Hello all

As for a first look this software seems very promising, thanks to developers

This is what I understood how this should work. Note that I have never used linux before.

I would like to buy Atmel ARM/SAM development board. So when I buy I must install Linux on it and than Proview runtime on Linux? Also I have
never used linux before. I want to know if theres small linux operating system without graphic user interface. I want to have smallest code
posible on target device.

Smaller RTOS better performace and reliablitiy.

Then when all setup on device I install linux and Proview development on my laptop and connect together with ethernet connection. Setup IP
addresses compile and download software to device from laptop.

I also wnat to know if there is feature going ONLINE while in Proview development software and as you see part of code you have exact
values of variables running on target device (ARM). Extremely useful for debugging.

Look at attached picture - blue line indicates TRUE state of that signal

And boolean line connecting logic blocks is colored so displays status of line (TRUE/FALSE)


I have seen very good software similar to Proview called CODESYS but unfortuantely runtime licence is too expensive for hobby use (couple of
thousand euros).

www.3s-software.com/index.shtml?en_CoDeSys_Offline

One thing I dont like is connection lines between blocks (curves)

Why dont use something similar like here (attached image)

Regards Michael



Post edited by: Mich000, at: 2011/05/07 22:06

Post edited by: Mich000, at: 2011/05/07 22:08

Hi Michael,

Why don't you in first case give Proview a try by using Ubuntu 10.10?
When it fit your needs you can always consider a ARM board.....

Greetings,

Marc

For sure I will try but now Im not at home and dont have ability to download

Can somebody confirm me if Im right on what I wrote in my post, or I misunderstood something

Michael

Hi Michael,

I have run Proview on a FOX board G20, with an Atmel ARM9 400 MHz with 64 Mb and a microSD card of 1 Gb.

There are a number of Linux distributions for embedded Linux and I used one from emdebian (www.emdebian.org). There are no Proview packages built for embedded systems, so you have to build Proview from sources with the cross compilation tool chain for the processor you intend to use. There is a description on how to do this in Release Notes V4.8. I built on Ubuntu 9.10 and it worked fine, but when I tried on Ubuntu 10 I had problems with the tool chain, so I still use 9.10 (haven't tried Ubuntu 11 yet).

Also the PLC of your project has to be build with the tool chain and this is also described in the Release Notes.

If you include your development station as a node in your project, it is possible to run plc trace for the plc code in the embedded system. It is also possible to start plc trace via the web interface if you install java jre and a webserver.There is also a debugging tool (rt_rtt) for terminal windows. From this you can access the objects in the Proview database, and solve most problems, but of course you can't show the plc layout.

If you are not familiar with Linux, and not with Proview, I'll have to warn you. This is not something you will do over a weekend. You probably have to read a couple of books about Linux and embedded systems and you have a lot to learn... But on the other hand, Linux is a wonderful tool, and it's certainly worth the effort.

/Claes

Can you recommend me some good books, who knows what will I find if going to search by myself


EDIT:
Ok, I have been investigating a little about linux and as there are many of distributions and so on

I am interested in linux kernel as it will allow me to manipulate low level stuff.

So my basic idea is to install only linux kernel on ARM as RTOS and from my laptop to access this RTOS over TCP or serial connection, copy and execute program done on laptop for example program made in Proview.

So I am interested in linux kernel how it works and where to download one?

I have experience with siemens PLC at my work and atmel microcontrollers at home

Now I need a bit more powerfull system like ARM for my hobby automation projects and key is not to use c/c++ as the code is pain to debug so I find Proview as solution


From wikipedia
RTOS:
* LynxOS
* QNX
* RTLinux
* VxWorks
* Windows CE
* OSE

After you make change to Proview program when you compile and run new version does it stop whole code or in next cycle new code is taken to process without stopping runtime (siemens PLC FC can be modified and downloaded without causing PLC going to stop)

Sorry if I have too many questions

Post edited by: Mich000, at: 2011/05/08 17:26

Hi Michael,

A book: Embedded Linux Primer, Christopher Hallinan.

Here you can see some examples of how to download and build the linux kernel, create a file system, install the tool chain etc, http://www.acmesystems.it/foxg20/doku.php#mini_how_tos.

On x86 we use the real time patches from OSADL (www.osadl.org), haven't tested them on ARM though.

Proview has something called soft restart when the plc executable is exchanged while the system is still running and the I/O is alive, but you usually get some scan time delay during the shift.

/Claes