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71

Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software / Re: DM2 CPU?

« Last post by Controls Guy on June 29, 2026, 02:52:20 PM »

Well, for some of us aliens (weird language settings), the CSV breaks when saving in Excel.

From DMD we get a clean CSV with double quotes and commas. When my Excel installation saves the CSV it returns no quotes and it returns semicolons. I have tried all kinds of different encodings and Save As in different formats in Excel and haven't found the right combination. I still use the CSV import/export a lot but it requires editing in a text editor.

My colleague often succeeds in the CSV import/export but not always. On another system we are using (SCADA platform), they introduced Excel import/export a few years ago and it is very smooth.

Kick Microsoft to the curb.   I use Softmaker Office Planmaker; it defaults to a comma as the delimiter and you have several choices including double quotes as the text marker character .   Available in both free and paid perpetual versions.   I'm still using the 2021 version.   I used the free version for years till I found some feature I needed that was only in the paid version.   The whole suite at that time was like $50 for perpetual.   I also have Libre Office which I use primarily for the word processor, but I just checked and the spreadsheet defaults to comma delimitation and double quotes for text, and gives you the option to quote every single field if you want.   The only advantage I've ever seen for Excel is that it will use more than one core, so it will handle mammoth sheets better than the others.

72

General Discussion / Re: New features wanted!! Apply here!

« Last post by Controls Guy on June 29, 2026, 02:29:47 PM »

We would also like it to be an editor, not just a "view" of any "stage" ladder program (which is what DL does).  Most likely, it would become its own "language" (ST or FBD or ?).  Possibly, you would probably be able to "view" it in "LD", but not be able to "edit" in "LD".

I definitely agree that the SFC overview should be editable.   I'd actually picture top level programming design taking place in those blocks and then you program the block and transition code after the structure is at least rough-drafted.  So you're thinking not to have the SFC view be purely graphically edited, that there might be some underlying language defining the graph?

So layout would be part of the project - you basically lay it out how you like it.  Not sure if we would have an "import" mechanism from LD to SG language.  All this is TBD, but these are definitely desirable features.

Cool!

Another thing I think would be helpful is to have an exclusive divergence, like a switch case() for SFC.  Note the transitions below the bus in this divergence, in addition to the one you'd normally expect above the bus.   A lot of SFC implementations don't support this.   You'd think you could simulate this by having an empty state just below the divergence bus, but no.   By then you'd have committed to all the divergent threads so you have to run them all to completion to reconverge.  I'm thinking you'd have to  have a dedicated exclusive convergence to go with the exclusive divergence so that it knows it can proceed with only one thread complete.

Oh, and one other thing I'd like would be user-defined zooming/folding.   You could take an SFC and put it inside a single SFC block, for a coarser overview.   You'd then be able to zoom in to the full view, or maybe better would be to expand it so you can still see everything from the higher level view, but that block is no longer collapsed, but displayed in full.

73

Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software / Re: DM2 CPU?

« Last post by franji1 on June 29, 2026, 12:53:23 PM »

From DMD we get a clean CSV with double quotes and commas. When my Excel installation saves the CSV it returns no quotes and it returns semicolons. I have tried all kinds of different encodings and Save As in different formats in Excel and haven't found the right combination. I still use the CSV import/export a lot but it requires editing in a text editor.

My colleague often succeeds in the CSV import/export but not always. On another system we are using (SCADA platform), they introduced Excel import/export a few years ago and it is very smooth.

Yeah, it appears your CSV Save-As mechanism in Excel has changed the delimiter from using a comma to using a semicolon.  You may need that for OTHER application files that you are importing and or exporting from Excel (databases?).  Not sure how to adjust Excel - but be careful - you might get Designer element documentation import/export working, but then break your SCADA import/export!  You might need to utilize the Excel Export wizards every time you import or export (and not just use the "defaults" from the last time you did it).

Losing double quotes doesn't hurt Designer's import typically.  Excel does a good job of retaining double quotes if the column contains text that also contains a comma or also contains a double quote.  Designer exports every column in double quotes so that any import mechanism knows to treat it as TEXT.  For example, a description might have the text "1", which Excel would interpret as a NUMERIC value, not as TEXT.  Or it could contain something that starts with an EQUAL SIGN (looks like an Excel Macro).  Then Excel would fail or mis-interpret or actually run the macro if it was NOT in double quotes (this is one "virus" mechanism).  Again, this needs to be in double quotes.

I just tried the CSV export from Designer with lots of combinations of fields with and without double quotes in the actual data, and other fields with and without commas in the actual data, and combinations of the two.  I imported those into Excel, then saved it (as Excel's CSV format, losing some of the Designer column level double quotes), then imported it back into Designer, and it worked (even though Excel stripped of the column level double quotes).  I then exported that again from Designer and it MATCHED the ORIGINAL EXPORT.  As long as the comma and double quote grammar is semantically identical, everything should work.

I do know Designer does NOT support Unicode text files it is trying to import.  Designer does not support Unicode text inside edit fields.  These could be other issues you might be seeing with Excel CSV files.

74

Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software / Re: DM2 CPU?

« Last post by Kristjan on June 29, 2026, 09:52:32 AM »

Allowing nicknames to start with a number would be nice.

API read/write permissions. I know this has been discussed and there is a lot of security stuff to consider. But just thought I'd throw it in the mix.

Another feature I wanted to mention was some sort of AI integration interface but then again, I don't really know what to request  I have vague ideas about some sort of a handle (API or MCP) for AI tools towards DoMore Designer (ladder programming, documentation work, set up PID controllers, configure PLC etc). Since you already have an API, we should be able to make AI work towards that or create applications to connect via API.

