I've worked with industrial HMI systems for many years, including larger platforms such as Wonderware, and one question I've kept coming back to is: how much of a large HMI/SCADA platform do we actually need for a typical machine or process application?


Over time, I developed my own Windows-based HMI around the functions I regularly needed. It has now become HMIMaker and HMIViewer.


The current system includes:


• Graphical HMI development and runtime
• Tag-based animation
• SQL database integration
• Real-time and historical trending
• OPC DA
• EtherNet/IP / CIP
• Allen-Bradley SLC legacy Ethernet
• Modbus IEC
• Modbus Generic


HMIMaker is the development environment, while HMIViewer is the runtime.


The objective isn't to duplicate every feature of a large SCADA system. The idea is to provide the functionality needed for many real industrial applications in a smaller PC-based HMI package.


I'm the developer of the software, and it has now reached public release. I'm interested in hearing from other automation engineers rather than simply assuming that the functions I use are the same ones everyone else considers important.


What functionality do you consider essential in a modern PC-based HMI before you would consider using it on a real machine or process?


I'm particularly interested in requirements beyond the obvious graphics, PLC communications, SQL and trending—things that become important only after you've actually commissioned and maintained an HMI in the field.


If there is interest, I'm happy to share more technical details about the architecture and the decisions behind it.

 

HMIMaker / HMIViewer V4 Beta is now online

Just a small update for anyone who followed our earlier discussion.
We have released HMIMaker / HMIViewer V4 Beta for anyone who wants to try it. This version adds more communication drivers, along with a number of fixes and cosmetic improvements to make the software cleaner and easier to work with.

We have also continued working on stability and communications based on our testing and the feedback we have received.
It is still a Beta, so feedback is very welcome—especially if you try it with real PLC hardware.

HMIMaker is free for development, with no tag or page limits.

The V4 Beta can be downloaded from:
www.DASynergie.com

Thanks again to everyone who gave us feedback on the earlier version.