Eaton Corporation now offers machine and system builders HMI/HMI-PLC panels for operation, visualisation and control. Eaton’s state-of-the-art touch panels provide clear and flexible menu guidance in any language required. Control, regulation, positioning and fieldbus communication are implemented using the Xsoft-CoDeSys-2 programming language. The graphical user interface is created via the user-friendly Galileo visualisation software, allowing machine builders to sell their machines worldwide with only one hardware and software solution required.
The Galileo visualisation software offers the user several functions for programming all graphical operating devices from the Micro Innovation/Eaton HMI product range. User-friendliness is a key feature of the software. It is easy to learn and ensures intuitive operation. Ready-to-use functions and many basic objects enable the user to design the panel visualisation exactly as required. A runtime preview, Inspector, makes it possible to simulate the results of the designed visualisation early during the development stage.
The new Galileo software offers objects for even greater development ease. For the first time, users can position their objects on different levels and create user-defined data types. The software is particularly compatible and can run efficiently on all WinCE panels. Visualisation design can be carried out in several different languages and the country-specific keyboard layout is also provided for inputs. The complete Unicode character set including Asian characters is supported. The languages and value scaling can be changed, even when the program is running. With around 150 communication drivers, Galileo is also compatible with all standard protocols, such as Siemens Simatic, Rockwell PLC and ControlLogix, Omron, CoDeSysV2/V3, Eaton Easy and many more. Up to eight communication channels can be created in parallel and data can be synchronised easily.
The user interface is created using objects. These can be placed on all levels and arranged as required. For a more modern and attractive user interface, the design engineer can likewise adjust the transparency of objects. Objects can also be positioned statically or dynamically. The size or position of a dynamic object can also be changed later by the user, and access can be controlled.
Eaton supplies several basic objects for the visualisation. This provides the user with a range of several buttons, switches and slide adjusters for the design of the interface of his panel. Besides the basic objects provided, the software also offers some more powerful objects as well. These include, for example, a flexibly configurable gauge meter for which the edges can be smoothed. Another object is for error management, and provides errors with a time stamp, assigns them to an error type and creates an error history. Error messages can also be provided with a placeholder which, at the time of the error, can either be filled with a value variable or a project text.
An extensive user management function can also be integrated in the panel design. This allows the administrators to add and remove users and assign these to predefined user groups. The minimum length of passwords, password history, password ageing, automatic logout and a monitoring of invalid logins can also be set in order to ensure that the system is secure. Another object is the parameter list. This shows variables as a list and also allows them to be changed.
Recipe management enables the user to change production parameters for two different production processes; predefined recipes contain all the relevant production parameters.
Eaton’s Galileo is a comprehensive software tool with a high level of user friendliness and intuitive operation that simplifies working with the visualisation software. A great benefit is the high level of compatibility with a large number of controllers, allowing machine builders to thus choose Eaton’s HMI/HMI-PLC panels and Galileo at a later time.
For more information contact Marlene Coetzee, Eaton Electric South Africa, +27 (0)11 824 7400, [email protected], www.eaton.com
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