from a PLC Another Omron product Fins Gateway 2003 also provides communications drivers that can be used for interfacing to Omron devices Some users may already have this software installed on their computers and may prefer to use it In addition a suitable Fins Gateway 2003
12. the OPC Server The following sections take you through the steps required to open your selected application i e Excel or Visual Basic and create a working area Using the short tutorial you can then continue and load a number of ActiveX objects link them together and run a simulation As you became more practised in using CX Server OPC you will find there is usually more then one way to perform an operation The following procedures may not always be the quickest but have been written to show how the application works using the basic features Page 22 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC If the ActiveX objects are not visible in the Visual Basic Toolbox they can be added as follows 1 2 3 26 1 2 3 Right click in the Toolbox and select the Components option This will open the Components dialog Find the CX Server OPC controls in the list all of which all start with OMRON CX and tick each box Click the OK button The objects are now displayed in the Toolbox Step 1 Viewing Data using Omron Graphical Controls Adding the Communications Control Before the Graphical Controls objects of CX Server OPC can communicate with an OPC Server the correct data source connections have to be set up for it This is not necessary if the Graphical Control will be used stand alone and driven from script To add a Communications Control 1 2 3 1 WStart k Start the host application e g Microsoft Excel
13. the group update rate Data is then sent to the OnData routine An individual element of a point defined as an array ina CDM file can be accessed for reading or writing values Example Comms1 GetData MyPLC MyPoint 2 nUpdateRate In this example the third element of the point MyPoint defined as plc1 DM500 10 USH can now be accessed as MyPoint 2 By default if the array element is not specified then the whole point whole array of elements is manipulated By using the OnChange command as the forth parameter the GetData method will only return points when they change Example Comms1 GetData MyPLC MyPoint nUpdateRate OnChange OnChange is of type UpdateSetting By default the UpdateSetting is set to Continuous to remain compatible with previous versions Page 37 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC StopData Stops asynchronous data reading of the specified OPC item Example OPCComms1 StopData MyGroup Myltem In this example the asynchronous reading of Myltem in MyGroup would be stopped OnData This event is sent back to the container e g Excel when data has changed This is either data started by calling GetData or by calling Read or Write in asynchronous mode Example Private Sub OPCComms1_OnData ByVal Group As String ByVal Item As String ByVal Value As Variant ByVal BadQuality as Boolean TextBox Item Segment Value End Sub In this exam
14. 2nd Network r t PLC5 f Redundancy Level Redundancy i On Address j Network Number Hode PLC Status Location CJ1M CPU23 4st Network i 0 50 59 99 land Network 4st Network Partner 2nd Network With device redundancy an OPC client sees a single device connection which in fact consists of two physical devices which are effectively duplicates of each other in terms of programs data I O connectivity etc In normal operation reading of data occurs from one of the devices but data written is sent to both If the device being read from fails then a switch is seamlessly made to the partner PLC In order to ensure that operation proceeds smoothly and the PLCs transfer status data between themselves correctly the use of specialist Function Blocks produced by Omron is required For each device in the CX Server file redundancy can be turned on or off A partner IP address and node number can be specified for all suitable CS CJ Ethernet devices In addition a status location can be specified this represents the start address of the status data used by the Omron supplied function blocks In addition to the device level redundancy there is also network level redundancy i e for each device two separate Ethernet connections associated with two different networks can be specified It is possible for example to connect to a PLC via two entirely sep
15. 97 Tip If you intend having a large number of components on your desktop it is recommended you run Excel in full screen mode Ensure the Control Toolbox and CX Server OPC toolbars are shown by selecting them from the View Toolbar menu Note In Visual Basic ensure the Toolbox is shown by selecting Toolbox from the View menu Ensure the host application is in design mode for example in Excel by clicking the Design Mode button in the Control Toolbox In the CX Server OPC toolbar click the Add OPC Communications Control button The Communications Control object is drawn in the default position top left hand corner of the work area Note In Visual Basic select the required component from the al Toolbox and draw a rectangle at the desired position Tip Double clicking the toolbox button inserts the component with a default size Using Drag and Drop the object can now be repositioned in the work area Note that the object will not be visible in run mode Connecting the Communications Control to an OPC Server The first step is to create a project file OPC file or select one which has been previously created This file contains configuration data and symbolic definitions for the desired OPC items Page 23 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC The following procedure takes you through the steps required to load an existing OPC file or create a new one 1 1 2 3 Right click on the OPC communications contro
16. OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC CX Server OPC User Manual Getting Started Version 2 0 Page 1 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Notice OMRON products are manufactured for use according to proper procedures by a qualified operator and only for the purposes described in this manual The following conventions are used to indicate and classify precautions in this manual Always heed the information provided in them Failure to heed precautions can result in injury to people or damage to the product DANGER Indicates information that if not heeded is likely to result in loss of life or serious injury WARNING Indicates information that if not heeded could possibly result in loss of life or serious injury Caution Indicates information that if not heeded could result in relatively serious or minor injury damage to the product or faulty operation OMRON Product References All OMRON products are capitalised in this manual The word Unit is also capitalised when it refers to an OMRON product regardless of whether or not it appears in the proper name of the product The abbreviation PLC means Programmable Logic Controller and is not used as an abbreviation for anything else Page 2 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Visual Aids The following headings appear in the left column of the manual to help you locate different types of information Note Indicates information of particul
17. ar interest for efficient and convenient operation of the product 1 2 3 Indicates lists of one sort or another such as procedures checklists etc B Represents a shortcut on the Toolbar to one of the options available on the menu of the same window WMStart Indicates a program must be started usually by clicking the appropriate option under the standard Windows Start button Note Indicates procedures that are specific to Visual Basic a OMRON 2008 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means mechanical electronic photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of OMRON All copyright and trademarks acknowledged No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein Moreover because OMRON is constantly striving to improve its high quality products the information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice Every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual Nevertheless OMRON assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained in this publication Page 3 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC About this Manual This manual describes the CX Server OPC application and its ability to interface with OMRON CS
