v2.1.3.3 DmD

[Mike Nash]

I just ran into this yesterday!

BTW, the date is wrong on the referenced page http://hosteng.com/SW-Products/Domore%20Designer/DmDesigner.htm, it is October now.

Also, the link to AD's download just shows it downloading v2.1.2. ... Interrupted by a 5 minute phone call and come back to find 2.1.3 now available on AD website.

[Controls Guy]

Not sure if related but last week I was doing some maintenance on an older program (not sure if 1.4 or 2.0).

Uploaded the program just fine with v2.1, but after making a change, it wouldn't let me download without flashing the PLC, which I couldn't shut the process down to do (plus leery of flashing working PLCs in critical applications anyway).  Uploaded with 2.0 and it was able to do a runtime edit.

Are later versions not compatible with editing programs using earlier tech versions without upgrading the PLC? I thought I read here that you could do that, so long as you stayed within the feature set of the older version.

[Mike Nash]

I have a H2-DM1E that is flashed to v2.0 that I can't open with 1.4, I can open with 2.1.3 but I will have to do a program mode download if I select Write to PLC (though I changed nothing), and I can open with 2.0 but it has the greyed out Write to PLC icon (also nothing has changed.)

The 2.1 won't allow you to write to the v2.0 due to the glitch. V2.1.3 fixes that, but still requires? a program mode download to save to PLC.

[franji1]

I have a H2-DM1E that is flashed to v2.0 that I can't open with 1.4, I can open with 2.1.3 but I will have to do a program mode download if I select Write to PLC (though I changed nothing), and I can open with 2.0 but it has the greyed out Write to PLC icon (also nothing has changed.)

The 2.1 won't allow you to write to the v2.0 due to the glitch. V2.1.3 fixes that, but still requires? a program mode download to save to PLC.

Designer 2.1 tweaks the System Configuration DmT 2.0 or earlier, so any download to older firmware will require a PROGRAM mode download.

If you MUST ONLY do RUNTIME edits, stick with the Do-more Designer version that matches your PLC (e.g. 1.4 w/1.4, 2.0 w/2.0, etc.)

[franji1]

Not sure if related but last week I was doing some maintenance on an older program (not sure if 1.4 or 2.0).

Uploaded the program just fine with v2.1, but after making a change, it wouldn't let me download without flashing the PLC, which I couldn't shut the process down to do (plus leery of flashing working PLCs in critical applications anyway).  Uploaded with 2.0 and it was able to do a runtime edit.

Are later versions not compatible with editing programs using earlier tech versions without upgrading the PLC? I thought I read here that you could do that, so long as you stayed within the feature set of the older version.

If you cannot do a PROGRAM mode edit, then you need to stick with the Do-more Designer version that matches your PLC.

It IS compatible as long as you do not use any 2.1 features, but it will tweak the System Configuration regardless, requiring a PROGRAM mode download (hence, no runtime edit).  Note that once you download a project using Designer 2.1 to a 1.4 PLC, you CANNOT open it with Designer 1.4.  But you CAN open it with 2.1 (and 2.2 and 2.3 and 3.0 and ...).

I have a 1.0 Do-more on my wall from 2012 and write a simple 2.1 project to it and it works with the original 1.0 firmware!  But once I start using Designer 2.1, I need to keep moving forward (1.0 Designer does not understand every tweak/enhancement added over 5 years).

[Controls Guy]

If memory serves, and it often does not, I think 2.1 was insisting on flashing, not a Program mode download, or at least that's what I took it to be saying at the time.  A program mode download I probably could have done.

[BobO]

We never force a firmware update.

[franji1]

If memory serves, and it often does not, I think 2.1 was insisting on flashing, not a Program mode download, or at least that's what I took it to be saying at the time.  A program mode download I probably could have done.

I am not familiar with the term "flashing".  It has to write the project to flash, runtime edit or program mode edit, so not sure what you mean.

[franji1]

If by "flashing" you mean "update firmware", you do have to update the firmware if your disk project uses a feature not supported by the current PLC firmware, e.g. using a SUBROUTINE in a DmT 1.4 firmware PLC.

[Controls Guy]

We never force a firmware update.

I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there.....

This is on an H2-DM1E with a program (this one is v1.3).  I uploaded to an online project in 2.1, made a small change and tried to write to PLC.

[Controls Guy]

I am not familiar with the term "flashing".  It has to write the project to flash, runtime edit or program mode edit, so not sure what you mean.

"Flashing" in my experience is colloquial for updating firmware.

[Controls Guy]

If by "flashing" you mean "update firmware", you do have to update the firmware if your disk project uses a feature not supported by the current PLC firmware, e.g. using a SUBROUTINE in a DmT 1.4 firmware PLC.

In the case with the screenshot I posted above, I uploaded, went into Edit Mode, and changed a contact from normally open to normally closed.  Then when commencing a download, I got that error.

[BobO]

We never force a firmware update.

I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there.....

This is on an H2-DM1E with a program (this one is v1.3).  I uploaded to an online project in 2.1, made a small change and tried to write to PLC.

Ok, let me rephrase, once the bugs are removed, we never force a firmware update. I've been out of the loop for two weeks, but I think this has been fixed.

[Controls Guy]

Ok, let me rephrase, once the bugs are removed, we never force a firmware update. I've been out of the loop for two weeks, but I think this has been fixed.

Just downloaded and installed 2.1.3.  Let me try that same thing again and see what it says.

Update:  Yep, you called it.  2.1.3 handles it just fine (with Program Mode download).

Thanks!

[franji1]

This is on an H2-DM1E with a program (this one is v1.3).  I uploaded to an online project in 2.1, made a small change and tried to write to PLC.

Yeah, that was the bug that we fixed in 2.1.3.  2.1.1 and 2.1.2 basically flagged EVERY project as having one of the new BRX Analog modules, even 205 and Terminator, or BRX PLCs that did NOT have an Analog Module.

Download the latest Designer and that will go away.