Control.com - Nerds in Control

Anyone knows where can I find information on prices for HMI software without actually contacting vendors yet? Time factor is critical...

I need to come up with an alternative to Wonderware which could give me full and easy compatibility with a Siemens PLC at a lower price. I've been thinking on Iconics or Citect but I really don't know which could be cheaper.

Cheers!

ischwarz

Hi,

Mail me what type of PLC you have. Maybe I can help you.

roxtech2002 @ yahoo. co. uk

Best of luck.
zahid ali khan

Take a look at Indusoft. Best package out there currently and very scalable and cost effective. http://www.indusoft.com

Terry Miller
FlashPoint Automation
tmiller@fpcontrol.com

Opto22 have a cheap software package that's worth checking out. I'm pretty sure it can be interfaced to other hardware.

Check out Opto22.com

Roy

Hi,

In my experience the products you've mentioned there (include WINCC as well) are unreliable and expensive. You need a secure, microsoft installation, and end up paying licence fees. Re-installation can be a problem, and of course there is the security and reliability. Why not consider a few options?

How about visual? http://visual.sourceforge.net/new/index.php

Or, I know I keep banging on about this, but why not use a CP module? after the cost of the module, there is nothing else to buy - ever no licences and it's cross-platform. I've replaced wonderware with these units, where reliability was an issue. The cost was about 6 months licences for all the other software.

http://www.automation.siemens.com/net/html_76/produkte/040_cp243-1 it.htm

Marc Sinclair
http://s7-200.germainesystems.eu

Check out Specview: http://www.specview.com. It is inexpensive and easy to use. I have used it with a Siemens PLC using Modbus TCP.

Check out Infilink by Kessler Ellis Products (http://www.kep.com). They have a price list online, you can download a fully functioning demo, they can do OPC or DDE connections to any compliant server. For device communications they package Kepware's KEPServerEX with the HMI.

GE Fanuc offeres a cheaper and easy to understand product CIMPLICITY. Try it!!

DD

Not sure what you definition of cheap is, cheap to me is free. InteractX is pretty cheap if your HMI is not too complicated. Unlimited tags in runtime for $1500 license. Developer license is about $4000, don't quote me but I think thats what we pay. Stay away from Iconics, yuck...

InteractX by far is the best looking graphics out of the box. But if you need historical trending or recipe modules, look elsewhere.

I have found that most of the cost of Operator interfaces is in the special hardware. By going with PC based software, the special hardware and it's cost can be avoided. It may even be avoided many times over because I have found complaints from users of these products that there are significant failure rates out there. There are a few choices, I know the software for 1 computer with Rockwell would start around 3000 dollars. If you want to send me an email at pcook @ caltechgrp. com, I can send you some info on other choices. There was a cheaper Open HMI software I was looking at recently, but I forgot the name of it right now.

Dear sir,

If you are using wonderware, you will never find as good software as wonderware in market. If you consider Cost of ownership including engineering cost, maintanance for next 3 years and support for microsoft operating system is unmatched with wonderware.