System Description:
The Advantech DiagAnywhere utility is a stand-alone Windows App the can be installed on a Control Engineer’s laptop or desktop computer. The version described here is v1.01 – dated July 17, 2007. This utility is available for under $200 directly from Advantech.
Once installed and configured, the following tasks can be remotely completed from an engineer’s desk.
1. Monitor one or more SEP Stations live, seeing exactly what the operator sees on the floor.
2. Take control of the SEP Station remotely to assist the operator.
3. Reconfigure the SEP Station remotely.
4. Grab live copies of the SEP Station Event Log files while the station is running.
5. Grab live copies of the SEP Station SQL Data files while the station is running.
Installing the Advantech DiagAnywhere Utility for the SEP Station:
Step 1: Install the application on a laptop or desktop computer. After acquiring a copy of the utility from Advantech—along with a valid software license—double click the setup.exe and following the instructions.
The Advantech DiagAnywhere Manual has complete directions, be sure you have your software license key ready before you begin.
Step 2: Create (or import an existing) favorite configuration file to locate all SEP stations in the plant.
1. Run the App – Start » All Programs » Advantech Automation » DiagAnywhere » Utility
2. Pin to your Task Bar – right click on task bar icon and select pin this program to taskbar.
3. Create Device Group – click new group, give area a name and click OK.
4. Create Device – click new device, select group, give name, and enter TCP/IP Address.
Ideally, one person will create the Advantech DiagAnywhere favorites file for the plant and then post in MASS for all the engineers to use a common file.
Here’s a view of the Fort Wayne Assembly from within DiagAnywhere Utility.
Step 3: Test connectivity to all SEP stations.
The quickest way to test connectivity is to select each device group one at a time and enter “Full Screen Monitoring”; this allows you to see all devices in that group live.
Monitoring devices with the Advantech DiagAnywhere Utility
Step 1: Run the utility – click on the DiagAnywhere icon pinned on your taskbar.
Step 2: Monitoring a group
1. Select a device group.
2. Select layout arrangement.
3. Click full screen monitoring.
Step 3: Monitor a single station
1. Open device group by clicking the + to open tree view of devices.
2. Click on the device name.
Controlling a device with the Advantech DiagAnywhere Utility
Step 1: Run the utility.
Step 2: Select the device.
1. Open device group by clicking the + to open tree view of devices.
2. Click on the device name.
Step 3: Perform task.
With remote control at this point you can do anything you can when standing in front of the actual machine on the plant floor.
· Your keyboard, including function keys, escape, etc., all work in conjunction with the physical keyboard on the floor.
· Your mouse will share control with the physical mouse on the floor.
Reconfiguring a CE Device with the Advantech DiagAnywhere Utility
This section details how to change an SEP Station’s configuration remotely:
Step 1: Run the utility.
Step 2: Select the device.
Step 3: Take the station out of run mode.
Once you have control of the device—and production is *not* running—type CTRL-SHIFT-R on your computer to take the SEP CE App out of Run Mode
Step 4: Reconfigure as if you’re at the machine.
Step 5: Place the station back in run mode. Use CTRL-SHIFT-R to toggle back into run mode
Step 6: Perform stand-by and support.
Grabbing Event Logs (.LOG) from a CE Device with the Advantech DiagAnywhere Utility
This section details how to copy the Event Log file(s) (.LOG) from an SEP station remotely:
Step 1: Run the utility.
Step 2: Select the device.
Step 3: Access the file transfer command.
· Click on the file transfer button in the upper left of the DiagAnywhere utility
· This opens the file transfer window
Step 4: Select target on your computer.
· In the left pane drill into your local machine to the folder where you want the .LOG file
· If you do not have a folder already you can create one from within this pane using right-click and new folder.
NOTE: It is recommended that you create a standard place on your computer for these files to avoid confusion and for easy reference in the future.
Step 5: Select .LOG file(s) from the remote CE device.
1. Drill into the CE machine to: Hard Disk\GM SEP Actions\Log Files
2. Select the .LOG files you are interested in, the newest will be on the bottom of the list, and you can shift/click to select multiple files.
