Created Date: August 09,2012

Created by: Do-more PE

Sorry, I missed seeing this. There are more HSI and HSO features planned for the future. As far as the DRUM instruction, have you looked at the SEQUENCER instruction? It does something very similar to what you are asking.

Edit: If I miss seeing something that you feel is important, please send me a PM. I try to read everything posted, but sometimes I get called into meetings and things get marked read that I have not seen. While I cannot answer everything posted here, I do try to make the forum users issues known.

Created Date: August 09,2012

Created by: sshneider

Thanks for your reply.

SEQ is also a Time Based instruction (much like the Drum Instruction-in fact they are so similar I can't really see any difference between the 2). I am looking for a sequencer/drum type of instruction that the steps can be triggered by something other than time-in my case weight (an integer value). It does not seem like there is any instruction that can do that.

FYI- There is another post of mine in this forum regarding C-more that I think you missed also.

Thanks!

Created Date: August 29,2012

Created by: TWilson

Another Idea

Why doesn't Automation Direct let us write our own instructions so we can build our own. This will stop from Productivity Suite Software's instruction library from becoming bloated and prone to window shopping (you look and research, but in most cases you can't use).

I would really like to be able to do this rather than have a slew of subroutines that do the same thing. Also, other software companies have been doing this for years.

Created Date: August 30,2012

Created by: KB1GNI

I am looking for a sequencer/drum type of instruction that the steps can be triggered by something other than time-in my case weight (an integer value). It does not seem like there is any instruction that can do that.

Forgive my unfamiliarity with the P3K series, but if it uses a counter like the other AD PLCs do, why not use equal to contacts comparing the counter current with a constant?

Just about all of the machines where I work are programed using a counter as a sequencer. Just before the counter there is a feedback rung with a 1-shot used to step the counter along, based on signals coming back from the machine or operator inputs.

As a simplified example, pressing a start button causes the counter to increment to step 1.

Step 1 turns on a solenoid valve which causes a cylinder to extend.

The extended reed switch increments the counter to step 2, which starts a dwell timer.

When the timer times out, that steps the sequencer to step 3 which turns off the solenoid.

The retract limit switch steps the sequencer to step 4, which is also the counter preset. The counter resets itself to step 0 and awaits another button push.

That is a very basic example but you can get as detailed as you like. Perhaps I have missed it, but I haven't seen a the use of a counter as a sequencer discussed here.

Hope that helps.

Created Date: September 02,2012

Created by: sshneider

Hey Lee, Thanks for the suggestion-it's a ggod one. Like I said in my original post, there arer ways to achieve that results I want (I am using counters BTW). But it just takes a lot more rungs of logic to get there.

P3K has a lot of super cool time saving instructions and I guess I have just become a little "spoiled " and am looking for other shortcuts.

Actually, I have been looking at the Sequencer (SEQ) instruction does have an event based option and I have been exploring using that.

Thx,

Sid

Created Date: August 04,2012

Created by: sshneider

The P3K has so many cool instructions that make things so much easier. "ALARM " is a good example of an instruction that allows the programmer to do in 1 rung what used to take multiples.

That being said, I wish there were some other instructions that did the same.

I am working on a batching system that has multiple recipe components and would lend itself to using the DRUM or SEQUENCE instruction EXCEPT the unit of measurement is not time, it is weight (from a Scale transmitting ASCII over RS232). There really isn't any current Instruction that allows for Step type logic using something other than a unit of time.

Yes, it can be done but it takes rungs and rungs to create the step logic, the output logic (based on the step logic) and so on. It's not painful, just time consuming and I know it can be done better/faster (like the way the SMOV Instruction eliminated about 30 rungs of old style MODBUS commands).

Which brings me to my next request... How about a BLENDED Move instruction for us HSO users? Don't get me wrong, I am VERY. VERY Grateful for the release of the HSO Module (& HSI too!) and VMOV and SMOV are cool, but "BMOV " would be a real treat for those of us who want to get to a specific distance and be able to vary velocity mid move.

As always, thanks for your consideration.