Controller Assistant
Controller Assistant
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SoMachine
Controller Assistant
User Guide
05/2014
EIO0000001671.01
www.schneider-electric.com
The information provided in this documentation contains general descriptions and/or technical
characteristics of the performance of the products contained herein. This documentation is not
intended as a substitute for and is not to be used for determining suitability or reliability of these
products for specific user applications. It is the duty of any such user or integrator to perform the
appropriate and complete risk analysis, evaluation and testing of the products with respect to the
relevant specific application or use thereof. Neither Schneider Electric nor any of its affiliates or
subsidiaries shall be responsible or liable for misuse of the information contained herein. If you
have any suggestions for improvements or amendments or have found errors in this publication,
please notify us.
No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, without express written permission of Schneider Electric.
All pertinent state, regional, and local safety regulations must be observed when installing and
using this product. For reasons of safety and to help ensure compliance with documented system
data, only the manufacturer should perform repairs to components.
When devices are used for applications with technical safety requirements, the relevant
instructions must be followed.
Failure to use Schneider Electric software or approved software with our hardware products may
result in injury, harm, or improper operating results.
Failure to observe this information can result in injury or equipment damage.
© 2014 Schneider Electric. All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
Safety Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.1 General Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Controller Assistant on Windows 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Home Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Updating the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Managing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Controller Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Overview of Call Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
List of Call Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
XML Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 2 Network Device Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2.1 General Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Network Device Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2.2 Network Device Identification Call Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Create a Controller List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Signal to. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Signal from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Carry Out Communication Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Help Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2.3 Network Device Identification Controller List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Network Device Identification Controller List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chapter 3 Managing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3.1 Manage Images Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.2 Accessing Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Description of the Drive selection Dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.3 Accessing Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
General Tab of the Controller Selection Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Configuration of the Controller Access Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Description of the Controller Selection Dialog for PacDrive M
Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
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3.4 Loading / Saving Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Loading / Saving Images Via Standard Windows Dialog Boxes . . . . . 79
3.5 Compatibility Check Between Image and PacDrive M Controllers . . . 80
Description of the Hardware Check Dialog for PacDrive M Controllers 80
Chapter 4 The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes . . 83
4.1 Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Description of the Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Box. . . 84
4.2 Editing / Creating Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Creating an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Creating an Image - for PacDrive M Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
4.3 Processing Images Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Description of the ImageManager Dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
4.4 Updating Firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Updating Firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Updating Firmware - PacDrive M Controllers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
4.5 Processing Communication Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Description of the Process Communication Settings Dialog . . . . . . . . 119
Chapter 5 Using Controller Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
5.1 Firmware Update of a Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
How to Perform a Firmware Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
5.2 Creating a New Flash Disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
How to Create a New Flash Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
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Safety Information
Important Information
NOTICE
Read these instructions carefully, and look at the equipment to become familiar with the device
before trying to install, operate, or maintain it. The following special messages may appear
throughout this documentation or on the equipment to warn of potential hazards or to call attention
to information that clarifies or simplifies a procedure.
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PLEASE NOTE
Electrical equipment should be installed, operated, serviced, and maintained only by qualified
personnel. No responsibility is assumed by Schneider Electric for any consequences arising out of
the use of this material.
A qualified person is one who has skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation
of electrical equipment and its installation, and has received safety training to recognize and avoid
the hazards involved.
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About the Book
At a Glance
Document Scope
This document describes the Controller Assistant. It is a stand-alone software that allows you to
update the firmware and to manage images of controllers in a common way.
Controller Assistant performs the following main functions:
updating the firmware of a connected controller
managing images
loading images from different locations
creating images
modifying the different part of the image (such as firmware, communication settings)
saving images to different locations
Validity Note
This document is valid for Controller Assistant V4.1.
WARNING
UNAUTHENTICATED ACCESS AND SUBSEQUENT UNAUTHORIZED MACHINE
OPERATION
Evaluate whether your environment or your machines are connected to your critical
infrastructure and, if so, take appropriate steps in terms of prevention, based on Defense-in-
Depth, before connecting the automation system to any network.
Limit the number of devices connected to a network to the minimum necessary.
Isolate your industrial network from other networks inside your company.
Protect any network against unintended access by using firewalls, VPN, or other, proven
security measures.
Monitor activities within your systems.
Prevent subject devices from direct access or direct link by unauthorized parties or unauthen-
ticated actions.
Prepare a recovery plan including backup of your system and process information.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
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If there is a power outage or communication interruption during the transfer of the application
program or a firmware change, your device may become inoperative. If a communication
interruption or a power outage occurs, reattempt the transfer.
NOTICE
INOPERABLE EQUIPMENT
Do not interrupt the transfer of the application program or a firmware change once the transfer
has begun.
Do not place the device into service until the transfer has completed successfully.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
Performing a firmware change will delete the current application program in the device, including
the Boot Application in Flash memory.
NOTICE
LOSS OF APPLICATION DATA
Perform a backup of the application program to the hard disk of the PC before attempting a
firmware change.
Restore the application program to the device after a successful firmware change.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
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SoMachine
General Information
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Chapter 1
General Information
General Information
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General Information
Section 1.1
General Information
General Information
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General Information
Introduction
Overview
A controller consists of hardware and software.
The software of a controller consists of:
the SoMachine project,
the firmware (the interface between SoMachine project and hardware),
additional data required to operate a controller
The files are typically located on the flash disk or in the memory of the controller.
The Controller Assistant provides quick access to 2 different tasks concerning these software
components of a controller:
Updating the firmware of a connected controller and deleting the current application program
(SoMachine project) in the device:
Performing a firmware change will delete the current application program in the device,
including the Boot Application in Flash memory.
NOTICE
LOSS OF APPLICATION DATA
Perform a backup of the application program to the hard disk of the PC before attempting
a firmware change.
Restore the application program to the device after a successful firmware change.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
Managing images:
If any maintenance work has to be performed (for example, firmware and project updates of
a controller), carry out first a data backup of the entire controller software.
If following an update, the preceding version must be used again, the backed-up software
can be uploaded again.
If the content of the controller is to be used on another controller, you can generate an
identical copy of a controller.
Possibly you may simply want to back up the current status of the software of a controller.
Update the firmware without deleting the application.
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General Information
The tasks are directly available from the Home dialog of the Controller Assistant:
Online Help
Press the F1 key or click the Help button to call up the online help for the Controller Assistant.
To change the language of the online help, select an entry from the Language list and restart the
Controller Assistant.
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General Information
Overview
If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, certain functions must be shared in the
dialog box User Account Control.
You can set this once when starting the Controller Assistant. Right-click the ControllerAs-
sistant.exe, and execute the command Run as administrator from the context menu.
If you do not set the User Account Control once, the dialog box is displayed every time when a
function that has been called up requires administrator rights.
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General Information
Home Dialog
Overview
The Home dialog opens after the startup of the Controller Assistant. It provides quick access to the
main functions.
The main elements are in the middle of the dialog (legend item 4 in the following graphic). To
perform a function, click a symbol that works as a button.
You can return to the Home dialog from each sub dialog by clicking the Home button (legend item
6 in the following graphic).
In the left-hand information field (3), you receive information on the currently selected dialog or
currently selected button. In addition, the information field provides you with information on how to
proceed further within the individual functions.
