EZ Automation touchscreen update speed vs AB

- M
- Mike Zobrest
  
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posted
16 years ago

Thu, May 31, 2007 7:39 PM

We have just finished a large project using an EZ automation touchscreen and we found that the update speed of the screens was very poor, in the neighborhood of 8 seconds on a switch to a new screen. Once the screen was displayed and synch'ed the update speed was normal. The time was even greater before changing the addresses of the alarms so that they were sequential. The number of tags was around 1100 and we used universal ethernet communications at 10 mb. My question is, would using an AB panelview provide much better performance or is the communications of the PLC port going to be a bottleneck anyway? For this project we used an SLC 5/05, but in the past we have had similar problems with SLC 5/03's using CMore or EZAuto HMI's using the DH485 protocol.

- C
- Cameron Dorrough
  
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posted
16 years ago

Thu, May 31, 2007 9:55 PM

Hi Mike - is a Panelview going to be quicker? probably not.. for such long updates, a configuration issue is most likely.

The first question is: Do you have anything else on the ethernet network?

Cameron:-)

- M
- Mike Zobrest
  
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posted
16 years ago

Fri, Jun 1, 2007 10:50 AM

I removed everything from the network with no change. I am comfortable this is not a network issue or a configuration issue, I worked at length with the tech support people on it. The delay to synch the screens was in the 16 second range before I made the alarm addresses sequential. The tech support said that they have heard this type of complaint before. I was curious if anyone had ever run two similar project on an SLC with one using a Panelview and another using a CMore or EZAutomation touchscreen. I can't believe an 8 second delay is acceptable to AB, but I don't (didn't, the equipment shipped) have $4k and the programming hours available to get a Panelview in and play with it.

- S
- Steve Cothran
  
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posted
16 years ago

Fri, Jun 1, 2007 8:21 PM

I think I would whittle down the problem, say transfer 100 or so tags and see if that takes an inordinate amount of time. You could have a ground loop/noise problem that is causing bad packets and retries, especially if the PLC and Panel have separate power sources. See if there is any differential voltage (AC or DC) between the SG of the PLC and SG of the panel with the cable unplugged. Some of AutomationDirect's products are also sensitive to a floating control voltage (One side of control xfmr not grounded), although I can't tell you why.