FAQ  05/2016

How do you configure the

horn in SIMATIC PCS 7?

https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/89279751
 This entry originates from the Siemens Industry Online Support. The conditions of
use specified there apply (www.siemens.com/nutzungsbedingungen).

Security Siemens offers products and solutions with industrial security functions which
Notes support the secure operation of plants, solutions, machines, devices and/or
networks. They are important components in a comprehensive industrial security
concept. The Siemens products and solutions continue to be developed under
this aspect. Siemens recommends that you keep yourself regularly informed
about product updates.
For the safe operation of Siemens products and solutions it is necessary to take
appropriate security measures (cell protection concept, for example) and to
integrate each component in an overall industrial security concept which is state
of the art. This should also cover the third-party products used. Additional
information about industrial security is available at:
http://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity.
In order to keep yourself informed about product updates, we recommend
subscribing to our product-specific newsletter. Additional information about this is
available at: http://support.automation.siemens.com.
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

Contents
1 Horn Configuration in SIMATIC PCS 7 ............................................................ 3
2 Configuring and Selecting the Message Classes .......................................... 4
3 Selecting the Message Priority ........................................................................ 6
4 Defining Trigger Authorization of the Signal Tags ........................................ 8
5 Defining the Trigger of the Horn ...................................................................... 9
6 Assigning Signal Transmitters to a Signal Tag ............................................ 10
7 Configuring the Horn Acknowledgment Behavior ....................................... 12
8 Completion ....................................................................................................... 13

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 2
 1 Horn Configuration in SIMATIC PCS 7

1 Horn Configuration in SIMATIC PCS 7

Introduction
You use the horn to trigger optical or acoustic signal transmitters. You use the Horn
Editor you configure which signals are to trigger which messages on arrival.

Notes
• The horn can be configured on OS single stations, OS servers and OS clients.
• It can be configured on one or more of these stations.
• It can be configured separately on each of these stations.
• Each of these horns can be acknowledged both only locally and from multiple
stations through an acknowledgment group.
• Multiple acknowledgment through an acknowledge tag continues to be
possible for the sake of compatibility with earlier versions. A description of this
is available in the FAQ response in Entry ID 17778088.

Validity
The following configuration has been made with the SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.1. This
example applies for the versions PCS 7 V8.1 and WinCC V7.3.
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 3
 2 Configuring and Selecting the Message Classes

2 Configuring and Selecting the Message

Classes
Introduction
In the horn you create the signal tags which you link to message properties. In the
case of an incoming message the signal tag of the assigned message class is set
to "1". If you do not specify a message class, every incoming message enables the
signal tag.

Prerequisites

Configure all the single-user stations, servers, redundant servers and client OS
stations in the SIMATIC Manager in accordance with the configuration manual
"PCS 7 - Engineering System V8.1".

Open the desired SIMATIC PCS 7 OS station through the WinCC Explorer on the
Engineering Station.

Procedure
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

1. Open the Horn Editor by double-clicking the horn icon in the WinCC Explorer.
2. Now go to the event class pull-down menu and select the "Alarm" message
class in the "Message Assignment" tab, in the "Message class" column and
select "Warning" in the next line.
3. Insert any other message classes that are required.
4. Then, in the "Tag" column, you enter names for the tags of the message
classes.

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 4
 2 Configuring and Selecting the Message Classes

5. In the previous versions of PCS 7 and WinCC the tags were created
automatically with a click on the "Apply" button. In PCS 7 V8.1 you must create
the tags yourself by going to the "Tag Management", opening the "Internal
Tags/Horn" directory and creating the required tags as "Binary Tags". The
trigger for the horn is controlled at a later point in the assignment process by
means of these tags.
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 5
 3 Selecting the Message Priority

3 Selecting the Message Priority

Introduction
In the "Message Assignment" tab, you can restrict messages to a specific area
and/or specific priorities, for example.

With the message priority you specify in addition and independent of the message
class which messages are to trigger a signal first. You define the priorities for
single messages in the Alarm Logging.
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

Procedure
In the "Message Assignment" tab you enter the message priority number in the
"Priority" column. You can use the following entries.

Entry in "Priority" Example Meaning

No entry The messages set the signal tags

regardless of the priority.

Number 5 One specific priority.

Number, number, number 5, 7, 9 Multiple specific priorities.

Number x - Number n 5-9 Priorities between Number x and

Number n inclusive.
< Number or > Number < 5 or > 5 Priorities less than or greater than the
number.

<= Number or >= Number <= 5 or Priorities less than or equal or greater
>= 5 than and equal to the number.
0 0 The signal tag is set only for "0"
priorities.

Note It is not possible to combine entries, "1-5, 10, <50" for example.