The status bar comprises controller type / IP address / firmware version / image size / DHCP /
BOOTP, if available. On hovering the status bar, detailed information is displayed in the left-hand
information field (3).
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General Information
Main Elements
You can access the core functions of the Controller Assistant directly from the Home dialog via
buttons in the form of symbols.
Click the Update firmware... button to update the firmware of a connected controller.
Performing a firmware change will delete the current application program in the device, including
the Boot Application in Flash memory.
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General Information
NOTICE
LOSS OF APPLICATION DATA
Perform a backup of the application program to the hard disk of the PC before attempting a
firmware change.
Restore the application program to the device after a successful firmware change.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
Buttons
The Home, Help, Close and << buttons are available in all program sections.
The following is a short overview of the individual elements:
Home
Click this button to return to the Home dialog.
NOTE: Click the Home button to return to the Home dialog at any time. This button is
simultaneously used to cancel a function.
Help
Displays the online help.
Close
Ends the Controller Assistant.
<<
Opens the preceding step.
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General Information
Overview
If you click the Update firmware... button on the Home dialog, the update firmware procedure starts
with the first step.
NOTE: This procedure does not only update the firmware of a connected controller, but it also
deletes the current application program (SoMachine project) in the device.
NOTICE
LOSS OF APPLICATION DATA
Perform a backup of the application program to the hard disk of the PC before attempting a
firmware change.
Restore the application program to the device after a successful firmware change.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
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General Information
Step 1
First step of the Update firmware dialogs:
Element Description
Controller type Select the controller you are using from the list.
Controller firmware version Select a firmware version from the list or click the ... button to
browse for an external firmware.
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General Information
Element Description
Select external firmware Click this button to add a firmware from any location within the file
system. Following a prompt, you can add the firmware to the default
firmware directory. It will then be available permanently. The OK
button is only activated if the firmware directory is valid. Via Select
firmware directory, you can select the directory containing the
firmware versions of the controllers. This directory can be declared
as the standard firmware directory after inquiry. Choose in the
subsequent dialog if you want to select the standard firmware
directory for the firmware files.
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General Information
Step 2
Second step of the Update firmware dialogs, for specifying the communication settings:
The communication settings vary depending on the controller. The illustration shows the
communication settings for LMC058 / M258 / TM241 / TM251 / TM221 controllers.
For these controllers, the parameter Boot Mode is by default set to the value Fixed and the IP-
Address is set to 0.0.0.0. This has the effect that the communication settings on the controller
remain unchanged. You can adapt the communication settings to your individual requirements.
NOTE: For LMC058 / M258 / TM241 / TM251 / TM221 controllers, the changed parameters are
written to the post configuration file Machine.cfg which overwrites the parameters of the
SoMachine application.
Carefully manage the IP addresses because each device on the network requires a unique
address. Having multiple devices with the same IP address can cause unpredictable operation of
your network and associated equipment.
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General Information
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
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General Information
Step 3
Third step of the Update firmware dialogs, for specifying the way the firmware is transferred to the
controller:
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General Information
Select the drive containing the suitable removable storage device from the Disk drive list.
By default, the option List removable drives only is selected. This has the effect that the Disk drive
list only contains drives of removable storage devices. To display also hard disk drives in the list,
deselect the option List removable drives only.
NOTE: Make sure that the removable storage device is not write protected and that there is
sufficient memory capacity available for the firmware you intend to transfer.
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General Information
Click the button Write to transfer the firmware to the selected removable storage device. Before
the operation is performed, a message box will be displayed informing you that the data will be
deleted from the selected drive. Before you start the operation by clicking Yes, it allows you to
verify the content of the destination drive in a Windows Explorer view by clicking Explorer. To abort
the operation, click No.
From the list of connected controllers, select the controller to which you want to transfer the
firmware.
Click the Connect button to establish a connection to the selected controller and to transfer the
firmware.
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General Information
Managing Images
Overview
To open the Manage images dialog, click the Manage images... button in the Home dialog. The
Manage images dialog provides quick access to the functions allowing you to manage images.
The main elements are in the middle of the dialog. The symbols are simultaneously buttons which
can be selected by clicking them.
NOTE: Depending on the user mode or on the state of the current image, individual buttons can
be inactive.
The status bar below the main elements comprises controller type / IP address / firmware version
/ image size / DHCP / BOOTP, if available.
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General Information
Main Elements
The Manage images dialog allows you to manage controller images (see page 28). You can
access the core functions directly via buttons in the form of symbols.
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General Information
Area Description
1 On the left, there are the functions for loading an image to Controller
Assistant. An image can be optionally loaded from a flash disk, a controller or
directly from the file system of your computer to the Controller Assistant.
2 Clicking the symbol in the center leads to further dialogs for creating a new
image or editing a loaded image.
3 The functions on the right-hand side are used to rewrite an image again to
another destination location. It can also be written to a flash disk, a controller
or directly into the file system of your computer. You can select source and
destination independently of one another.
NOTE: When reading or writing on a flash disk, cards ranging 8...512 Mbyte are supported.
NOTE: When selecting a controller as destination, the image has to be suitable for the selected
controller. Additionally, you can change the firmware of the current image without deleting the
application by clicking the New / Process... → Update firmware ... button.
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General Information
Controller Images
Definition
The sum of the controller files managed in Controller Assistant are designated as image. The
Controller Assistant can read in an image from different sources such as a controller, a flash disk,
or a file. The last image read in from Controller Assistant is designated as current image.
NOTE: The Controller Assistant can only manage one image at a time.
After the Controller Assistant has read in an image, it can write the same to different destinations
such as a controller, a flash disk, or a file.
The image itself comprises the files that are typically located on the flash disk of a controller. It
represents a complete image of the firmware, the SoMachine project and the controller data. The
files contained in the image are easy to display and edit. An image is stored as a compressed file
with the file ending bpd.
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General Information
Overview
You can start the Controller Assistant by writing a series of call parameters into a batch file and
executing it via the standard Windows Run... command in the Start menu. Some of these call
parameters already execute program functionalities.
NOTE: If the commands are called up via a batch file, then the processing takes place
synchronously. But by a call via a console, the processing takes place asynchronously. To be able
to perform synchronous processing via a console, set the prefix start /b /wait before the
command.
Example
start / b/ wait ControllerAssistant.exe
-loadcontrol ip etcp3://10.128.225.156 "c:\temp\Result.log"
NOTE: For PacDrive M controllers, the URI prefix etcp2:// is used to establish a connection via
IP address.
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General Information
Image Directory
Many of the commands work on the current image that is saved in the directory specified with the
ImagePath parameter (see page 29). This path can be changed for this command call by adding
the parameter -imagedirectory with the desired image directory path.
Example:
ControllerAssistant -imagedirectory c:\Temp\MyImage
-loadfile C:\Temp\Default.bpd C:\Temp\Logfile.log
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General Information
Usage:
ControllerAssistant -connect ip <TargetAddressURI>
Examples:
ControllerAssistant -connect ip 192.168.1.33
ControllerAssistant -connect ip etcp3://192.168.1.33
ControllerAssistant -connect ip etcp2://192.168.1.33
ControllerAssistant -connect ip "enodename3://MyController
(192.168.1.33)"
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General Information
ControllerAssistant
-loadcontrol ip etcp3://190.201.100.100 C:\Temp\Logfile.log
ControllerAssistant
-imagedirectory c:\Temp\MyImage
-loadcontrol ip etcp3://190.201.100.100 C:\Temp\Logfile.log
NOTE: In order to save the current image into a single image file (file extension *.bdp), additionally
call -savefile.
