How can I change alarm text in Mark V? For instance, actuation of L45FTX annunciates "Fire!!!!!!!" in alarm summary. I wish to make it "Fire in Turbine Compartment". Can it be done without causing any software problems when the TG is running. It's a frame 5 machine with <I>.

 

Extremely simple. F:\UNIT1\ALARM.DAT contains the text messages displayed when Process- and Diagnostic Alarms are annunciated. You can enter text strings up to a total of 39 or 40 characters (including spaces) if memory serves correctly. Once you make the desired changes with any ASCII text editor, save and exit the file, then type RUN_IDP. This will stop IDOS, then re-start IDOS and load the new alarm text messages into RAM. You can do this with the unit running without affecting unit operation in any way.

markvguy

P.S. ALWAYS make a back-up copy of any file BEFORE you edit it!

P.P.S. To create a new ALARM.LST file (which is just an easy way to associate the logic signals which drive Process Alarms with the Drop Numbers and text messages, just type ALARM_L at the command prompt while in the F:\UNIT1 directory. ALARM.LST is just an ASCII text file which can be printed, or copied to a floppy and then printed from any other computer. A copy of ALARM.LST is VERY helpful when troubleshooting alarms, and is ABSOLUTLEY necessary when using the <BOI> to operate the machine at any time, especially in an emergency!

 

Change your text in alarm.dat file then run mk5make and then reboot your <I>.

KAG

 

Alarm texts are created in the ALARM.DAT file in the F:\UNITx directory. Use a text editor to change the alarm texts as you wish and save the file. Then, from the F:\UNITx directory, run MK5MAKE to compile the new ALARM.LST file. You will then need to re-boot the <I>. Should all be OK to do with the unit running as long as you are careful.

 

ALARM.LST is not necessary for proper operation of an <I> or GE Mark V HMI--it's just a "nice-to-have" file. So, to change the text of an alarm message it's not necessary to run MK5MAKE.BAT, just to change the text in ALARM.DAT and then re-start IDOS (for an <I>--the process is much more complicated for a GE Mark V HMI).

ALARM.LST is handy because it lists alarm drop numbers, the logic signal which, when a logic "1" causes the alarm to be annunciated, and the text message which will be displayed when the alarm's logic signal is a logic "1". But, ALARM.LST is not necessary, though it would be nice to have an updated copy when any alarm text messages are changed.

ALARM.LST is generated by an application/program called ALARM_L.LST. The ALARM_L.EXE application is a part of MK5MAKE.BAT, which conveniently executes several command-line applications in a specific order. But, any one of the MK5MAKE.BAT applications can be run independently, like the Table Compiler or the CSP Compiler or the applications needed to generate a new UNITDATA.DAT. But, when changing alarm text messages, it's not necessary to generate a new UNITDATA.DAT or compile Table Files or the CSP.

The problem with running MK5MAKE.BAT to obtain a single file is that it regenerates UNITDATA.DAT, re-compiles the Table Files, and asks the user if he/she wishes to re-compile the CSP (Control Sequence Program) files. When it creates these new files it puts the current time/date stamp on the new files.

Now, one of the most frustrating things about the Mk V turbine control system when multiple <I>s or GE Mark V HMI Servers are on site is trying to determine which operator interface was used to download what information to the Mk V turbine control panel. Because most sites don't designate a single <I> or HMI Server to be THE operator interface from which ALL downloads are to be made, and they also don't usually copy the new files which were downloaded to the other <I>s or GE Mark V HMI Servers on the site, it's virtually impossible to tell which files were downloaded to the Mk V from which operator interface--UNLESS the file date/time stamps in the Mk V's EEPROM can be matched to the file date/time stamps on an operator interface.

So, by running MK5MAKE.BAT and stamping the download files with new dates/times, it becomes more and more difficult to determine which <I> or GE Mark V HMI Server was used to download which files to the Mk V--especially when there are not back-up floppies or CDs or when a single operator interface is not religiously used for downloading.

So, one can run MK5MAKE.BAT to get a new ALARM_L.LST file, but it has its drawbacks, too. This author has been to many sites which have multi-unit operator interfaces and are having "unusual" problems with the Mk V turbine control panel(s), and no one on site can say what information was downloaded from which operator interface to which turbine control panel. And, none of the file date/time stamps match on any of the operator interfaces (because people are running MK5MAKE.BAT for any number of reasons--but usually because they think it will solve some perceived problem they are experiencing with the operator interface) and none of the file date/time stamps in any of the Mk V EEPROMs match any of the file date/time stampts on any of the operator interfaces. And they want someone to fix all their problems in half a day--or less!

The whole purpose for writing MK5MAKE.BAT was to "automate" the most common steps a person needed to perform when adding new signals to the CDB (Control Signal Database) in order to add new functionality to the CSP (Control Sequence Program)--including adding new process alarms. The steps were never documented very well, and had to be executed in a specific order, so MK5MAKE.BAT was written to make it easier to execute the required steps in the proper order--without having to have the steps written down and type them in each time they needed to be executed.

One more thing about ALARM.LST: It's just an ASCII text file which can easily be edited--but changing ALARM.LST does not change anything about alarms or the text messages associated with them. And, if MK5MAKE.BAT (or ALARM_L.EXE) is ever executed after ALARM.LST is modified, the changes to ALARM.LST will be lost. Many a person has tried to change an alarm text message by editing ALARM.LST and then running MK5MAKE.BAT, only to be extremely frustrated when the changes were lost and didn't work. And, they keep modifying ALARM.LST and re-running MK5MAKE.BAT and they keep losing their changes and never affecting the change they desired to make.

markvguy