75

Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software / Re: DM2 CPU?

« Last post by Kristjan on June 29, 2026, 09:42:33 AM »

Option to import/export documentation through Excel files

Excel supports CSV format (both import and export), which is what Designer supports through the File->Export->Element Documentation mechanism.

Well, for some of us aliens (weird language settings), the CSV breaks when saving in Excel.

From DMD we get a clean CSV with double quotes and commas. When my Excel installation saves the CSV it returns no quotes and it returns semicolons. I have tried all kinds of different encodings and Save As in different formats in Excel and haven't found the right combination. I still use the CSV import/export a lot but it requires editing in a text editor.

My colleague often succeeds in the CSV import/export but not always. On another system we are using (SCADA platform), they introduced Excel import/export a few years ago and it is very smooth.

76

General Discussion / Re: New features wanted!! Apply here!

« Last post by franji1 on June 29, 2026, 09:27:30 AM »

I wasn't able to get a Stage view, so I don't know if that's operator error or if DMD doesn't have one.  I'll do my best to recall what I though could be better.

You are correct, there currently is no Stage view in Do-more Designer.

This view has been "on the shelf" since Designer 1.0.  We would also like it to be an editor, not just a "view" of any "stage" ladder program (which is what DL does).  Most likely, it would become its own "language" (ST or FBD or ?).  Possibly, you would probably be able to "view" it in "LD", but not be able to "edit" in "LD".

A more orthodox vertical flow of control vs. DL's horizontal.

Having all the stages in one large ladder window seems less intuitive than just displaying the contents of of one stage that you click on or navigate to in the overview.

Showing the jumps/transitions inside the stage ladder vs segregated at least a little bit seems less clear.  Also, I can't remember if they showed on the stage view.  Would prefer similar treatment.   If you set the cursor on a transition, have just that transition in it's own window.

So layout would be part of the project - you basically lay it out how you like it.  Not sure if we would have an "import" mechanism from LD to SG language.  All this is TBD, but these are definitely desirable features.

Can't remember how or if the DL Stage view handled divergences and convergences, iirc that may have been one of the things that didn't work well.   I'm old, bad memory.

DL has "Stage block" instructions, that were like large MLS/MLR for Stage.  These showed up as boxes in Stage View.  Not sure how they showed the dependent stages.

Lighting up active stages seemed like it worked optimally.   Maybe for converging stages, light up the transition tick as well as or instead of the stage square if that stage is done and waiting on the others to converge.

Yeah, with an actual SG language, things like this would "just work", since "transitions" would be a thing.  Probably the non-stage "convergence" condition could be displayed in a yellow highlight (vs. cyan, which would be the full "convergence" transition color whose status includes the converging stage status also?).

Currently, Designer's Project Browser with Status ON, expanding a Stage Program code block to its SG level does a pretty good job of showing the "high level" stage flow.  As you stated, Designer Ladder Status also shows Stage status on the power rail.

Bottom line was that, for me at least, the stage view was less intuitive at showing overall flow of control though the program than the industry standard-ish.

Yes, agreed.  That's why going the route of making it a "language" that is both viewable and editable will make it be much more intuitive (vs trying to make it "view only" via "reverse generate" a SFC-like flow from any kind of stage Ladder code).

77

Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software / Re: DM2 CPU?

« Last post by franji1 on June 29, 2026, 08:59:25 AM »

Option to import/export documentation through Excel files

Excel supports CSV format (both import and export), which is what Designer supports through the File->Export->Element Documentation mechanism.

78

Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software / BRX Closed Loop Axis

« Last post by LennyG on June 28, 2026, 05:15:22 PM »

I was just wondering how the BRX closed loop control works with eliminating the following error. Planning to use it for a material feeder that has an separate encoder from the servo feed system to account for slippage and compliance in the system.
I noticed the documentation talks about the dead band needed to stop dithering but I was wondering if there was more documentation or anyone with personal experiance.
Currently we have our KollMorgen Drive take care of the closed loop move and just tell it the distance it needs to go over Modbus TCP but I would rather use a cheaper SureServo2 or the L7 Drives from Automation direct with the BRX closing the loop even if I have to work over pulse & Direction output.

79

Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer Software / Re: DM2 CPU?

« Last post by Kristjan on June 28, 2026, 12:16:09 PM »

Option to import/export documentation through Excel files

80

General Discussion / Re: New features wanted!! Apply here!

« Last post by Controls Guy on June 26, 2026, 07:12:03 PM »

OK, I did a little in Stage, and here's what I was able to come up with:

I wasn't able to get a Stage view, so I don't know if that's operator error or if DMD doesn't have one.  I'll do my best to recall what I though could be better.

• A more orthodox vertical flow of control vs. DL's horizontal.
• Having all the stages in one large ladder window seems less intuitive than just displaying the contents of of one stage that you click on or navigate to in the overview.
• Showing the jumps/transitions inside the stage ladder vs segregated at least a little bit seems less clear.  Also, I can't remember if they showed on the stage view.  Would prefer similar treatment.   If you set the cursor on a transition, have just that transition in it's own window.
• Can't remember how or if the DL Stage view handled divergences and convergences, iirc that may have been one of the things that didn't work well.   I'm old, bad memory.
• Lighting up active stages seemed like it worked optimally.   Maybe for converging stages, light up the transition tick as well as or instead of the stage square if that stage is done and waiting on the others to converge.

Bottom line was that, for me at least, the stage view was less intuitive at showing overall flow of control though the program than the industry standard-ish.  Ironically, the diagrams in the help topics for stage are based on the conventional presentation, like this: