Posts Tagged simatic pdm
The Impact of Background Echoes on Ultrasonic Level Measurement
Posted by danstips in Configuration, Echomax transducers, Installation, Level, Level Technology, Measurement, Siemens, Ultrasonic, Uncategorized on June 21, 2012
Photography is a pretty good way to illustrate the importance of background.
Look at the two photographs here. In one, the background is minimal, and focuses your eye on the subject matter. In the other, the background seriously detracts from the subject. Where should you be focusing? What’s most important?
But unlike photography, where a good background helps you focus on the subject, in the world of non-contact ultrasonic level measurement, even a “good” background has a negative influence. Background never contributes to a level reading, it only detracts. But Siemens has a built-in function to “cure” for the influence of backgrounds in their level devices. Read the rest of this entry »
Simatic PDM won’t connect to Siemens MultiRanger or HydroRanger
Posted by danstips in Communications, Configuration, Level, Level Technology, Serial, Siemens, SIMATIC PDM, Troubleshooting, Ultrasonic on May 24, 2012
Sometimes I get lazy and don’t follow my own rules. (Rule #1: Test EVERYTHING!) That one oversight cost me three hours when I could have solved a problem in three minutes. Maybe you can learn from my mistake.
The goof happened at a customer site last week. He had a Siemens MultiRanger 100 ultrasonic level transceiver, and was trying to connect to it via Modbus using Siemens SIMATIC PDM software on his Windows XP laptop PC.
Early on, the Lesman salesman who worked with this customer had connected to the MultiRanger from his laptop using PDM, but only one upload worked successfully. The rest failed. The salesman had lent the customer his “known good” serial cable that he’d used for the successful upload.
Siemens tech support had offered the customer several “Try This/Try That” suggestions, but came to the conclusion that a software program on the customers’ laptop had locked up the laptop’s internal serial port so PDM couldn’t access it. The customer’s IT guy ran a port scan program, but could find on application or service running on COM1. Plus, they’d used the serial port successfully for other connections.
I couldn’t do anything more for the customer over the phone, so I grabbed my serial comms toolkit and headed to the site myself.
February 2: A day to look back
Posted by danstips in Air Bubbler, Communications, Configuration, HART, Honeywell, Installation, Level, Level Technology, Paperless Recorders, Pressure, Pressure Switches, pressure switches, Pressure Transmitters, Siemens, Software, Switches, Transmitters, Trendview X-Series Paperless Recorders, Troubleshooting, United Electric on February 2, 2012
Yesterday and today, people all over Chicago and the Midwest were looking at pictures from last year. We had 22″ of snowfall in one day. The roads were closed. The airports were closed. Even the Lesman offices were closed. And today’s weather forecast? 45°… in Chicago… in February.
This morning in Pennsylvania, a groundhog named Phil came out, looked back, and saw… his shadow.
All this looking back made me a little reflective myself. I’ve been writing this blog for about 6 months now. So I thought I’d take a minute and recap the articles people keep coming back to read:
Getting Simatic PDM to run in Windows 7
Posted by danweise in Communications, Configuration, HART, Siemens, SIMATIC PDM, Transmitters on August 18, 2011
PDM is Siemens’ Windows-based HART configuration tool. My copy of PDM is a single point license that I use with a HART modem to configure field instruments using the “Lifelist” quick start app.
When I recently changed from Windows XP to Windows 7, the LifeList app would launch but the upload/download buttons were greyed out and it wouldn’t even attempt HART communication to field instruments. Grrrrr, what to do? Read the rest of this entry »
Lesman Tech Tips 