What HMI Software Runs on Which Models Of HMI? (Consolidated History of HMI And Software Versions)

With several products whose names are very similar, the question "What software do I need to program, backup, edit my application" comes up quite often when there is no documentation of what a machine builder or engineer used to program your machine.

NOTE: If the machine builder is still available, talk to them before attempting any changes to applications. The flexible nature of our products allows for sometimes "extensive" customization by the machine builder. This can complicate any changes and or upgrades unless you have detailed documentation of what they did in their applications. On the open platforms, there may be additional third party licensed software that you would need to acquire prior to upgrading if it is even still available or correct version. 

There are THREE different Interact products.

Interact with MachineShop Toolbar. (Dedicated DOS based HMI platform)

• Originally released in the early 1990s it had a MSDOS Development and Runtime environment with bitmapped graphics and fonts.

• Version 5 was the first version that had a Windows (Windows 95/98) Development and still has the MSDOS Runtime Files.

• Version 6 Development would run in Windows 2000 and Windows XP and still produces MSDOS Runtime Files.

• Version 7 is the last version and the Development will only run in Windows XP and still produces MSDOS Runtime files that work on current and all older HMI hardware.

• Interact has a modular approach to its capabilities. There were default modules in the base price and additional modules were purchased to enable those additional capabilities in both the Development and Runtime systems. The default modules were PTM, GMM, AMM (originally PAM) and NetBIOS driver.

• The Development security device was originally a Parallel Port device later replaced by a USB device.

• With the release of version 7, there are no longer optional modules. All modules are included and downloading version 7 to old hardware will prevent the Application Manager from looking for a security device. In essence, it "unlocks" all modules on any of the HMIs and is used if the internal security device in an HMI ever fails.

  • The original and current HMI runtime hardware runs a DOS operating system

  • The HMIs all had internal security devices which resembled a thick watch battery about a quarter of an inch think. It has "Security" silk screened on the mother board next to the socket with the Dallas Key security device.

  • The PA2 series was designed when those security devices were no longer available and the Interact version 7 was released which no longer looks for any kind of hardware security from the HMI or from the Development PC.

    • The HMIs that run Interact will have model numbers that look like;

    • PWR, P1 - P9, PMP, PS, HPC(DOS Custom), IPC(DOS Custom), PA, PA2

InteractX - MachineShop Suite (Open HMI Platform Windows XP/7/10)

• Originally released in 2003 as our first fully Windows based software from the ground up. It is not an upgrade of Interact, it is a different product using vector based graphics and Windows fonts with new features and capabilities possible in Windows based applications.

• Feature wise, it was developed as a replacement for Interact where fully Windows based HMI were required and has many of the same capabilities as Interact though not all were duplicated where 3rd party Windows tools and programs provided better functionality than could be built into InteractX as a feature.

• There is an Import utility that can pull an Interact DOS runtime Panels and Tags into InteractX. Not all features or tools have a InteractX equivalent so anywhere from 50% of a complex application to as high as 90% of a very simple pushbutton and monitoring application can be imported. There is  fair amount of massaging of the imported files and in many cases, it is simpler, faster and more esthetically pleasing to do the application from scratch. Importing it is the only way to know for sure how much it can pull in and how much work it will be to clean up and re-engineer as a Windows program.

• Enhanced features replaced some existing tools and modules that were limited by their DOS environment and some were left to customization in VBA and inclusion of Windows ActiveX and the ability to incorporate other Windows programs on the same platform.

• The version 1.x Licensing was strictly a "Soft" license that used a "Product Code" you received with the Development and with the Runtime. The license utility in InteractX generates a unique "Hardware Code" that changes at least every 24 hours or when there are any changes in the configuration of the hardware. If the machine to be licensed is attached to a network with Internet access, it walks you through entering registration information, asks for the single use "Product Code" and automatically generates a hardware code which it then transmits to a licensing server. The licensing server verifies that the "Product code" has not been used yet and if not, it marks it as used and transmits a validation code back to the license manager in InteractX which then writes encrypted files unique to that hardware on the hard drive. This is a one-shot process and if it is unable to update the hard drive or if the licensing works and at some point in the future the hard drive fails and you need to re-install, you need to contact support (emn.service@support.parker.com) and give us the "Product Code" you are using and we will unlock it so you can run the license manager again.

• The first HMIs were the PX family and they had the "Soft" license on the hard drive and never came with a hardware license option.

• Version 2.0 added database connectivity to SQL, Oracle, JET and ODBC Data Connections.

