RMCTools Release Notes

This file describes all changes made to RMCTools since its first release.

RMCTools 3.45.0 (January 13, 2012)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the Resolver (RW) module on the RMC150. This is a variant on the existing Resolver (R) module that is compatible with different types of resolver transducers.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.45.0 or newer]
  2. Improved keyboard handling of the Commanded Axes field in the Step Editor.
  3. Added additional Ethernet diagnostic counters to the Ethernet Statistics page in the Communication Statistics window.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.44.2 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where dragging and dropping link conditions could result in a blank and non-editable Jump On False field.
  2. Fixed a problem in which, in rare cases, it was possible to get an invalid entry reported in the Event Log. Going offline and back online with the controller would correctly read the entry.
  3. Fixed a problem where the Velocity Scale/Offset Wizard could calculate the incorrect Offset value in certain cases.
  4. Fixed a problem in which clicking a column heading in a spreadsheet-style editor could select the wrong cells in cases where one or more columns have been hidden.
  5. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could incorrectly highlight results of a Find All, and in some cases shut down unexpectedly after a Find All.

RMCTools 3.44.2 (November 11, 2011)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where the Velocity Scale/Offset Wizard could incorrectly calculate the Scale value if the transducer reading at zero velocity was non-zero. This wizard has also been improved to be more intuitive to use for a wider range of transducers.
  2. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when browsing for USB devices in rare cases.
  3. Fixed a rare case where RMCTools could become unresponsive while viewing plots.
  4. Fixed a rare case where the time scale could be displayed incorrectly when loading certain plots from file.
  5. Fixed a problem in which deleting a Shortcut Command Set would cause all editors in RMCTools to close unnecessarily.

RMCTools 3.44.1 (October 24, 2011)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools could become unresponsive when entering certain new curves in the Curve Tool.

RMCTools 3.44.0 (October 11, 2011)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for new Pressure/Force Limit modes: Negative and Bi-directional. Also, the Set Prs/Frc Limit Mode (40) command option Enabled was renamed to Positive.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.44.0 or newer]
  2. User Functions and multi-line expressions now support having line comments (starting with '//') embedded inside block commands '(* *)'.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when typing certain invalid register addresses into the Indirect Data Map or other editors.
  2. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly in certain cases when pasting a multi-dimensional block of cells into a multi-dimensional selection with different dimensions.
  3. Fixed a case where issuing commands that used register references as parameters— such as Sine Start (72) command's Status Block parameter—from a user program could be received with an incorrect parameter value. This occurred if an array element was passed to these parameters.
  4. Fixed a problem in which certain verification errors in user programs could be reported multiple times or cause additional non-existent errors to be reported.
  5. Fixed a problem in which the detailed model information on the Tuning Models - Advanced window did not indicate which model corresponded to which direction when a dual-direction autotune had been done.
  6. Fixed a case where changing the security setting for a controller's Programming did not always correctly mark the Programming node in the project tree has being different between the project and controller.
  7. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when a Shortcut Command Editor window was open while the Shortcut Command Set was deleted.
  8. Fixed a case in which making changes to a Shortcut Command Set using the Command Tool was not reflected in the Shortcut Command Editor window, if it was open.
  9. Fixed a case in which it was possible to open two Shortcut Command Editor windows for the same Shortcut Command Set.
  10. Clarified warnings when assigning commands to a Shortcut Command Key that already has commands assigned to it using the Command Tool.

RMCTools 3.43.1 (September 15, 2011)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue in which RMCTools would shut down unexpectedly when going online with a controller in some conditions. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.43.0.

RMCTools 3.43.0 (September 9, 2011)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a new Copy Protection program security option.
  2. Renamed the "Program Configuration" project tree item to "Programming".

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue in which calling a user function from another user function could incorrectly pass parameters in some circumstances.
  2. Fixed an issue in which have Program Security enabled did not allow viewing variable information in the Monitor view even when security was currently unlocked.
  3. Fixed an issue where trying to rename items in the Project Tree did not work correctly if the User Function Editor was open.
  4. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly if the root User Function folder was renamed. The root folder should not have allowed renaming.
  5. Fixed an additional case where resizing the main RMCTools window could behave unexpectedly in some circumstances.

RMCTools 3.42.1 (August 26, 2011)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which uploading user programs from a controller could cause entries that say "STOP" to be changed to "<StopTask>".
  2. Fixed a problem in which saving a project file with an user program security enabled but unauthenticated could cause RMCTools to shut down unexpectedly.
  3. Fixed a problem in which VAR_INPUT, VAR_OUTPUT, and VAR_IN_OUT blocks could not be declared after a VAR block in a User Function definition.
  4. Clarified several error messages related to expressions and user functions.
  5. Fixed a problem in which resizing the main RMCTools window could behave unexpectedly in some circumstances. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.42.0.

RMCTools 3.42.0 (July 1, 2011)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Removed the Program Monitor. In its place, the Variable Table now has tabs for both editing and monitoring the variables table. Also, a new Task Monitor tool can be launched from the View menu to monitor, start and stop tasks.
  2. Added a new pre-defined Jump To label: 'Repeat'. Selecting this label in the Jump To box will cause the actions in the step to be re-executed the next control loop and the link condition to be re-evaluated.
  3. Added new EtherNet/IP options for changing the Quality-of-Service (QoS) methods to use and enabling or disabling IP Address Collision Detection (ACD).
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.41.0 or newer]
  4. Plots that are uploaded now save the Absolute controller time, which is the same time base used in the Event Log allowing easier correlation between Plots and the Event Log. A new View menu was added to the Plot Manager which includes a Show Absolute Time command.
  5. Added a warning when upgrading RMC firmware from pre-3.41.0 to 3.41.0 or newer regarding an issue caused by a bug in some Rockwell Automation Ethernet modules with older firmware that may affect some users.
  6. Added support to the Event Log for reporting when an internal watchdog timeout or unhandled exception occurred in the controller.
  7. Simplified using the Controller menu on the main RMCTools toolbar. This menu can now be opened by clicking anywhere on the controller state pane or the controller icon instead of just the icon.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed various issues with editing, copying, and pasting cells in the Variable Table.
  2. Improved RMCTools performance when online with one or more Step Editor windows open.
  3. Fixed a case where an incorrect error message could be displayed when verifying user programs.
  4. Fixed a case in which an error message was displayed with deleting curves in the Curve Tool which asked the user to report the problem to Delta.
  5. The user is now told when copying cells to the clipboard could not be done due to discontiguous cells being selected.
  6. Fixed a case where resizing the RMCTools window could cause docked tool windows to change their docked locations. In particular, the Command Tool could get relocated to the right of the Project Tree.

RMCTools 3.41.1 (June 3, 2011)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools would shut down unexpectedly if the user selected all steps in a User Program using Select All (Ctrl+A) and then pressed Delete.
  2. Fixed an issue in the Discrete I/O Configuration editor, where pressing Delete in the FAULT State column incorrectly reverted the value to 'Hold' instead of the default of 'Off'.
  3. Fixed an issue where Ctrl+C could not be used to copy values from the Scale/Offset Wizard's Affected Settings page.
  4. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly if User Functions were defined in a project and User Programs have been edited.
  5. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when a column was hidden in a spreadsheet- style editor.
  6. Fixed a problem in which copying and pasting in Axis Tools could incorrectly display an error message.
  7. Fixed a case in which a valid call to a user function could incorrectly fail verification.
  8. Fixed a case in which RMCTools would report an 'invalid pointer' program error in certain cases when opening a plot that did not have a corresponding control axis.
  9. Fixed a problem in which uploading and downloading user programs after the initial values had been changed by user programs could cause values to change unexpectedly in some cases.

RMCTools 3.41.0b (April 28, 2011)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Updated the RMCTools installer to install current EDS files in the RMCTools folder.

RMCTools 3.41.0 (April 27, 2011)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Plots can now be printed.
  2. Added the following new function:
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.41.0 or newer]
    FILL(To,Val,Len)
    Sets Len registers starting at the To address to the specified value (Val).
  3. Improved how very large or very small values are displayed in the plot scale.
  4. Added support in the Event Log for minor changes made to EtherNet/IP in 3.41.0 firmware.
  5. Added a new Go To Next (F4) keyboard shortcut to jump to the next occurrence of a Find All or the next error or warning in the Verify Results window.
  6. Added a menu to the Shortcut Key Editor.
  7. New RMC75E and RMC150E controllers created offline now default to use DHCP instead of BOOTP to obtain their IP address. The default in the controller firmware changed in the same way as of 3.41.0 firmware.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Corrected some issues with assigning pen colors to quantities in a plot.
  2. Fixed a case where clicking on compile errors could jump to the incorrect step.
  3. Fixed a problem in which searching for blank text could cause RMCTools to become unresponsive or shut down unexpectedly.
  4. Fixed a problem in which pressing the Down Arrow did not correctly accept an in-progress edit.
  5. Fixed a problem in which deleting a cell in the Variable Table could cause the keyboard focus to be lost.
  6. Corrected some descriptive text in the Pressure/Force Scale/Offset Wizard to reduce confusion.
  7. Fixed a case in which it not possible to scroll to view all text on a long line in the User Function editor.
  8. Fixed a case in which deleting a Link Conditions could cause RMCTools to shut down unexpectedly.

RMCTools 3.40.1 (March 10, 2011)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which leaving off a semicolon from the last statement in a multi-line expression caused the expression to fail verification. This requirement was new to RMCTools 3.40.0 and has been removed. However, it remains good practice to end all statements with a semicolon.
  2. Fixed a problem in which referencing an array element in a command parameter could cause the verification to fail due to an internal compiler error. This problem was new to RMCTools 3.40.0.
  3. Fixed a problem in which a command parameter with the wrong data type correctly failed verification, but was not marked in red in the Step Editor.
  4. Fixed a problem in which expanding a DWORD value in the Plot Detail Window to show its individual bits could cause RMCTools to report an internal error.
  5. The new RMCTools User Functions (*.rmcflib) file type is now registered with RMCTools.

RMCTools 3.40.0 (February 22, 2011)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for User Functions. This feature allows multi-line expressions to be packaged within re-usable user functions.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.40.0 or newer]
  2. Added support for declaring step-local variables. This allows local variables to be defined only in the step instead of requiring them to be added to the global Variable Table.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.40.0 or newer]
  3. Added support for Single-Point Valve Linearization.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.40.0 or newer]
  4. Changed the default Ramp Rate (V/s) parameter from 0 to 100 for the Direct Output (9) and Open Loop Rate (10) commands.
  5. Added support for the new Stop (Open Loop) (22) command.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.40.0 or newer]
  6. Renamed the existing Stop (6) command to Stop (Closed Loop) (6).
  7. Doubled the storage capacity for user programming on the RMC75E version 1.1G and newer and the RMC150.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.40.0 or newer]
  8. Added the following new functions:
    [All except LENGTH(a) require RMC70/150 Firmware 3.40.0 or newer]
    CEIL(a)
    Rounds a to the next greater (most positive) integer. Takes a REAL data type. Returns a REAL data type.
    FLOOR(a)
    Rounds a to the next lesser (most negative) integer. Takes a REAL data type. Returns a REAL data type.
    ROUND(a)
    ROUND(a,n)
    Rounds a to the specified number of digits. n can be between -6 and +6. If n is not provided, then a is rounded to an integer, as though n was 0. Takes a as a REAL data type and n as a DINT. Returns a REAL data type.
    MROUND(number,multiple)
    Rounds number to the desired multiple, away from zero if dividing gives a remainder greater than or equal to half the value of the multiple. Takes number and multiple as REAL data types. Returns a REAL data type.
    TRUNC_REAL(a)
    Rounds a to an integer towards zero. Takes a REAL data type. Returns a REAL data type.
    SIGNUM(a)
    Returns -1 if a is negative, +1 if a is positive, and 0 if a is zero. Takes REAL or DINT. The return type matches the input parameter type.
    LENGTH(a)
    The LENGTH function returns the number of elements in the array provided.
    CRV_EXISTS(id)
    Returns True if a curve exists with the specified id. Otherwise returns False. Takes a DINT data type. Returns a BOOL data type.
  9. Expressions are now always displayed with syntax coloring even when not being edited. This makes it easier to read expressions.
  10. Added a Find/Replace feature. Users can now search the entire project for text, and can do limited local Find/Replace within expressions and User Functions.
  11. Improvements to pinning curves in the Curve Tool, including using a pin icon to indicate pinned curves instead of a checkbox, and allowing pinning additional curves without changing the currently-selected curve.
  12. Added Move Up, Move Down, and Delete toolbar buttons to the PreScan table.
  13. Renamed the Set Prs/Frc Limit (40) command to Set Prs/Frc Limit Mode (40).
  14. Made Indirect Data Map items and Variable Table current values easier to find in the Address Selection Tool.
  15. Removed the Absolute/Incremental parameter setting from the Setup tab in the Axis Parameters pane. This is an advanced parameter that is rarely changed and is still available on the All tab.
  16. On 64-bit Windows, RMCTools now runs as a native 64-bit application. As a result, it will now be installed by default to C:\Program Files\RMCTools instead of C:\Program Files (x86)\RMCTools. User shortcuts may need to be adjusted.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which pasting a curve could result in duplicate curve names.
  2. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when pasting data into a curve spreadsheet.
  3. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly while editing an expression.
  4. Fixed a problem in which the Pressure/Force Scale/Offset wizard could calculate the wrong Pressure/Force Offset.
  5. Fixed a case where a firmware update could be reported as unsuccessful and leave the controller running in the loader. Restarting the controller resumed normal behavior.
  6. Fixed a problem in which the Event Log could fail to pause when requested in certain rare cases.
  7. Fixed a problem in which curves with the value "-0" for the X, Y, or Velocity values were incorrectly reported as being invalid.
  8. Fixed a problem in which attempting to re-connect to a controller over Ethernet could fail unnecessarily from time to time.

