Poll: Have you found Do-more Designer Start Page (aka Foyer View) useful?

[franji1]

The initial Start Page contains 8 different Do-more topics (like Make Lights Blink to help new AutomationDirect PLC users, or DL to Do-more to help existing DirectLOGIC customers learn key differences between DL and Do-more).



As you click on each of the 8 buttons on the Start Page, they take you to a somewhat detailed discussion about that topic, with additional hyperlinks to more content and/or a specific topic in the Help system.

Please provide any feedback you can (good or bad).  Was there any content that was especially useful? or incomplete? or misleading/wrong? Any missing content/other topic(s) needed?

Thank you for your participation and feedback.  We are just getting started with the Do-more CPUs and Do-more Designer.  We look forward to helping you do more with Do-more !

Note: If you have changed the default Start Page content to something else, or if your specific project file has its own "user document" attached such that you no longer see the 8 topics of the default Start Page, just click on the "Learn to Do-more" banner at the top of the view (NOT the Do-more On The Web icon in the top right).

[BobO]

And as an additional note...

The intention for the Start Page was to help new users move 'Unknown Unknowns' over to 'Known Unknowns'. It isn't so much about teaching the content as much as it is to make you aware of what you need to learn. We always intended the help system, manual, and training videos to be the primary source for teaching materials...the Start Page is just to help you better understand the right questions to ask.

So...please help us make it better. Are there areas of the Start Page that need more content...or perhaps less? Any feedback you can offer about what is the best way to give new users an overview of what is here would be greatly appreciated.

[odwyerpw]

Yes, I did. Especially the Training Link. I'm learning the DoMore..but event more importantly, I am using it as a comprehensive training tool for a young person that I am mentoring. He opened Do-More designer and went right to the applicable videos to come up to speed. At the moment, I'm flush with other work, but I have some projects on the back burner utilizing Do-More, Arduino and OPC. By the time I get to them after the 1st of the year, he should be up to speed to assist. Your product documentation and videos are good enough that I am not constantly having to provide explanations and technical details and can set him loose. His learning process has been more or less self-directed. (Actually, he's gained a fair amount of knowledge just browsing/reading Product Tech Specs from the AD website too.)


I like what you are doing with the Start Page... I used the RSLogix5000 start pages in the same way as I came up to speed with it years ago.  Not to always bring up AllenBradley, but I doubt you want to hear Foxboro AI, Bailey Net90, ABB Advant or Taylor MOD300 anecdotes. I'm a former Proprietary DCS guy who has converted to more open PC-Front/PLC-Backend Solutions (eg. Wonderware on RockwellAutomation). Some of the 'rawness' of the PC-SCADA and PLC universes still continues to challenge me.... So Quick Start Videos, Quick Reference Guides, etc... are always appreciated.

From my standpoint, I was curious as to what was available for communicating to other stuff (I'm kind of distributed oriented by training, can't help it). From your Start Page.. I learned very quickly... OK... PeerLink for sharing Global stuff between Do-More PLCs.... Oh, and I better master MODBUS, cause that's how I'm going to talk to everything else in this brave new world. When you get your fully Do-More aware Remote I/O solution completed, I'd like a link there to the concepts as well...

[franji1]

odwyerpw,

If you are more PC/Ethernet centric, you may want to look at our support for general TCP Client (OPENTCP instruction) and TCP Server (TCPLISTEN) capabilities (STREAMIN, STREAMOUT for TCP's connection-oriented data exchange), along with the UDP "packet" capabilities (PACKETIN, PACKETOUT).  These can work well to perform more advanced communication capabilities over Ethernet (e.g. SCADA or Database Server or "roll your own" protocol over Ethernet).

However, PEERLINK is great for PEER to PEER (even with older 05/06/240/250/260/440/450 DirectLOGIC PLCs w/ECOM100 modules whose firmware now also supports PEERLINK protocol).  And, as you mentioned, Modbus/RTU or Modbus/TCP, Master or Slave, are all solid standards that work well with many 3rd party devices, other manufacturer's PLCs, HMI's, and SCADA systems.  If PEERLINK can't meet your specific needs for Do-more to Do-more data sharing, we recommend using Modbus instructions (MRX/MWX on the Master side, TCP or RTU).

[Maxwell]

I found it to be very useful, along with the free pass to the classes offered by Doug Bell.  One additional thing that I think would be helpful to someone just learning the process for the first time is maybe a "Good Practices" section.  As a newbie, I would have loved to have seen more suggestions on good programming practices, suggested documentation examples, suggestions on how to go about developing a program using tools such as flow charts, etc...

Overall, nicely done.

[BobO]

One additional thing that I think would be helpful to someone just learning the process for the first time is maybe a "Good Practices" section.

We have talked about exactly that. We got waist deep in 1.1 and haven't slowed up enough to revisit it, but the purpose of this topic was to determine if the Start Page was accomplishing its goal. Thanks for the feedback.