• Version 2.1 / 2.2 added new Licensing methods. Embedded "Hardware" licensing in the EPX and HPX HMI hardware which meant if your hard drive failed, you no longer lost the license and had to rerun the license manager. The runtime licenses for the HMIs were programmed in at the factory before shipping. Since the HMI products were getting a hardware license option, it also supported a hardware license option for PCs running Development and Runtime. The hardware "Key" was a security button (looks a little like a battery) mounted in a Parallel Port adapter. There was a utility for copying "Soft" licenses to the keys from Dallas Key that made the license portable from one system to another so InteractX could be installed on multiple systems and the single seat license key plugged into the one to be used. The same could be done with third party HMI and PCs running the Runtime only versions of InteractX

• Version 3.0 added Historical Trending tools to plot and list data from a database. The Parallel port license key was replaced by a USB Key holder that you could move the Dallas Key button from a Parallel port adapter or it came with a Dallas Key that could be programmed in the field similar to generating a "Soft" License.

• Version 3.5 / 3.6 added support for the USB Security Device called a HASP Key that was to be used with future 4.x versions. These two InteractX versions supported use with the original "Soft" license method, all versions of embedded "Hardware" licenses, the Parallel port license device, the original USB adapter that held the Dallas Keys and the HASP Key used with 4.x

• The IPX and EPX2 came out during this period.

• All versions up to 3.6 were compatible with Windows XP but no higher.

• Version 4.0 was updated to run under Windows 7 and would still install under XP if needed.

• Only the HASP USB security device works with InteractX 4.x and all other license methods were removed due to incompatibilities with Windows 7.

• Version 4.1 was updated for compatibility with Windows 10 changes in security and install path / runtime path directory requirements. It will still install in Windows 7 and Windows XP but will only recognize the HASP USB key for licensing.

• The IX hardware was released running Windows 7 64bit operating system and only works with InteractX 4.x

  • The HMIs for InteractX have run Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP and Win7

  • The HMI part numbers will have an X as the second or third character in the model number.

    • PX (Win98, NT, 2K, XP), HPX (XP), EPX (XP), IPX (XP, Win7), EPX2 (XP), IX (Win7)

Interact Xpress - Xpress Manager (Dedicated WinCE HMI Platform)

• Originally released 2007, the XPR HMI hardware and offline development Xpress Manager software has no stand alone runtime software. The runtime is entirely HMI based with Windows CE running a Web server service that supports the Flash based runtime Xpress application.

• Designed for Monitoring and Control locally and able to be remotely accessed through network / wide area network / Internet for applications requiring remote access, control and maintenance. Multiple users can log in from PCs simultaneously with a local operator and they all see different screens. The number of connections are limited only by bandwidth and how large the application is. Each logged on user has memory overhead on the HMI acting as the server so at some point, it will stop letting additional users log in until someone logs out. Each logged in user is running their own copy of the Flash application so only tag data is being dynamically exchanged, not the screen graphics.

• The development and runtimes are Flash based applications and require Flash Player ActiveX used by Windows Internet Explorer.

• Xpress and Xpress HMIs would be an appropriate replacement for Interact when applications use only push buttons, display values, have alarming and or recipes. Xpress does not do any type of data logging or reporting of historical data.

• There is no type of historical logging of data, reporting or support for any other software integration. The HMIs are closed CE environments running only Xpress applications. Applications requiring third party software, logging and other advanced features like logical automated execution via scripting that VBA can provide need to use InteractX, not Xpress.

• The XPR series of model numbers are the first Xpress HMI series of hardware.

  • The XPR06 used a different motherboard than the larger 8, 10 and 15 inch units but they all run Windows CE5

    • Since the 6 inch unit had a different motherboard, the Windows CE boot image for it is different than the 8-15 inch units.

    • The units boot from a Compact Flash card which serves as the hard drive. As long as the motherboard is the same, the Compact Flash card can be moved from one unit to another and it will work. That means that a card for the 6 inch works only in 6 inch units but the cards in the 8-15 inch XPR are interchangeable.

  • The XPR2 Family all use the same motherboard as the XPR06 which is important to know when replacing old XPR units with the equivalent XPR2. Just like before, the Compact Flash card can only be moved between units with the same motherboard.

    • That means the XPR06 and the XPR206 - XPR215 can run from the same Compact flash card. (same motherboards)

    • The card from an XPR08 - XPR15 would need to have the boot files updated if you want to use the card in an XPR2 of any size. There is a flashback utility which can wipe all the files off the card and make it bootable in the XPR2 and there is a utility in the Xpress Manager software to update the boot files (bin files) while preserving the project (screens in your application).

    • Trying to boot from a card with the wrong boot files will give an error about the wrong image being on the card.

    • The LAST version of Xpress that you can download and run on any units starting with XPR/XPR2 is version 3.x

  • The XT family of Widescreen units are completely different and share no hardware components with the XPR/XPR2 families. It runs Windows CE7 and Xpress version >4.x

    • The XT family use SD cards as their boot device and have a different cutout and screen aspect ratio than the XPR/XPR2.

      • The hardware that runs Xpress always have part numbers that begin with X.

      • XPR, XPR2 running WinCE5 that run Xpress versions up to 3.x

      • XT running WinCE7 that runs Xpress 4.x

edited dom 02/13/2019