RMCTools 3.39.4 (January 6, 2011)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly while editing an expression in some rare cases.
  2. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when importing a user program in some rare cases.
  3. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when copying cells from the Program Monitor to the clipboard.
  4. Fixed a problem where assigning the result of an equality comparison to a boolean variable incorrectly failed verification. For example, "MyBits.IsMyVarEqualTo10 := ( MyVar = 10 )" should have been allowed, but failed verification.

RMCTools 3.39.3 (December 10, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when copying a row in the PreScan Table to the clipboard.
  2. Fixed a problem in which cells could not be pasted to the Program Monitor in some cases.
  3. Fixed a problem in which collapsing array rows in the Program Monitor could lead to incorrectly displayed rows.
  4. Fixed a problem in which pasting a Curve with a conflicting Curve ID caused unexpected behavior in the curve list. The pasted curve will now be given the next available ID.
  5. Fixed a problem in which downloading curves in the Curve Tool could result in curves in the Curves in Controller list that were editable. Editing these curves when then result in unsynchronized changes.

RMCTools 3.39.2 (December 1, 2010)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the following new functions for accessing curves:
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.39.1 or newer]
    CRV_FIRST_X(id)
    Returns the x value for the first point in the curve with the specified id.
    CRV_LAST_X(id)
    Returns the x value for the last point in the curve with the specified id.
    CRV_INTERP_Y(id,x,[options])
    Interpolates the curve with the specified id at the given value of x, and returns the Y value of the curve at that point. The optional options parameter determines the behavior beyond the endpoints of the curve.
    CRV_INTERP_V(id,x,[options])
    Interpolates the curve with the specified id at the given value of x, and returns the V (velocity) value of the curve at that point. The optional options parameter determines the behavior beyond the endpoints of the curve.
    CRV_INTERP_A(id,x,[options])
    Interpolates the curve with the specified id at the given value of x, and returns the A (acceleration) value of the curve at that point. The optional options parameter determines the behavior beyond the endpoints of the curve.
  2. Improved PROFINET diagnostics and logging.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.39.1 or newer]
  3. In the Command Selection Tool, added a "Commonly Used" category to the top which holds copies of the most commonly-used commands for beginning applications.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Updated the RMC70/150 USB Drivers to 2.8.3. These drivers fix some problems with the USB drivers (2.8.2) included with RMCTools 3.39.0 and 3.39.1, including frequent connection disconnects and cases where RMCTools could become unresponsive.

RMCTools 3.39.1 (November 9, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in the Program Monitor where individual bits in a DWORD variable could be displayed incorrectly if bit 31 was set.
  2. Fixed a problem in expressions in which the NOT operator could fail to verify or yield the incorrect value in certain cases.
  3. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could make an expression invalid in rare cases immediately after it was entered.

RMCTools 3.39.0 (October 28, 2010)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added PROFINET IO support to the RMC75E (1.1G or newer) and RMC150E.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.39.0 or newer]
  2. Added an option to EtherNet/IP in which the Sync Register is not used.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.39.0 or newer]
  3. The internal Software Loopback network interface is now longer listed by RMCTools in order to avoid confusion.
  4. Cyclic curves can now have different starting and ending positions.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.39.0 or newer]
  5. The MIN() and MAX() functions now support comparing up to 10 parameters at once. They were previously each limited to 2 input parameters.
  6. The LOG_EVENT() function can now be called with 1, 2, or 3 parameters. It previously required exactly 3 parameters.
  7. The SHL(), SHR(), ROL(), and ROR() functions can now act on DINT values in addition to DWORD values.
  8. Added a new logical shift function:
    ASHR(value, count)
    This function shifted the value right by count bits, extending the sign (left-most) bit for each shift. The value parameter can be a DINT or DWORD.
  9. The AND, OR, XOR, and NOT operators now accept the DINT data type in addition to the DWORD and BOOL data types previously supported.
  10. Added an Event Log option for filtering out serial protocol errors on the RMC75S.
  11. Added Help menu links to the Video Tutorial and Product Support web pages.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where variable arrays could be displayed incorrectly in the Program Monitor.

RMCTools 3.38.3 (August 13, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed some rare problems that could occur while editing the Command buttons on the Tuning Tools window, including a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly.

RMCTools 3.38.2 (August 10, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when creating or opening a project.

RMCTools 3.38.1 (August 6, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could report a program error when being closed automatically by Windows during a software update or when shutting down windows.

RMCTools 3.38.0 (July 30, 2010)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. RMCTools no longer supports Windows 2000. RMCTools supports Windows XP, Vista, and 7. The last version to support Windows 2000 (RMCTools 3.37.1) is available for download from Delta's website.
  2. Added the Curve Tool.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.38.0 or newer]
  3. Added support for renaming certain objects directly from the project tree using the shortcut menu or F2.
  4. Made the Read Register (111) and Write Register (112) commands hidden. They can still be issued from RMCTools by manually typing in their command ID, but otherwise do not show up in RMCTools. This was done because use of these commands from within RMCTools is highly discouraged.
  5. Double-clicking on an editable field will now enter edit mode with the cursor placed at the location of the double-click. This makes it simpler to modify existing fields.
  6. When editing commands in Tuning Tools, the commands now offer default parameters as they do in the main Command Tool.
  7. Pressing DELETE when a command parameter is selected will revert the parameter back to its default value.
  8. Simplified editing the EtherNet/IP Produced and Consumed Data starting addresses.
  9. Added support for uploading firmware images up to 1.5MB on the RMC75E and RMC150E. Notice that firmware is still not large enough to require this feature, but may soon exceed its current limit of 1MB.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Loader 1.06 or newer]
  10. Made several minor improvements to the Firmware Update Wizard.
  11. Simplified editing a User Program comment.
  12. We now warn the user prior to re-ordering axes in the Axis Definitions window.
  13. Increased the number of systems that the Pressure/Force Tuning Wizard can correctly identify, including systems with the Pressure/Force Orientation parameter set to Opposite.
  14. Added support for showing additional diagnostic information in the Event Log.
  15. Added support for showing second plot cursor and the time between the cursors.
  16. Changed the default selection in the Select Axes page of the Link Condition Wizard, making it less likely to accept the wrong option.
  17. The size of the flash image is now logged to the Event Log.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.38.0 or newer]
  18. Added Force Orientation parameter to the Setup tab in the axis parameter editor.
  19. A progress bar was added when connecting to a controller.
  20. Added support for the new Permanent (3) value for the Curve Add (82) command's Life Cycle parameter.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Program Monitor would not show some bit names in some cases.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Up/Down Arrow keys did not work in some cases in the Tuning Tools command editor.
  3. Corrected a problem in which the default filename for RMC70 firmware backups would have the wrong CPU part number in it. For example, backed-up RMC75P 3.38.0 firmware would default to be named "RMC75E 3.38.0.bin".

RMCTools 3.37.1 (June 4, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which assigning the results of a comparison for equality to a bit failed verification. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.34.0.

RMCTools 3.37.0 (May 14, 2010)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the RMC150's new Universal I/O module.
    [Requires RMC150 Firmware 3.37.0 or newer]
  2. Added a new Modules group in the Project tree to simplify setting up options that apply to each module. This removed most settings from Controller properties.
  3. Simplified the Axes group in the Project tree to make accessing Axis Definitions and Axis Tools easier.
  4. Improved the Pressure/Force Tuning Wizard by simplifying selecting plots to use for autotuning.
  5. Improved the Position Tuning Wizard when using existing plots by simplifying selecting plots to use for autotuning.
  6. Improved the appearance of dialog boxes used for editing properties.
  7. The Discrete I/O project tree node now shows in grey when no discrete I/O is available on the controller.
  8. Added the _Enet.PLCStatus system tag. This tag can be used to determine the state of a PLC connected over EtherNet/IP I/O.
  9. The PreScan Table task fields now only offer names of User Programs in the drop-down list in order to encourage users to write more maintainable programs. Users can still enter any Label in the Task field, but it is not recommended.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where edits to a plot name in the Plot Configuration editor could be lost.
  2. Fixed a problem in the Plot Configuration Editor in which, for Custom plots, the Quantity toolbar buttons were sometimes not enabled and disabled correctly.
  3. Fixed some problems in which the labels for plot quantities were not automatically updated to reflect changes in variable tag names or axis names.
  4. Fixed some problems with editing the name of a Plot Configuration Set and individual plots within a set.
  5. Fixed how clicking the Tuning Tools command button is handled when the setup drop-down is already open.
  6. Improved the speed when editing the data type for variables when large arrays of DWORD variables are involved.
  7. Fixed some problems that could cause the Plot Configurations to be marked as different between the controller and project when there were no actual differences.
  8. Fixed a problem in which the Pressure/Force Tuning Wizard would not launch the Gain Calculator in some cases.
  9. Fixed a problem in which Paste was missing from the shortcut menu in the expression editor.
  10. Fixed a problem in RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when importing a user program that referenced an array.
  11. Fixed a problem in which expressions with certain system tags failed to verify.
  12. Fixed a problem in which the Gain Calculator could display "NaN" for gain values in certain cases.
  13. Fixed a problem in which the Position Tuning Wizard could report an unexpected error when tuning based on a single-plot with moves in both directions.

RMCTools 3.36.4 (April 20, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed some problems with the Tuning Tools command setup popup in which it could run off the bottom of the screen and in some cases could be left open when it should have closed.
  2. Fixed a problem in the Tuning Tools, where if different plots were selected for each command button, the plots used by each were reversed.
  3. Fixed a problem in the Tuning Tools, in which using the pop-up command list while editing the Tuning Tools command buttons could behave incorrectly or cause RMCTools to shut down unexpectedly.
  4. Removed an obsolete warning that was displayed if a Tuning Tools command button was setup to issue the No-Op command.
  5. Corrected an issue when printing the variable table in which the Initial Value column could be clipped slightly.
  6. Fixed a problem where the REG_REAL() function did not behave if entered in a command parameter requiring a register reference.

RMCTools 3.36.3 (March 8, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly if the user tried to save a plot that was currently being uploaded or trending.

RMCTools 3.36.2 (February 23, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly if the mouse wheel was scrolled in a blank Event Log window.
  2. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly after pasting data in the Stored Commands Editor.
  3. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could report a program error when being closed automatically by Windows during a software update or when shutting down windows.

RMCTools 3.36.1 (February 18, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which certain pushbuttons would not respond to mouse clicks in rare cases.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Tuning Tools item in the Plot Manager's menu could be incorrectly shown as checked.

RMCTools 3.36.0 (February 12, 2010)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Outer Loop axes, for use in cascading control loops.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.36.0 or newer]
  2. Added support for 4ms loop times on RMC150 controllers with revision 7 or newer MDT modules.
    [Requires RMC150 Firmware 3.36.0 or newer]
  3. Added support for selecting the blanking period on RMC150 MDT inputs to be either 5us or 21us. Previously, the blanking period was fixed at 5us, which remains the default.
    [Requires RMC150 Firmware 3.36.0 or newer]
  4. Added support for printing the contents of the Variable Table.
  5. Improved clarity in presenting Controller Hardware/Firmware Differences and Axis Definition Differences when going online.
  6. Added support for separate Output Filters for Position/Velocity Control and Pressure/Force control.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.36.0 or newer]
  7. Added Pressure/Force Tuning Tools, which include a new Pressure/Force Tuning Wizard and Gain Calculator, shows the Pressure/Force tuning parameters, and provides special command buttons to simplify manual tuning of Pressure/Force axes.
  8. Streamlined the experience of the Tuning Tools:
    1. A new tab allows selection between Position and Pressure/Force Tuning Tools.
    2. Reduced the amount of screen size of the Tuning Tools to more easily accommodate smaller monitors.
    3. Simplified setting up the Tuning Tools command buttons.
    4. Removed the Tuning Tools History buttons. Instead every plot automatically includes the tuning parameters.
    5. Reduced the number of status items displayed. Additional items can still be added using using the Tuning Tools Setup.
    6. Changed how the Tuning Wizard and Gain Calculator are launched. Buttons are now available for each in the Tuning Tools.
    7. Simplified the Gain Calculator. As a result, the current model is found in the Tuning Tools on the Model tab instead of in the Gain Calculator, and changing the model can be done by clicking the Tuning Wizard button.
    8. Added an button to Adjust Feed Forwards to the Position Tuning Tools.
  9. Tuning parameters are now saved in every plot that is uploaded. This replaces the Tuning Tools history feature, applying instead to all plots uploaded and saved, not just those created by Tuning Tools.
  10. Added the ability to add a pen to a plot quantity that did not previously have a pen assigned to it. Previously, plot pens could only be changed--but not added--after a plot had been uploaded.
  11. Improved the method of selecting a pen color.
  12. Improved many toolbar and button icons.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem the Address Selection Tool could not be used to enter addresses in the Indirect Data Map editor in some cases depending on the current address format selected.
  2. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectly in certain cases when using the Program Monitor window.

RMCTools 3.35.4 (January 22, 2010)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where named bit variables could not have an underscore in the tag name. For example, a bit tag named "Chipper.power_on" would not compile, but should have.

RMCTools 3.35.3 (December 18, 2009)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed some cases where RMCTools would not properly accept some register addresses in the Indirect Data Map editor and other places where addresses were entered.
  2. Fixed an issue where RMCTools could fail to reconnect with a controller after restarting it, including after a firmware update or applying certain settings. The controller had actually restarted properly, but RMCTools timed out prematurely.
  3. Fixed an issue in which the Link Condition wizard did not use the available bit names in some cases.

RMCTools 3.35.2 (December 2, 2009)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools would display a non-sensical error message in the Verify Results window or even shut down expectedly when verifying programs when the PreScan Table had certain errors.
  2. Fixed a case where an RMCTools project file could be marked as having unsaved changes when the user had not actually made any changes to the project file.

RMCTools 3.35.1 (November 18, 2009)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down expectedly when entering a register address in the Indirect Data Map and other places.

RMCTools 3.35.0 (November 12, 2009)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Changed the main RMCTools window's toolbar to clearly show the state of the controller and added a drop-down menu for going online/offline, switching between RUN and PROGRAM modes, uploading and downloading all, and viewing controller properties.
  2. Changed the style of the tabs used throughout RMCTools to make it easier to identify the active tab.
  3. When using the Auto Detect method in the New Controller Wizard, the wizard will now leave the controller online, and by default will upload all settings from the controller.
  4. Added support specifying bit fields in system tags by name. For example, _Axis[].StatusBits.0 can now be specified as _Axis[].StatusBits.InPos.
  5. Added support for naming individual bits in user variables of type DWORD.
  6. Simplified the list of Link Types in the Step Editor. First, the DelayJmp link type was removed, and instead a Jump To field was added to the Delay link type. Second, Case Jump was removed. Instead, the Cnd Jump link type now supports multiple conditions in the same was that Case Jump had.
  7. The Delay and Jump link types now default to having a Jump To value of "Next".
  8. Added a new Direction parameter to the Transition Rate (56) command. This makes the command more flexible on rotary axes.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.35.0 or newer]
  9. When setting up a Custom Plot Configuration, the trigger settings are now more clearly presented to avoid confusion.
  10. Added the ability to re-order axes in the Axis Definition dialog box.
  11. Added support for selecting the 100 kHz SSI clock rate on the RMC70.
    [Requires RMC70 Firmware 3.35.0 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which REAL values coming from the PROFIBUS I/O mode on the RMC75P were displayed incorrectly in the Event Log.
  2. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when opening the Program Monitor when the controller had variable arrays with invalid dimensions.
  3. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could shut down expectedly when scrolling in rare cases.
  4. Fixed a problem where RMCTools could shut down expectedly when edit an expression.
  5. Fixed some problems with importing User Programs that referenced arrays, in which some variables would not be imported.
  6. Fixed some problems with entering and editing register addresses in some places, including the Indirect Data Map.

RMCTools 3.34.0 (September 30, 2009)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Errors found in user expressions are now reported more precisely so that the user knows which part of the expression is in error. Previously the entire expression was marked in red, making it difficult to identify the offending part.
  2. Added Event Log entries to support the new Image Area feature in RMC70/150 firmware 3.34.0.
    [Requires RMC70/RMC150 Firmware 3.34.0 or newer]
  3. Updated the Tuning Wizard to simplify its usage and to fully support Rotary and Torque mode axes.
  4. Added support for the analog input register file on the RMC70. These registers can be accessed using the _AI[] tags.
    [Requires RMC70 Firmware 3.34.0 or newer]
  5. Added support for the following mathematical functions in User Program expressions: SINH, COSH, and TANH.
    [Requires RMC70/RMC150 Firmware 3.34.0 or newer]
  6. Improved the tools for troubleshooting problems with browsing for controllers over Ethernet.
  7. Added several system tags to access the status of a plot:
    _Plot[].CapSamples
    Holds the number of samples currently captured in the plot. This can be used to track the progress of a plot capture.
    _Plot[].SampleTime
    Holds the time (in control loops from controller startup) that the first sample in the plot was captured.
    _Plot[].TriggerTime
    Holds the time (in control loops from controller startup) that the plot trigger occurred.
    _Plot[].TriggerSample
    Holds the offset of samples within the current plot (where 0 is the first sample) at which the plot trigger occurred.
  8. Changed the default value for the Count Unwind axis parameter from 1000 to 1024. This ensures that it is a valid value even for SSI absolute rotary axes, but should not otherwse affect any users since this value must be set up prior to using rotary axis feedback.
  9. For linear axes, removed limitations on acceptable values for the Direction parameter on many move commands, including Move Absolute (20). Previously only Nearest (0) was accepted. However, this could make it difficult to re-use some User Programs on both linear and rotary axes. Therefore, for the affected commands, all Direction options that are available on rotary axes are now accepted on linear axes, with all values being handled the same.
    [Requires RMC70/RMC150 Firmware 3.34.0 or newer]
  10. Improved the handling of recently-opened files both in Windows 7 jump lists and within RMCTools itself. This includes increasing the size of the recently-opened project and plot lists from four to ten entries.
  11. Device metadata is now installed on Windows 7 for the RMC75E and RMC150E USB devices.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where the Mean Squared Error value shown in plots could be incorrect for rotary axes.
  2. Made several improvements to the autotuning algorithm to ensure that more systems can be successfully autotuned.
  3. Fixed a problem in which importing user programs that use variables of type DWORD or DINT could import the default values for these variables incorrectly.

RMCTools 3.33.2 (July 31, 2009)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Made several minor changes to comply with Windows 7 application guidelines.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with importing programs that reference multiple variable arrays.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the function prototype tooltip could pop up in the wrong spot, even over the text the user was typing.
  3. Fixed a problem in which some special keystrokes could cause strange characters to be displayed in the expression editor.
  4. Fixed a problem where pressing Ctrl+W in a command cell in the Step Editor or Plot Setup dialog did not display the Command Selection Tool.
  5. Fixed a problem in which it was possible to have plot quantities misbehave after editing an entry to or from a Mean Squared Error formula.
  6. Cleaned up text on some menus and buttons for consistency.
  7. Updated the RMC70/150 USB Drivers to 2.04.16. These new drivers fix several rare cases where the drivers could misbehave, and even cause Windows to blue screen.

RMCTools 3.33.1 (July 8, 2009)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly in some rare cases after unsuccessfully connecting to a controller over USB.
  2. Fixed a case where array elements could not be negated in expressions. For example, "-MyArray[0]" failed verification.
  3. Fixed a case where array elements could not be entered into command parameters that required addresses, such as Master Reg and Status Block parameters.

RMCTools 3.33.0 (June 3, 2009)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for 4ms loop times on the RMC150.
    [Requires RMC150 Firmware 3.33.0 or newer]
    [Requires RMC150 CPU revision 1.2C or newer]
  2. Copying a range of cells to the clipboard is now posted in CSV format in addition to Text format. This allows more robust pasting to Excel and other applications.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed two cases where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly.
  2. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools did not remember from one session to the next which columns were visible in several editors.
  3. Fixed a problem in which expressions with END_IF incorrectly required a semicolon if followed by another statement.

RMCTools 3.32.2 (May 11, 2009)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue where the Autotune wizard could fail to complete for loop times greater than 1ms. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.32.0.
  2. Fixed an issue where the Control Output was missing from an Autotune plot. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.32.0.

RMCTools 3.32.1 (May 6, 2009)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when autotuning using an existing plot. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.32.0.
  2. Fixed an issue where RMCTools could become unresponsive for a very long time when verifying user programs. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.31.0.

RMCTools 3.32.0 (April 23, 2009)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. RMCTools Ethernet transactions are now filtered by default when logging of all transactions is enabled for Ethernet. This reduces the entries in the Event Log when troubleshooting Ethernet communications from other sources.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.32.0 or newer]
  2. Increased the size of the Indirect Data Map for both the RMC70 (from 32 to 64) and RMC150 (from 128 to 256).
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.32.0 or newer]
  3. Comments can now be entered in expressions.
  4. Simplified the Auto Tune wizard.
  5. RMCTools will now only allow up to two EXP70-Q1 modules to be added to an RMC70 controller. This is a limitation of the RMC70 which was not reflected when configuring and RMC70 offline.
  6. Many available keyboard shortcuts are now shown in shortcut menus.
  7. Increased the available capacity of the flash data storage area on the RMC75E from 128KB to 256KB.
  8. Status Bits, Error Bits, and other hexadecimal values can now be expanded in the plot detail window.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where some Communication Statistics pages could have their scroll bars behave incorrectly.
  2. Fixed a problem in which large default values for DWORD and DINT variables could be saved to the project file incorrectly.
  3. Fixed various minor problems with uploading and loading plot configurations.
  4. Corrected the maximum program size enforced by the RMC75E and RMC150E.
  5. Corrected the maximum plot storage area enforced by RMCTools on the RMC75E when offline. This problem was introduced in RMCTools 3.31.0.

RMCTools 3.31.2 (March 17, 2009)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue where RMCTools could become unresponsive if communication is lost while uploading a plot.
  2. Fixed an issue where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly in some cases when opening project files created by newer versions of RMCTools.
  3. Fixed an issue where the Output pane could re-appear unexpectedly after having been closed.
  4. Fixed an issue where Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab could not be used to switch between many windows in RMCTools.

