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Getting started with your ACE and your CommandHMI

Before you start with your ACE and CommandHMI, we suggest you to read this getting start!

Let’s start with your ACE

Before connecting your ACE to the PC

  1. Install vBuilder (Windows 10 recommended)
  2. Run vBuilder
  3. Plug the ACE PLC with a mini USB cable

See Power supply via USB or 2 position plug

Before wiring the PLC outputs

Remember: Enable the PLC to start up the program after power-up cycle

How to check the connection with my ACE PLC, my PC and vBuilder ?

If you have some issue with your connection between ACE and vBuilder

If…

  • The ACE PLC is not see with vBuilder or Windows
  • No USB sign bottom right-hand corner of your vBuilder screen
  • In Setup Hardware, the button  doesn’t work.

Check…

  • if you see the COM port in vBuilder with this tool:
  • In your Windows device manager (devmgmt.msc) if you see VelocioComm

If not, try this :

  • Plug and unplug USB cable, and have a look to the Device Manager Windows.
  • If the list refreshes as you plug it in/unplug it, it sees something.
  • If it is an unknown device, then it’s probably that you needs to install the driver:
    1. Uninstall vBuilder
    2. Restart your PC (advisable)
    3. Install vBuilder
    4. RUN vBuilder
    5. Plug PLC
  • If nothing happens, check if the led of the PLC blinks. If not, check the power supply or maybe the power of your USB port.
  • Try to change the USB cable
    • Some USB cable can work with some devices, but not with all devices – due to the wire diameters of the USB cable
  • Try on another PC

Everything is connected… Let’s go… First, with your ACE

  • Once the vBuilder software launched, start with a new project. From here, you have the choice between:
    • Flow Chart (Sequential function chart, SFC, GRAFCET,..)
    • Ladder Logic (Ladder diagram, LD,..)

Flow Chart or Ladder Logic ? You must choose the right solution!

Good to know:

  • You main program can be realized in “Grafcet” or “Ladder”
  • Each subroutines can be realized in “Grafcet” or “Ladder”
    • That means, as example, you can have:
      • Main program = “Ladder”
      • 3 subrtouines = “Ladder”
      • 4 subroutines = “Grafcet”
    • Subroutines are useful for:
      • create several identical processes
      • reused them in another project (export/import)
  • Generally, all control circuits have 3 main parts:
    • Signal section: Starts or stops current flow to the circuit. Allows circuit to operate.
    • Decision section: Uses logic from multiple devices to determine what work is to be done. Decision is used to control a load device.
    • Action section: Work to be performed based upon decision.

Ladder Logic (Ladder diagram, LD,..)

Flow Chart (Sequential function chart, SFC, GRAFCET,..)

The ladder logic symbols are made to look like electrical symbols.

It is practical for:

  • programming processes that do not necessarily have a logical sequence
  • trigger different actions depending on different signals without a strong notion of sequence and dependence
  • reworking old hard-wired systems into newer programmable ones

 

Flow Chart allow for processing sequential and parallel operations in a mode that depend of time or events.

It is practical for:

  • programming processes with a logical sequence with successive and well defined steps.
  • programming processes that can be divided into small steps

See Introduction to the format we highly recommend you use with your GRAFCET

Once you have chosen, you can make your first program:

You can insert or delete a row or column. See here.

Now, you can upload your program:

  1.  Upload the program
  2.  Run the program 

To test, see how to wire the inputs and outputs

You can also use the debug mode for see the inputs/outputs change of stat. For toggle between the values and the name of all tags, press the button

Getting started with your CommandHMI connected to the ACE

You can connect your HMI to the ACE via:

  • the USB ports: USB port of the HMI connected to the USB port of the ACE.
    • In this case you can’t use the debug mode of vBuilder at the same time than the HMI. The HMI use the programming port of your ACE.
  • the RS232 ports
  • the RS485 ports

See this page about the wiring diagram of the serial RS232/RS485 ports

Now we are going to add a input value on the HMI, then, change the stat of an output of the ACE.

In HMITool software

  • Start a new project.Select the right HMI.
  • Chose COM1 or COM2 as interface and RS232 or RS485 as port. Or USB as interface. Then Modbus RTU Master.
  • If you chose RS485, then select the Extended Mode.
  • Important: Good to know:
    • The HMI has registers for special use
      • LB: Local Memory Bit
        • LB0 to LB65535
        • LB50000 to LB51999 : Register backed up in case of power failure
      • LW: Local Memory Register
        • LW0 to LW65535
        • LW50000 to LW51993: Register backed up in case of power failure
      • RWI: For the recipes
    • The backed registers are very useful. Can be used in combination with the “Data forwarding” function.
  • Add a numerical input field or a numerical display field: Click on this tool  or
    • For save this numerical input or display in case of power failure, we are going to write its value in the saved area HMI register: LW50000 to LW51999
  • Then, we copy this value into the ACE register to find it in the PLC.
    • Or use the internal database of the ACE PLC
  • If you don’t need to save this numerical input or numerical display, you can write directly in the ACE register: 4×0
  • Download  the project in your HMI
  • <Tip> To know and control the screen number of the HMI, in HMITool configure:
    • A Modbus address for control the HMI Screen from the ACE PLC
    • and for know which HMI screen is being used

In vBuilder software

  • Create a simple ligne like this one:
    • hNumInput is an ui16 tag. Tip: The name starts with an h, this makes it easy to remember that it is a variable from the HMI.
  • In the tags table
    • tick this box:
  • In the Modbus table , add your tag at the address 4×0
  • Now, upload  your program to the ACE and run it

Test!

Now, enter a value > at 500! The OutBitD2 = 1!