Monitoring Operation of the Program

This is stage 5 of the quick start example for SYPT.

In this stage the example program is monitored as it executes on the SM-Applications target.

To begin this stage, the DPL editor should be in the state it was in at the end of stage 4 - online and communicating with the target.

To monitor execution of the user program, perform the following steps:

Step 1 - Ensure the program is running

At this stage, the DPL Editor should look something like the following picture.

Note the Running status shown in the status bar at the bottom of the DPL Editor. The picture also shows the Task Manager open in the DPL Editor on the left under the Workspace.

The status bar may show a Stopped status if the program is not running. If this is the case press F3 to start execution of the program - the Stopped status will then change to Running.

If the Task Manager is not open, type Ctrl+T to open it.

Notice that the Task Manager shows the status of all tasks in the program - the Initial task has run once when the program started and has completed execution and the Clock task is still running.

Step 2 - Examine variables and parameters

The code in the Initial task set drive parameter #18.20 to 2500. The LIMIT block in the Clock task should have limited the value of #18.20 to +/-1000 however. At the end of the clock task, #18.20 is negated whenever the ramp output hits its target value.

To check that #18.20 is being limited to +/- 1000, hover the mouse cursor over the text #18.20 in the DPL view - the value of #18.20 will be displayed. If the mouse remains over #18.20, the displayed value will toggle between +/- 1000.

Try hovering the mouse cursor over other variables and parameters in the DPL view to examine their values. The RampOutput% variable will be rapidly counting up and down as it ramps between +/-1000.

Step 3 - Examine the RAMP output in more detail

To examine the RAMP output in more detail, click the mouse in the RampOutput% variable in the DPL view and then right-click and from the popup menu choose Send symbol to Watch Window. The Watch Window will open showing the current value of the RampOutput% variable.

In the Watch Window, double-click on the RampOutput% variable to show the Properties dialog. Check the Curve box and set the Curve Min and Max to -1000.0 and 1000.0 as shown in the following picture.

Press OK. The Watch Window will now show a trace of RampOutput%.

Select the bottom of the grey panel showing the RampOutput% value and drag it down to make the curve larger.

Step 4 - Modify Values

In the DPL Editor, double-click the UpRate% variable passed as the acceleration rate argument to the RAMP function block. The WriteValue dialog will be displayed. Enter the value 250 and press OK.

RampOutput% will now ramp upwards more slowly than it ramps downwards. The Watch Window should now look like the following.

In the bottom half of the Watch Window (the Immediate Window) enter the text UpRate% = 500 and press the RETURN key. The value of the UpRate% variable will be set to 500 (its original value) and RampOutput% will ramp up as fast as it ramps down.

Step 5 - Monitor a diagram

In the DPL Editor, double-click on the QLD diagram preview (the diagram containing the LIMIT function block call) to open the diagram in its own window. The diagram opens and the value of parameter #18.20 is displayed next to the LIMIT input and output. As the value of #18.20 changes the value is updated in the diagram.

This is the end of the Quick Start example. The DPL Editor and Configuration Editor can now be closed.

The previous Quick Start stage was:

• Building and Downloading the Program

For more information on the editing actions performed in this section, see:

• Debugging Applications

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Upgrading from SYPT V1.X

Users upgrading from SYPT V1.X to SYPT Pro will find a number of differences in the look and operation of SYPT. At the same time many elements of SYPT Pro will be familiar to existing users. The basic structure of SYPT remains - there is still a Configuration Editor and a DPL Editor but the views and components within them have been extensively modernised.

SYPT Pro allows the user to do everything he could do with SYPT Version 1. Programs can still be written in DPL, Quick Ladder and LD/ FB but the editors, debugging and monitoring features are more powerful.

SYPT 1 projects can be directly opened in SYPT 2. When an old project is opened it is upgraded to SYPT 2 format and the original project is backed up into a ZIP file (SYPT1BAK.ZIP) in the project folder. Once a project has been opened in SYPT 2 it can no longer be opened in SYPT 1 - the original project must be restored from the ZIP file.

SYPT Pro is capable of uploading SYPT 1 programs (with embedded source files) from targets. Once a program has been compiled and downloaded to a target using SYPT Pro it is no longer possible to upload the embedded source file back into SYPT 1.

SYPT Pro contains a version of SYPTLite which is used as the program editor for the Unidrive SP Onboard PLC. The new Configuration Editor will launch SYPTLite to edit Unidrive SP programs and will launch the DPL editor to edit SM-Applications, SM-Applications Lite, UD70 and MD29 programs. Any existing standalone version of SYPTLite can still be used after SYPT is installed BUT the standalone SYPTLite and SYPT Pro cannot be executed at the same time. Any program created with the standalone version of SYPTLite can be opened with the version of SYPTLite included in SYPT and vice-versa.

For an overview of the new user interface provided by SYPT Pro see:

• SYPT Components

For an overview of upgrading from SYPTLite to SYPT Pro see:

• Upgrading from SYPTLite

Upgrading from SYPTLite

SYPTLite users who are upgrading to SYPT Pro will find that SYPT is a far more powerful programming platform. For program development, SYPT mainly uses the DPL Editor. This editor allows programs to be written in DPL (a high level textual language), LD/ FB (Ladder and Function Block languages) and QLD (Quick Ladder). Quick Ladder is the ladder programming language used in SYPTLite and should be very familiar to SYPTLite users.

SYPT contains a special version of SYPTLite which is used to develop programs for the Unidrive SP Onboard programming capability. The version of SYPTLite in SYPT is very similar to the standalone version.

However, within SYPT, programs are developed for the SM-Applications Lite module using the DPL editor. Using the DPL editor to write programs for the SM-Applications Lite module brings many advantages:-

1. More programming languages are available to develop user programs.

2. More function blocks are available to the user program. Up to 200 more predefined blocks are available.

3. Programs can be developed using more than one task in the SM-Applications Lite - Initial, Background, Clock, Pos0, Pos1, Event and Error tasks can all be used in a single program.

4. More code space and RAM are made available in the target allowing bigger programs to be developed.

5. A program can use variables as well as parameters.

6. Floating-point maths is supported. Parameters with decimal places are not read and written in fixed 3 decimal place format.

7. Aliases can be created for constant numbers, e.g. $define PI 3.142 as well as for parameters.

It should also be noted that the standalone version of SYPTLite can still be used when SYPT is installed. SYPT does not overwrite or disable any version of SYPTLite already installed and the user can still install SYPTLite or upgrade SYPTLite when SYPT is present on a PC. The only restriction is that the standalone SYPTLite and SYPT cannot be executed at the same time. Of course, the version of SYPTLite included in SYPT can be executed at the same time as the DPL editor - both can be open and being used to develop programs and both can be open and online monitoring targets and downloading programs.

If a program was developed for the Unidrive SP Onboard target in the standalone version of SYPTLite it can be directly opened or inserted into the version of SYPTLite included in SYPT.

If a program was developed for SM-Applications Lite then to work with the program in SYPT, the program needs to be converted into a format suitable for the DPL Editor. See Importing SM-Applications Lite SYPTLite Programs for instructions on how to import a SYPTLite file into the DPL editor.

For an overview of the new user interface provided by SYPT Pro see:

• SYPT Components

For an overview of upgrading from SYPT Version 1 to SYPT Pro see:

• Upgrading from SYPT V1.X