RMCTools 3.31.1 (February 24, 2009)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added three new functions for accessing arbitrary register addresses from expressions:
    REG_REAL(File, Elem)
    This function evaluates to the register located at the given file/element address. The data type for this register is assumed to be REAL.
    REG_DINT(File, Elem)
    This function evaluates to the register located at the given file/element address. The data type for this register is assumed to be DINT.
    REG_DWORD(File, Elem)
    This function evaluates to the register located at the given file/element address. The data type for this register is assumed to be DWORD.
  2. Added workaround for users whose loop times are no longer supported. Contact Delta for details.
  3. Clarified the New Axis Wizard and Edit Axis Definition dialog box with respect to the term "inputs."
  4. In the Command Selection Tool, moved the Set Enable Output (67) command from the Set Parameters group to the General Commands group.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue where operators such as MOD and AND did not show up in IntelliSense.
  2. Fixed an issue where the actual and selected loop times were both displayed as 0.0 in the Loop time exceeded Event Log entry.

RMCTools 3.31.0 (February 12, 2009)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. RMCTools no longer supports Windows 98/Me and Windows NT 4.0. RMCTools supports Windows 2000, XP, and Vista.
  2. Made the following improvements to user programming:
    1. Improved reporting of how much processing time is used by the User Programming. The level of detail can now be controlled from the RMCTools Options page.
    2. Optimized how divide (/) and exponent (**) operators are implemented in expressions.
    3. Improved the User Program Import dialog. It is now possible to select multiple items and either assign them to a block of registers or skip all of them. Previously only a single item could be selected and acted on at once.
    4. It is now possible to copy and paste tag names in the Variable Table and I/O Configuration Editor. Any duplicate names that would result are resolved by appending a trailing number to make the name unique. This greatly enhances the ability to manipulate variable definitions.
    5. Added a Program Configuration option to enable and disable logging immediate commands. Disabling logging of immediate commands reduces the time requirements for User Programs, allowing more logic to fit in each step.
    6. Using array elements in expressions with constant indices will now validate the array index at compile time instead of at runtime.
    7. Changed the calculation of available User Program time for RMC controllers. Notice that the RMC150 and RMC75E controllers allow at least as much time as previously. However, the RMC75S and RMC75P allow less time in some configurations. To ensure backward compatibility, the reduced times are only applied to 3.31.0 and newer firmware.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
    8. Added the ability to select which tasks each program is allowed to run on, which can significantly reduce the worst-case execution times, thus allowing more logic to fit in each loop time. Also, newly-created user programs will now default to be allowed to only run on a single task at a time, although this setting can be changed.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
    9. Added two new functions for use in User Programs:
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
      COPY(From, To, Len)
      This function copies a block of up to 32 variables from one location to another.
      ADDR_OFS(Reg, Offset)
      This function computes an adjusted offset from the given register. It is used in conjunction with the COPY function.
    10. Added additional options for how Tasks should respond to an Axis Halt. These settings are on a new Halts tab in the Program Configuration Properties dialog box.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
    11. Added support for faulting tasks when an illegal math operation is performed, such as a divide by zero or square root of a negative number.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
  3. Made the following improvements to the Event Log:
    1. Revised the Event Log monitor toolbar to simplify pausing and resuming the updating. Also pausing the updating will not prevent back-filling missing event log entries.
    2. Added support for the new Pause/Resume Log command for pausing and resuming the Event Log capture.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
    3. Added support for logging the DMCP Ethernet protocol recently added to the firmware.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
  4. Changed the validation of loop times for RMC controllers:
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]
    RMC150 Controllers:
    Supports 1ms and 2ms for all configurations. Now supports 250us and 500us on limited configurations.
    RMC75E Controllers:
    Supports 500us, 1ms, 2ms and 4ms for all configurations. Now supports 250us on limited configurations.
    RMC75S and RMC75P (2.1F and newer) Controllers:
    Supports 1ms, 2ms and 4ms for all configurations. Support for the 500us loop time is now limited to certain configurations. For pre-3.31.0 firmware, all loop times from 500us to 4ms are supported to ensure backward compatibility.
    RMC75P (2.1E and older) Controllers:
    Supports 2ms and 4ms for all configurations. Support for the 1ms loop time is limited to certain configurations. For pre-3.31.0 firmware, all loop times from 500us to 4ms are supported to ensure backward compatibility.
  5. Added a number of RMCTools options. To access the RMCTools Options, on the main menu click Tools, and then click Options.
    1. Startup Behavior. RMCTools can now be set to start with the Startup Wizard, a blank environment, or by opening the last loaded project.
    2. Address Format. For editors that show the addresses of their contents, the addressing format can now be set to be IEC, Allen-Bradley, Modbus, or Omron. This is useful for determining addresses to use for external accesses by various PLC's and HMI's.
    3. Auto Close Output Window. The Output window will now be automatically closed after an Upload All or Download All has completed successfully, although this feature can be disabled.
    4. Auto Close Verify Results. The Verify Results window will now be automatically closed when the Verify was successful, although this feature can be disabled.
    5. Program Timing Details. Select the amount of detail about timing to display at the end of programming verification. This is useful for optimizing the programming to fit within the desired loop time.
    6. Communication Log Details. The communication log is used by Delta technical support for troubleshooting communication problems between RMCTools and the controller. The level of detail to include in this log is now configurable.
    7. RMC75S/RMC75P Firmware Update Baudrate. Updating firmware on the RMC75S and RMC75P can take several minutes. For controllers with loader version 1.06 or newer, the baud rate can be increased beyond 38400 to increase the speed of the update.
    8. Communication Timeouts. The timeouts used by RMCTools when communicating with a controller can now be changed. This is most important for Ethernet communications, where the controller is located remotely. The user can now select between several pre-configured profiles, or customize the timeouts.
  6. Made the following improvements for determining external register addresses:
    1. Modified the columns in the Indirect Data Map. The row labels are now simple numbers (0, 1, ...), the address of the Indirect Data item is now shown in a new column named "Reg #", and the address that this register is mapped to is now called "Map To".
    2. In the Axis Tools, the "Reg #" column now reflects the currently-selected axis. Previously only the address of the first axis supporting the register was shown. Users can now determine the address for a given axis parameter or status register on any axis simply by selecting a cell for that axis.
    3. Added the ability to change the format displayed for external register addresses. This can be done through the RMCTools Options page, or by right-clicking in the column showing the register addresses and selecting the new format. The available formats are IEC, Allen-Bradley, Modbus, and Omron. The windows supporting this column are the Axis Tools, Indirect Data Map, Variable Table, and the Program Monitor's Variable View.
  7. Miscellaneous Improvements:
    1. It is now possible to cancel an in-progress open or save of a project or plot file.
    2. Simplified the Controller Hardware/Firmware Differences dialog box.
    3. Values of type REAL can now be entered in exponential format in expressions and command parameters. For example, "1.0E3" can be used to represent 1000, and "1.0E-3" can be used to represent "0.001".
    4. The current zoom, scrolling, and hairline location for each plot are now remembered as the user browses between multiple plots.
    5. Added shortcut keys in the Plot Configuration editor corresponding to the "New Quantity", "Move Up", "Move Down", and "Show Data Items" toolbar buttons.
    6. In the Firmware Update Wizard, after the firmware has been selected, the user is now given the option of backing up the current firmware before updating the firmware.
    7. In the Firmware Update Wizard, if the transition from the current firmware to the newly-selected firmware has changes that will likely cause application compatibility problems, the user is now alerted of these changes before proceeding.
    8. Added the ability to clear communication statistics.
      [Clearing some statistics requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.31.0 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where a user program could incorrectly fail verification in some cases.
  2. Fixed a case where orphaned links (links that are invalidated when the linked-to step is deleted) were not reported properly.
  3. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly in rare cases while the Program Monitor and Event Log were both open at the same time.
  4. Fixed a cosmetic issue in which the Event Log for the RMC75S and RMC75P would display four decimal places for the time stamps when the loop time was 1 ms. It should have only displayed three.
  5. Fixed a problem introduced in 3.30.0 in which using the TAB key to navigate between fields in RMCTools could, in some cases, erase the contents of a field.
  6. Fixed a problem where the toolbar buttons could change size unexpectedly in the Indirect Data Map.
  7. Fixed a problem where the Help toolbar button in Axis Tools could disappear in some circumstances.
  8. Fixed several cases where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly or lock up.
  9. Fixed a problem where the arrow keys would not work in spreadsheets embedded in dialog boxes.
  10. Fixed a problem where the Move Down button in the Plot Data Items did not work properly in some cases.
  11. Fixed a problem where the hot links in the Verify Results or Output windows could work incorrectly when the text in these windows wrapped.
  12. Fixed a problem with the Scale/Offset wizard for Absolute Linear axes using absolute rotary encoders (SSI or Resolver), in which the position range was not allowed to cross the physical zero point.
  13. Fixed a problem in which expressions with negative signs could get changed by RMCTools in some situations.
  14. Fixed some problems in which pasting plain text or range of cells from another application such as Excel could either not be pasted or would not be pasted correctly.
  15. Fixed some problems in which RMC150 discrete outputs could not be set using assignments statements in expressions when the IEC address was used. For example, the following valid expression was not accepted:
    %QX1.0 := True
  16. Fixed some problems with importing user programs that used I/O points.
  17. Fixed a problem in which the plot commands defaulted with their plot number parameter set to 1 instead of 0.
  18. Fixed a problem in which projects created with older versions of RMCTools that used commands that have since had additional command parameters added to them could cause programs using those commands to fail verification when re-opened on the updated RMCTools version.
  19. Fixed a problem in which when editing Shortcut Commands offline, in some cases the Start Task command would not recognize any valid program names.
  20. Fixed a problem in which right-clicking on a selected block of commands in the Step Editor would cause the multiple-command selection to be reduced to a single command.

RMCTools 3.30.2 (October 10, 2008)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the ability to override the connection timeouts. This can currently only be done at the direction of Delta technical support.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Tuning Wizard would not recognize when the user selected a different plot to use for the auto tuning process. The default plot was always used. Also, the default plot is now more intelligently selected.

RMCTools 3.30.1 (September 30, 2008)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which trailing spaces could be stripped from expressions and program comments, which could in term cause unnecessary warnings about the programming having been changed by RMCTools or the user.
  2. When zooming 1:1 on a plot, the plot is now centered on the hairline location.
  3. Improved the speed of saving files, especially plots or when saving to network drives.
  4. Fixed a problem in which labels in disabled programs could cause duplicate label errors during verification. Disabled programs should have been entirely ignored.

RMCTools 3.30.0 (August 20, 2008)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the ability to update firmware over Ethernet. This capability can be disabled using a new Ethernet setting.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.30.0 or newer]
  2. Added support for the RMC150's new Resolver axis module.
    [Requires RMC150 Firmware 3.30 or newer]
  3. Added support for retentive variables on the RMC150 and RMC75E. The RMC75E requires hardware revision 1.4A or newer.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.30.0 or newer]
  4. Removed the Home Source axis parameter from RMC150 axes with SSI feedback. This parameter only provided the option of "None" and therefore provided no value. This parameter is still available on RMC70 axes with SSI feedback, which does provide additional options.
  5. Improved the clarity of the expressions generated by the Link Condition wizard when evaluating one or two Status or Error Bits.
  6. Pressing the SPACEBAR while in a spreadsheet editor will now open the drop-down list or follow a hyperlink where appropriate, making it easier to edit cells without using the mouse.
  7. When exporting a plot set, the default file name now matches the name of the plot set.
  8. Improved the clarity the Scale/Offset wizards for absolute linear axes using a rotary encoder for feedback, particularly when determining the Count Offset.
  9. Copying and pasting a plot configuration now includes the plot name in the copy.
  10. Added support for displaying the patch level in the firmware version.
  11. Improved the default column widths in all spreadsheet-style views in RMCTools.
  12. Removed the Units column from Axis Tools and the Indirect Data Map. The units are now appended to the field description instead.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which opening a project file that had invalid plot configuration settings would generate a warning when opened that suggested that RMCTools had not saved the project file correctly.
  2. Fixed a problem in which it was possible to download RMC75E loader firmware into the RMC150E and vice versa.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the Scale/Offset wizard for a linear axis with absolute SSI feedback could calculate the wrong Position Scale when using the Position/Count method and selecting a Rotary Encoder.
  4. Fixed a problem in which the Scale/Offset wizard assumed that a linear axis with incremental SSI feedback was using a linear transducer rather than a rotary encoder.
  5. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when a semicolon followed the END_IF keyword in an expression.
  6. Fixed several cases in which text could be displayed corrupted or even cause RMCTools to shut down unexpectedly.
  7. Fixed a problem in which pressing the letter Q was treated like F2. This was particularly noticeable when entering a command name that started with a Q, such as Quick Move (Absolute).
  8. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down incorrectly when being closed while a Scale/Offset wizard was still open.
  9. Fixed several cases in which RMCTools could become temporarily unresponsive while editing plot configurations.
  10. Fixed a problem in which the Axes node in the project tree would look as though it contained no axes after going online with a controller.
  11. Fixed a problem in which the variable data types were not up-to-date in some situations when viewed from the Program Monitor.
  12. Fixed a problem in which status bits 24 and 25 could not be selected in the Link Condition Wizard.