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General Information
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General Information
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General Information
Example:
ControllerAssistant -getProgramVersion c:\temp\version.log
Copying Application Files and Adding an Application to the Configuration File of the Controller
Use the following command to add an application to an existing controller image. For example, for
the LMC•0•C controller family, the *.app and the corresponding *.crc files are copied into the image
folder and the CmpApp section of the *sysc3.cfg file is modified.
NOTE: Some controller types do not support this command.
Usage:
ControllerAssistant [-imagedirectory <ImageDirectoryPath>]
-addapplication <ApplicationPath> <ApplicationName>
[logfile=<logfile>]
Example:
ControllerAssistant -imagedirectory c:\temp\MyImage
-addapplication c:\temp\MyApplicationFolderPath
logfile=c:\temp\version.log
The ApplicationPath is the folder containing the *.app and the corresponding *.crc files. The
ApplicationName is the name of the *.app file (the file name without extension).
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General Information
ControllerAssistant -help
Example:
ControllerAssistant -help
Device Identification
Refer to the Network Device Identification Call Parameters chapter (see page 49) for additional
command line calls specific for Network Device Identification.
XML Commands
Refer to the XML Commands chapter (see page 37) for additional commands that are defined in
XML formatted files.
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General Information
XML Commands
Overview
You can use XML commands instead of a batch file. The commands are written into an XML
formatted file. They provide more detailed and more readable calls of commands. Additionally,
specific commands can only be used by XML commands (such as creating an image with specific
Sercos devices).
It is called itself from command line using this format:
-xmlcommand <CommandFilePath> [<LogFile>]
The file at <CommandFilePath> contains the XML commands.
The optional log file <LogFile> is used to log detected XML results and detected errors. You can
also define a log file inside the XML document.
File Format
The name of the root XML tag is ControllerAssistantCommandLine.
It contains the following elements:
A list tag named Commands.
One or more commands (tag name Command) to be executed in the defined order.
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General Information
<ControllerAssistantCommandLine xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSc
hema-instance" ImagePath="c:\img" Logfile="c:\log\ca.log">
<Commands>
<Command xsi:type="CreateImage"
ControllerType="LMC600C"
FirmwareVersion="1.50.3.4"
IPAddress="192.168.15.1"
SubnetMask="255.255.255.0"
Gateway="192.168.15.100"
IPMode="fixed"
DeviceName=""
>
<SercosDevices>
<SercosDevice VisibleName="LXM62" Version="1.50.4.0" />
<SercosDevice VisibleName="LXM62P" Version="1.50.4.0" />
<SercosDevice VisibleName="LXM62D" Version="1.50.4.0" />
<SercosDevice VisibleName="ILM62" Version="1.50.4.0" />
<SercosDevice VisibleName="LXM52" Version="1.50.4.0" />
<SercosDevice VisibleName="TM5NS31" Version="1.09" />
<SercosDevice VisibleName="SLC100" Version="1.10" />
<SercosDevice VisibleName="SLC200" Version="1.10" />
</SercosDevices>
</Command>
</Commands>
</ControllerAssistantCommandLine>
The ImagePath and Logfile parameters are optional. If they are not specified, default values
are used (see page 29).
The result is logged into the log file and written to the console.
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General Information
<ControllerAssistantCommandLine xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSc
hema-instance" ImagePath="c:\img" Logfile="c:\log\ca.log">
<Commands>
<Command xsi:type="UpdateCommunicationSettings"
IPAddress="192.168.0.1"
SubnetMask="255.255.255.0"
Gateway="192.168.0.100"
IPMode="fixed"
DeviceName="">
</Command>
</Commands>
</ControllerAssistantCommandLine>
The ImagePath and Logfile parameters are optional. If they are not specified, default values
are used (see page 29).
The DeviceName is used with IPMode dhcp. On some controllers, IPMode and DeviceName
are ignored.
The result is logged into the log file and written to the console.
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General Information
<ControllerAssistantCommandLine xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSc
hema-instance" ImagePath="c:\img" Logfile="c:\log\ca.log">
<Commands>
<Command xsi:type="AddApplication" ApplicationPath=""
ApplicationName="newapp"/>
</Commands>
</ControllerAssistantCommandLine>
The ImagePath and Logfile parameters are optional. If they are not specified, default values
are used (see page 29).
The ApplicationPath is the folder containing the *.app and the corresponding *.crc files. The
ApplicationName is the name of the *.app file (the file name without extension).
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Configuration File
Overview
The Controller Assistant can be parameterized in its behavior with an external configuration file in
XML format. This user-specific configuration file can be loaded when starting the program. After
this, the settings are available throughout the complete runtime. The file is read by the Controller
Assistant and never written to.
If the configuration file is in the execution directory of the Controller Assistant, then its settings will
be taken over at program start. The settings influence the behavior as well as the operation of the
Controller Assistant. Above all, the settings are used for a better integration within HMIs.
Structure
The file is structured in XML format (http://www.xml.org) and must include the encoding ISO-8859-
1. This allows you to enter special characters (for example, umlauts such as ä, ö and ü) at any time
using a simple text editor.
The root node has the name <config>. For a description of further subnodes, refer to the section
Parameters in this chapter.
The typical configuration file below contains 2 entries, autofilesavefilename and
defaultfilesavedirectory. Both are located as a group under the parent node
fileoptions.
Example of a typical configuration file with 2 entries:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>
<config>
<fileoptions>
<autofilesavefilename>
<![CDATA[Backup_<date>_<counter>.pdi]]
<autofilesavefilename>
<defaultfilesavedirectory>
c:\temp\PD-BackUp
<defaultfilesavedirectory>
<fileoptions>
</config>>
Changes to the XML file must be XML compliant. Otherwise, the file cannot be loaded. When
starting the Controller Assistant, this is indicated by the pertinent diagnostic message stating the
incorrect row and column. The program is then run as if there were no configuration file.
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General Information
Calling
There are 2 ways to load the desired configuration file:
automatically
If there is a file with the name Controller assistant.config.xml in the start directory of the
Controller Assistant, it is loaded automatically upon start-up. The program then uses these
settings as it runs.
manually
You can also load the configuration file explicitly from another location in the file system using
a command line. This has precedence over the automatic call. To do this, you can use the
following syntax via the command line:
-userconfigfile <file name>
In this case, the configuration file entered under <file name> is loaded.
Parameters
The individual parameters are described where they appear within the configuration file Controller
assistant.config.xml. You will find application examples there. As this file is located in the program
directory, you can use it as a template.
Moreover, the parameters are once again described in detail. The parameters are listed as
XML paths, which describe their distinct position within the XML file.
config/fileoptions/autofilesavefilename
When a file is saved, a file name can be generated automatically. The file name can consist of
constant name elements, current values, (such as date or controller type) and a counter. The
automatically generated name is then proposed, for example in the Save as dialog box.
The automatically generated name can be described by text and placeholders.
