The whole forum is a knowledge base. This section is a great place to post clever techniques in FactorySQL or FactoryPMI. Also good are: Settings, hacks, or advice for other applications including: SQL Databases, OPC Servers, utilities, Windows, etc, etc.
Fixes are relevant, but usually more so for external applications that aren’t likely to change for awhile. I don’t want to hide our bugs/fixes, that’s part of software development, but I also don’t want to confuse new users with non-existent bugs. Pending issues can be dealt with in the “Problems” section. If you want to see the progression and what’s been fixed, look at the changelogs in the documentation section of the web site.
nathan,
I am still in the evaluation stages with regards to your product and like the concept so far.
I would like to offer a few ideas based on my first impressions, I have been playing around with it for about 12 man hrs.
I hope this is the appropriate place to post.
The user manuals are good but should have a hyperlinked table of contents in order to find stuff easier.
The videos are great but by the time I finish watching one and try and implement I have forgotten some steps. It would be good if we could download them for reference.
The skeleton project is a good starting point but when starting out this new way of thinking is a little hard to grasp. Perhaps a document that details how things were done?
A step by step guide on how to build up a complex object type (symbol) such as the motor controller in the demo project.
A step by step guide on how to build a graphic object that reads & writes to the database
By providing a few examples it illustrates your methodology a lot better to us guys who have been using products like Citect, who’s methods and architecture has not changed much in many years.
I am sure many people, along with myself, like what they see with this product but need a little more assistance.
Regards,
Sam
Hi Nathan
I have been using the FSQL for a few years but just started using the FPMI. I really like the IA products. I believe that the concept of using industry standards, common place technology and open source creates an opportunity to do something new and meet business needs in a way not possible in the past. The power and flexibility of the software seems to be unlimited. However, the power and flexibility seem to make it necessary for the system designer to have to deal with a little bit more configuration. The main problem for me is that modern software like the IA product works and configures a lot different than Wonderware and, I would guess, Citect does. Anything you can do to help get new user’s project started so we can show the boss it works would be great. Here are a few suggestions from an end user who is replacing Wonderware with FPMI.
I would suggest that you add a table of contents and an index to the user manual and at the same time add what the most common binding point or points would be. When I first built my screens, I wasn’t sure where to bind my signal to. The problem is that the binding changes based on what you are trying to do. For example, my pump symbol I bind to tint color and for my alarm red/green dot, it is fill color.
A new section on the forum where Wonderware, Citect and other users could exchange how-to tips would be great. I have seen users ask how this is done. I can tell from the question that they are replacing Wonderware.
The IA alarm-subsystem is still a mystery to me. I just used the demo as my starting point. One of Wonderware’s strong points is its alarm configuration. The alarm-object in Wonderware is setup by doing a drag and drop and double click to enter the alarm server’s name. No other configuration is needed. Wonderware provides a signal called $Newalarm goes true when a new alarm comes in. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated.
A small help guide and more comments in the demo would help. If other users are like myself, they may not have any jython experience and little experience as a DBA or with database.
Videos are awesome, how about a few on how to do tasks: like turning the demo or skeleton into a usable system, how the demo alarm system works, and how the treading system works.
How about a Water/Wastewater demo. I have built a few screens that I could share. My PLCs can speak Modbus so maybe a demo that uses Kepware to a live PLC?
One thing I was able to do was to merge the IA Demo project into my online Kepware project file. This allowed me to use real and simulated data which helped me to learn the product. It is not hard to do and a technote on it could be easily created.
How about the creation of a Southern CA users group?
I have been looking for a good SCADA solution for more than three years and the IA product seems like it will be a perfect solution in a variety of ways.
I agree with Sam. A guide on how to build the objects/windows would be great. All the demos show the power of Ignition, but to be able to quickly make an object for the screen would be great.
Example: how to make an automated object like the dairy example.
How to make a window within the window rather than only a pop-up
What is the theory behind many of the screen objects.
How about the creation of a Southern CA users group?