18. arate Ethernet networks with the only common hardware being the PC and the PLC Page 16 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Device and Network redundancy can be used separately or together i e it is possible to have up to two network connections to each single or paired device The Fins Gateway communications option can be used for device level redundancy but will have no effect where network level redundancy is in use i e CX Server will still be used to communicate to any device that is configured to have access via a second network System points that provide access to PLC redundancy function block data include PLCNAME_ Active Whether a PLC is currently the active device boolean PLCNAME_ Inactive Whether a PLC is currently the inactive device boolean PLCNAME_ForcedRun Whether the PLC forced run bit is set PLONAME_ProgChangeAlm Whether the PLC FB Program Change Alarm bit is set PLCNAME_PartnerFailAlm Whether the PLC FB Partner Change Alarm bit is set PLCNAME Lifecycle Whether the PLC FB Lifecycle bit is set PLCNAME_PrimaryNodeNum PLC FB Primary Node Number PLCNAME_MakeActive When set makes a PLC Active PLCNAME_Makelnactive When set makes a PLC Inactive PLCNAME_ForceRunPLC When set forces a PLC to run PLCNAME_UseFBInput Signals that the Function Block Input data should be used PLCNAME_AutoSwitch When set indicates that the server should treat a device
19. cations If the option is not set then the PLC will only be opened when an attempt is made to communicate with it e g a point within it is made active The PLC will be closed when the last active point within it is made inactive Users should be aware that opening and closing a PLC can be quite inefficient so in normal circumstances it is better to leave this option set In circumstances where some PLCs are deliberately left unconnected it may be better to unset the option and to control whether the PLC is opened or closed by the use of active points within it as long as one point is active the PLC will be kept open Users should also be aware that any direct read of the PLC will also cause it to be opened even if no points within it are active and that it will not be automatically closed thereafter It will be left open awaiting any further direct PLC communications String Option The Set default cardinal type for signed char arrays to string VT_BSTR option is intended for use with clients which display the default server type for items The CX Server signed char array type is the internal CX Server data type used for strings but some clients do not convert this into a string by default Setting this option means that CX Server OPC will inform clients that the default native cardinal type for any points defined as signed char arrays is string VT_BSTR This should ensure that those clients correctly represent the data as a s
20. d Reads the value of an OPC item Example of synchronous read from device intVal OPCComms1 Read MyGroup BoilerTemp ReadFromDevice In this example the OPC item BoilerTemp in the OPC group called MyGroup will be read from the device e g PLC by the OPC Server and will be stored in intVal The script will wait for the read operation to complete before continuing to execute the next line This is identical to the operation of the Value method Example of synchronous read from cache intVal OPCComms1 Read MyGroup BoilerTemp ReadFromCache In this example the OPC item BoilerTemp in the OPC group called MyGroup will be returned by the OPC Server from its cache and will be stored in intVal The script will wait for the read operation to complete before continuing to execute the next line If the value is not available in the cache e g because the point is not active then an error E_FAIL will be returned and the quality of the item will be set to bad quality Example of synchronous read from cache or device if cache not available intVal OPCComms1 Read MyGroup BoilerTemp ReadFromCacheOrDevice In this example the OPC item BoilerTemp in the OPC group called MyGroup will be returned by the OPC Server from its cache and will be stored in intVal The script will wait for the read operation to complete before continuing to execute th
21. d How to access it 9 Tutorial Step 1 Viewing Data using Omron Graphical Control 23 Tutorial Step 2 Inserting Data in Cells 25 Tutorial Step 3 Adding Third Party Activex Controls 26 U Using the OPC Client components 21 Getting Started with CX Server OPC Using the OPC Server 11 Using Third Party OPC Clients 13 14 15 18 19 20 V Viewing Data using Omron Graphical Control 23 W What is OPC 11 Page 47
22. d within the process control industry A software application that uses OPC interfaces to exchange data with an OPC Server A collection of OPC Items A single piece of data e g a PLC memory area stored with an OPC Server A software application that uses OPC interfaces to provide data to OPC Clients Abbreviation for Personal Computer Page 44 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Pixel PLC Point SVGA mode Windows Desktop A single displayable point on the screen from which a displayed image is constructed The screen resolution of the computer s Visual Display Unit VDU is defined by the number of pixels across and the number of pixels down e g 1024 x 768 Abbreviation for Programmable Logic Controller A point is used to hold a value of a predefined type Boolean Integer Text etc The contents of a point may be controlled by an object or I O mechanism such as DDE The contents of a point may control the action or appearance of an object or be used for output via an I O mechanism A mode of video display that provides 800 x 600 pixel resolution or higher with 16 or more colours and is supported on Super Video Graphics Adapter systems An integral part of Microsoft Windowsthat allows Microsoft Windows based applications to be started fromicons and for allapplications to be organised Page 45 OMRON Index A About CX Server OPC 9 About this Manual 6 ActiveX Objects 7 Segmen
23. ditor and run the application as shown in Step 1 The cell A1 that is row 1 column 1 will show the required data Step 3 Adding Third Party ActiveX Controls Step 1 shows data in an Omron graphical control but the data can used by other Activex controls like Graphical Control Libraries supplied by other manufacturers or controls like Charts or Scroll Bars supplied with Microsoft products Assuming Step 1 above has been completed the following steps show connecting the data toa standard Scroll Bar 1 2 3 1 Add a standard Scroll Bar from the Control Toolbox al zi 2 Select and resize the buttons as required then drag and drop the buttons in the desired position 3 Double click on the scroll bar buttons This will reposition the cursor in the code sheet at the following entry Private Sub Scrollbarl_Change End Sub Note In Visual Basic the default name for scroll bars is HScroll1 or VScroll1 4 Add the following syntax The additional command instructs any new Scroll Bar value to be written to the server Private Sub Scrollbarl_Change OPCComms1 Value GroupName OPCBoilerTemp Scrollbar1 Value End Sub pg Run the application as shown in Step 1 The communications control will disappear and the 7 Segment display will show the current value When you click on the scroll bar buttons the value is sent to the server This new value is then shown on the 7 segment display Note that the maxi