RMCTools 3.20.0 (May 22, 2008)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the new Feed Forward Adjust (69) command.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.20 or newer]
  2. Added support for the new Curve Start Advanced (88) and Curve Start Advanced (Prs/Frc) (89) commands.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.20 or newer]
  3. Added support for Unidirectional Mode. This includes the new Unidirectional Mode axis parameter and Set Control Direction (96) command.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.20 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the PROFIBUS communication statistics were displayed for an RMC150 even if the controller did not have a PROFIBUS module installed.
  2. Fixed a problem in which assigning a value to a system tag's bit directly using an assignment expression always assigned the value to bit 0 in the tag. For example, the following expression would incorrectly assign the value 'True' to bit 0 instead of 12:
    _Axis[0].PriControlBits.12 := True

RMCTools 3.10.1 (May 5, 2008)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which clearing the event log could cause the Event Log Monitor to stop updating or shut down RMCTools unexpectedly.

RMCTools 3.10.0 (May 1, 2008)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the RMC150's PROFIBUS communication module.
    [Requires RMC150 Firmware 3.10 or newer]
  2. Added support for additional new PROFIBUS logging and statistics used by both the RMC75P and RMC150-PROFI.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.10 or newer]
  3. Added additional Ethernet communication statistics for RMC75E and RMC150E controllers.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.10 or newer]
  4. Re-arranged some menus slightly to make it more difficult to accidentally upload over an existing project. The user is also now prompted before uploading.
  5. Added support for entering an SSI transducer resolution in inches in the Scale/Offset Wizard.

RMCTools 3.00.0 (April 2, 2008)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the Programming Security feature, which is designed to allow password protection of User Programming.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.00 or newer]
  2. Added support for the Synchronized Move commands: Sync Move Absolute (13), Sync Move Relative (14), and Sync Stop (17).
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 3.00 or newer]
  3. Added a shortcut menu to the Error Notification icon on the RMCTools status bar. This menu allows disabling the Error Notification Pop-up Bubble and limiting it to only those errors caused within RMCTools. It also allows clearing the Error List and accessing the controller's Event Log Monitor.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed several cases where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly.
  2. Fixed a problem where the Error Notification bubble being displayed repeatedly could make RMCTools unresponsive.

RMCTools 2.70.0 (March 5, 2008)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the Gear Absolute (25) and Gear Absolute (Prs/Frc) (59) commands.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.70 or newer]
  2. Added support for the new Transition commands. These commands allow an axis to transition into a curve, sine move, or absolute gearing, when the axis is not already at the correct starting location.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.70 or newer]
  3. Added support for the new rate-based pressure/force commands: Ramp Pressure/Force (Rate) (18) and Enter Pressure/Force Control (Rate) (46).
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.70 or newer]
  4. Added support for the new Integrator Adjust (70) command.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.70 or newer]
  5. Added a new Integrator Preload parameter to the Enter Pressure/Force Control (Auto) (44) and (Time) (45) commands. This parameter is used to optimize the transition into pressure/force control mode. The default value of zero (0) matches the 2.61 firmware behavior.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.70 or newer]
  6. Added support for programmatically restarting the control from within a User Program.
  7. Changed the default plot scale for Control Output components to show ±100%. Previously they were scaled to show ±105%. This simplifies comparing the Control Output with its components.
  8. Added additional Event Log entries on startup when the saved axis definitions are not valid for the current hardware configuration. This can occur when an expansion module is removed from an RMC70.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.70 or newer]
  9. Added support for the new Target Pressure/Force Rate (F8:63) axis status register.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.70 or newer]
  10. Added a new Pressure/Force Accel Rate parameter to the Stop Pressure/ Force (43) command. The default value of zero (0) matches previous firmware behavior. The behavior of the At Pressure/Force status bit and the Command Pressure/Force status register also changes with this command.
  11. The New Controller wizard now defaults to using the USB port for automatic detection of a new controller.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly if the Task Step register was added to a plot.
  2. Fixed several other rare cases where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly.
  3. Fixed a problem in which some plot items in a manual scale group, when left to auto scale, could plot with different scales from other members in the same scale group.
  4. Fixed a problem in which editing a custom plot configuration could result in items that plotted a different data item than shown in the editor.
  5. Fixed several minor problems with editing plot configurations.
  6. Fixed a problem in which using Download All did not necessarily clear the differences flag from the Program Configuration node in the project tree.
  7. Fixed a problem in which the part number displayed when updating firmware was not always displayed correctly.
  8. Fixed a problem in which deleting multiple plot quantities from a plot configuration would not delete the correct quantities.
  9. Fixed a problem in which, for some cases, the preferred pen colors were not automatically selected when editing a custom plot configuration.
  10. Fixed a problem in which adding new plots did not assign the axis correctly.
  11. Fixed a problem in which converting a custom plot to a default axis plot did not warn the user if the controller was offline.

RMCTools 2.60.2 (February 12, 2008)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which plot item automatic scale groups did not work correctly after opening a saved plot. This resulted in similar items not having the same scale. This regression was introduced in 2.60.0.
  2. Fixed a problem in which hexadecimal numbers entered using the "16#xxxx" format could be interpreted as decimal in some cases.

RMCTools 2.60.1 (February 1, 2008

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly while using a project with multiple controllers.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the value -1 could not be entered for Plot commands. This special value is no longer recommended for use in new projects, but is supported for backward compatibility.
  3. Fixed some problems that could occur when shifting plot items up and down in a custom plot configuration.
  4. Fixed a problem in which pasting a plot set into a controller could give the plot set the same name as a plot set already in the controller.

RMCTools 2.60.0 (January 18, 2008)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Changed the method of editing plot configurations, simplifying it for basic users and adding more flexibility for advanced users.
  2. Added the ability to select between multiple plot sets for a single controller.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which moving back in the Scale/Offset Wizard could change the Count value that had been entered.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Expression Browser did not change its descriptive text to match the selection.

RMCTools 2.50.0 (December 14, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the new Pressure/Force Control mode, which complements the previously-available Pressure/Force Limit mode.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.50 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when accessing the Tools menu in the Plot Manager for a controller with no axes defined.

RMCTools 2.40.2 (December 4, 2007)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which serial ports with names other than COM1 through COM9 could not be opened.

RMCTools 2.40.1 (November 27, 2007)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem introduced in RMCTools 2.40.0 in which plots including the Actual Velocity of a rotary axis could have large spikes when the Actual Position wrapped.
  2. Fixed a problem with IntelliSense after typing a period.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the tags _Axis[].Reg0Pos and _Axis[].Reg1Pos were not accepted in a User Program.
  4. Fixed some keyboard navigation issues in the Expression Editor.

RMCTools 2.40.0 (November 21, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for curves (splines) and cams.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.40 or newer]
  2. Added support for rotary virtual axes.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.40 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the help window text could wrap incorrectly and/or be clipped.
  2. Made the use of fonts more consistent within the Step Editor.
  3. Fixed a problem in which tags with underscores in them could not be entered for some command parameters.
  4. Improved verification of a the Start Task command in a User Program.

RMCTools 2.30.2 (November 8, 2007)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when the online help could not be launched.

RMCTools 2.30.1 (November 2, 2007)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem that occurred when autotuning the RMC150. A popup would show an "invalid field data" error due to setting up the acceleration filter.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the datatype for array elements was not set correctly when importing a user program.
  3. Fixed a problem in which changing the number of tasks while the Prescan Table was open behaved differently when online or offline, and did not work correctly in either case when reducing the number of tasks.
  4. Fixed a problem with pasting an axis. The Address tree in the Address selection dialog doesn't display all axes correctly.
  5. Fixed a problem in which an invalid task was not flagged as invalid in the Step Editor when issuing a Start Task command.

RMCTools 2.30.0 (September 25, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the new Sine move commands.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.30 or newer.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which opening the Plot Configuration window could show an in-exact value for the plot duration, such as "60.000004" instead of "60.000".
  2. Fixed a problem in which opening an event log file (.rmcelog) with more than 256 entries would only show the newest 256 entries.
  3. Fixed a problem in which pressing the Space Bar did not toggle a checkbox axis parameter.
  4. Fixed a problem in which, for some cases, starting user tasks did not work properly after running the Autotune program.

RMCTools 2.20.0 (August 27, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for printing User Programs and the PreScan table.
  2. Plots are now time-scaled to fit in the current plot window area. Two new toolbar buttons were added to allow switching the time scale.
  3. Added support for new Communication Statistics added in the 2.20 firmware, including EtherNet/IP statistics and CPU usage.
  4. Added support for new Event Log events added in the 2.20 firmware.
  5. When verifying a controller's Program Configuration, the Run/Program Input setting is now validated.
  6. Added a Keywords tab to the Expression Browser.
  7. Added constants to the Expression Browser.
  8. The POLY() function now supports 8 coefficients. It previously was limited to 7 coefficients.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which nested arrays in an expression failed verification.
  2. Fixed a problem in which nested IF-END_IF constructs in an expression failed verification.
  3. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when editing certain expressions.
  4. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when clearing the Event Log.
  5. Fixed a cosmetic problem in that the amount that a tab indented text in the Expression editor was different depending on whether the expression was being edited or not.
  6. Fixed a problem with editing which Inputs and Outputs to check in the Link Condition Wizard.
  7. Removed an incorrect warning when Pressure/Force commands were entered in the Plot Tuning Tools Setup dialog box.

