In today’s article I cover how to scale a value in a numeric display within FactoryTalk View Studio.
A reader recently reached out to me with a problem he was having.
He had a number like 411 that he wanted to be displayed as 4.11.
But when he changed the number of digits and decimal places in the numeric display’s properties as shown below…
He found that while the display changed, the value didn’t.
So I explained to him that while those settings wouldn’t actually change the value displayed, he did have a few options to make the change he wanted.
First, I recommended he scale the value in the PLC.
That’s my preference because I’ve found it can be very helpful to have both the raw and scaled values in the PLC when you’re troubleshooting code.
But editing existing PLC code isn’t always an option, so I also mentioned he could easily scale the Tag’s value in the Tag’s settings IF his numeric display referenced an HMI Tag .
However, when using Logix base processors most designers directly reference tags in the controller, and therefore I told him the easiest option would likely be to scale the value right there in the numeric display itself.
And that can be done by following the five simple steps below:
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Step 1) With the graphic open in View Studio, double click on the numeric display in question:
Step 2) Then select the “Connections” tab:
Step 3) Then click on the “Exprn” button to open the expression editor:
Step 4) Then enter in your expression and click on “OK” and then save your graphic display.
Note: In this example I divide the Tag by 100:
Step 5) Now when you test the display (or run the project) you’ll see the actually value displayed is not the tag value but instead the result of your numeric display’s expression:
Watch me demonstrate this procedure below in Episode 3 of The Automation Minute Season 4:
Have a question or comment? Please feel free to leave them with us HERE.
Until next time, Peace ✌️
Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator
Have a question? Join my community of automation professionals and take part in the discussion! You'll also find my PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.
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Shawn is a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who discovered his passion for programing in the early 80's on the new Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, Shawn worked as a Certified Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to focus on teaching at The Automation School, as well as publishing industry news and product how-to’s at The Automation Blog.
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if i wanted to right back to my data array, the operator is going to enter a value like 41.5 (psi)
but the array has the number stored as 4150 (i’m messaging across pre built message scheme that uses DINT to send data) can i add that multiple by 100 to return the data in the correct format? i can technically scale in the PLC but i have 1980 points in my array i would have to right the scaling for.
This article is on the Numeric Display – did you try changing the same settings with the Numeric Input?
I’m traveling, but if my memory is correct it works both ways,
Shawn