24. dix A Component Properties cccsscsscssssceecececceeeeees J2 Appendix B Script Interface sccscssssssssscscsccccceceseeecsees JD FUN CUONS SAE EEEE IE EE E EEE U EE A E EA AEA E A E E E A 35 Parameter support Devic SUpPpO t rere a a A A en ee EATEN EN ANa Glossary of LGEIMS ssssccisesasescascdvanecnssdsecsosnsensdysossvedenteesseveasevstsconses 44 MPU C E EE EEE EEE A E EE AEE EA EEE EE E 40 Page 5 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Getting Started with CX Server OPC This book introduces the CX Server OPC application to a new user CX Server OPC allows PLC data collected by the OMRON CX Server and Fins Gateway communications software to be accessed by standard OPC clients It allows existing process data to be collected and analysed plus it includes graphical components allowing easy creation of simple SCADA applications Included with CX Server OPC is the CX Server runtime system plus a range of ActiveX components that can be dragged and dropped onto your Workbook or Form A Fins Gateway runtime system installer is also provided on the CX Server OPC CD as Fins Gateway may be used as an alternative to the CX Server communications drivers for Ethernet and Controller Link communication to CS CJ PLCs About this Manual This manual helps a new user get started with CX Server OPC by describing the software installation and computer configuration and by leading the user through the basics
25. e next line If the value is not available in the cache e g because the point is not active then the value will be read from device instead Example of asynchronous read OPCComms1 Read MyGroup BoilerTemp ReadFromDeviceAsync In this example the OPC item BoilerTemp in the OPC group called MyGroup will be read from the device by the OPC Server The script will continue to execute the next line immediately and when the data is read it generates an OnData event Page 36 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Write Writes the value of an OPC item Example of synchronous write OPCComms1 Write MyGroup BoilerTemp NewValue WaitUntilComplete In this example NewValue will be written to the OPC item BoilerTemp in the OPC group called MyGroup The script will wait for the write operation to complete before continuing to execute the next line This is identical to the operation of the Value method Example of asynchronous write OPCComms1 Write MyGroup BoilerTemp NewValue NoWaiting In this example NewValue will be written to the OPC item BoilerTemp in the OPC group called MyGroup The script will continue to execute the next line immediately GetData Starts asynchronous data reading of the specified OPC item at the group update rate Example OPCComms1 GetData MyGroup Myltem In this example Myltem in MyGroup would be read at
26. e section be read before installing the software System Requirements CX Server OPC operates on IBM compatible personal computers with at least a 400 MHz Pentium II central processor It is designed to run in the Microsoft NT 4 0 2000 XP Vista environments Note CX Server OPC is not guaranteed to be compatible with computers running Windows emulation e g Apple Macintosh Hardware Requirements The following configuration is the minimum system requirements for running CX Server OPC IBM PC compatible Pentium II processor 512 Mbytes of RAM 30 Mbytes available hard disk space 800 x 600 Super VGA display The Recommended minimum is gt gt IBM PC compatible Pentium 4 processor 1024 Mbytes of RAM 50 Mbytes available hard disk space 1024 x 768 Super VGA display gt gt gt Operating Systems and Environments The operating systems on which this software will run are Microsoft Windows NT 4 0 Service Pack 5 and later Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 and later Microsoft Windows XP Professional Microsoft Windows Vista Business and Ultimate editions Containers in which this software will run are e Microsoft Excel 97 and later e Microsoft Visual Basic version 5 0 and later e Microsoft Visual C 6 0 gt gt gt e CX Supervisor v1 1 and later v2 0 and later recommended The recommended Operating System is Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Vista Business For use in Microsoft
27. er OPC Device Redundancy Functionality CX Server OPC supports device and network redundancy in a way that is transparent to the OPC client In order to achieve the full benefits the use of specialist function blocks running in the PLCs is required These are usually supplied separately e g on the Installation CD along with technical documentation describing their usage Those documents should be consulted for detailed technical information on how to set up device redundancy This section only contains a brief general overview The redundancy is enabled via the redundant configuration checkbox on the main Select CX Server Project dialog and a separate configuration file is used to store the redundancy configuration information The relevant settings are shown below Page 15 OMRON PLC1 Redundancy Level Redundancy On Getting Started with CX Server OPC Address Network Number Redundancy Settings IES PLC Status Location CJM CPU23 1st Network 1192 168 0 55 4 _ StatusPoint 2nd Network Vv 1192 168 0 56 L Partner 1st Network V 44 55 66 77 4 4 land Network iv 44 55 66 78 PLC2 Redundancy Level Redundancy On Address i Hetwork Humber Hode PLC Status Location CJ1M CPU23 1st Network i 92 168 0 61 4 61 52 2nd Network r Partner 1st Network Vv 44 55 66 80 T 80 t T
28. er the properties section of My Computer in the Computers section of Component Services on XP Ensure that the Enable Distributed COM on this computer is checked Page 14 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC 3 From the Default Propertiestab configure the Default Authentication Level to Connect and the Default Impersonation Level to Identify Setup the access permissions by either a Onthe Default Security tab adding the user to the Access Launch and Configuration lists by clicking the Edit Default button in each case The user added should have Administrator rights on the local PC If not it may be necessary to add user groups INTERACTIVE and NETWORK as well b From the Applications tab configure the properties for OpenDataServer and OpcEnum On the Security tab add the required users to each of the Custom Permissions The users added should have Administrator rights on the local PC If not it may be necessary to add user groups INTERACTIVE and NETWORK as well Using CX Server OPC offline CX Server OPC can be used offline not connected to a PLC To use this mode of operation set the local values option on the Server Info dialog accessed by right clicking with the mouse on the CX Server OPC icon in the taskbar that is present whenever CX Server OPC is running The OPC Server should be closed and restarted after setting or unsetting this option to ensure correct operation Using CX Serv
29. es an OPC Client called Omron OPC Communications Component and graphical controls that link directly to the communications component These are all ActiveX controls allowing data to easily be collected and displayed in either Excel or Visual Basic The graphical controls and communication component can of course be used with any version 2 OPC Server Objects Overview OPC Communications Control This control provides a seamless interface between the CX Server OPC host application Excel Visual Basic and any version 2 compliant OPC Server Note that the control is only visible when the host application is in the Design mode 7 Segment The 7 segment displays a numerical value in Binary Decimal or Hexadecimal formats Leading zeros and unused segments can be hidden The colour of the segments and the display background can be set independently The 7 Segment cannot be used to set a value Data Logging The Data Logging control provides logging and trending functionality through use of the Data Log Viewer components currently used by other Omron software packages including CxX Supervisor and SYS Config The control is configured in design mode to log data items and is controlled in runtime mode using script commands See the on line help for further details regarding the script interface Display The Display displays an analogue or text value The Display only displays a value i e you cannot set a value using this display LED Indicator T
