Well, we all knew it would have to happen sometime. A major Software version change is inevitable in the world of operator interfaces. Every change is for the better.
EasyBuilder8000 (EB8000) is at a point where a major change will be needed for some exciting new features. This happens when PLC manufacturers add new communication features to their PLC's and the HMI manufacturer's need to respond.
I have just released EB8000 Version 3.45. It is available here. Once installed, you can go to the installation folder and read about the exciting new features in the release.pdf. This will be the last version 3.xx for EB8000. I haven't found any bugs in this version through my month of testing.
Coming soon will be the new Version 4.xx software. This major revision means that projects created with this new version cannot be opened with Version 3.xx software. The older projects can still be opened with the new V4.xx software. I recommend that you back up the older projects before opening them with EB8000 V4.xx.
A prospective feature list should be made public soon. When I have details about compatible firmware I will post them.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Firmware Updates
We are fast approaching another release of EasyBuilder8000 (EB8000). Many of the new features in EB8000 require the latest firmware revision. Older units may not support all of the new features. However, this problem can be overcome by upgrading to the latest firmware.
Upgrading is not as hard as you would think. For most units, it is just a matter of navigating through a few menus and having the new firmware on a USB stick. Before you know it, you are up and running with the latest and greatest! Get the latest firmware here.
Really, what I want to discuss is: What happens when a password is lost!?
If the password is the local password, uploads and downloads are no longer possible. What to do? For everything but the 8000X series, it is just a matter of calibrating the touchscreen. After calibration, the HMI asks if you would like to reset the password to the default? If you answer "yes" the local password is reset to the factory default 111111, but also the project in the HMI is lost.
If the unit is an 8000X series, the only way to reset the password is to download the firmware. Thus the introduction to this post.
If you lost the project software, there is no recovery method. A password protected project can only be opened with the password.
Passwords are a great tool for making sure your work is not stolen or illegally copied. Be sure to make a notation of the passwords used in a project. Try to keep them in a safe but accessible place. If you are like me, depending on your memory usually doesn't work very well a year later.
Upgrading is not as hard as you would think. For most units, it is just a matter of navigating through a few menus and having the new firmware on a USB stick. Before you know it, you are up and running with the latest and greatest! Get the latest firmware here.
Really, what I want to discuss is: What happens when a password is lost!?
If the password is the local password, uploads and downloads are no longer possible. What to do? For everything but the 8000X series, it is just a matter of calibrating the touchscreen. After calibration, the HMI asks if you would like to reset the password to the default? If you answer "yes" the local password is reset to the factory default 111111, but also the project in the HMI is lost.
If the unit is an 8000X series, the only way to reset the password is to download the firmware. Thus the introduction to this post.
If you lost the project software, there is no recovery method. A password protected project can only be opened with the password.
Passwords are a great tool for making sure your work is not stolen or illegally copied. Be sure to make a notation of the passwords used in a project. Try to keep them in a safe but accessible place. If you are like me, depending on your memory usually doesn't work very well a year later.
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