Example
BackUp_date=<date>.bpd gets the file name BackUp_date=2006-03-12.bpd
The current date is used. The placeholder must be written in lower case. This means that <date>
is valid, whereas <Date> is not recognized.
The newly generated file name may possibly include characters that are not supported by the file
system (for example, file is My?File). Therefore, these characters are replaced by a lowercase x.
Example
My?File.bpd is replaced by MyxFile.bpd.
The following 8 characters are those which are replaced:
\/:*?"<>|
The description (with placeholders) of the name to be generated includes special XML characters
that cannot simply be written to an XML file. Therefore, the description must be enclosed in a
CDATA section.
Example
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General Information
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General Information
Mode Description
Default default setting (corresponds to leaving out user mode)
NoFirmwareChange The dialog boxes for the firmware replacement have been
deactivated.
DontEditImage The entire menu for editing an image has been deactivated.
NoExplorer The ImageManager dialog of the Controller Assistant for
manual editing of the image has been deactivated
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General Information
config/application/quicktransfermode
In the case of resource intensive programming which places a high level of demand on the
controller, and that may also have outdated firmware, cycle times may be exceeded. If
<quicktransfermode> is set to FALSE, then the transfer takes place slowly (up to a factor
of 15). This helps to minimize the risk of a cycle time overrun and consequential watch dog timeout
errors.
NOTE: The default value of <quicktransfermode> is TRUE.
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General Information
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SoMachine
Network Device Identification
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Chapter 2
Network Device Identification
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Network Device Identification
Section 2.1
General Information
General Information
Overview
SoMachine Motion / SoMachine, and different tools, such as Controller Assistant, have a Network
Device Identification command interface.
This interface can be used, for example by an HMI that offers a controller setup or for exchange
functionalities with the user. The Network Device Identification command-line call can be used in
the maintenance and service environment, for example for the HMI integration.
The Network Device Identification command line expands the standard command line of the
respective tool. The entry criteria of the command line is Netmanage Command. The commands
are not case-sensitive.
A series of Network Device Identification command calls allow you to receive information of the
controllers that are connected to the same network such as the PC on which the command-line
tool is running.
As a result of this controller scan, an .xml file is created with the controller information.
In addition, you can use the MAC address of the controller to perform further Network Device
Identification command-line calls. For example, the function signal (controller signaling) that can
be used to find devices in the network quickly through flashes or audio signals.
Furthermore, an additional command-line call allows you to change the communication settings of
the controller.
NOTE: If the commands are called up via a batch file, then the processing takes place
synchronously. However, when entering manually by command line arguments, the processing
takes place asynchronously. To be able to perform synchronous processing via manual command
line entries, set the prefix start /b /wait before the command.
Example
start / b/ wait ControllerAssistant.exe -
loadcontrol ip etcp3://10.128.225.156 "c:\temp\Result.log"
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Section 2.2
Network Device Identification Call Parameters
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Network Device Identification
Overview
The Network Device Identification service allows you to retrieve a list of connected controllers in
the current network.
After call-up of this function the network is scanned. Connected controllers that support the function
will reply and will be listed in the specified XML file.
Call
<ToolPath> -
NetmanageCommand CreateControllerList <ResultXmlFilePath> [<RefreshTime
out>]
Parameter Description
Example
Entry
"c:\Programs\Schneider Electric\ControllerAssistant\ControllerAssistant
.exe" -NetmanageCommand CreateControllerList
"c:\temp\MyControllerList.xml" 2
Result
By a successful processing of the call 0, otherwise 1.
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Network Device Identification
Signal to
Overview
The controller is identified by an optical signal (blinking of the status LED) or via an acoustic signal.
It is assigned via the MAC (media access control) address. The signal stops after 10 seconds. If
the controller is already in the status Signal, then a new signalizing is triggered with the last mode
<SignalMode>.
Call
<ToolPath> -NetmanageCommand SignalOn <MacAddress> [<SignalMode>]
Parameter Description
Example
Entry
"c:\Programs\Schneider Electric\ControllerAssistant\ControllerAssistant
.exe" -NetmanageCommand SignalOn 00:04:17:05:00:78 2
Result
By a successful processing of the call 0, otherwise 1.
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Network Device Identification
Signal from
Overview
The identification of a controller through an optical signal or via a series of sounds (refer to the
Signal to chapter (see page 51)) is stopped.
Call
<ToolPath> -NetmanageCommand SignalOff <MacAddress>
Parameter Description
Example
Entry
"c:\Programs\Schneider Electric\ControllerAssistant\ControllerAssistant
.exe" -NetmanageCommand SignalOff 00:04:17:05:00:78
Result
By a successful processing of the call 0, otherwise 1.
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Network Device Identification
Overview
Changes the communication parameters IP (Internet protocol) address, subnet mask, and
gateway of the controller. The controller is assigned via the MAC address.
NOTE: The communication can only take place if it was permitted in the project parameters. By
default, the communication is enabled.
Call
<ToolPath> -
NetmanageCommand SetCommunicationSettings <MacAddress> <IpAddress> <Sub
net-Mask> <Gateway> <SetPermanently>
Parameter Description
Carefully manage the IP addresses because each device on the network requires a unique
address. Having multiple devices with the same IP address can cause unpredictable operation of
your network and associated equipment.
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Network Device Identification
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
NOTE: Most controllers provide a parameter (such as RemoteAccess) that helps to prevent
changing of communication parameters of the controller.
Example
Entry
"c:\Program Files (x86)\Schneider Electric\Tools\ControllerAssistant\Co
ntrollerAssistant.exe" -
NetmanageCommand SetCommunicationSettings 00:04:17:05:00:78 192.168.2.2
1 255.255.0.0 192.168.2.50 true
Result
By a successful processing of the call 0, otherwise 1.
NOTE: The command is sent asynchronously without waiting for a result. The result 0 means that
the command has been sent successfully. In order to check the result, call the command
CreateControllerList after a few seconds (depending on the controller) and check the
delivered result.
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Help Display
Overview
A help for the usage of the call parameters is displayed.
Call
<ToolPath> -NetmanageCommand <Help>
Parameter Description
Example
Entry
"c:\Program Files (x86)\Schneider Electric\Tools\ControllerAssistant\Co
ntrollerAssistant.exe" -NetmanageCommand ?
Result
By a successful processing of the call 0, otherwise 1.
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Network Device Identification
Section 2.3
Network Device Identification Controller List
Overview
With the CreateControllerList function, a controller list can be created that contains the information
of the controllers that are in the local network.
The controller list is structured in XML format (http://www.xml.org) and uses the UTF-8 (UCS
(universal character set) transformation format 8-bit) format as encoding. The name of the root
node is <Netmanage>. The subnode <ControllerList> contains further subnodes which each
represent a controller and the last information it sent.
Example
Example of a configuration file with 2 entries
<?xml version="1.0"encoding="utf-8"?>
<Netmanage Version="1.0.0.0">
<ControllerList>
Controller MacAddress="00:04:17:07:02:36" SignalState="0" Control
ler="2000"
TimeSinceBoot="184"_IP_Address="192.168.2.23" IP_SubNetMask="255.