30. he LED functions as a coloured on off indicator The colour of the indicator and the display background can be set independently while its shape can be round or square In the off state the chosen indicator colour is dimmed Linear Gauge The Linear Gauge displays an analogue value by filling a rectangle to represent the actual value as a proportion of its expected maximum The rectangle can be filled from bottom to top like a thermometer or from left to right like a progress complete bar There is also a configurable scale enabling intermediate values to be estimated The Linear gauge will only display a value you can not set a value with this gauge Page 21 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Linker This control gives the ability to link COTS commercial off the shelf ActiveX components to any of the Omron communications controls e g the CX Server communications control The control is configured in design mode to select the ActiveX component e g a Microsoft Forms V2 0 check box control to which the control will link at runtime In runtime mode data will be read from and written to the selected PLC item and the selected ActiveX component Rotational Gauge The Rotational Gauge displays an analogue value similar to a speedometer An indicator needle rotates according to the value There is a configurable scale enabling intermediate values to be estimated The Rotational gauge will only displays a value you can not set a va
31. he number of digits to be included in the display Sets the orientation of the gauge Horizontal or Vertical Page 33 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC fo 0 Vertical 1 Horizontal Precision PrintObject True Determines if this ActiveX object will be shown on a printout of the work False sheet True Printed False Not printed PropertyName The name of the property in the control to which the PLC item is linked at runtime ProjectName C Test1 OPC The OPC client project file used by the OPC Client control Note This should not be changed while communications are active to change the project name disconnect comms first then reconnect after setting the new name Rollovertime 1 Determines the frequency in hours at which the control will create a new log file Round Determines the shape of the LED indicator 0 Square 1 Round ScaleFont Arial This is the system name of the font used for the scale Use the browse button to display the font dialog Arial is the default ScaleFontColour E amp H00000040 amp The code determines the colour of the scale font Click the browse button to display the colour palette SegmentColour HB gHo000c000 amp The code determines the colour of the display segments Click the browse button to display the colour palette ServerComputerName MAINPC The machine name of the computer on which the OPC Server is running ServerName OMRON OpenData The name of the OPC Server Server 1
32. installing CX Server OPC The Help system and How to Access it Technical Support cia cik hain Ee eSa E a ne eR a eae ane eee Using the OPC Server esssssssscccccossssececccsoseseccocssssescesossssssesessssse LL WHatis O PG cia 28 AEE setae Seach cst ceased Seta Atte abc cata ats SR Bok de ete Baa SA Ae 11 Starting CX OPC Server un ecceeeceeseseeeseseeeeeetseeeeeeteeeneees Using the CX Server Communications Utilities Fins Gateway Option ceeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeseseeeeteeseeeeeeeeeeeees Using with Third Party OPC Clients 0 0 Configuring the PC for remote connection Using CX Server OPC Offline ceeeeseseseseteteteeeteeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeaeeees Using CX Server OPC Device Redundancy Functionality Predefined System Points eeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeteeeeeeeeeeeeeneneeeeeees Controlling CX Server Input Optimisations PLC Opening Option eeeseseeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees String Option sissies hee eeesccesncassecenese Silent Mode Option Command Line Options Using the OPC Client Components ssssscsccccccsssssssscccceees 2 L Objects OVeErvi Cw omnira re ea r an ea aD leet Using the OPC Server Step 1 Viewing Data using Omron Graphical Controls Step 2 Inserting Data in Cells oo eeesssessseseseeeseeeseseseeeeeetsteneeetaneneeees Step 3 Adding Third Party ActiveX Controls Other Features ss ccessesseascseencuedienevsesins ca estiwd wacaveneeterest Appen
33. istltems Returns a list of the items in an OPC group Example 1 Dim v as Variant v Comms1 Listltems Group1 Page 40 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Example 2 Dim A as Variant A Comms1 Listltems ComboBox1 Text For Count 1 To UBound A ComboBox2 Addltem A Count Next Count The example above fills ComboBox2 with the names of points in the group shown in ComboBox1 VBScript CX Supervisor Example VarType Dim arrayOfltems Dim nUbound nLbound arrayOfltems Comms 1 Listltems sGroup nLbound LBound arrayOfltems nUbound UBound arrayOfltems For Count 1 To UBound arrayOfltems Do something with items list here Next Returns the data type of an OPC variable as a variant containing a long value that can be compared against the standard Visual Basic data types i e voArray voBoolean vobByte voChar voCurrency vbDate voDecimal voDouble voEmpty vbInteger voLong vbNull vobObject voSingle vbString vbUserDefinedType and vbVariant See Visual Basic or VBScript help for more information on these data types Example Dim v as variant v OPCComms1 VarType Group1 Item1 the returned data type v can now be compared with standard VB data types Page 41 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Appendix C Temperature Controller Support Parameter support The following table outlines the temperature controller points available from the CX Server points edito
34. l In the popup menu select the OMRON CX OPC Communications Control Object option Note In Visual Basic the menu option is called Properties In the Communication Control Properties dialog select the Project file i To open an existing project OPC file e Click the Open button and in the Open Project dialog navigate to the file you wish to open When you click the Open button the full path name of the selected file will be entered into the Project field ii To create a new project OPC file e Click the New button and in the Create Project dialog navigate to the directory in which you wish to create the new file Inthe File Name field enter the desired file name When you click the Save button the full path name of the new file will be entered into the Project field By default the Computer Name field shows the name of the local computer If the OPC Server is on a remote machine click Show All This may take a few moments depending on your network and operating system When complete the Computer Name list now shows all computer names Select the required computer and wait while connection is tested The Server name list shows all the OPC version 2 compliant servers registered on the computer listed in Computer Name field For the server included with CX Server OPC select Omron OpenDataServer 1 from the list The connection can be tested by clicking the Info button that will display standard OPC status info
