WatView User’s Manual Watlow Controls 1241 Bundy Blvd. Winona, MN 55987 Technical Support: (507) 494-5656 (Phone) (507) 452-4507 (Fax) wintechsupport@watlow.com (email) ISO 9001 Registered Company Winona, Minnesota USA Customer Ser vice (orders): 1-800-414-4299 (Phone) 1-800-445-8992 (Fax) Part No. 0600-2400-2000 Rev. B June 2004 Made in the U.S.A. $15.
About this Manual This manual provides both installation and start-up instructions and an overview to the many features offered by Watlow's humanmachine interface software package, WatView. It will help you get WatView communicating with your Watlow controllers and introduce you to the things you can do with WatView. Both the installation section and the feature overviews point you to more detailed information in the controller manuals and the on-line help.
Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 About WatView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Computer System Requirements Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WatView Editions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 .5 .6 .
Introduction About WatView WatView uses the rich interface of a personal computer to set up and monitor controllers quickly and easily. WatView also extends the capabilities of controllers by adding many powerful features. What You Can Do with WatView • Manage many controllers over a network with one computer. (page 17) • View and change controller parameters in a spreadsheet (page 17) or a customized view (page 22) from the View menu.
Computer System Requirements • Windows® 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 or Windows XP • Processor: Pentium 200 MHz or better • RAM requirements: Windows RAM Requirements Operating System Minimum RAM Windows 98 SE 32 MB Windows ME 32 MB Windows NT 4.
Documentation In addition to this user’s manual, WatView software includes extensive help files for program elements, concepts and procedures. Pressing the F1 key presents context-sensitive help for many situations. WatView’s Main Menu Contextsensitive help Press the F1 key while working in any part of WatView to get context-sensitive help. Controller-specific help includes information about parameters and tools for the controllers installed on the network.
Many features discussed in this manual include references to topics in the help files. These help topics are indicated by a help icon . To locate the help topics listed in this manual, from the Help menu choose Contents, click the Index tab, type the name of the related help topic in the first field, and click Display.
WatView Editions R De untim mo e (no ke y) Co n (no fig ke ura y) tor Process Monitoring Features CA S2 00 De ve lop er Watview Editions Ru nti me Five editions of WatView provide different capabilities. The edition appears on the splash screen and is displayed on the “About” screen ( Help > About). The hardware key, or dongle determines which WatView edition will run. If no key is present, WatView runs as either the Configurator or Runtime Demo edition.
WatView’s splash screen shows the edition version and serial number. Developer Edition The Developer edition includes all of the program features. You can use it to create custom overviews and user variables that can be used in the Developer or Runtime editions. Runtime Edition The Runtime edition has all the Developer features except the Custom Overview (COV) Editor and the ability to view and edit the user variable spreadsheet.
Getting Started Supported Controllers Be sure that your controller(s) have firmware that is supported by WatView. The minimum firmware (embedded software) revision levels recommended for the controllers are listed in the following table. If you do not have the correct firmware or you have questions about the controllers, please contact Watlow or your supplier. Supported Controllers & Minimum Versions Controller Type WatView Minimum Version CAS200 2.00 CLS200-RS 3.40 CLS200-STD,-EF,-EX 3.
Install and Configure For best results, follow this basic order: 1. Install WatView. 2. Check your controller firmware version, communication settings and wiring. 3. Configure WatView for your Modbus-RTU or Modbus-TCP controller network with the WatView Setup program (WVSetup.exe). 4. Start WatView, and set up the controllers, including inputs and outputs. Install WatView 1. Be sure that your PC meets the minimum system requirements listed in the previous section.
2. Using the manuals that came with the controller(s), connect the communications wiring. 3. For editions that use a key, install the plug-in key on the parallel (printer) or USB port of your PC. The printer cable or other parallel device can be plugged into the the key without affecting performance. Editions: The Configurator and Runtime Demo editions do not require a key. Note: Do not connect the controllers to the plug-in key (dongle).
2. Close any programs, such as digital-camera or personal-digitalassistant synchronization utilities, that use the computer’s serial communications port. 3. Run WVSetup, if it is not already running ( Start menu > Programs > Watlow > WatView > WVSetup). 4. In the setup window click Detect and follow the screen instructions for WatView to recognize your controllers. Note: If some controllers are not detected, check the communications wiring and repeat starting at step 4. 5.
5. Click Test. Check that each controller's type and version is reported in the Comm Test Results field. If not, make sure that each controller is properly configured and that the communications wiring is correct. 6. Close all the help windows before you perform the remaining steps. Note: The help files are updated to support controllers as they are set up. If a help file is open when you save the new configuration, you will see an error message. 7. From the File menu, choose Exit. Start WatView: 1.
User Levels and Passwords WatView’s security features divide access into three levels: Supervisor, Engineer and Operator. The Supervisor level has access to all menus and features. The Engineer level has access to menus assigned to the Engineer and Operator level and unprotected menus. The Operator level has access to menus assigned to the Operator level and unprotected menus. Note: When WatView is installed the default password for the Supervisor level is set to “control”.
Supervisor, Engineer or Operator. The current user’s name appears in WatView’s title bar. When password protection is enabled, menu items that are not available in the current level appear in dark gray. Unprotected items appear in black. After you log in, menu items that you have access to appear in black. When password protection is enabled, Login and Logout buttons appear at the top right of the screen.
WatView Features Manage Settings WatView provides you with a variety of tools to configure and monitor controllers and alarms. The Spreadsheet Overview screen ( View menu > Spreadsheet) allows you to view and change the parameters of all the controllers on your network. Each tab on the screen includes parameter settings for a particular type of controller. The buttons on the tabs display the spreadsheets for each type of parameter.