255.255.0">
Controller MacAddress="00:04:17:05:00:78" SignalState="2" Control
ler="3000"
TimeSinceBoot="116"_IP_Address="192.168.2.22" IP_SubNetMask="255.
255.255.0">
</ControllerList>
</Netmanage><
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Network Device Identification
The format of the parameters is not unique and depends on the controller type.
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SoMachine
Managing Images
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Chapter 3
Managing Images
Managing Images
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Managing Images
Section 3.1
Manage Images Dialog
Introduction
Overview
If you click the Manage images... button in the Home dialog, the Manage images dialog opens.
The Manage images dialog
Area Description
1 On the left, there are the functions for reading in an image in Controller Assistant.
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Area Description
2 The central area refers to the image currently managed by the Controller Assistant. Below
the same, you can edit or create the current image, or you can replace the firmware in the
current image.
3 On the right-hand side, there are functions for writing the image currently managed by
Controller Assistant into a specific destination.
4 The status bar shows information on the current image:
Controller
The controller type which the current image refers to.
IP address
The IP address of the controller saved in the current image.
Version
The firmware version of the current image.
Source
This shows the origin of the image currently managed by the Controller Assistant.
Possible variants are:
Removable storage device (from CF card, SD card or USB mass storage device)
Controller (from controller)
Image file (from file system)
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Managing Images
Section 3.2
Accessing Drives
Accessing Drives
Overview
To open the dialog Drive selection, click one of the buttons Read from... or Write to... on the
Manage images dialog. Depending on this selection, the Drive selection dialog appears in one of
the variants described in this chapter.
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Read from...
Drive selection dialog after call-up via Read from... button.
In this dialog, select the drive into which you have inserted the removable storage device (CF card
for PacDrive M controllers, SD card for Modicon M221, M241, M251 logic controllers, or USB mass
storage device for Modicon M258 Logic Controller, Modicon LMC058 Motion Controller).
By default, the option List removable drives only is selected. This has the effect that the Disk drive
list only contains drives of removable media. To display also hard disk drives in the list, deselect
the option List removable drives only.
Select a drive from the Disk drive list.
Click the Reading button to load the image into the Controller Assistant.
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Managing Images
Write to...
NOTE: Writing, for example on a SoMachine controller card, is only possible if the inserted storage
device has a data volume of at least 128 Mbyte.
Drive selection dialog after call-up via Write to... button.
In this dialog, select the drive into which you have inserted the storage device.
By default, the option List removable drives only is selected. This has the effect that the Disk drive
list only contains drives of removable media. To display also hard disk drives in the list, deselect
the option List removable drives only.
Click the Write button to write the image back onto the inserted storage device. Before the
operation is performed, a message box will be displayed informing you that the data will be deleted
from the selected drive. Before you start the operation by clicking Yes, it allows you to verify the
content of the destination drive in a Windows Explorer view by clicking Explorer. To abort the
operation, click No.
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Managing Images
Hints
NOTE: Note for PacDrive M controllers that existing license points are not a component part of an
image but rather are a part of a flash disk. They cannot be copied. They are not changed when
writing an image to the flash disk or controller.
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
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Managing Images
Section 3.3
Accessing Controllers
Accessing Controllers
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Overview
To open the dialog Controller selection, click one of the buttons Read from... or Write to... a
controller on the Manage images dialog. The Controller selection dialog appears in one of the
variants described in this chapter. By default, the General tab is selected. This tab includes the
SoMachine Network Device Identification function and allows you to configure the controller
access options (see page 68).
To connect to a PacDrive M controller, click the PacDriveM tab. The specific settings for
PacDrive M controllers are described in the chapter Description of the Controller Selection Dialog
for PacDrive M Controllers (see page 74).
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Managing Images
The Network Device Identification function shows a list of controllers available in the network.
Select a controller from this list, and click Connect to accept the marked controller in the controller
selection.
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Network Device Identification function providing a list of controllers available in your network
Carefully manage the IP addresses because each device on the network requires a unique
address. Having multiple devices with the same IP address can cause unpredictable operation of
your network and associated equipment.
This also applies to the NodeNames. Each device on the network requires a unique NodeName.
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Managing Images
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
Changing the Communication Settings Via Ethernet Using the Context Menu
To change the communication settings of a controller via the Ethernet connection, use the context
menu. However, to this end the controller must already be visible in the network.
To change the communication settings of M258 and LMC058 controllers with specific firmware
versions that do not support this feature, use the USB mass storage device.
To achieve this, right-click the entry of the controller in the Controller selection list and execute the
command Process communication settings... from the context menu.
Button Description
Optical Click this button to cause the selected controller to indicate an optical
signal: It flashes a control LED quickly. This can help you to identify
the respective controller if many controllers are used.
The function stops on a second click or automatically after about
30 seconds.
NOTE: The optical signal is issued only by controllers that support
this function.
Optical and acoustical Click this button to cause the selected controller to indicate an optical
and an acoustical signal: It starts to beep and flashes a control LED
quickly. This can help you to identify the respective controller if many
controllers are used.
The function stops on a second click or automatically after about
30 seconds.
NOTE: The optical and acoustical signals are issued only by
controllers that support this function.
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Button Description
Update Click this button to refresh the list of controllers. A request is sent to
the controllers in the network. Any controller that responds to the
request is listed with the current values.
Pre-existing entries of controllers are updated with every new
request.
Controllers that are already in the list but that do not respond to a new
request are not deleted. They are marked as inactive by a red cross
being added to the controller icon.
The Update button corresponds to the Refresh list command that is
provided in the context menu if you right-click a controller in the list.
To refresh the information of a selected controller, the context menu
provides the command Refresh this controller. This command
requests more detailed information from the selected controller.
NOTE: The Refresh this controller command can also refresh the
information of other controllers.
Remove inactive controllers from list. Controllers that do not respond to a network scan are marked as
inactive in the list. This is indicated by a red cross being added to the
controller icon. Click this button to remove all controllers marked as
inactive controllers simultaneously from the list.
NOTE: Because of network issues, a controller can be marked as
inactive even if this is not the case.
The context menu that opens if you right-click a controller in the list
provides 2 other commands for removing controllers:
The Remove selected controller from list command allows you to
remove only the selected controller from the list.
The Remove all controllers from list command allows you to
remove all controllers simultaneously from the list.
New Favorite... and Favorite 0 You can use Favorites to adjust the selection of controllers to your
personal requirements. This can help you to keep track of many
controllers in the network.
A Favorite describes a collection of controllers that are recognized by
a unique identifier.
Click a favorite button (such as Favorite 0) to select or deselect it. If
you have not selected a favorite, all detected controllers are visible.
You can also access Favorites via the context menu. It opens upon
right-clicking a controller in the list.
Move the cursor over a favorite button in the toolbar to view the
associated controllers as a tooltip.
List of Controllers
The list of controllers in the middle of the Controller selection view of the device editor lists those
controllers that have sent a response to the network scan. It provides information on each
controller in several columns. You can adapt the columns displayed in the list of controllers
according to your individual requirements.
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Managing Images
To achieve this, right-click the header of a column to open the Process columns dialog box.
You can create your own layout of this table. Click New, and enter a name for your layout. Shift
columns from the list of Possible columns to the list of Current columns and vice versa by clicking
the horizontal arrow buttons. To change the order of the columns in the Current columns list, click
the arrow up and arrow down buttons.