35. lable options Some options require you to enter specific information others provide a choice of entries from a drop down menu From the drop down menu at the top of the dialog select the object to be edited This will display the full range of options available for that object which can then be viewed either Alphabetically or Categorised A full list of the options and their settings and ranges for the CX Server OPC objects can be found in Appendix A Component Properties Gauge2 Gauge z Alphabetic Categorized Gauge2 AutoLoad False BackColour C amp HOOEOECEO BorderStyle 1 Raised CommsserverName Comms1 DisplayMajorTicks 1 True DisplayMajorUnits 1 True DisplayMinorTicks 1 True WB sHoooc0000 Height 141 75 IndicatorColour E sHoo0000FFe ItemName Not Set Left 153 Locked True MajorTickInterval 10 MaxAngle 180 MaxGauge alue 50 MinAangle 0 MinGauneyalue 50 Page 29 Getting Started with CX Server OPC Project Tree Like Explorer the Project Tree provides a graphical representation of you application In Visual Basic it is displayed to the right of the work form while in Excel it is shown on the left of the code sheet By expanding the tree you can see all your associated files and work sheets It is possible to open any number of work sheets by simply double clicking on them Having multiple work sheets open in this way enables you to copy and paste between them saving y
36. lling CX Server Input Optimisations The Omron CX Server middleware contains optimisations that improve communications throughput and which are enabled by default In certain specific circumstances it may be best to disable the CX Server input optimisations if a program is running in the PLC which changes a memory location that is being written by CX Server soon after the time that CX Server writes it then there is a theoretical risk that the change of value by the PLC program may be missed by a current subscription to the same location This situation can also occur if the value written to the PLC by the PLC program is a constant value and CX Server changes it in between the writes by the PLC program Note any new attempt to read from device e g a synchronous read from device would return the correct value Disabling the CX Server input optimisations will ensure that the correct value is always obtained but will slow down communications although this is unlikely to be noticeable except in the circumstances where there are subscriptions to large numbers of points that are rapidly changing value PLC Opening Option The Open all PLCs when first client connects option does what it says automatically opens all PLCs when the first client connects This means that an attempt is made to communicate with the PLC The PLC will be polled thereafter while open at the rate of about once a second to check that it remains online and ready for communi
37. lue with this gauge Rotary Knob The Rotary Knob allows the you to set an analogue value similar to a volume knob You can rotate the knob e g by clicking and dragging the mouse to set the pointer to a new position There is a configurable scale enabling intermediate values to be estimated The pointer always reflects the current value e g on start up and will change position in response to an external influence Toggle The Toggle allows you to toggle a Boolean bit between its On and Off state This is as a switch that can be clicked to change its state The current state is shown by the position of the switch The switch position also reflects the current value e g on start up and will change position in response to an external influence Timer The timer enables you to run a set of instructions repeatedly at regular intervals Thumbwheel The Thumbwheel provides a set of input controls similar to a hardware Thumbwheel Switch By clicking minus and plus buttons the various input digits can be set There are two modes of operation Commit and Direct When the optional Commit button is enabled digit values may be edited freely The PLC will not receive an updated value until the Commit button is pressed In direct mode without the optional Commit button changes to digit values are sent direct to the PLC as they occur Floating point is supported and integer values can be represented in both decimal and hexadecimal Using
38. mum value is limited Page 26 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC to 100 This is the default value of the scroll bar buttons This example shows a control setting a value Third Party controls can also display values For this the syntax would be depending on actual control ControlName Value OPCComms1 Value GroupName OPCBoilerTemp This script could also be added to a button or Timer control as explained in Step 2 Script functions are described further in Appendix B Other Features The following sections provide a brief overview of some of the more advanced features available in CX Server OPC Event Driven Routines Many of the script examples in this manual use asynchronous communications that is communications are carried out on demand without synchronisation with the rest of the system Asynchronous communications can be easily used to quickly create solutions that are easy to understand As a solution grows however asynchronous communications can prove inefficient and produce unpredictable updating which is difficult to debug because multiple scripts may be demanding the same data at the same time The OPC Communications Control provides facilities for synchronous communications that is communications and data updating are synchronised The GetData and StopData script commands see Appendix B for full details control the generation of OnData events on regular intervals which can be used to efficie
39. n OPC Group Function for enabling or disabling active state of an OPC Item Checks whether an item is currently indicating Bad Quality Brings up the about box Brings up help information Connects to an OPC Server optionally adding client group and item definitions to the Server Note it is usually not necessary to call this method as many other methods automatically call it first if it is required Disconnects from the OPC Server Note it is usually not necessary to call this method as many other methods automatically call it if it is required Returns a list of the groups in an OPC project Returns the list of items in an OPC group Returns the data type of an OPC item Reads or writes the value of an OPC item Example 1 Reading a value intVal OPCCommst Value MyGroup BoilerTemp In this example the OPC item BoilerTemp in the OPC group called MyGroup will be read from the OPC Server and will be stored in intVal Page 35 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Example 2 Writing a value OPCComms1 Value MyGroup BoilerTemp 50 In this example the value 50 will be written to the OPC item Boiler Temp Note Value is the default property for all objects so is assumed if omitted Therefore the following examples are the same intVal OPCCommst1 Value MyGroup BoilerTemp and intVal OPCComms1 MyGroup BoilerTemp Rea
40. ntly drive multiple controls and is easier to debug Example 1 2 3 1 Add an OMRON CX OPC Communications Control and two standard Command Buttons 2 Double click the communications control to add the following script Note the script is in the Event OnData Private Sub OPCComms1_OnData ByVal Group As String ByVal Item As String ByVal Value As Variant ByVal BadQuality As Boolean If Item OPCBoilerTemp Then Data is from this point Cells 1 1 Value End If End Sub Every time OnData is called with data from the point OPCBoilerTemp the value is written to the cell A1 Page 27 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC 3 Double click the Command Buttons to add the following script Private Sub CommandButtonl1_Click OPCComms1 GetData MyGroup OPCBoilerTemp End Sub Private Sub CommandButton2_Click OPCComms1 StopData MyGroup OPCBoilerTemp End Sub Run the application Click CommandButton1 to start creating OnData events every second Note the cell A1 updating Click CommandButton2 to stop the updating Page 28 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Advanced Properties When working with Visual Basic the advanced properties dialog is normally displayed on the right of the work form although it can be docked in any position In Excel it is opened by right clicking on an object and selecting the Properties option from the popup menu The dialog allows you to scan through all the avai
