"Adroit's newest support team member, Pawel Pietak, has settled in well and is manning the Adroit support desk. This is the hotspot of the organisation, and for anyone who thinks that his knowledge of the Adroit package is above average, manning the support desk is a very humbling experience.
This is where one discovers just how ingenious people who use Adroit are, and how versatile the product is. I suppose it is human nature to think along the lines of what you know and how you would set things up, so it is sometimes a surprise to find out how someone has used the product in ways which you never thought. Not all of the features of Adroit are ever used on one site, and the facilities we use most often are the ones we get to know very well." - Andre Botes - Adroit Support Manager
Technology 1-on-1
A very successful one-on-one session was recently held at Adroit Technologies where customers were invited to come and listen to the developers speak about what they know best - Adroit. Here was the opportunity to speak to the people behind the product and to find out what was in store for future features. The session consisted of a series of talks on new Adroit technology, ranging from drivers to PC hardware. There was interesting feedback and everyone who attended that Adroit spoke to was pleased that they attended. The good news is that for those who missed the opportunity to attend the first 1-on-1, more of the same will be held in future. The next 1-on-1 will have the same content as the first, and Adroit hopes to have the same fantastic turnout. This is an opportunity to see what is possible, and a very good forum to consider enhancements to any existing site.
The latest builds of Adroit
Version 4.2.1.06 has been released and is available on the Adroit website as an update, www.adroit.co.za. Alternatively, if readers require this version on a CD, they are encouraged to contact their sales engineer at Adroit - or the support desk. The main reasons to upgrade to this version are the addition of a trend toolbar and template trends. No changes have been made to Version 4.1 and the latest release is still Version 4.1.1.28.
Adroit and drivers
A problem that some users tend to have is setting up drivers. At present Adroit has drivers for most PLCs. Each PLC manufacturer has its own idea of how to interface to a computer - or the outside world. The problem with this is that once the set-up has been done and the system works, everybody tends to forget about the driver and the set-up. This is compounded when someone else has done the set-up and has left the employment of the company. Should the system fail, users suddenly discover that they do not know how to set up the communication to the PLC. This scenario does not occur all that frequently, and most calls received are from people who want to do a new installation. For those finding themselves in this fix, here are a few rules to follow that simplify matters considerably:
* When the driver DLL file is copied into the Adroit directory using the Adroit set-up, a document file is also copied together with the DLL file. For instance, if the Modbus I driver is copied, the user will find that two files have been copied, modbusi.DLL and modbusi.doc. This *.doc file is in Microsoft Word format and contains most of what is needed to set up successfully.
* If MS Word is not installed on the computer being used, the file will not be easy to understand when opened with WordPad and Notepad, as they cannot display the diagrams. For the benefit of those without MS Word, Adroit users can find an MS Word viewer on the Adroit CD, in the folder 'Utilities'. Installing this utility will permit the correct displaying of MS Word documents.
* For instances when an updated driver version is required, a comprehensive list of drivers has now been compiled and is available on the Adroit website at www.adroit.co.za. This list is very new and all changes made to the drivers are also listed.
More points to remember when working with a driver
If the Adroit driver runs on top of third party software, for instance the Siemens L2 or the Modbus Plus, the third party software should be installed first, otherwise the driver will not be visible in the list. It is possible to look for the DLL in the Adroit directory by using Windows Explorer, but Adroit does not allow it to be used unless the underlying software is shown in the list of drivers.
Driver monitor launcher
One of the handiest tools that Adroit supplies is the Driver monitor launcher. By selecting the appropriate device, it is possible to see what is happening with the communications to the front-end device. From the task bar, select the Driver monitor launcher. In the text box marked driver, select the driver that has been have installed. A list will then appear under device name of the devices that have been created for this device. The two robot lights next to the device name should flash red green if the device is communicating or at least trying to. The right hand light flashing green indicates that Adroit is asking for information. The left hand one flashing green means that the front-end device is responding. By selecting the device and clicking on monitor, a blue-coloured window opens which gives the user three choices. If problems with the device occur, the entry 'error log' will show text messages of what Adroit finds, as long as the error log window is open.
The notify agent, which is yet another device, will also give informative messages in the appropriate window. In this case the notify agent will mimic its actions in the datascope. (It is sometimes necessary to select the ASCII check box to make sense of the messages.)
| Tel: | +27 11 658 8100 |
| Fax: | +27 11 658 8101 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.adroit.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about Adroit Technologies |
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