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Managing Favorites
To manage favorites in the list of controllers, proceed as follows:
Step Action
1 Select the controller in the list of controllers.
2 Right-click the controller and select one of the commands:
New Favorite to create a new group of favorites.
Favorite n in order to
add the selected controller to this list of favorites
remove the selected controller from this list of favorites
remove all controllers from this list of favorites
select a favorite
rename a favorite
remove a favorite
Cancel Operation
To cancel the operation, click the Home button. The Home dialog opens.
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Managing Images
Overview
To open the dialog Controller selection, click one of the buttons Read from... or Write to... a
controller on the Manage images dialog.
To connect to a PacDrive M controller, click the PacDriveM tab. This chapter describes the specific
settings for PacDrive M controllers.
Read from...
The PacDriveM tab contains the various options for PacDrive M controller selection for Read
from... and the Write to... operations. To load an image from a PacDrive M controller, click the
Read from... controller button in the Manage images dialog (the icon in the middle on the left-hand
side) and select the PacDriveM tab of the Controller selection dialog.
Select a data transfer method from the list on the left-hand side (Ethernet, Com port, Modem, or
Gateway dialog), and enter further information to specify the PacDrive M controller (such as the
IP address).
Click the Reading button to load the image. Refer to the paragraphs further below in this chapter
on the configuration settings.
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Managing Images
Use this dialog to select various access options for the PacDrive M controller.
Write to...
To write an image to a PacDrive M controller, click the Write on... controller button in the Manage
images dialog (the icon in the middle on the right-hand side) and select the PacDriveM tab of the
Controller selection dialog. In the Write to... dialog, click the Writing button to transfer the image to
the controller.
The writing process during the transfer of an image can be canceled.
NOTE: If the transfer of an image to a PacDrive M controller is canceled, the controller is in an
undefined state. As long as the PacDrive M controller is not restarted, an image transfer can be
performed again. If the controller is switched off in the meantime, you have to remove the flash disk
from the controller. Transfer the image directly via a card reader.
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Managing Images
NOTE: Existing license points are not a component part of an image but rather are a part of a flash
disk. They cannot be copied. They are not changed when writing an image to the flash disk or
PacDrive M controller.
Use this dialog to select various access options for the PacDrive M controller.
Ethernet Communications
Select the option Ethernet in order to communicate with PacDrive M controllers. It is the fastest
method to read and write data.
NOTE: For the other transfer methods, long waiting periods during the transfer are to be expected
when exchanging large volumes of data.
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Serial Communications
If the controller is connected to the SoMachine PC via serial cable, select the option Com (RS232).
Select the Com Port where the controller is connected, and click the Reading or Writing button.
CAUTION
INOPERABLE EQUIPMENT
Do not use a modem connection for updating the firmware.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury or equipment damage.
If the communication to the controller is interrupted during firmware update, for example, due to a
reset of the serial line configuration, your device may become inoperative.
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Managing Images
Changing the Communication Settings of a PacDrive M Controller Via Serial Data Transfer
If the PacDrive M controller is connected to the SoMachine PC via a serial cable, click the button
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Section 3.4
Loading / Saving Images
Loading Images
To open the Open dialog box, click the button Load... on the Manage images dialog. The standard
Windows Open dialog box allows you to read in an image. Enter the desired path and file name,
and click the Open button. The *.bpd file type is supported. The specified image is read into
Controller Assistant.
Saving Images
To open the Save dialog box, click the button Save... on the Manage images dialog. The standard
Windows Save as dialog box allows you to save the image currently managed in Controller
Assistant. Enter the desired path and file name, and click the Save button. The image is saved at
the specified location. The file type available for selection is *.bpd.
Hints
NOTE: Note for PacDrive M controllers that existing license points are not a component part of an
image but rather are a part of a flash disk. They cannot be copied. They are not changed when
writing an image to the flash disk or controller.
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
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Managing Images
Section 3.5
Compatibility Check Between Image and PacDrive M Controllers
Overview
The Hardware check dialog opens automatically when PacDrive M controllers with specific
firmware versions are used.
To execute a hardware check, enter the hardware code of the controller in the HW: text box. You
can find the hardware code on the type plate of the controller. Click the Check button to execute
the verification process.
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Managing Images
Alternatively, you can ignore this check by clicking the Skip button. In this case, it will not be verified
whether the image is suitable for the controller.
If there is an incompatibility between the image and the controller, the axis connected via Sercos
can run in an undesirable way (for example, at an unspecified speed), or rendered the controller
unable to respond to communications nor change state.
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION OR INOPERABLE EQUIPMENT
Always use the latest firmware to help avoid incompatibilities between image and controller.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
NOTE: When Skip is selected, no verification whatsoever will be carried out. In this case,
Schneider Electric may not be considered responsible.
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SoMachine
The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes
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Chapter 4
The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes
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The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes
Section 4.1
Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Box
Overview
To open the Process image / Create image new dialog, click the New / Process... button on the
Manage images dialog.
Process image / Create image new dialog
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The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes
The Controller Assistant saves the currently selected image for internal processing temporarily in
the directory \Image\. The path is displayed in the ImageManager dialog.
The Edit image / Create new image dialog contains buttons that provide access to further functions
of the Controller Assistant.
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The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes
Section 4.2
Editing / Creating Images
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The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes
Creating an Image
Overview
NOTICE
UNINTENDED MODIFICATIONS OF THE SOFTWARE
Do not modify or manually intervene with the original image.
Only use the Controller Assistant to carry out updates and changes on the software of the
controller.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
This chapter describes the process of creating an image for SoMachine devices. The process of
creating an image for PacDrive M controllers is described in a separate chapter (see page 94).
To create a new image, click the button Create new image... in the Process image / Create image
new dialog. The first step of the Create image dialogs is displayed.
The image is created from scratch. The resulting image file is saved in the \Image\ directory of the
Controller Assistant. (The path of this directory is displayed in the ImageManager dialog.) The
image file contains all firmware files of a specific version and a selected controller type. The image
file can additionally contain 1 or more configuration files. It does not contain an application.
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The Process Image / Create Image New Dialog Boxes
Step 1
First step of the Create image dialogs
From the Controller type list, select the type of controller connected.
From the Controller firmware version list, select the controller firmware version required.
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For PacDrive M and SoMachine Motion controllers, those firmware versions that are compatible to
each other are marked as a group in the same color (bright or dark) in the Controller firmware
version list.
In the selection list above V1.33.0.10, V1.33.0.8 and V1.33.0.5, for instance, are compatible to
each other. In contrast, V1.33.3.0 and V1.33.1.0 are not compatible to V1.33.0.10.
To browse for an external firmware, click the ... button.
Click the button Next... to continue with step 2.
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Step 2
Second step of the Create image dialogs that is only displayed for SoMachine Motion controllers:
Here you can select whether you want to update to a recommended version of the Sercos device
firmware. The option Use recommended version is selected by default.
When clicking Next..., the recommended versions are applied and step 3 of the Create image
dialogs is displayed.
If you disable the option Use recommended version, a list with the identified device families and
the corresponding firmware versions is displayed.
Designation Description
Device family In this column, the designation of the device family is displayed.