41. of CX Server OPC Separate OMRON manuals describe the related CX Automation Suite products CX Server CX Programmer and CX Supervisor Small example applications are included to demonstrate the basic features of the product These can be used to help with product familiarity CX Server OPC comes with a comprehensive on line help system which is designed to complement this manual and provide a quick reference at any point in the CX Server OPC application when the manual is not to hand This general help system uses a fast hypertext system that allows progressively more information to be obtained about any topic by selecting keywords within the descriptive text Throughout this manual it is assumed that a working knowledge of Microsoft Windows is obtained and that the user can Use the keyboard and mouse Select options from Windows menus Operate dialog boxes Locate open and save data files Edit cut and paste text Drag and drop Use standard Help systems including Index and Find features Start programs from the START button If Windows has not been used before it is recommended that some time working with the Microsoft documentation is spent before using CX Server OPC gt gt gt gt gt o Page 6 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC This introductory section deals with several important aspects of installing CX Server OPC and setting it up for use It is recommended that this entir
42. ou valuable time rewriting sections of code that already exist and more importantly are known to work Project VBAProject x AcrobatPDFWriter PDFWriter xla B Microsoft Excel Objects EB Sheet1 Sheet1 This Workbook B 63 Modules a AutoExec A AutoExit 2 DistMon 2 IniFiles 2 RegistrationDatabase 2 Strings E z BAProject Book1 xls 29 Microsoft Excel Objects heet1 Sheet1 Sheet2 Sheet2 EB Sheet3 Sheet3 This Workbook qj Forms UserForm 3 Class Modules E Classi Controlling ActiveX Objects A number of objects can be grouped together such as the 7 segment display and the spin buttons by selecting the objects you want to group while holding down the Shift key as you select each object When you have selected all the objects right click on an object and select the Group option from the drop down menu Note however that objects must be ungrouped before their parameters can be edited Other drawing commands such as Bring to Front Send to Back Cut Copy Past etc follow the standard windows conventions and are selected from the toolbar and or drop down menus Page 30 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Temperature Controller Support This version of CX Server OPC provides access to all the temperature controller devices supported by CX Server For further information regarding the functionality support see Appendix C Page 31 OMRON Ge
43. ple the CX Server 7 Segment component is set to the value of the point and a text box is set to display the name of the item If BadQuality is set to True then the value may be inaccurate e g from a device which has been disconnected The OnData routine can be enhanced to include logical expressions on the incoming Item name and then update the correct graphical object etc for example Private Sub OPCComms1_OnData ByVal Group As String ByVal Item As String ByVal Value As Variant ByVal BadQuality as Boolean If Item Myltem then Segment Value Else if Item MyOtherltem then Cells 1 1 Value End if End Sub EnableGroup Enables or disables the active state of the specified OPC group Examples OPCComms1 EnableGroup MyGroup1 True OPCComms1 EnableGroup MyGroup2 False In the first example the group MyGroup1 would be made active In the second example MyGroup2 would be made inactive stopping communication and subscription callbacks Page 38 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Enableltem Enables or disables the active state of the specified OPC item Examples OPCComms1 Enableltem MyGroup Myltem1 True OPCComms1 Enableltem MyGroup Myltem2 False In the first example the item Myitem1 would be made active In the second example Myltem2 would be made inactive stopping communication and subscription callbacks IsBadQuality Checks if an item is currently indica
44. r Server Info Select CX Server Project Disconnect wients Shutdown 15 18 The help system provides a standard look up dialog under the Contents tab showing the contents of the CX Server OPC Help file Double click on an item to read the associated information Refer to Microsoft Windows documentation for further information on using the Index and Find features About CX Server OPC The OPC Server menu includes an About dialog contains essential version number information and includes details of the version of CX Server installed that are required for obtaining technical support The CX Server ActiveX Components also include an About dialog containing essential version number information which is accessible from their properties menu In addition a brief description of CX Server OPC and the CX Automation Suite can be accessed from the main help contents dialog Technical Support If the installation instructions for this application have been followed no difficulties should be encountered If a problem occurs check that it does not relate to a fault outside CX Server OPC for instance with external components Check the following The PC is working correctly Page 9 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC e The external system or application is working correctly e The communications system is set up correctly Any errors are cleared in the associated PLCs When Customer Services need to be con
45. r Cross reference this information with the support offered by your specified device Word Aasressing Bi Addressing Resa J x To access these values via the CX Lite component add the appropriate temperature controller device Add a point using the value from the Data Location column in the table above You can then access this information as you would with any point Page 42 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Device support The following table outlines the temperature controller points available for each of the devices supported by CX Server FOOLING esi e vee ine oes ei a i aa ea SS Sasa ees Erik PMR Yam fe eee Sf Pea eek a es ev In addition to the previous table a special value of PARMxx can be used to refer to any ESAK parameter where xx is replaced by a number that corresponds to the number of the parameter given in the E5AK manual For example the special address PARM45 would refer to the SP ramp set value Refer to the Temperature Controller manual for descriptions of each special address Page 43 OMRON Glossary of Terms ActiveX Application Communications Driver Event GUI 1 O type Icon Microsoft Excel Microsoft Windows Microsoft Word OLE OPC OPC Client OPC Group OPC Item OPC Server PC Getting Started with CX Server OPC A component technology developed by Microsoft allowing components to communicate with applications A software program
46. r the new file name When you click the Save button the full path name of the new file will be entered into the Project field Click the OK button Projects can be edited by clicking the Edit Project button and then making the required changes from the Project Editor Dialog This is a CX Server runtime utility invoke help from within it for details of how to add and configure PLCs and Points Click the OK button to complete the configuration The OPC Server is now ready for use by any OPC Client that is compliant with OPC Data Access version 2 interface The CX Server project file cannot be changed while clients are connected To select a different CX Server project file at a later date either start the OPC Server manually from the Start button or if the server is running select Disconnect Clients and then follow steps 3 5 of the above procedure Tip You can make the OPC Server start automatically when the PC starts by copying the shortcut on the Start button in the CX Server OPC folder to the Startup folder Page 12 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Using the CX Server Communications Utilities CX Server OPC is supplied with CX Server This powerful communications middleware includes a set of utilities typically used for configuring or monitoring PLC networks e g as part of a CX Programmer application These utilities can also be used with CX Server OPC They are accessed from the Communications Utilities