RMCTools 2.10.0 (July 26, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. The following improvements were made to expressions used in programming:
    1. Added a new '**' exponentiation operator for use in expressions.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.10 or newer]
    2. Added a new POLY function for use in expressions.
      [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.10 or newer]
    3. Expressions are now edited directly in the Step Editor or PreScan Table Editor. This new interface features an Expression Browser and IntelliSense.
    4. Entering tag names in the Step Editor now benefit from IntelliSense.
    5. The Expression (113) command now allows entering multiple line expressions.
    6. Multiple line expressions can now use the IF, THEN, and END_IF keywords to control the program flow within the expression block.
    7. The comment for a User Program is now displayed at the top of the Step Editor.
    8. Added support for the new CaseJump link type. This new link type allows checking multiple conditions and jumping to multiple locations from a single step.
    9. The Link Condition Wizard now includes a section for building conditions based on discrete I/O.
    10. A larger number of commands are now executed immediately from User Programs. This makes it possible to issue more than one command to the same axis in more cases. For a complete list of immediate commands, please look in the documentation.
  2. Added a new shortcut key to the Plot Manager. Pressing "Insert" will upload a plot from the controller.
  3. Added two new options for the RMC150 SSI module:
    1. SSI wire break detection can now be optionally disabled.
    2. The SSI clock rate can now be selected between 230 kHz and 921 kHz.
    These options are only available on revision 6 or newer SSI modules.
    [Requires RMC150 Firmware 2.10 or newer]
  4. Added support for enabling Model-based position filtering when a first-order model was selected. Previously this type of filtering could only be used with a second-order model.
    [Requires RMC70/RMC150 Firmware 2.10 or newer]
  5. The built-in simulator can now use either a 1st- or 2nd-order model.
    [Requires RMC70/RMC150 Firmware 2.10 or newer]
  6. Added support for EtherNet/IP-specific settings and Event Log entries.
    [Requires RMC70/RMC150 Firmware 2.10 or newer]
  7. Improved the reporting of task faults, such as array index out-of-range. These faults are now reported as errors in the Event Log and will pop up the error bubble when they occur.
    [Requires RMC70/150 Firmware 2.10 or newer]
  8. Added support for RMC75E's with 2.03 or newer firmware to use up to 256KB for User Program storage. Older firmware is still limited to 64KB.
    [Requires RMC70 Firmware 2.03 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed several cases where RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly.
  2. Fixed problems with keyboard navigation in spreadsheet editors, especially with respect to the Page Up and Page Down keys.
  3. Fixed a problem in which a plot upload would get stuck if the plot capture is halted using a Stop Plot (101) command.
  4. Fixed a problem in which the _LoopTime tag would not always compile correctly.
  5. Fixed a problem in which the Ctrl+D and Ctrl+U keystrokes did not download and upload, respectively, the program configuration in the I/O Settings, PreScan Table, and Variable Table editors like they do in the Step Editor.
  6. Fixed a problem in which the Send button in the Command Tool did not work when it was selected and Enter was pressed.
  7. Fixed a problem in which pasting text with spaces would give unexpected results in some cases.
  8. Fixed a problem with text formatting in some cases.
  9. Fixed a problem in which, after adding a new controller, the shortcut key toolbar did not update.
  10. Fixed a problem in which the Tuning Wizard would fail unnecessarily, reporting that the program exceeded the loop time allocated.
  11. Fixed a problem in which the capitalization of system tags and variable tags was not corrected after the expression was entered.
  12. Fixed a problem in which pasting the Link Type area did not work in some circumstances.
  13. Fixed a problem in which removable drives could not be ejected after reading from or writing to them from RMCTools.
  14. Fixed some problems with using the _Task system tag in an expression.
  15. Fixed a problem in which an expression with LOG_EVENT could fail verification if its parameters were integer constants.
  16. Fixed a problem in which the index of an array could be computed incorrectly when system values were used for the index.
  17. Fixed a problem in which pressing F1 from the Indirect Data Map editor would open the PreScan Table editor topic.
  18. Fixed a problem in which running autotuning would not release storage used from the user program area when done. This could lead to User Programs not being allowed to reach 100% capacity.
  19. Fixed a problem in which the Tuning Wizard could fail to build a model from some rotary axis plots.
  20. Fixed a problem in which issuing a command with a blank command parameter could substitute in an unexpected value. We now use the value 0 for blank parameters.

RMCTools 2.00.2 (June 7, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved logging of PROFIBUS parameterization.
  2. Changed the color of warning text in the Auto Tune wizard from red to black.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug when using the SEL function with datatypes other than REAL would fail to compile.
  2. Fixed a problem where, in a project with multiple controllers, the selected controller could change unexpectedly in some cases.
  3. Improved verification error wording in some cases.
  4. Reduced the amount of CPU usage required when Step Editors are open.
  5. Fixed a problem where the scrollbar in the Axis Tools was not updated correctly in some cases.
  6. Fixed a problem where the commanded axes selection could get messed up when moving an action in the Step Editor.
  7. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly while uploading the Program Configuration.
  8. Fixed some problems with back filling a plot trend after stopping, include a case where RMCTools could shut down expectedly.
  9. Fixed a problem in which the Download toolbar button in the Program Monitor would not work in some cases.
  10. Fixed a problem in which the active window could change after closing the Scale/Offset Wizard.
  11. Fixed a problem where it was difficult to enter long firmware filenames or controller URLs because horizontal scrolling wasn't supported.
  12. Fixed a case where RMCTools could report a difference between the project file and the controller when there was no difference.
  13. Fixed some cases where the keyboard focus could be lost from the project pane or the project pane selection could move to an unexpected node.
  14. The RMCTools User Program (.rmcprog) file type is now registered to RMCTools. Notice that these files should still only be opened in RMCTools through the Import User Program command.

RMCTools 2.00.1 (May 9, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Digitally signed the RMCTools application and marked the file as not requiring elevation under Windows Vista. These are both requirements for applications certified to work with Windows Vista.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when verifying a user program that used the SEL() function.
  2. Fixed a problem in which RMCTools could shut down unexpectedly when copying and pasting an axis.
  3. Fixed a problem in which some valid expressions were rejected.
  4. Fixed a problem in which tool tips were not displayed in the Step Editor in some conditions.
  5. Fixed a cosmetic problem when resizing the description column in the Axis Tools.
  6. Fixed a problem in which updating firmware could report an error while saving the firmware to the Flash, even when it did not fail.
  7. Fixed a problem with dragging and dropping steps in the Step Editor.
  8. Fixed a bug where the available User Program storage area was incorrectly calculated on the RMC75E.
  9. Fixed a problem where downloading User Programs could fail with an "internal error" when User Programs approach capacity.
  10. Fixed a problem in which the XOR and OR operators incorrectly had the same operator precedence. XOR now correctly has higher precedence.
  11. Fixed a problem with using the _Axis[axis] system tag when axis was greater than 3 on an RMC150.
  12. Fixed a bug where axis system tags were case sensitive.

RMCTools 2.00.0 (March 20, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. New Product Family
    1. Added support for the RMC150 family of multi-axis motion controllers.
    2. Renamed the product from RMC70Tools to RMCTools to reflect the support of the additional RMC150 product line.
  2. Axis Tools Improvements
    1. Improved the method of selecting which axes to display in the Axis Tools.
    2. In the Axis Tools, the expansion state of the categories and current selection are now remembered when switching between tabs, closing of the window, and going online.
    3. Improved the way that axis columns are resized in the Axis Tools.
    4. In the Axis Tools, when only the Axis Status or Axis Parameters are displayed, the keyboard shortcut F6 now switches back and forth between the two views.
    5. Revised the method of resizing axis columns to make it clearer what the affect will be on all column positions and widths.
  3. Command Tool Improvements
    1. Added support for issuing 10-register commands. As part of this change, two additional command parameters were added to the Gear Pos (Clutch by Distance) (32) and Advanced Gear Move (33) commands.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 2.00 or newer]
    2. Added the ability to select which axes to include in the Command Tool. Notice that this selection is synchronized with the axes displayed in the Axis Tools.
  4. Plot Improvements:
    1. Added support for significantly longer plots on the RMC75E with firmware version 2.00 or newer. Previously, the total number of samples used by all plots was limited to 32,768. If the RMC75E has a loader version 1.02 or newer, this limit increases to over 12 million. Otherwise, it increases the limit to over 4 million samples.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 2.00 or newer]
    2. Increased the number of plot items allowed per plot. Previously, the maximum was limited based on how many plots were allocated. This limitation has been removed.
    3. Improved the robustness of uploading plot trends on the RMC75E over both USB and Ethernet. The upload now misses data less often, although some missed data is unavoidable depending on PC loading and plot sample period.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 2.00 or newer]
  5. Step Editor Improvements
    1. In the Step Editor, the method for selecting which axes will receive a command has been improved.
    2. Made several improvements to editing using the keyboard in the Step Editor.
  6. Communication Improvements
    1. Improved RMCTools performance when going online and while online.
    2. Improved error reporting when unable to connect to a controller over USB.
  7. Miscellaneous Improvements
    1. Improved the interface for selecting which columns to display in various editors.
    2. In the Program Monitor, the keyboard shortcut F6 switches the selection between the task list and variable list.
    3. Added the ability to display the precise hardware revision.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed some issues with scrolling the Step Editor, Shortcut Command Editor, and the Command Tool.
  2. Fixed a bug in which changes to axis names sometimes did not update the names displayed in the Axis Tools.
  3. Fixed a bug in which steps or commands that were being dragged could be displayed incorrectly.
  4. Fixed a case where RMCTools could report a program error.
  5. Fixed a rare case where the Download button and shortcut key (Ctrl+D) would not work in the Axis Tools.
  6. Fixed a problem in which long Event Log entries were not uploaded properly potentially halting the updating of the Event Log. Notice that no entries in firmware to date are long enough to cause this problem, but future firmware will likely offer additional log entry types that may induce this problem in older versions of RMC70Tools.
  7. Pressing the spacebar did not open the list box for edit on command parameters in the Step Editor or Shortcut Command Editor.
  8. Fixed a problems in which, after entering a value for a Master Register command parameter, the selected cell would change unexpectedly.
  9. Fixed a problem in which some invalid command parameters were not marked in red.
  10. Fixed some problems with stopping a plot trend. In some cases it could continue reading up the plot beyond the stop point, and in other cases it could read up data prior to when the trend was started.
  11. Fixed a problem where the keyboard focus could be lost when deleting a User Program.
  12. Fixed a problem where the Program Monitor shortcut menu affected the wrong task if the PreScan table was disabled.
  13. Fixed a problem introduced in RMC70Tools 1.70.3 in which running the Gain Calculator with Active Damping enabled could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.
  14. Fixed a problem in which text did not wrap when entering comments for a step in the Step Editor.

RMC70Tools 1.70.3 (February 21, 2007)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where the Apply Gains button in the Gain Calculator would not work for certain configurations.
  2. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could lock up while updating axis definitions.
  3. Fixed a problem in the New Axis Wizard in which the default input choices were inconsistent.
  4. Fixed several problems with copying and pasting in the Axis Tools, including one that could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.
  5. Fixed a problem in which pasting in the Variable Table could overwrite the variable name.
  6. Fixed a problem in which some User Programs created by earlier versions of RMC70Tools would not verify correctly. This regression was introduced in RMC70Tools 1.70.0.
  7. Fixed a problem in which using the Page Up and Page Down keys while selecting a command from the list in the Command Tool did not work properly.
  8. Fixed a problem in which the text for the move buttons in the Tuning Tools could display jibberish in rare cases.
  9. Fixed a problem in which invalid axes could be added to the Tuning Tools axis selection list, and could later cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.

RMC70Tools 1.70.2 (February 5, 2007)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed some cases in which RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly or display a program error message without shutting down when the Axis Tools window is open and parameters are changed.
  2. Fixed a case in which the column widths can change unexpectedly in the Event Log Monitor.
  3. Fixed two cases in which RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly while using the Shortcut Command Editor.
  4. Fixed a problem in which axis names were not updated in the Axis Tools in some cases.
  5. Fixed a problem in which the Command History and Shortcut Command drop-down menus didn't close when already open and clicked again.
  6. Fixed a problem with copying and pasting values in the Axis Tools in which the paste could be shifted by several rows.
  7. Fixed an issue in which pasting into the comments for a step could take a long time.
  8. Added a warning to the Autotune Wizard if the plot duration exceeds two (2) seconds.
  9. Fixed a problem in the Shortcut Command Editor in which deleting a command lost the keyboard focus.
  10. Fixed a case in which RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly while uploading a plot.

RMC70Tools 1.70.1 (January 25, 2007)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved the reliability of Ethernet connections over slow or intermittent Internet connections.
  2. Added text for new command and runtime error codes added to 1.71 firmware.
  3. I/O points are now displayed as addresses when no tag name is available.
  4. Modified cursor handling in the Step Editor. Pressing the Left Arrow key will now select the entire command or step if in the left-most field in the command or step.
  5. Added a new command to the View menu to open the Program Monitor, which also supports the new Ctrl+M keyboard shortcut.
  6. Added a new command to the Controller menu to clear faults on all axes. This can also be issued using the Ctrl+Shift+C keyboard shortcut.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when editing commands.
  2. Fixed some cases where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly in various copy/paste situations.
  3. Fixed several bugs with copy/paste of commands.
  4. Fixed a bug where cell selection across actions was allowed in the Shortcut Editor.
  5. Corrected registration of the RMCTools Event Log (.rmcelog) file type. The wrong description and icon was registered.
  6. Fixed a problem in which the Event Log configuration could show differences when no differences existed.
  7. Fixed a problem in which pop-up progress windows, such as those displayed when connecting, uploading, or downloading, would stay up beyond when the task was completed.
  8. Labels in the jump true/false fields are now sorted in alphabetical order with the exception of Wait and Next which are not labels but keywords.
  9. Fixed a bug where the Tab key would jump two cells in the Step Link when changing the link type.
  10. Fixed a bug where the selection can be lost when using the arrow keys in the Step Editor.
  11. Fixed a problem with scrolling in the Step Editor when adding a step after or appending a step.
  12. Fixed a bug which prevented the user from entering long text in some drop-down list boxes.
  13. Fixed a memory leak when an expression had an error.
  14. Fixed a bug handling I/O points with the Set/Clear/Toggle Discrete Output commands.
  15. Fixed a bug where disabled programs were in the list for Start Task.
  16. Fixed a problem in which the Up Arrow key would not scroll all the way to the top of the first step in some cases.
  17. Fixed a bug where the Tab key was not handled properly in some cases in the Step Editor.
  18. Fixed a problem that prevented multiple command selection using the keyboard.
  19. Fixed a problem with using the up/down arrows to select the number of items in each plot.
  20. Fixed a problem which prevented selecting "Current" as the analog feedback type on some secondary inputs.
  21. Fixed a problem with selecting a command in some situations.
  22. Fixed a problem introduced in 1.70.0 which kept RMC70Tools from running on Windows NT 4.0.
  23. Fixed a problem in which pressing F1 while entering a command could display the wrong help topic.