Current version In this column, the version of the device family that is currently in the image of
the Controller Assistant is displayed. If there is no firmware file for the specified
device family in the image, the text <not available> is displayed in this cell.
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Designation Description
New version The version recommended for the current controller firmware version and the
corresponding Sercos device family is displayed as new version. If no
recommended version has been found, the text <Current version not found>
is displayed.
When clicking an entry in the column, a selection menu with a list of all
available firmware versions opens (see the following graphic).
Here you can do the following:
select the desired version
delete the current version in the image
keep the current version in the image
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Step 3
Third step of the Create image dialogs
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WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
Hint
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
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Overview
NOTICE
UNINTENDED MODIFICATIONS OF THE SOFTWARE
Do not modify or manually intervene with the original image.
Only use the Controller Assistant to carry out updates and changes on the software of the
controller.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
To create a new image, click the button Create new image... in the Process image / Create image
new dialog. The first step of the Create image dialogs is displayed.
The image is created from scratch. The resulting image file is saved in the \Image\ directory of the
Controller Assistant. (The path of this directory is displayed in the ImageManager dialog.) The
image file contains all firmware files of a specific version and a selected controller type. The image
file can additionally contain 1 or more configuration files. It does not contain an application.
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Step 1
First step of the Create image dialogs
From the Controller type list, select the type of controller connected, such as C400/600 for
PacDrive M controllers.
From the Controller firmware version list, select the controller firmware version required.
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For PacDrive M and SoMachine Motion controllers, those firmware versions that are compatible to
each other are marked as a group in the same color (bright or dark) in the Controller firmware
version list.
In the selection list above V1.33.0.10, V1.33.0.8 and V1.33.0.5, for instance, are compatible to
each other. In contrast, V1.33.3.0 and V1.33.1.0 are not compatible to V1.33.0.10.
To browse for an external firmware, click the ... button.
NOTE: The flash disk in the P600 is required for the license points. Do not replace it at runtime. It
can only be transmitted into the PC with a card reader.
NOTE: Controllers have standard firmware directories. This is automatically specified on the
computer after installing the firmware. After starting the Controller Assistant, the firmware is
searched in the standard firmware directory at first. Depending on the selected controller type, you
can select the external firmware or the firmware directory for the PacDrive M firmware and
determine the standard firmware directory as well.
Click the button Next... to continue with step 2.
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Step 2
Second step of the Create image dialogs
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WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
Hint
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
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Section 4.3
Processing Images Manually
Overview
To open the dialog ImageManager, click the button Process image manually... in the Process
image / Create image new dialog.
The Controller Assistant saves the currently selected image for internal processing temporarily in
the directory \Image\. The path to and the content of this directory are displayed in this dialog.
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NOTICE
UNINTENDED MODIFICATIONS OF THE SOFTWARE
Do not modify or manually intervene with the original image.
Only use the Controller Assistant to carry out updates and changes on the software of the
controller.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage.
Section 4.4
Updating Firmware
Updating Firmware
Updating Firmware
Overview
To update the firmware without deleting the application in the controller, click the button Update
firmware... in the Process image / Create image new dialog. The first step of the Update firmware
dialogs is displayed.
This is a general description of the firmware update procedure. It may be that not all the steps and
options described here are available for the controller you are using. For a description of updating
the firmware of PacDrive M controllers, refer to the chapter Updating Firmware - PacDrive M
Controllers (see page 112).
Step 1
First step of the Update firmware dialogs, option Compatible selected
Element Description
Update mode This option is only available for SoMachine Motion controllers:
Select the option SERCOS device family update only to
update only the firmware of the Sercos devices within an
image.
If you do not select this option, select the controller firmware
version in the next step (refer to step 2 of this update firmware
procedure (see page 106)). The entire controller firmware will
be changed.
If you select this option, the area Controller firmware change
of the dialog is hidden. The separate dialog for selecting the
controller firmware version (step 2 of this update firmware
procedure) is skipped.
Controller firmware change Choose the desired type of controller firmware change.
Compatible Select the option Compatible to provide only compatible
firmware versions for selection.
For SoMachine Motion controllers, for instance, a compatible
firmware version is detected with the version number: The first
3 digits have to match. Compatible is, for example, V1.30.1.0
to V1.30.1.1 or V1.30.1.2. Not compatible, is for example,
V1.30.1.0 to V1.30.2.0 or V1.31.230.1.
General Select the option General to provide all firmware versions for
selection.
By default, the latest firmware version is selected.
Click the button Next... to continue with one of the following dialogs:
If SERCOS device family update only is deselected, the dialog Update firmware (Step 2 of 4)
for updating the controller firmware is displayed.
If SERCOS device family update only is selected, the dialog Update firmware (Step 2 of 3) for
selecting the Sercos device firmware version is displayed.
Step 2
Second step of the Update firmware dialogs for selecting the firmware version
For PacDrive M and SoMachine Motion controllers, those firmware versions that are compatible to
each other are marked as a group in the same color (bright or dark) in the Controller firmware
version list.
In the selection list above V1.33.0.10, V1.33.0.8 and V1.33.0.5, for instance, are compatible to
each other. In contrast, V1.33.3.0 and V1.33.1.0 are not compatible to V1.33.0.10.
Select a firmware version from the list or click the button to browse for an external firmware.
It allows you to add a firmware from any location within the file system. Following a prompt, you
can add the firmware to the default firmware directory. It will then be available permanently. The
OK button is only activated if the firmware directory is valid. Via Select firmware directory, you can
select the directory containing the firmware versions of the controllers. This directory can be
declared as the standard firmware directory after inquiry. Choose in the subsequent dialog if you
want to select the standard firmware directory for the firmware files.
Click the button Next... to continue.
The dialog for updating the Sercos device firmware is accessed. Depending on the selection made
in the are Update mode, this will be the dialog Update firmware (step 3 of 4) or Update firmware
(step 2 of 3).
Step 3
Third step of the Update firmware dialogs only updating the Sercos device firmware (only available
for SoMachine Motion controllers):
Here you can select whether you want to update to a recommended version of the Sercos device
firmware The option Use recommended version is selected by default.
If the option Use recommended version is disabled, a list with the identified device families and the
corresponding firmware versions is additionally displayed.
Designation Description
Device family In this column, the designation of the device family is
displayed.
Current version In this column, the version of the device family that is currently
in the image of the Controller Assistant is displayed. If there is
no firmware file for the specified device family in the image,
the text <not available> is displayed in this cell.
Designation Description
New version The version recommended for the current controller firmware
version and the corresponding Sercos device family is
displayed as new version. If no recommended version has
been found, the text <Current version not found> is displayed.
When clicking an entry in the column, a selection menu with a
list of all available firmware versions opens (see the following
graphic).
Here you can do the following:
select the desired version
delete the current version in the image
keep the current version in the image
Step 4
Fourth step of the Update firmware dialogs, for specifying the communication settings
The communication settings vary depending on the controller. The illustration shows the
communication setting for LMC058 / M258 / TM241 / TM251 / TM221 controllers.
For these controllers, the parameter Boot Mode is by default set to the value Fixed and the IP-
Address is set to 0.0.0.0. This has the effect that the communication settings on the controller
remain unchanged. You can adapt the communication settings to your individual requirements.