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 6
 3 Selecting the Message Priority

Do not assign to a signal tag a combination of message priority and message class that is
already being used in another signal tag. In this case, an incoming message could not set
this signal tag, as the first assignment already fulfills the conditions for the triggering of the
signal. A variable must not be described by several conditions.

The following example shows how the system behaves:

Table 3-1: Example 1

Message Priority Source Area Event Authorization Tag
class
Alarm <Default> AlarmTag
Alarm 10 <Default> AlarmHighTag

Table 3-2: Example 2

Message Priority Source Area Event Authorization Tag
class
Alarm >5 <Default> AlarmTag
Alarm 10 <Default> AlarmHighTag

Incoming messages of message class "Alarm" with priority "10" never activate the
signal tag "AlarmHighTag". In both cases the first condition sets the "AlarmTag"
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

signal tag and triggers the associated signal.

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 7
 4 Defining Trigger Authorization of the Signal Tags

4 Defining Trigger Authorization of the

Signal Tags
Introduction
In the "Message Assignment" tab you define in the "Authorization" column whether
the signal tag is triggered user-specifically. The authorizations of the logged-on
user are taken from the configurations of the User Administrator.

"<default>" Authorization
If the "<default>" authorization is set for the horn, it is enabled only for plant areas
to which the logged-on user is assigned. This corresponds to the authorization
"Authorization for area" in the User Administrator.
This setting is useful for OS stations on which an operator is working who only has
access to single areas and only has the messages from these areas displayed. In
this way the horn is enabled only for messages that that user can also see.

Authorization check: Disable "Authorization for area"

If the OS station is one of many OS stations in a central control room, the horn
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

should always be enabled regardless of the authorization of the user currently

logged on. For this you check the option "Deactivate default authorization check
"Authorization for area"".

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 8
 5 Defining the Trigger of the Horn

5 Defining the Trigger of the Horn

Introduction
In the case of rapidly repeated messages, the horn is enabled once again for each
incoming message. This can be uncomfortable for the operators if messages are
repeated frequently.

Not for incoming messages without acknowledgment

If you select "Not for incoming messages without acknowledgment", the horn is
enabled only when an incoming message has been acknowledged beforehand.

In this way the operator has the option of acknowledging only the horn and not the
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

message itself. When a new message arrives, the horn is not enabled again.

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 9
 6 Assigning Signal Transmitters to a Signal Tag

6 Assigning Signal Transmitters to a Signal

Tag
Introduction
The signals can be output either through an installed signal module, in a PCI slot,
for example, or using the sound files (*.wav) which can be output through the
installed sound card of the PC.

Procedure
1. Open the "Signal Assignment" tab.
2. With a double-click in the field of the "Tag" column you can select the created
tags.
3. Double-click in the "Signal module" column to select one of the three possible
hardware outputs of the signal module.
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

4. Double-click in the "Sound" column to select one of the existing sound files from
the Standard PCS 7 version.

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 10
 6 Assigning Signal Transmitters to a Signal Tag

Note You can also use your own sound files. Details about creating your own sound files are
available in the WinCC Online Help. We would advise you also to save the files and the
template files in your project path. In this case the sound files are also saved when the
project is saved, and the path details are still correct even after loading the OS station.
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 11
 7 Configuring the Horn Acknowledgment Behavior

7 Configuring the Horn Acknowledgment

Behavior
The acknowledgment of the horn can be done either locally by the OS station on
which the horn is configured or also by other OS stations through multiple
acknowledgment.

Local acknowledgment
If the acknowledgment is to be exclusively by the local OS station, select the "Only
local" under "Horn acknowledgment:".
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

Multiple acknowledgment via a group

If you want it to be possible for the horn to be acknowledged also by other OS
stations, you have to configure an acknowledgment group. For this, under "Horn
acknowledgment:" you select the option "Multiple acknowledgment in the following
group:" and enter a group name of your choice.
All OS stations which have the same group name configured form an
acknowledgment group. If the "Acknowledge horn" or "Acknowledge message"
button is pressed on one of these OS stations, an enabled horn will be
acknowledged on all the OS stations configured in the same acknowledgment
group.

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 12
 8 Completion

8 Completion
Introduction
After configuring the horn you must enter the task "HMRT.exe" in the startup list of
your OS project to make the configuration effective.

Procedure
1. In the WinCC Explorer you click "Computer" and in the computer name pop-up
menu you select "Properties".

Figure 8-1
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 13
 8 Completion

2. Go to the "Startup" tab and click the "Add..." button.

Figure 8-2
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 14
 8 Completion

3. In the "Application:" text field you enter "HMRT.exe" and click the "OK" button.

Figure 8-3
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

4. Click the "OK" button.

Figure 8-4

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 15
 8 Completion

5. Acknowledge the message and restart your project.

Figure 8-5
 Siemens AG 2016 All rights reserved

PCS 7 V8.1 - Configure the horn

Entry ID: 89279751, V1.2, 05/2016 16