RMC70Tools 1.70.0 (December 21, 2006)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Step Editor Improvements:
    1. Added the ability to move a step or command up or down in the program.
    2. Added the ability to drag and drop steps and commands.
    3. Removed the "Add Command" button from each step.
    4. Revised the toolbar to include buttons to add, remove, and move steps and commands. The number of buttons used for showing and hiding comments was also reduced.
    5. Labels are now always displayed.
    6. Double clicking the comment icon in the step (when comments are hidden) will edit the comment rather than display the comment.
    7. Commands can now be inserted before or added after any other command.
    8. Pressing Ctrl+D while in the Step Editor will now verify and download all user programs.
    9. The Jump To fields now provide a drop-down list of all step labels to simplify the use of labels.
    10. The Browse Label dialog box can now be left open while editing a User Program.
  2. Other User Program Improvements:
    1. Added a "New User Program" command to the Programming menu.
    2. User Programs are now sorted in the project tree by Program Number or by Program Name.
    3. Added the ability to include/exclude user programs in the verify/download process. This allows for temporarily removing a program when not in use.
    4. Added a comment column to both the I/O Settings Editor and the PreScan Table.
    5. Expressions can now be terminated with a semi-colon.
    6. Added a new system tag:
      _LoopTime
      Gives the control loop time in seconds
    7. Added a new tree of system tags to hold the current plot configuration:
      _Plots.*
      These tags describe the overall plot layout. See the documentation for details.
      _Plot[Plot#].*
      These tags describe settings or status for the specified plot configuration. See the documentation for details.
    8. Increased the amount of loop time available to User Program when the control loop is set to 2ms or 4ms.
  3. Added support for new gearing commands:
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.70 or newer]
    Gear Pos (Clutch by Distance) (32)
    Simplies flying-cutoff applications by synchronizing the slave axis to the master axis at specified slave and master positions.
    Advanced Gear Move (33)
    An advanced command for generating arbitrary motion profiles dependent on a master axis position.
    Phasing (34)
    Adjust the phase between a slave axis its master axis.
    Geared Slave Offset (35)
    Offset the slave axis position by a specified amount.
    Gear Pos (Clutch by Rate) (39)
    Start gearing with the specified ratio, using requested acceleration and jerk parameters to control the transition.
  4. Added support for larger firmware images in RMC75S and RMC75P CPUs revision 2.2 and above.
  5. Added a new shortcut key to open the Program Monitor: Ctrl+M
  6. Added more context-sensitive help links.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Offset Position (47) command was not available on virtual axes.
  2. Fixed a problem in which Ctrl+A (Select All) did not work in some editors.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the Remove Command button in the Shortcut Command Editor was not properly enabled in some cases.
  4. Fixed some cosmetic problems with toolbars.
  5. Fixed some inaccurate text from the descriptions of the Gear Position (30) and Gear Velocity (31) commands.
  6. Fixed a problem in which auto-scrolling did not work in some cases.
  7. Fixed a case in which autotuning would fail to compile.
  8. Fixed a problem in which, after editing a step comment, the user could not change the selection.
  9. Fixed two cases where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly.
  10. Fixed a problem in which it was possible to select multiple commands from different steps.
  11. Improved the User Program verification to catch an invalid case where commands were issued to all axes plus to the default axis, which is guaranteed to fail at runtime.
  12. Fixed a problem in which deleting or inserting steps shifted the steps following up or down but didn't adjust links to step numbers. Notice that it is recommended that User Programs use labels instead of linking directly to step numbers.
  13. Fixed some problems with scrolling when the selected step does not fit in the Step Editor window.
  14. Fixed a problem with clearing a tag name in the Discrete I/O and Variable Table Editors.
  15. Fixed a problem in which copying a pasting a command field did not work in some cases.
  16. Fixed a bug which allowed a duplicate user program name in some situations.
  17. Fixed several cases where invalid expressions accessing bit numbers were not reported as invalid.
  18. Fixed a problem in which the _CurAxis system tag could not be changed by an expression.
  19. Fixed some problems copy and pasting values in the Shortcut Command Editor.
  20. Fixed a potentially confusing error message when verifying a program with a label that matches a program name.
  21. Fixed a problem with viewing long trend plots in which the time shown in the detail window did not match the time bar.

RMC70Tools 1.60.3 (December 5, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when importing a program.
  2. Fixed a problem in which copying and pasting a link condition did not always work.

RMC70Tools 1.60.2 (November 29, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when pasting into an editor.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Link Condition Wizard skipped its first page when an expression had already been entered, which made it difficult to change the type of the link condition.
  3. Fixed a problem in which addresses selected for the Gear commands' master register were displayed as invalid in the Shortcut Command Editor.
  4. Fixed a problem in which doing a Download All to a controller with firmware 1.54 or older resulted in numerous errors being reported in the Event Log.
  5. Fixed a problem in which doing an Upload All from a controller with firmware 1.60 or later did not upload the Event Log filter settings.
  6. Fixed a problem in which selecting multiple Auto Stop setting parameters and selecting a value from the list only modified one parameter instead of all selected parameters.
  7. Fixed a regression introduced in 1.60.1 in which many event log entries were displayed incorrectly after uploading from an RMC75S.
  8. Fixed a problem in which pasting into the Variable Table could take several seconds to complete.

RMC70Tools 1.60.1 (November 22, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which pressing F1 for context sensitive help did not work in many locations.
  2. Fixed a problem in which opened Event Log files displayed the wrong time stamps for each event.

RMC70Tools 1.60.0 (November 10, 2006)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Event Log Enhancements:
    1. Added support for saving and opening Event Log files.
    2. Added the ability to clear the Event Log.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    3. Added the ability to filter the Event Log.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    4. Added support for logging assignment expressions.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    5. Added logging of Set/Clear/Toggle Discrete Output commands when issued from the User Programs.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    6. Added a LOG_EVENT function that can be called from an expression action. This allows custom events to be added to the Event Log.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    7. Added logging of protocol errors for all serial and Ethernet protocols.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    8. Added support for logging all serial and/or Ethernet protocols. This level of logging can be invaluable for troubleshooting communications, but defaults to being turned off to avoid swamping the Event Log.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    9. Increased the number of Event Log entries that can be stored in RMC70Tools from 2000 to 8192.
  2. Added support for the Mitsubishi Bi-directional serial protocol.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
  3. Added the ability to issue several commands from User Programs immediately, without waiting for the next control loop before issuing another command. Immediate commands include the following:
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    Set Discrete Output (60)
    Clear Discrete Output (61)
    Toggle Discrete Output (62)
    Set Pos/Vel Ctrl Mode (68)
  4. Program Monitor Improvements:
    1. The User Program and Step Number are now shown in separate columns, and the User Program name is used instead of the number.
    2. Added a shortcut menu to to the Task list, which allows starting and stopping tasks directly from the Program Monitor.
  5. Added support for a new axis parameter for SSI feedback: SSI Overflow Mode.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
  6. Added support for the new Target Jerk axis status register (F8-11:58).
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
  7. Added support for two new task status registers:
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.60 or newer]
    Current Program (F24:3 for Task 0, F24:19 for Task 1, etc.)
    Current Step (F24:4 for Task 0, F24:20 for Task 1, etc.)
  8. This information is still available the Current Program/Step register, but has been divided out for easy access from many PLC and HMI devices.
  9. Added tooltips to fields in the Shortcut Command Set editor, Prescan Table editor, Step Editor, and Command Tool where the text was cut off.
  10. Added support for the Ctrl+D and Ctrl+U shortcut keys to Download and Upload the currently selected node in the project tree.
  11. Added all supported registers to the Address Selection Tool. Previously all plot configuration registers, communication configuration, hardware and firmware information, and general task settings were missing.
  12. Improved the clarity of many error messages.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug where the size of the Variable Table and Program Monitor were not updated when manually editing the firmware revision.
  2. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when downloading firmware.
  3. Fixed a bug in which the Shortcut Commands, Ctrl+K, and other keys were not allowed from the Gain Calculator.
  4. Fixed a problem in which modal dialog boxes open under the Plot Manager could be forced closed when RMC70Tools was closed, which could lead to a an application error on shutdown. These dialog boxes must be closed before exiting RMC70Tools.
  5. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when clicking on a error notification balloon.
  6. Fixed the default IP settings to match the firmware default (BOOTP) instead of having a static IP set to 0.0.0.0, which was invalid.
  7. Increased the width of expanded list boxes so that no text is clipped.
  8. Fixed a problem where focus was lost after editing a plot configuration in the autotune wizard.
  9. Fixed how plot configurations are updated when axes are changed so that the Assigned Axis is never left at an illegal value, plus the items are adjusted based on the number of axes available.
  10. Reduced a delay when editing I/O settings.
  11. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when copying data from spreadsheet windows.
  12. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when building models from plots for tuning.
  13. Fixed a bug where feed forwards were not set correctly by the gain calculator in some cases.
  14. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when the Step Editor selection is lost.
  15. Fixed some problems with copying and pasting arrays.
  16. Fixed some memory leaks.
  17. Fixed a number of problems related to restarting an RMC75E while connected over Ethernet.
  18. Fixed a cosmetic problem in which some loop times could be displayed with too many decimal places.
  19. Fixed a problem where the the available axis status/parameter registers were not always updated correctly after an uploading.
  20. Fixed a problem in which some settings that should be disabled for certain serial protocols were enabled.
  21. Fixed a problem where the ESCAPE and ENTER keys didn't work in the Link Condition Wizard while the focus was in the edit control.
  22. Fixed a problem where pasting to an expression edit box could mess up the text format.

RMC70Tools 1.50.3 (September 22, 2006)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved RMC70Tools' handling of computers with multiple IP interfaces, as many laptops now have, in the following ways:
    1. When validating an RMCs proposed IP settings, all available PC IP interfaces are taken into account. That is, the user is now only warned when the new IP settings do not appear accessable from any of the PCs interfaces.
    2. When entering an RMCs IP settings, the user can now select which IP interface's settings they want to view.
    3. A "Troubleshoot" button has been added next to the Ethernet browsing window. This button provides information about Windows Firewall and how to make computers with multiple IP interfaces reliably browse all RMC controllers.
    4. A new setting called the "Primary Browsing Interface" can be set using the "Troubleshoot" button. This can be used to make the PC reliably browse all RMC controllers.
    NOTE: RMC75E firmware 1.52 or newer is recommended for the most reliable Ethernet browsing.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed some problems with compiling certain expressions.
  2. Fixed some problems with importing and exporting user programs.
  3. Fixed some cases where RMC70Tools could become unresponsive.
  4. Fixed a problem in which the Controller Properties would close after it had failed to apply the changes rather than remain open to correct the problem.
  5. Fixed a problem in which using the Resolve button in the Controller Properties dialog box to download the project settings over the controller settings did not ask whether the settings should be saved to FLASH or RAM. This led to confusion as to which method was used.
  6. Fixed a problem in which the toolbar icons were not updated after a controller went offline until the current dialog box was closed.
  7. Fixed some problems that could occur if the controller went offline while the Plot Manager was waiting for a plot to trigger.
  8. Added a warning if the user exports a program that uses explicit addresses, since import collisions with these addresses are not caught.
  9. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when closing the Plot Manager.
  10. Fixed a problem in which a controller's connection could fault such that the connection could not be re-established until the project was closed and re-opened.
  11. Fixed a problem in which a controller could lose communication while RMC70Tools is restarting the controller.

