OK, super easy question, but one which I cannot answer myself…
I have written, debugged and tested a program in PAC Control. When I go into Debug mode, I can see that I am loading the program into our Groov EPIC. I have set the EPIC to automatically open to Groov View upon login with the basic HMI screen that I created. I also have the PC (which has PAC Control running) open at the same time so I can watch the program in action via the flowchart in autostep view. I also use PAC Control to stop the strategy and run the strategy.
Now, I am basically done watching / tweaking the program in PAC Control, but if I don’t have it open, I cannot run the strategy. Maybe I just need to create a button in Groov View for this? I guess I am a little unclear as to how to get the program going without a Run strategy button to click.
What I would do is from PAC Control configure mode is click on File, then strategy options.
In the second tab, make sure the auto run and auto start buttons are checked.
That should get you up and running automatically.
Thank you. I will try that later today and should be good to go.
Once the program is downloaded and running, can I disconnect the Ethernet cable from the EPIC? Eventually (once we run conduit & cat6 to the EPIC) it will always be connected via Ethernet and allow us to use NodeRED and other network-connected tools, but for now, the standalone program is all we need.
OK, so ticking those checkboxes does indeed work and now the strategy runs automatically after downloading to the EPIC.
However, I need some guidance on how to re-start the strategy once it’s completed / ended. In my case, the program controls the feeding of parts into a furnace. When the order is done (i.e. no more parts on the scale), the program / chart ends at a block that turns off the vibratory feeder. That is probably where my mistake is. Technically the strategy is still running at that point, but it has nowhere to go. I suppose it should loop back to the Start block?
Yes, your process chart should be a loop. Every block should have a connection coming out of it (Edit | Find, check Missing Connections is useful on larger charts) to ensure your strategy doesn’t stop.
You could loop at the top with a delay waiting for a start signal from your operator/HMI. Basically, check a flag variable, if it is set, then run your process, otherwise delay a second, and then check it again.
