Hello everyone, and thanks for welcoming me on this forum.
I would like to have some advice about GE Toolbox ST for Mark VIe. I am currently working on alarm signals, and more precisely on sounds generated by alarms.
The problem is that I would like to have one "beep" instead of a continuous sound, better for confort of my operator.
Does someone know about this ?
Thanks

 

Hello elgolmon! You can easily change your Alarm sounds in the toolbox configuraiton file (TCW).

- Open up ToolboxST (your current site configuration)
- Double click on the Top level of your system configuration (Top left corner)
- Expand Alarm System-->Click on Sounds
- Add a new Sound and configure it either from a Wave file or Tone

- Then go to Classes
- There is a column labeled "sound reference" (note the column might be hidden)
- Now every Alarm in that Class will have that sound when it becomes active
- SAVE

The Alarm Servers should automatically update the alarm classes with the sound files.

 

Hello elgolmon! You can easily change your Alarm sounds in the toolbox configuraiton file (TCW).

- Open up ToolboxST (your current site configuration)
- Double click on the Top level of your system configuration (Top left corner)
- Expand Alarm System-->Click on Sounds
- Add a new Sound and configure it either from a Wave file or Tone
View attachment 446
- Then go to Classes
- There is a column labeled "sound reference" (note the column might be hidden)
- Now every Alarm in that Class will have that sound when it becomes active
- SAVE

The Alarm Servers should automatically update the alarm classes with the sound files.

Thanks a lot !
Do you know if there's a way to make it one, and only one time ?

 

Its been a while since I have used this feature, but I believe if you use the Wave file Sound Type, it will only play the sound one time.

 

elgolmon
,
Did you get this fixed?

 

elgolmon
,
Did you get this fixed?

Thanks, I really appreciate your help ME42.
Unfortunately no, all the other menus (delay, repeat quantity...) are used within the "tone" sound which you choose by a frequency. I haven't found another way to do it in a way or other to play it only one time.

 

I also forgot that you have to change the settings in the workstationST Alarm Viewer. Go to Option-->Settings. Change the "Sound configuration" to NOT play sound continuously.

 

I was wondering how WorkstationST Alarm Viewer played into this.... ToolboxST is the "origin" of Process Alarms. WorkstationST Alarm Viewer is how they get displayed--and announced???--on the GE Mark* HMI. And, doesn't that (WorkstationST Alarm Viewer) control the HMI CPU and sounds when alarms (Process and Diagnostic) from the Mark VIe are detected?

I also have to say, this is highly unusual having someone cater to Operators when it comes to audible alarms. 'Cause most Operators are ambitious and motivated enough to do just about ANYTHING to silence/disable the audible alarm annunciator (horn/sound). And why??? Because the Mark VIe has just TOO DAMN MANY alarms--Process AND Diagnostic. Commissioning personnel just do not understand, nor do they care--because they aren't measured on being able to leave a unit capable of starting, running and shutting down with only meaningful alarms. All they know--all they have every experienced--is boatloads and boatloads of alarms, and just ignore them, saying, "All Mark VIe's are like that--it's normal. Diagnostic Alarms won't even trip the unit."

Sad; sad, but true. So, if GE would work on configuring only ALARMS (instead of using alarms to annunciate proper operation, and they are doing more and more of this--like "JOCKEY PUMP RUNNING" when it starts and runs when it should start and run, instead of "JOCKEY PUMP FAILED TO START" when it didn't start and run when it should have (and what IS a jockey pump--has anyone ever seen the designation on a Device Summary or a P&ID from GE?)) and eliminating nuisance and erroneous alarms (if not from the factory then during commissioning), the audible alarm horn/sound would be meaningful and alert Operators to true alarm conditions that required some kind of intervention. If commissioning personnel were evaluated on eliminating alarms during start-up/operation/shutdown and their merit pay was tied to alarm-free start-ups, things would change--and QUICKLY.

But, many people (Operations Managers and Plant Managers) believe automation is the be all-end all. Who needs alarms? AI and Machine Learning--Automation--is the future, and it's here today (according to the automation salespeople). Pretty soon, an audible alarm won't be necessary--think of Autonomous Power Plants (at least one major OEM is!!! and you can bet the others are sheepling as this is being written).

Looking forward to hearing the successful resolution to this thread. (Giving up on eliminating nuisance and erroneous alarms and alarms used as indications making audible alarms necessary and meaningful.)