Setting Up I/O Devices

I/O plug-ins can be set up for MERLIC RTE in the "I/O" tab of the MERLIC Runtime Environment (MERLIC RTE Setup). The setup basically consists of the following steps:

1. Selecting and activating the device in the "I/O" tab.
2. Checking and adjusting the parameters.

In the following, you can find general information on these steps which apply to all I/O plug-ins. For more information on the individual plug-ins, see I/O Plug-ins.

Requirements and Limitations

The "I/O" tab is currently only available if the MERLIC RTE Setup is connected to the local system. This means that only communication devices on the local system can be configured. If the MERLIC RTE Setup is connected to a remote system, the "I/O" tab is deactivated. However, the MERLIC RTE Setup enables you to quickly change to the local system with a single click on a button that will be displayed.

In addition, the configuration options and the overview in the "I/O" tab are only available if MERLIC RTE is not running. Thus, you have to make sure to stop MERLIC RTE before configuring communication devices in this tab.

Adding an I/O Device

Make sure that your I/O device is connected to your system.

1. Open the MERLIC RTE Setup and go to the " I/O" tab.
2. Click on " Refresh" to update the list of I/O devices that are currently available. The list shows the unique name of the available devices in bold text and if available, the name of the respective IO interface. For more information, see the section Checking for Available I/O Devices.
3. Add the I/O device you want to use via double-click or select the device and click " Enable device". The respective device will be added to the list of enabled devices and the settings will be shown in the configuration area on the right.

MERLIC provides a default configuration for each type of supported device. When a device is selected, the respective default configuration is shown.

Example

Checking for Available I/O Devices

On the bottom left of the "I/O" tab, the list of available devices is shown. It lists all I/O devices that are available on your system for configuration. The devices are listed with their unique name and, if available, the respective IO interface.

In some cases, the list needs to be updated, for example, when connecting a new I/O device to your system. You can update the list in the "I/O" tab or via the command line.

Updating the List of Devices in the "I/O" Tab

1. Make sure that your device is connected to your system.
2. Open the MERLIC RTE Setup and go to the "I/O" tab.
3. Click on " Refresh" to update the list of devices.

Querying the List of Devices via Command Line

You can get the list of available I/O devices with their default configuration via the command line using the command line option "--devices".

1. Open a command prompt and change to the "bin\x64-win64" directory within the MERLIC installation path, for example, "%PROGRAMFILES%\MVTec\MERLIC-26.03\bin\x64-win64".
2. Enter the following command:
   Copy

   merlic_rte.exe --devices

In the following example, two devices are available: the plug-in for the simulated PLC that is provided by default and a Contec device. Both are provided with their default configuration.

Available Devices:
Name: mpiVirtualHilscherDevice
Default Configuration: plugin--mpiVirtualHilscherDevice--Device--simulatedPLC--ByteOrder--LittleEndian
----------------------------------
Name: mpiContec
Default Configuration: plugin--Contec--Device--DIO000-Interface--Contec--StartSingleJob--di0.0--Error--do_0.0--Ready--do_0.1--Result0--do_0.2--Result1--do_0.3--Result2--do_0.4--Result3--do_0.5--Result4--do_0.6--Result5--do_0.7

The value pairs separated by "--" correspond to the information in the "Configuration" area of the "I/O" tab. The name starting with "mpi" is used by MERLIC internally and is not shown in the "I/O" tab.

Checking the Configuration State

The state of the device configuration is represented by the icons in the list of enabled devices.

Using Multiple Devices in Parallel

To use multiple communication devices in parallel for the process integration, you have to configure each device one after the other in the "I/O" tab.

In some cases, adjustments at your programmable logic controller (PLC) might be required. Especially if more than one communication device should be able to control the execution of the MVApp, you have to check if the PLC is programmed accordingly to ensure that other devices can take control.

If you want to use the simulated PLC in parallel with other devices for the process integration, you have to make sure that only the simulated PLC can take control of the execution. The simulated PLC is not designed to be used in parallel with other devices that take control. Therefore, all other devices that are used in parallel can be used only to query the results or visualize the current state of MERLIC.

Removing Devices

You can remove devices from the list of enabled devices except those which are displayed as valid.

1. Select the device to be removed in the list of enabled devices.
2. Click the " Disable device" button.