One of my customers has used an MD4 on their hydraulic test system where they are driving a hydraulic fan and reading its speed with a frequency input channel.

In the future, they want to use different fans which will mean they need to change the working parameters of the channel (Max and Scaled Max values) and they need to change the values without changing the software.

I cannot find a way to do this at the moment, as FIN properties don't seem to accept integer parameters as inputs, nor can the channels be added to Adjust Items / Groups. 

Is there a reason this is not possible, even though many different IO channels can be added to adjust groups?

We are working on an application where we are required to be able to allow parallel operation of a solenoid valve. i.e. to be able to energise the solenoid via external means at times. We had been intending to get around the error detection problems by placing these outputs into a function group which we disable when the external energising  happens. This seems to work fine for open load detection, however overload still seem to be detected even when the channel is not enabled -is this intended or is it a bug?

We have an MD4 connected to a CAN Open angle sensor. Normally we change SDO objects in the directory using a CAN tool (for resolution, heartbeats etc). 

Ideally we wanted the MD4 to configure these parameters instead of using the handheld programmer, does anyone have experience of this, or perhaps can suggest a way of changing the parameter below from 1d to 1000d?

I have two parameters, a digital parameter and a function parameter that is adjustable via MD3 and I need that whenever my digital parameter is false the value of the function parameter returns to zero and after the digital parameter returns to true the value of the function parameter will be maintained at zero only being changed via MD3 again. It's possible ?

Some of the graphics have disappeared from an MD4 display operating at a customer site.

See picture... the needles should have gauges above them... the two buttons lower buttons on the right hand side should have graphics (menu and maintenance wrench).

It seems like the standard IQAN library graphics stopped working (gauge image, wrench image, menu image) while custom graphics that we have added ourselves are still working...

Software is IQAN 3.19.

Any one see this before?  Any ideas?

We will advise the customer to reflash software as I'm doubting there is anything else that can be done.  

Where possible we try to use the 'built in' error checking configurable directly on the input of the signal into a module (VIN, CIN etc). We find some functions particularly useful for example the error value that is set when a fault occurs. Some customers dont full understand what 'low error' or 'high error' means on a screen message particulary if they are not used to our machine control system. More often than not we resort to switching the built in error checking off and inserting our own messages that we can fully control whats written to make it easier to understand, time delays, multiple lines of text etc. Below is a screen shot of a standard IQAN input error:

Our customer needs more information about the error than is listed above, we normally like to have an error code number, multiple lines of text so they can have an idea of where to go with the fault, live value of the signal into the controller etc. We like the idea of setting an error value, this can be achieved using our own logic but takes time to put into the software. We also find that we normally have our own error logs, and we would rather have faults that are generated go into a dedicated log, different from the regular MD4 log which stores other items, could this be an option possibly? Same goes for outputs on a system. I guess we are looking for more configuration over whats displayed on the built in IQAN error messages.

IQAN Design 5.03

I am working in a project with MC43 FS and MD4. I am finding flashing over ethernet very inconsistent. The inconsistency seems to occur with the flashing of the second module over the diagnostic bus. In other words flashing of HW module to which I am physically connected over ethernet always seems to complete but the process fails during master to master flashing of the secondary master module.  I had to flash the modules individually to get them to work.  

The work around for this is to flash over CAN via the diagnostics bus and this has proved very reliable.  This is not a long term fix however as the when the application file grows, the flash time over CAN flashing can take a long time. I  hope the IQAN team can make some suggestions to support getting multi master flashing over ethernet a little more reliable.

I would like to know if there is a way to reset a TEXT PARAMETER channel back to default each time the IQAN system is powered down. From what I can see, the text parameter channel stores the last entry each time the system is powered up, I would like the the TP channel to not hold the last entry, but start out with a default/clear entry on power up. Has anyone done this or does anyone have a solution for this? Let me know thanks.

We have designed a multi master system using an MD4 address 0, and an MC43 address 1. We are having difficulties sending the project. We receive a no handshake MC43 error. Two systems in a row we have had to disconnect the MC43 and program the MD4 as an incomplete system, then we connect the MC43 to the system and send the whole project. There is a possibility that one or both modules in the systems have a previous project installed and not necessarily matching projects. Could having mismatched projects or lack of projects installed be causing this? Would it be good practice to program the head master first in all instances, and then resend the whole project after?

Is it possible to send a REAL-type value on generic CAN in version 2.6 (it's an Iqan MDL). I can't get it to work correctly.