3. Click the left arrow to copy the selected files into the folder you choose on your computer.
Step 6: Close file transfer after copy completes.
· Close the file transfer dialog.
· Close the station monitoring window.
Step 7: View locally.
* Open the folder you chose on your computer.
* Double-click on the .LOG file you’re interested in.
Notepad should open the .LOG, if not; configure .LOG files to be opened with Notepad by default.
Hints for viewing the SEP Actions CE App .LOG file…
1) In Notepad, use a mono-spaced font to view the file (like Courier or ProFontWindows)
- This allows you to see the alignment present in the .LOG file formatted for readability of the data.
2) In Notepad turn off word wrap.
- This again aids in readability.
3) The far right-hand margin of the .LOG file shows you which job was in the station’s footprint at a given time, usually on every event.
* Logged events begin with + + and end with - -
* All events carry a time stamp to the millisecond.
* Most events show the CSN of the job in footprint.
* Tracking events show the state of the conveyor and CE tracking image
* Key events to note are highlighted with spaced capital text, e.g.: I M P O R T A N T.
Grabbing SQL CE Data as Excel file (.CSV) from a CE Device
This section details how to export and copy the SQL CE Data as an Excel comma separated value file (.CSV) from an SEP Station remotely:
Step 1: Run the utility.
Step 2: Select the device.
· Just like you do for monitoring or controlling, you have to take control of the device to access the ‘Grab .CSV…’ functions; see the previous sections for the step-by-step instructions.
Step 3: Export the desired data on the CE machine.
* Once in control of the remote CE device use SUPPORT TOOLS [F11] to access app tools.
- This can be done while the app is running, do be sure you avoid interfering with production, try to do this
during a break, at lunch, or between shifts
· Select ‘Grab Data Files…’
· Select ‘Grab <Desired Data> .CSV…’ – this will start an export from SQL CE to an Excel .CSV file
1) The Vehicles file will hold the contents of the Vehicle History Table.
- This is a record of when each vehicle entered and exited the EPC station’s zone of control.
2) The Defects file will hold the contents of the GSIP Defects Table.
- This is a record of each defect the EPC station opened on vehicles that it tracked.
3) The Trace file will hold the contents of the Trace Data Table.
- This is a record of all barcode scans that the EPC Station processed
- This includes PART SCANs as well as TRACE DATA SCANs (VCVS)
NOTE: Normally this is done to a USB Stick inserted into the CE Machine. When doing it remotely simply click OK and OK again to the ‘Save as’ dialog; the app will create a folder on the CE hard disk named “USB Hard Disk”, this can then be accessed remotely to grab the .CSV file you’re after.
WARNING: This folder named “USB Hard Disk” is deleted by the SEP CE app every time you open the
SUPPORT TOOLS [F11] menu. So, do one .CSV at a time when following this procedure.
· When the export is completed the .CSV file can be copied with the file transfer tool
· USB Hard Disk\SEP Stations\<Station DSOA Noun Name>\SQL CE Exports (CSVs)
Step 4: Access the file transfer command – see ‘Grabbing Event Logs’.
Step 5: Select target on your computer – see ‘Grabbing Event Logs’.
Step 6: Select .CSV file(s) from the remote CE device.
· Drill into the remote CE Device to the following path…
USB Hard Disk\SEP Stations\<Station DSOA Noun Name>\SQL CE Exports (CSVs)
· Select the .CSV file and click the copy button to copy to your computer.
Step 7: Copy, close file transfer.
Step 8: View locally.
· Drill into the folder you selected as a target on your computer.
· Double-click on the .CSV file to open with Excel.
The SEP app formats the .CSV file so you can Select All and…
Home » Format » AutoFit Column Width
- It accomplishes this by placing all ‘header’ information to the right of the last filled column so it doesn’t
Interfere with ‘AutoFit’…
· After AutoFit Column Width—and with all Cells still selected—click the command Data » Filter
· Now you can filter the data with Excel pull down menus…
· The TRACE .CSV contains the scanned barcode data from every scan processed by the station on vehicles still held in its SQL CE database…