NOTE: For LMC058 / M258 / TM241 / TM251 / TM221 controllers, the changed parameters are
written to the post configuration file Machine.cfg which overwrites the parameters of the
SoMachine application.
Carefully manage the IP addresses because each device on the network requires a unique
address. Having multiple devices with the same IP address can cause unpredictable operation of
your network and associated equipment.
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
Click the Execute button to start the update process, updating the firmware in the Controller
Assistant image.
Hint
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
Overview
To update the firmware without deleting the application in the controller, click the button Update
firmware... in the Process image / Create image new dialog. The first step of the Update firmware
dialogs is displayed.
This chapter describes how to update PacDrive M controllers:
Step 1
First step of the Update firmware dialogs, option Compatible selected
Element Description
Update mode This option is only available for SoMachine Motion controllers:
Select the option SERCOS device family update only to
update only the firmware of the Sercos devices within an
image.
If you do not select this option, select the controller firmware
version in the next step (refer to step 2 of this update firmware
procedure (see page 115)). The entire controller firmware will
be changed.
If you select this option, the area Controller firmware change
of the dialog is hidden. The separate dialog for selecting the
controller firmware version (step 2 of this update firmware
procedure) is skipped.
Controller firmware change Choose the desired type of controller firmware change.
Compatible Select the option Compatible to provide only compatible
firmware versions for selection.
For PacDrive M (C200, C400/600, Max-4, P600), a
compatible firmware version is detected with the version
number: The first 2 digits and the tenth digit match within the
third digit. Compatible is, for example, V0.16.42.0 to
V0.16.43.0 or V0.16.44.0. Not compatible is for example,
V0.16.42.0 to V0.16.32.0 or V0.20.1.0.
For M2•• controllers, all firmware versions that are higher than
the current one are compatible. By default, the latest firmware
version is selected.
A compatible firmware update only replaces system files.
Application and user files are not removed.
General Select the option General to provide all firmware versions for
selection.
By default, the latest firmware version is selected.
The firmware files and the application files of the current
image are removed. User files are not removed.
Step 2
Second step of the Update firmware dialogs, for selecting the firmware version
From the Controller firmware version list, select the type of controller to be updated.
For PacDrive M and SoMachine Motion controllers, those firmware versions that are compatible to
each other are marked as a group in the same color (bright or dark) in the Controller firmware
version list.
In the selection list above V1.33.0.10, V1.33.0.8 and V1.33.0.5, for instance, are compatible to
each other. In contrast, V1.33.3.0 and V1.33.1.0 are not compatible to V1.33.0.10.
Select a firmware version from the list or click the button to browse for an external firmware
as follows:
Click the button Select external firmware to add a firmware from any location within the file system.
Following a prompt, you can add the firmware to the default firmware directory. It will then be
available permanently. The OK button is only activated if the firmware directory is valid. Via Select
firmware directory, you can select the directory containing the firmware versions of the controllers.
This directory can be declared as the standard firmware directory after inquiry. Choose in the
subsequent dialog if you want to select the standard firmware directory for the PacDrive M
firmware files.
NOTE: The PacDrive M firmware is required for the controllers MAx-4, C200, C400/600 and P600.
Click the button Next... to continue with step 3.
Step 3
Third step of the Update firmware dialogs, for specifying the communications settings
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
Hint
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
Section 4.5
Processing Communication Settings
Overview
To open the Process Communication Settings dialog, click the button Process communication
settings... in the Process image / Create image new dialog.
Carefully manage the IP addresses because each device on the network requires a unique
address. Having multiple devices with the same IP address can cause unpredictable operation of
your network and associated equipment.
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
The communication settings vary depending on the controller. The illustration shows the
communication setting for LMC058 / M258 / TM241 / TM251 / TM221 controllers.
For these controllers, the parameter Boot Mode is by default set to the value Fixed and the IP-
Address is set to 0.0.0.0. This has the effect that the communication settings on the controller
remain unchanged. You can adapt the communication settings to your individual requirements.
NOTE: For LMC058 / M258 / TM241 / TM251 / TM221 controllers, the changed parameters are
written to the post configuration file Machine.cfg which overwrites the parameters of the
SoMachine application.
Carefully manage the IP addresses because each device on the network requires a unique
address. Having multiple devices with the same IP address can cause unpredictable operation of
your network and associated equipment.
WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Verify that there is only one master controller configured on the network or remote link.
Verify that all devices have unique addresses.
Obtain your IP address from your system administrator.
Confirm that the device’s IP address is unique before placing the system into service.
Do not assign the same IP address to any other equipment on the network.
Update the IP address after cloning any application that includes Ethernet communications to
a unique address.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
Chapter 5
Using Controller Assistant
Section 5.1
Firmware Update of a Device
Introduction
The Controller Assistant provides two different ways to update the firmware:
The first firmware update procedure automatically removes the application in the controller.
The second firmware update procedure does not remove the application from the controller.
Step Action
1 On the Home dialog, click the Manage images.... button.
Result: The Manage images dialog opens.
2 In the Manage images dialog, click the Read from... controller button.
Result: The Controller selection dialog opens.
3 Select the required connection type and controller and click the Reading button.
Result: The image is transmitted from the controller to the computer.
After this has been accomplished successfully, you are automatically redirected to the Home
dialog.
4 Click the button New / Process... and then Update firmware....
Result: The dialog for updating the firmware opens.
Step Action
5 Execute individual steps for updating the firmware in the current image (Changes are only
effected in the image on your computer).
In the final step, you can decide whether you want to create a backup copy of the image read
by the controller (recommended).
Result: After the update of the firmware, the Select next action dialog opens.
6 On the Select next action dialog, click the Write on controller.... button.
Result: The Controller selection dialog opens.
7 Select the required connection type and controller and click the Write button.
Result: The image is transmitted from your computer to the controller.
After the transmission you are automatically returned to the Home dialog.
Hint
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
Section 5.2
Creating a New Flash Disk
Procedure
In order to create a new flash disk with any firmware, proceed as follows:
Step Action
1 On the Manage images dialog, click the New / Process... button and then Create new image....
Result:
The Create image dialog opens.
2 Execute the individual steps for creating an image.
Result: After the new image has been created, the Select next action dialog opens.
Step Action
3 On the Select next action dialog, click the Write to.... compact flash disk button.
Result: The Drive selection dialog opens.
4 Select the drive in which you first inserted the flash disk and click the Write button.
Result: The image is transmitted from your computer to the flash disk.
After this has been accomplished successfully, you are automatically redirected to the Manage
images dialog.
NOTE: If you work on a PC with the operating system Windows 7, the dialog box User Account
Control can additionally be displayed for several functions (refer to the chapter Controller Assistant
on Windows 7 (see page 13)).
Glossary
C
controller image
The sum of the controller files managed in Controller Assistant are designated as image. The
Controller Assistant can read in an image from different sources such as a controller, a flash disk,
or a file.
I
IP
(Internet protocol Part of the TCP/IP protocol family that tracks the Internet addresses of devices,
routes outgoing messages, and recognizes incoming messages.
M
MAC address
(media access control address) A unique 48-bit number associated with a specific piece of
hardware. The MAC address is programmed into each network card or device when it is
manufactured.
Index
C
call parameters, 29
X
XML commands, 37