Working with Snapshots and Recipes You can copy all the settings from one controller to another using Snapshots. Recipes provide similar functions, but with more powerful features, including the ability to edit and schedule Recipes. Snapshots Snapshots provide a quick way to save the complete configuration of a controller ( System menu > Snapshot). It’s a good way to backup your settings after you set up a controller. You can also use it to copy settings from one controller to another.
Recipe types are created in the Recipe Type builder ( Recipe menu > Type Builder). Creating a Recipe Use the Recipe Editor to create recipes from one of the Recipe Types you have created ( Recipe menu > New). Editing values in a recipe does not alter settings in the controller directly. After you have set all the parameters the way you want them, you save your recipe. At that point or any time later you can send all the settings you made to the controllers by downloading the recipe you created.
Recipe parameter values can be set or changed in the recipe Editor ( New or Open). Recipe menu > Using a Recipe Creating a Recipe Type and editing a Recipe does not affect the controllers on your network. Recipe settings are sent to the controllers when a Recipe is downloaded ( Recipe menu > Download). Downloading a recipe will only affect the parameters and controllers specified in the recipe.
Automatic recipe downloads can be scheduled with Calendar Events ( Calendar). Recipe menu > WatView can be set to download a recipe at a certain time and day or on a regular schedule. This feature can be used to prepare a process before the operators arrive, or to automate Recipe changes and eliminate operator error. WatView can be configured to download, or prompt the user to choose a Recipe whenever it is run.
Controller Setup Screens The controller setup screens are custom overviews provided with WatView that are designed specifically for each type of controller. To open one of these screens select one from the View menu. The View menu may list additional custom screens and the controllerspecific screens may have been removed.
Managing Alarms An alarm is triggered when a process temperature or other value moves beyond limits set by the user. In addition to setting the conditions that will trigger an alarm, you can use WatView to provide the operator with information about the alarm and what action should be taken ( View menu > Alarms). By default, when an alarm occurs, the alarm screen is automatically displayed. You can disable this feature ( System menu > Preferences > Alarms tab).
Data Logging and Graphing Data WatView records process values and events in three ways, with Data Logging, a Trend Plot Database and an Event Log. WatView can store process data two ways. Data can be stored in data log files for use outside WatView or in the trend plot database for review on the trend plot graph screen within WatView. Data log files are only created if you enable data logging and then only the data you select is logged.
required when, for example, one of the temperatures exceeds 200°, you can create a second set that records specific values more frequently at that time. Data logging is very flexible.
( File menu > Data Log Setup > Tools > Options) ( File menu > Data Log Setup > Tools > Select Parameters) WatView ■ 26 ■
Data logs are tab-delimited, text files that may be imported into most spreadsheet or database programs. Data logs are only created if the user explicitly configures a data log set and enables the feature. If you forget to enable data logging, you can export data from the trend plot database in a file formatted the same as the data log.
Data for plotting comes from the Trend Plot Database file, which automatically records the values of all process variables and certain other parameters for all the controllers on the network. This data is used to generate graphs on the Trend Plot Screen. Data can be exported from the database to a tab-delimited, text file that can be imported into most spreadsheet or database programs. Old data is automatically deleted from the trend plot database in order to keep the hard drive from filling up.
Creating a New Application Many WatView features can be used to customize your software for a specific application or process. You can change parameter names to match the terminology of a specific industry or product, and you can calculate new parameter values with User Variables. Screens can also be customized and edited to precisely match your application with the Custom Overview Editor (COV). In fact, the custom Overview Editor was used to design WatView's controller setup screens.
Custom Overviews With the Custom Overview (COV) Editor ( Developer menu > COV Editor) you can create screens that represent a specific process, including process values and other pertinent parameters and settings. This can present information about the process in a way that is more meaningful to the operator, including User Variables and animation. Screens can be password protected allowing you to limit access to controller settings. The Custom Screens you create appear in the Thumbnail Overview dialog box.
Controller-Specific Features Unique controller features are supported by special programs or tools that can be selected from the Tools menu. This section describes those tools. The online help is automatically reconfigured as you add or remove controllers. Be sure to check the help contents after you install a controller for relevant controller and tool specific topics that may appear. Series F4 Controllers These tools are available when Series F4 controllers are installed.
In the Profile Editor, you can add, delete or edit steps or profiles ( Tools > F4 Profile Editor). Using the editor, you create sets of profiles, called profile images, for specific controller configurations. A profile image is the entire set of profiles and steps that may be stored in a Series F4 at one time. A profile image may include as many as 40 different profiles and a total of 256 steps. You can create and save as many of these profile images as your computer can store.
To open this tool, choose F4 Profile Editor from the Tools menu. You will be presented with a new profile image. This provides a working template to create one or more profiles to store in this image. The profiles stored in the controller are not displayed in this step. Here are some tips to get you started with the profile editor. • To work with the profiles stored in the controller, select Controller menu > Read Profile Image From Controller.
Series 96 with Ramping WatView adds significant functionality and conveniences for operating a Series 96 controller with ramping. The Series 96 Ramping Setup (Ramp Soak) screen allows you to view both profiles and all steps at a glance. Using recipes you can save a virtually unlimited number of profiles on your computer's hard disk. 1. From the View menu, choose Overview Thumbnails > Series 96 Ramping Setup (Ramp Soak). 2. Use the ramp/soak setup screen to create profiles.
WatView Utilities These Utilities provide powerful and flexible tools for interfacing with your system. These applications are launched directly from Windows®, not from Watview. Menu paths in this section begin at the Windows Start menu. AnaMator This utility allows you to assemble still images (Windows bitmap files) into animations for use with Custom Overviews. AnaMator includes its own online help ( Start menu > Programs > Watlow > WatView > AnaMator).