47. rface section below This is the reference name given to the object This value determines the size of the knob border as a percentage of the overall size The code determines the colour of the knob Click the browse button to display the colour palette Determines how the numerical value of the knob is interpreted 0 as an integer or 1 as a real number Turns On or Off the leading zero s of the display False On True Off The code determines the default or inactivated colour of the LED indicator Click the browse button to display the colour palette Determines the position of the object from the left hand edge of the work area in pixels Lists the points in a project or PLC Use of this property is described in the script interface section below Lists the PLCs in a project or PLC Use of this property is described in the script interface section below Locks the actions of the ActiveX objec True Locked False Unlocked Sets the number of major tick intervals ary gauges Range 360 included in the display point in the display Determines the length of the arc for ro Determines the number of digits to be Determines the position of the decimal Sets the maximum value of the gauge Sets the maximum value that can be shown by a display Determines the length of the arc for rotary gauges Range 360 Number Base for 7 Segment e g 2 for Binary 10 for Decimal 16 for Hexadecimal Determines t
48. rmation collected from the OPC server At least one OPC client Groups must now be defined using the Groups tab Choose any meaningful name Add an Item for the data to display using the Items tab Choose any meaningful name e g OPCBoilerTemp Type the Item ID of the item as defined by the OPC Server or use the Browse button if the server supports the optional Browse items interface For the server included with CX Server OPC the Item ID is same as the CX Server Point Name e g Boilertemp Click the OK button to complete the configuration Page 24 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC The communications control is now ready to connect to the OPC Server and retrieve data This data can be accessed using script commands see Appendix B or by adding a Graphical Component Adding a 7 Segment Display 1 2 3 1 With the host application in design mode add a 7 Segment control 2 Right click on the graphical component and from the popup menu select the OMRON CX 7 Segment Control Object option Note In Visual Basic the menu option is called Properties a 3 In the component properties dialog select the Data Source tab and enter the following information Server Select the name of the communications control to be used If only one has been added it is selected automatically If the list is empty then you need to add one first Group Select the required group If the appropriate group is not in
49. rmines the button style 0 Toggle Switch 1 Colour Button 2 In Out Button 3 Rotary Switch 4 Rocker Switch 5 Indicator Button 6 Blank Button This is the name of associated communications control ControlName CheckBox1 Selects the control name that will be linked to the PLC item at runtime DatasetName MyLogFile Determines the name of the dataset and the file to which the log data will be saved DecimalPlaces Number of decimal places for 7 Segment Only applies when NumberBase 10 DisplayErrors Determines whether or not error messages will be displayed by the communications control in a message box set to True or returned as an error code to the client application set to False in which case the Visual Basic Error Object should be used to display the error DisplayFont Arial This is the system name of the font used for the display Use the browse button to display the font dialog Arial is the default DisplayFontColour E amp Ho0000000 amp The code determines the colour of the display font Click the browse button to display the colour palette DisplayFormat 0 Dec Determines the format used to display the analogue display information 1 Hex 0 Decimal 1 Hexadecimal 2 Scientific 2 Scientific DisplayMajorTicks False Shows or hides the major tick marks of the scale True True Show False Hide DisplayMajorUnits Shows or hides the major units markers of the scale o 03 o1 Page 32
50. t 21 Display 21 LED Indicator 21 Linear Gauge 21 OPC Communications 21 Rotary Knob 22 Rotational Gauge 22 Timer 22 Toggle 22 Adding a 7 Segment Display 25 Adding the Communication Control 23 Adding Third Party ActiveX Controls 26 Advanced Properties 29 C Component Properties 32 Configuring server for remote connection 14 Connecting to an OPC Server 23 Controlling ActiveX Objects 30 31 E Event Driven Routines 27 G Getting Started with CX Server OPC 6 Glossary of Terms 44 H Hardware Requirements 7 Operating Systems 7 Help Topics 9 Getting Started with CX Server OPC I Inserting Data in Cells 25 Installing Uninstalling CX Server OPC 8 O Objects Overview 21 OPC Foundation web site 11 What is it 11 OPC Server Configuring for remote connection 14 Starting 11 Using Third Party OPC Clients 13 14 15 18 19 20 Operating Systems 7 Other Features 27 Advanced Properties 29 Controlling ActiveX Objects 30 31 Event Driven Routines 27 The Project Tree 30 P Project Tree 30 R Running an Application 25 S Script Interface 35 Functions 35 Script Interface Functions GetData 37 ListPLCs 40 ListPoints 40 41 OnData 38 StopData 38 TypeName 39 40 Starting CX OPC Server 11 System Requirements 7 Page 46 OMRON Hardware Requirements 7 T Technical Support 9 The Help System an
51. tacted keep the following details to hand A clear and concise description of the problem is required together with the exact text of any error messages Note Use the About dialog to obtain the version number of the application Page 10 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Using the OPC Server This section introduces the OPC Server application to a new user What is OPC OPC stands for OLE for Process Control and is a standard published by the OPC Foundation The basic aim of the OPC standard is to allow hardware vendors to produce software drivers called OPC Servers and for software vendors to produce applications called OPC Clients that use a standard method for data interchange This allows software and hardware from different vendors to be used together The most widely used version of the OPC standard is version 2 This replaces the earlier version 1 standard CX Server OPC provides an OPC version 2 Server by adding an OPC version 2 05 interface to the CX Server runtime used for communication to Omron PLCs Note that the OPC version 1 0a interface is also supported by the CX Server OPC Server but has now been superseded and the version 2 interface should be used wherever possible The CX Server OPC Communications Client only uses the version 2 interface Unless otherwise stated this document refers to use with the OPC version 2 standard Users of CX Server OPC who have existing OPC clients or intend to use the OPC
