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Chapter 3: Creating Panel Applications: 54 topics
  1. 3.1Setting up the Panel Application
  2. 3.1.1General Setup - General Settings
  3. 3.1.2General Setup - Custom Settings
  4. 3.1.3Activating Multiple Overlapped Buttons by One Touch
  5. 3.1.4Specifying Default Folder for File I/O
  6. 3.1.5Avoiding Data Corruption Due To Random Power-off
  7. 3.2Working with Keys
  8. 3.2.1Default Key Settings for the Panel Application
  9. 3.2.2Key Settings for a Screen
  10. 3.2.3Key Usage Table Settings
  11. 3.2.4Usage Settings for a Key
  12. 3.3Internal Memory
  13. 3.3.1Types of Internal Memory
  14. 3.3.2Index Registers
  15. 3.3.3System Memory
  16. 3.3.4Setting up Internal Memory
  17. 3.4Communication Links
  18. 3.4.1Types of Communication Links
  19. 3.4.2General Settings for Commnunication Links
  20. 3.4.3Communication Parameter Settings (Serial Port)
  21. 3.4.4Communication Parameter Settings (Ethernet Port)
  22. 3.4.5Sub-link Settings
  23. 3.4.6Sharing Data among Panels Using Data Sharer
  24. 3.4.7Writing Communication Programs Using Macro Commands
  25. 3.4.8Using Gateway Server of the Target Panel
  26. 3.4.8.1Setting up Gateway Service
  27. 3.4.9Selecting Modbus Communication Drivers
  28. 3.4.10Accessing Internal Memory through Ethernet
  29. 3.4.11Accessing Siemens PLC through Ethernet
  30. 3.4.12Using the OPC UA Client Driver
  31. 3.5Sound Table
  32. 3.6Command Block and Status Words
  33. Types of Command Block and Status Words
  34. 3.6.1.1Command & Status - Type A
  35. 3.6.1.2Command & Status - Type H (Binary)
  36. 3.6.1.3Command & Status - Type H (BCD)
  37. 3.6.2Command & Status - General Settings
  38. 3.6.3Command Block Settings (Type A)
  39. 3.6.4Status Word Settings (Type A)
  40. 3.6.5Command Block Settings (Type H)
  41. 3.6.6Status Word Settings (Type H)
  42. 3.6.7Using General Commands
  43. 3.7Setting up Clock Operations
  44. 3.8Setting up Passwords
  45. Screens
  46. 3.9.1Types of Screens
  47. 3.9.2Creating and Opening Screens
  48. 3.9.3Setting up a Screen
  49. 3.9.3.1Screen - General Page
  50. 3.9.3.2Screen - Background Page
  51. 3.9.4Importing/Exporting a Screen
  52. 3.9.5Cutting/Copying/Pasting/Deleting a Screen
  53. 3.9.6Saving Screens as Pictures
  54. 3.9.7Protecting Screens
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Section 3.1.5 · Chapter 3: Creating Panel Applications

Avoiding Data Corruption Due To Random Power-off

The HMI unit stores various kinds of data in non-volatile storage devices. The data include data log, alarm log, operation log, recipes, schedules, non-volatile user data, and so on. The storage devices include built-in battery backed RAM, built-in flash disk, Micro SD card, and USB memory stick. Turning off the HMI unit while it is writing data to a storage device could fail the write operation. This results in data loss, ruined data integrity, and troublesome sectors in the storage device. In order to avoid the problem, the function button supports a new operation named "Stop Operation Safely". The operator can activate such a function button to stop the HMI operation before turning the power off and it guarantees that all operations with the non-volatile storage devices are safely completed. Although the chance of data corruption is rare, we still recommend you to use the method described here to make your product/project more reliable.

1. The following figure shows how to select the "Stop Operation Safely" operation for a function button.

2. The HMI unit will display the following message when you press a "Stop Operation Safely" function button.

3. The HMI unit will display the following message when it stops the current application successfully.

4. You can configure the HMI unit to check if the operator performed the safe stop successfully for the last power-off. The check occurs when the HMI starts running the application every time. The following figure shows how to enable the check of safe stop.

5. The HMI unit will display the following message when it detects that the operator did not perform the safe stop successfully for the last power-off.

6. The software will display the following warning message when compiling a panel application if the application requires the check of safe stop but the software found no "Stop Operation Safely" function button in any of the application's screens.

7. The software will display the following warning message when compiling a panel application if the application will save data to battery backed RAM but the software found no "Stop Operation Safely" function button in any of the application's screens. If you do not want to see the message again for the current application, click the No button in the message box. Note that the message will only display for the applications that were created with V2.0.4.11 or later.

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Source.Section 3.1.5 of the PM Designer Software User Manual, Edition 2.0, © Cermate Technologies Inc. (www.cermate.com, service@cermate.com). Reproduced online, with the manual's own figures, by TSL Automation Solutions, authorised Cermate distributor, for users of Cermate HMI panels. PM Designer and PanelMaster are trademarks of Cermate Technologies Inc.

Text and figures are the manufacturer's and may describe features your panel or software version does not have. For a plain-language introduction read the PM Designer guide; for help with a specific panel contact TSL Automation.