Test C-More Micro function keys in the simulator

Can the simulator press the panel function keys for you?

Yes. The simulator maps the F keys on your PC keyboard to the panel function keys, so any key you assigned fires when you press the matching F key, with no hardware attached.

The keyboard's F-key row is the stand-in for the panel buttons. That is what makes the simulator usable on a non-touch model such as the EA1-S3ML, where the function keys are the operator's only input. On a compact laptop the F row may be shared with media keys, so hold the Fn key if the presses do not register. Confirm the keys work before you blame the project. If the simulator itself closes or faults partway through a pass, that is a separate problem, and the fix for C-More Micro simulator program faults in ea1-run.exe covers that case.

What do you need before you test?

You need the C-More Micro programming software with your project open, a keyboard with a working F-key row, a spare copy of the project for test assignments, and the physical non-touch panel, such as an EA1-S3ML, reserved for the final check.

Gather these before the first press:

• The exact software version, written into the test log. The simulator limit on this page is known for version 2.31. If the PC was upgraded recently, check the installed HMI software version first.
• A spare copy of the project, so test presses never edit the production assignments.
• The physical panel for the bench pass, with the machine it feeds kept stopped if the entry writes a value equipment follows.
• A log template with 5 fields: version, object style, key assignment, selection state, result.

Which assignments does the simulator verify?

In version 2.31 the simulator verifies every function-key assignment that drives a screen change or an on/off switch. Press the matching F key and the assigned action runs on the simulated screen.

A key assigned to a screen change swaps the display to its target screen. A key assigned to an on/off switch flips the bit, and the switch object on screen flips with it. The result appears immediately, so each press is its own pass or fail. A full pass is 1 press per assigned key. Record the result per key, in the form: F3, screen change, pass. That line means something six months later; a generic keys-work note hides the one key that failed.

Do function keys step a selected numeric entry object in the simulator?

No, not in version 2.31. With a numeric entry object set to Object Style 2 selected, pressing the key configured under Function key assign does nothing in the simulator. The panel itself uses its function keys to step the digits.

Object Style 2 is the style built for non-touch panels without the keyboard bezel accessory. While the entry object is selected, the panel function keys increment and decrement its digits, so an operator can enter a value with no touch screen and no keypad bezel. The setup is covered in set keypad style 2 for non-touch numeric entry, and the style choices are compared in the numeric entry object style for a non-touch keypad.

In the simulator on version 2.31 the same sequence stalls. The object is selected, the key is pressed, the value holds, and the simulator gives no indication of which key would step which digit. Version 2.31 is the version this no-effect result is known for, so repeat the check after any software upgrade and record the version you tested.

Why not substitute a separate increment or decrement object?

Because a separate increment or decrement object writes to the tag linked to that object. It never acts on whichever numeric entry object is selected, so a passing result tells you nothing about the Style 2 behavior you need to verify.

Pad a test screen with increment and decrement objects and the project will look alive in the simulator, because values change on every press. The Style 2 path has still not been exercised, because that path runs through object selection, and a separate object ignores selection entirely. Reassigning keys to hunt for the combination that moves a selected entry is a way to lose an afternoon. On version 2.31 the combination is not the problem; the simulator path is. Keep the production Function key assign mapping exactly as the panel needs it. If the input design itself can change, a user-defined keypad linked to the numeric entry is a different route with its own test needs, and it still belongs on the bench before release.

How do you run the split test?

Run one pass in the simulator for screen and switch assignments, and one pass on the physical panel for the selected Style 2 entry. Log the two results under separate headings, because each result covers a different half of the function-key path.

1. Note the version. Write the exact software version into the log first; the rest of the test is only comparable against the version you tested.
2. Copy the project. Work on the spare copy, so test presses never touch the production assignments.
3. Run the simulator pass. With one key assigned to a screen change and one to an on/off switch, start the simulator and press each assigned F key once. Watch each action complete: the screen swaps, the switch flips.
4. Try the selected entry in the simulator. Select the Object Style 2 numeric entry object and press the key configured under Function key assign. On version 2.31 the value holds and nothing else happens. Log the result as not verifiable in the simulator, and move on; do not reassign production keys to chase it.
5. Run the bench pass. Load the same project into the non-touch panel, select the entry, and press the panel function keys with the object selected. Watch the edited digit step, then confirm the value and check that it lands in the PLC register. Keep the machine stopped if the value drives equipment.
6. Close the log. Two headings, one per pass: simulator and bench, each entry carrying the 5 fields per key.

Worked example: what does the split test give on version 2.31?

A project for an EA1-S3ML on version 2.31 has 2 assigned keys and 1 Object Style 2 entry holding a 4-digit batch target from 0 to 9999. The full split test takes about 15 minutes: 10 minutes in the simulator and 5 minutes on the bench. The simulator verifies 2 of 3 interactions. It defers exactly 1, the digit stepping of the selected entry, to the bench panel.

The project carries 3 function-key interactions to verify: F1 assigned to a screen change, F2 assigned to an on/off switch, and the one Object Style 2 numeric entry.

Simulator pass. F1 swaps the screen and F2 flips the switch, so 2 of the 3 interactions verify. Select the entry and press the key set under Function key assign: the 4-digit value holds. Arithmetic: 3 interactions, 2 verified, so 3 - 2 = 1 interaction left unverified.

Bench pass. On the panel, select the entry and press the function keys. The edited digit steps, and the confirmed value lands in the PLC register. Arithmetic: the 1 deferred interaction verifies on hardware, so the release total is 2 + 1 = 3 of 3.

Decision: release. The simulator result covers the screen change and the switch, and the bench result covers the entry. If the bench pass had failed too, the decision flips to hold, and the 5-field log goes to the panel maker's technical support.

How do you check the project before release?

Release when the simulator pass shows every screen change and switch toggle firing on its key, and the bench pass on the non-touch panel shows the selected entry's digits stepping up and down. The software version and per-key results go into your test notes.

Check both passes against this list:

• Simulator: every screen-change key lands on its target screen, every switch key flips its bit, and each result is logged per key.
• Bench: with the entry selected, the digits step up and down on the panel keys, the confirmed value reaches the PLC register, and the machine stays stopped if the value drives equipment.
• Log: version, object style, Function key assign mapping, selection state and result for each key.

Two boundaries keep the log honest. A green simulator pass is not proof that the entry works. A dead entry in the simulator does not mean the panel will fail the same way. Each result speaks for its own pass. The bench pass doubles as the physical check of the keys and the mounting, and if the entry writes a setpoint equipment follows, the rule of testing PLC writes before motion applies here as anywhere.

Recommendation: split the sign-off by interaction type. Accept the simulator as the test bench for screen changes and switch toggles on any version. Require a bench pass on the physical non-touch panel for any Object Style 2 numeric entry; on version 2.31 the simulator will not produce that second result, and a separate increment or decrement object will not stand in for it.

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