52. that accomplishes a specific task Examples of applications are CX Supervisor CX Programmer CX Server Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel The relevant communications management system for OMRON PLCs in conjunction with Microsoft Windows providing facilities for other CX Automation Suite software to maintain PLC device and address information and to communicate with OMRON PLCs and their supported network types User action e g mouse click or System action e g timer tick which may cause a script to execute Graphical User Interface Part of a program that interacts with the user and takes full advantage of the graphics displays of computers A GUI employs pull down menus and dialog boxes for ease of use Input Output type An attribute of a point that defines the origin and destination of the data for that point The data for a point can originate be input from and is destined is output to to the internal computer memory a PLC or a target application Pictorial representations of computer resources and functions A spreadsheet application The most common operating system used by Personal Computers CX Server OPC will run only under Microsoft Windows A word processing application Object Linking and Embedding Used to transfer and share information between Microsoft Windowsbased applications and accessories Abbreviation for OLE for Process Control Open standard for the exchange of data between OPC Serversand OPC Clientsuse
53. the list click the gt button and select Add Group Item Select the point Item If the appropriate Item is not in the list click the gt button and select Add Item 4 Click OK to complete the connection Running the Application Click the Mode button to change to Run mode The communications control will disappear and will connect to the server Once connected the 7 Segment display will show the current value Note In Visual Basic click P to switch to run mode and to return Ja to design mode Step 2 Inserting Data in Cells Step 1 shows data in a graphical control but the data can also be inserted directly into cells within Excel This could be useful for further numerical analysis like averaging or statistical control Note In Visual Basic there is no concept of cells but the same technique could be used to set a Visual Basic variable Page 25 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Assuming Step 1 above has been completed 1 2 3 1 Decide when the data should be updated i For the user to control the data update add a standard Command Button from the Control Toolbox ii For the value to constantly update on a regular interval add the Omron timer control 2 Double click the added object to access the script and add the line Cells 1 1 OPCComms1 Value GroupName OPCBoilerTemp where OPCBoilerTemp is the name of the item to read pg 3 Close the Visual Basic e
54. the status PLCNAME_StatusText Current PLC Status as a string PLCNAME_Mode Current PLC Mode as an integer unknown mode 1 or 65535 if displayed as an unsigned value stop program mode 0 run mode 1 monitor mode 2 PLCNAME_ Time Current PLC Time as a string PLCNAME_IsOpen Whether PLC has been opened for communications as a boolean PLCNAME_ Heartbeat The current heartbeat of the communications in milliseconds This value is normally 1000 and a consistently higher value can indicate that communications is overloaded Note Calculation of this value relies on the presence of at least one point that is being read at a 1 second subscription update rate otherwise 0 will be returned The following diagnostics points are only maintained if communications is being read via Fins Gateway The CX Server Performance Tool should be used to obtain the corresponding values when communicating via CX Server PLCNAME_MessageQLen Number of outstanding comms messages as an integer PLCNAME_TXBytes Total bytes transmitted PLCNAME_RXBytes Total bytes received PLCNAME_Latency time in milliseconds between starting to tansmit a message and receiving the last byte of the reply PLCNAME_TheoreticalCPS Number of characters bytes expected to be transmitted PLCNAME_ActualCPS Total characters bytes transmitted in last second Page 18 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Contro
55. ting Bad Quality Example bBad OPCComms1 lsBadQuality MyGroup Myltem The boolean variable bBad is set True if the item Myltem is indicating Bad Quality e g the associated PLC is disconnected AboutBox Brings up the About Box Example OPCComms1 AboutBox Help Brings up the Help information Example OPCComms1 Help ConnectToServer Connects to an OPC Server optionally adding client group and item definitions to the Server Note it is usually not necessary to call this method as many other methods automatically call it first if it is required Example OPCComms1 ConnectToServer True connects and informs server of groups and items Page 39 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Disconnect Disconnects from the OPC Server Note it is usually not necessary to call this method as many other methods automatically call it if it is required Example OPCComms1 Disconnect ListGroups Returns a list of the groups in an OPC project Examples Dim A as Variant A OPCComms ListGroups For Count 1 To UBound A ComboBox1 Addltem A Count Next Count This example fills a combo box with the names of groups in the current project VBScript CX Supervisor Example Dim arrayOfGroups Dim nUbound nLbound arrayOfGroups Comms 1 ListGroups nLbound LBound arrayOfGroups nUbound UBound arrayOfGroups For Count nLbound To nUbound Do something with list here Next L
56. tring Page 19 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Silent Mode Option This option can be used to configure CX Server OPC to start up hidden without a splash screen and without an icon on the Windows system tray Command Line Options Parameters that can be passed to CX Server OPC are normally preceded with a hyphen or the slash symbol and include the following Silent This will force CX Server OPC to start up hidden without a splash screen and without an icon on the Windows system tray Display This will force CX Server OPC to start up visibly with a splash screen and with an icon in the Windows system tray This option overrides the silent mode option and the Silent parameter Persist If this option is not set then CX Server OPC will automatically close when the last client disconnects otherwise it will continue to run Use the combination of this option and Silent cautiously as CX Server OPC will then continue running until Windows is shut down RegServer This is an advanced option normally used on its own which rather than running CX Server OPC simply registers it at the location of the exe being run so that it can be automatically invoked from OPC etc These parameters can be passed via the Windows Run command or added to a Windows icon shortcut linked to CX Server OPC Page 20 OMRON Getting Started with CX Server OPC Using the OPC Client Components CX Server OPC also includ
57. tting Started with CX Server OPC Appendix A Component Properties This appendix gives a list of the available properties Each component supports a selection of these properties which can be set in design mode by using the properties dialog or in the run time by using a Visual Basic script command for example Object1 Value 10 Note The container application may also display additional container specific properties that apply to all objects e g Excel provides a parent property Consult the help for the container application for details of these properties Active Group and Item This property can be used to get or set OPC group or item active status to name get or set agroup use an empty name for the item OPC active status is more normally set by the EnableGroup and Enableltem methods Autoload True Switches the Autoload function On or Off When set to On the Activex False component value will autoload True On False Off AutoSize Switches the fonts auto size option on or off 0 Off 1 On BackColour W s HOOEOEOEO amp The code determines the background colour of the object Click the browse button to display the colour palette 0 0 0 The value determines the visual appearance of the border that surrounds the object BorderStyle 0 None 1 Raised 2 Sunken 3 Single_Line ButtonOn Determines the default state of the toggle 0 Off Up Inactive 1 On Down Active etc ButtonStyle The value dete
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