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WinCC Flexible and OPC symbols

Created by: Jesper Pedersen at: 1/9/2007 3:47 PM (8 Replies)

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1/9/2007 3:47 PM	Rate (0)
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)	Hi. I am for the first time experimenting with WinCC Flexible as an OPC client up against an S7 via Simatic Net. (background follows, you may ignore - I just add this to avoid the usual questions "why do you do it this way ?"): We want to run WinCC Flex RT on the same PC as Simatic Net with OPC cennections, and (importantly) it must be possible for the customer to modify the OPC connections. This excludes the WinCC Flexible project integrated in the STEP7 because the customer do not have WinCC Flexible engineering software or STEP7, only Simatic Softnet and WinCC Flex RT. (background finished). I have two problems: 1. I cannot create symbols of BOOLs or BYTE types. I can add tags that are directly addressed to BOOL and BYTE addresses, but not with the symbols. And that is too bad, because I have made a lot of BOOL and BYTE tags in the original project and I have addressed them symbolically. Using the Reconnect function, all the other symbols were found. 2. I cannot add tags by browsing OPC symbols. If I try I get an error message "Init OPC Connection Failed". I have selected to let OPC use all Symbols from the STEP7 project, and I have compiled in NetPro. Does the OPC server have to run on the enineering PC. And do I have to have it loaded with the Simatic Net project ? That would be too bad, because my engineering PC is not the same as the target PC, and so I cannot load the project into the Station Configurator. Thanks for any advice that can help me with this matter.
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)
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1/13/2007 4:25 PM	Rate (0)
Late Platinum Expert Joined: 1/7/2006 Last visit: 12/23/2024 Posts: 2705 Rating: (320)	Dear Jesper, Have you seen the handbook WinCC flexible Communication Part 1in that handbook the OPC possibilitys are given. Chapter 4.2.4 Permitted data types gives the datatypes you are mentioning so that must be no problem.
	I hope that the answer will help, if you have still questions, don't hesitate to ask me. All the best, Late Never say never, think in solutions, not in trouble......
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2/13/2007 11:03 AM	Rate (0)
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)	Sorry for taking so long time to come back to this thread. Have been busy elsewhere. I know that the data types are allowed. Problem # 1 is that the symbols for BOOLs and BYTEs dont work. I can create the tags with absolute adressing. INTs and REALs works OK. Problem # 2 is that I cannot browse the defined symbols when I create a new tag. The dialog just shows the error message I wrote.
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)
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2/13/2007 12:57 PM	Rate (0)
Chris Silver Member Joined: 8/31/2005 Last visit: 10/24/2024 Posts: 217 Rating: (41)	Hi! [quote user="Jesper Pedersen"]Does the OPC server have to run on the enineering PC. And do I have to have it loaded with the Simatic Net project ? That would be too bad, because my engineering PC is not the same as the target PC, and so I cannot load the project into the Station Configurator. Yes, the OPC server has to run on the engineering PC. Only with a running OPC server the WinCC flex (that acts as an OPC client) can browse the symbolic names of the OPC items within the OPC server. To get the symbolic names to the OPC server you need to load the configuration from HW Config to the Station Configurator. Since your engineering PC is not your runtime PC you have to 'simulate' the runtime PC on the engineering PC. You need to do this to get the same symbolic names of the OPC items on the engineering PC as they would be on the runtime PC. Why can you not load the project of the runtime PC to the Station Configurator of the engineering PC?
	Last edited by: Chris at: 2/13/2007 12:57 PM Greetings, Chris
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2/13/2007 1:16 PM	Rate (0)
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)	Thanks for the info Chris. "Why can you not load the project of the runtime PC to the Station Configurator of the engineering PC?" Because that is only possible if the hardware on the PC is the same as what is defined in the project. I am using Ethernet, so that could be simple one should think as you "always" have Ethernet, but unfortunately everything has to be the same including the IP adress. If I switch my IP adress to be the same as in the project I will be thrown of my company network. Edit: If there is a way to circumvent this, then I would like to know. One way could be to make a dummy target PC with the same setup as my company PC. But I would prefer to avoid that. I allready have to setup a dummy MPI connection in order to be able to simulate with PLCSIM. More and more tweaks to get the job done. Have youany experience withBOOL symbols ?
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)	Last edited by: Jesper Pedersen at: 2/13/2007 1:20 PM
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2/13/2007 1:52 PM	Rate (0)
Chris Silver Member Joined: 8/31/2005 Last visit: 10/24/2024 Posts: 217 Rating: (41)	Hi! I think, during the WinCC flexible engineering, you could change the IP address within your STEP 7 project. This way you could load the configuration (including the symbolic names for the OPC items) to the Station Configurator. After you have finished the WinCC flexible engineering you could switch the IP address back to the runtime IP address and load the configuration to the runtime PC. Since the symoblic names are the same (they do not depend on the IP address), the WinCC project should run on the runtime PC without problems. I have never tried it on my own, but it should work, I think. [quote user="Jesper Pedersen"]1. I cannot create symbols of BOOLs or BYTE types. I can add tags that are directly addressed to BOOL and BYTE addresses, but not with the symbols. And that is too bad, because I have made a lot of BOOL and BYTE tags in the original project and I have addressed them symbolically. Using the Reconnect function, all the other symbols were found. How do you want to create the BOOL and BYTE Tags? The symbolic names of OPC items are created automatically by the HW Config Editor from the Symbolic table and the DBs in your S7 program.
	Greetings, Chris
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2/13/2007 2:10 PM	Rate (0)
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)	Hi again Chris. I was hoping that I could avoid having to change the project to mimic my own PCs settings. Making several tweaks to the project in order to create it or test it is a blooper waiting to happen. But at least I know that I can do like that. Re "How do you want to create the BOOL and BYTE Tags? The symbolic names of OPC items are created automatically by the HW Config Editor from the Symbolic table and the DBs in your S7 program.". That is exactly what I want to do. I have indeed defined all the symbols in the STEP7 project allready. Actually, the starting point is a fully functional integrated STEP7 + WinCC Flex project. But I have to convert it to OPC because of the constraints mentioned in the 1st post. So, when I take this project after the conversion to OPC, and after using the reconnect function, then the symbols are found, except the symbols for BOOLs and BYTEs.
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)
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2/14/2007 2:10 PM	Rate (0)
Chris Silver Member Joined: 8/31/2005 Last visit: 10/24/2024 Posts: 217 Rating: (41)	Hi! I have no problems accessing the symbols for BOOLs and BYTEs using the OPC-Scout (since I have no WinCC installed on this machine - see the attached picture). Have you tried to access the symbols using the OPC-Scout? Attachment OPCSymbols.JPG (921 Downloads)
	Greetings, Chris
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2/14/2007 2:53 PM	Rate (0)
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)	I will tryto load thePC Station ontomy ownPC and then see if I can browse the BOOL and BYTE tags that way. I return with how it goes.
Jesper Pedersen Posts: 279 Rating: (30)
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