RMC70Tools 1.50.2 (September 7, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Velocity Feed Forward setting could be reset to zero in the project file when updating to 1.50 firmware.
  2. Fixed a problem in which exporting and importing User Programs did not properly handle arrays. Importing could overwrite arrays and exporting did not export the arrays properly.
  3. Fixed a problem in which using an expression to assign a value to some tags of DWORD or DINT type did not work properly.
  4. Fixed two cases where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when uploading a plot.
  5. Clarified an error message that is displayed if the user re-enters RUN mode while a download is in progress.
  6. Fixed a problem in which system tags that ended in a number (such as _Axis[0].AutoStopCfg1) were not accepted in expressions.
  7. Fixed a problem with re-assigning variables when importing a User Program, in which variables in files %MD57-59 did not work.
  8. The comparison operators (=, <>, <, >, <=, >=) were not listed with the other operators in the Expression Builder. They were supported, but not listed.
  9. Fixed a problem opening a project file with arrays in its variable tables would cause some problems such as the project file being marked as having unsaved changes or the Program Configuration being marked as different when the Variable Table Editor is opened.
  10. Fixed a problem in which changing individual Discrete I/O data types using an expression such as "_DIO.Type[0].0 := 1" did not work properly.

RMC70Tools 1.50.1 (August 21, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug where downloading the controller properties when using RS-485 would fail.

RMC70Tools 1.50.0 (August 17, 2006)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added Auto Tuning:
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.50 or newer]
    1. Added an AutoTune Wizard. This wizard will take the user through obtaining a model for their system which is then used to generate axis gains.
    2. Added a Gain Calculator tool for easily adjusting gains once a system model has been created.
  2. Plot Manager Enhancements:
    1. Added a halt button to the Plot Manager toolbar.
    2. Improved the usability of the context menu for the header of the parameter pane in the Tuning Tools with regard to selecting an axis.
    3. Added commands to the Plot Manager menu to select whether the Plot History or Tuning Tools tab is visible.
  3. Added support for new features added in the 1.50 firmware:
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.50 or newer]
    1. Added the Current Control Mode (F8:6) and Next Pos/Vel Control Mode (F8:7) status registers, and the Default Pos/Vel Control Mode (F12:43) parameter. These are used for managing switches between control modes. These were added since three new control modes were added: Position I-PD, Velocity PID, and Velocity I-PD.
    2. Added axis parameters to support Active Damping.
    3. Added axis parameters to support Acceleration Control.
    4. Added axis parameters to store the axis's System Model.
    5. Added a new command for selecting control modes:
      Set Pos/Vel Control Mode (68)
      Sets the control mode that the next move command will use. The next mode can be Position PID, Position I-PD, Velocity PID, or Velocity I-PD.
    6. Added three new motion commands:
      Move Velocity (I-PD) (38)
      Sets the Target Velocity immediately to the Requested Velocity and holds that velocity until commanded otherwise. This command is only supported in the Velocity I-PD control mode.
      Move Absolute (I-PD) (28)
      Sets the Target Position immediately to the Requested Position. This command is only supported in the Position I-PD control mode. The speed is limited by the Maximum Speed parameter.
      Move Relative (I-PD) (29)
      Sets the Target Position immediately to the Requested Distance from the indicated position (Command, Target, or Actual). This command is only supported in the Position I-PD control mode. The speed is limited by the Maximum Speed parameter.
    7. Added two new pressure/force control commands:
      Ramp Pressure/Force (Linear) (42)
      Ramps the Pressure/Force Limit or Setpoint to the specified value in the specified time, using a linear profile.
      Stop Pressure/Force (43)
      Stop the Pressure/Force target immediately at its current value.
    8. Added support for the new method of setting directionally-ratioed control gains. Controllers with firmware prior to 1.50 use a Directional Gain Ratio parameter. For controllers using 1.50 or newer firmware, this parameter has been removed, and instead dual Velocity Feed Forward gains are used.
    9. Added the ability to have separate Gain Sets for Position and Velocity Control or PID and I-PD Control. This allows for switching control modes on-the-fly.
    10. Added new Simulator parameters.
    11. Added a new command parameter to the relative move commands. This parameter selects which position the requested distance is relative to: Command, Actual, or Target Position. The affected commands include:
      Quick Move Relative (16)
      Move Relative (21)
      Time Move Relative (24)
      Adv Time Move Relative (27)
      Move Relative (I-PD) (29)
    12. Added new advanced filtering options for actual position, velocity, and acceleration terms:
      1. The filtered values can now optionally be used by the control algorithm.
      2. In additional to using a low-pass filter on these quantities, a model can be used to filter the inputs.
    13. Added support for an Acceleration Input. This acceleration input can be used as a secondary input to aid in Acceleration Control or Active Damping.
  4. Axis Tools Enhancements:
    1. Added basic Simulator options to the Axis Parameters Setup tab. These options had previously only been available on the All tab.
    2. Moved filtering parameters into a Filtering/Modeling subcategory under Feedback. The new Model parameters are also in this new subcategory.
    3. Added new parameters supported by the 1.50 firmware (see above).
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.50 or newer]
  5. User Program Enhancements:
    1. Added the ability to define arrays in the Variable Table.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.50 or newer]
    2. Added the ability to index into arrays in expressions.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.50 or newer]
  6. New Project Wizard Enhancements:
    1. Added an option to create a sub-folder to hold the new project.
    2. We now suggest a new location for new projects, which is a RMCTools folder under My Documents.
  7. Errors in the Verify Results window are now shown as hyperlinks, and when clicked, link to the step with the error.
  8. We now change the project tree selection depending upon which editor has the focus.
  9. Improved the performance of RMC70Tools in several areas.
  10. Improved the error reporting on writes to unused Indirect Data Map entries.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.50 or newer]
  11. Removed the Bi-directional Pressure/Force mode selection. This option is not currently supported.
  12. Improved the usability of the device lists when selecting an Ethernet or USB device. Double-clicking a device will automatically select that device, and if only a single device is available, it will be selected by default.
  13. The Program Monitor will now be displayed blank until it has gone online at least once. This was done to avoid confusion when still offline.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. We now verify User Programs during a Download All based on the project's parameters. If the controller's parameters differ from the project's parameters, then the user is wanred before the download.
  2. Under some conditions, Shortcut Commands were not sent with invalid parameters.
  3. Deleting a variable didn't delete the initial value.
  4. Fixed a problem where opening a plot with more than 4096 samples would incorrectly wrap over the samples.
  5. Fixed several issues when editing within cells.
  6. Fixed a problem where the wizards didn't update in Axis Tools when changing settings.
  7. Fixed a case where the Plot Manager could shut down unexpectedly because the Tuning Tools Setup dialog wasn't disabled while the Plot Properties got opened, thus allowing it to be closed prematurely.
  8. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when the Event Log was empty and the mousewheel was scrolled.
  9. Improved the update rate in the Program Monitor.
  10. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when double clicking on an error in the Verify Results window after deleting a step.
  11. Improved handling of Inf (Infinity) and NaN (Not-a-Number), especially with regard to saving and loading from a plot file.
  12. Improved handling of focus in the Project Tree and Command Tool, which also fixes a problem where the Edit menu items were often disabled.
  13. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when using the Variable Table editor.
  14. Fixed a problem in which the tooltips for the Axis Parameter toolbar in the Tuning Tools did not work.
  15. Fixed a problem where multiple Plot Managers per controller could be opened in some cases.
  16. Fixed a problem where the Plot Manager wasn't always brought to the foreground when it was open with a dialog box open under it.
  17. Fixed a bug where the current axis parameter settings were not saved when navigating to previous plots in the Tuning Tools tab of the Plot Manager.
  18. Fixed a bug where invalid axis parameter values could be written down to the controller.
  19. Fixed a problem where differences would be indicated in axis tools but did not appear in any field.
  20. Fixed an issue where plot triggers were left disabled after running in Trend mode.
  21. Fixed a case where trying to download a parameter change from the Tuning Tools that required disabling the axis did not work.
  22. Fixed several cases where message boxes popped up within the Plot Manager could return focus to the main window.
  23. Fixed a problem in which when a command was selected in a User Program, Shift+Down Arrow did not expand the selection to the next action.
  24. Fixed an issue where firmware updates caused the controller's axis definitions to overwrite the project's axis definitions, whether online or offline.
  25. Fixed an issue where the Set/Clear/Toggle Discrete Output (60-62) commands in the Command Tool and Shortcut Commands were validated based on the project instead of the controller when online.
  26. Fixed an issue where the Start/Stop Task commands and the Start/Stop/ Trigger/EnDis Plot commands entered in User Programs did not validate based on the project settings.
  27. Fixed a problem where axes could be disabled unnecessarily during a Download All and then not re-enabled.
  28. Fixed an issue where difference icons showed up next to items that had differences only on axes not shown.
  29. Fixed several tag names to be consistent with other tag names.
  30. Fixed a case where communications with the controller could be unnecessarily lost.
  31. Fixed two issues with editing operands: (1) pressing Backspace or typing anything in the middle of the text cleared the whole rest of the line after the cursor, (2) pressing Home selected the whole edit text. These only affected when the user was entering something other than a tag (constant or expression).
  32. Fixed a bug where an invalid task number specified in the Start Task and Stop Task commands did not cause a verify error.
  33. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when changing axis definitions.
  34. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when selecting an invalid axis in the Tuning Tools tab of the Plot Manager.
  35. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when clicking in the Build Results window.
  36. Fixed a bug in which changes made to parameters in the Axis Tools window while offline would not be seen in the Tuning Tools view of the parameters.
  37. Fixed a problem where the times shown in the Event Log would be incorrect for control loop times other than 1ms.
  38. Fixed a problem where the Stop Trend button in the Plot Manager could cancel the Trend upload altogether instead of uploading missing samples.

RMC70Tools 1.45.4 (June 30, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when opening the address selection list.
  2. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when switching to another application.
  3. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when closing the Plot Manager.
  4. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could lock up or shut down unexpectedly when changing the plot configurations from within the Plot Manager.
  5. Fixed two cases where the keyboard focus would be lost when downloading settings to the controller, requiring the mouse to be used to resume keyboard navigation.

RMC70Tools 1.45.3 (May 12, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when using the Command History.
  2. Fixed a case where the user would be warning about the Ethernet settings being changed when they had in fact not been changed.

RMC70Tools 1.45.2 (May 5, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed several cases where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly.
  2. Fixed a problem where using the Store Shortcut Command button in the Command Tool in the Send All options stored the wrong command parameters.
  3. Fixed a problem where if the user selects to save a file when closing it and the save fails, the file was closed anyway.
  4. Fixed a problem where the Scale/Offset Wizards did not catch invalid values on the Results page. This could give unexpected Scale/Offset values.
  5. Fixed a problem where some valid values could be rejected when entering values into any field. For example, "-0.0" was not accepted.
  6. Fixed a problem where the "This plot is already loaded" warning would be displayed even if the plot had already been deleted.
  7. The Mean Squared Error value in a plot showed too many digits. It is now displayed to four digits of precision.
  8. Improved the speed of saving a project.
  9. Clarified the wording in the Link Condition wizard regarding Soft Limit Switches.

RMC70Tools 1.45.1 (April 18, 2006)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where launching the Pressure/Force Scale/Offset Wizard from the Axis Tools would cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.
  2. Fixed a problem where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly after hiding columns in an editor.

RMC70Tools 1.45.0 (March 24, 2006)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Quadrature feedback.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.45 or newer]
    1. Added support for the QA1 and QA2 one- and two-axis modules with quadrature feedback and analog control output. Each axis interface includes A, B, and Z differential inputs, two registration or physical limit inputs, home input, fault input, enable output, and control output.
    2. Added support for the EXP70-Q1 quadrature reference expansion module. Each module includes A and B differential quadrature inputs, a single registration/home input, and selectable termination.
  2. Plot Manager Enhancements
    1. RMC70Tools now opens a new plot manager for each controller. This simplifies using the Plot Manager with multiple controllers in a project.
    2. Added Tuning Tools to the plot manager. These tools greatly simplify the axis tuning process. They include a built-in axis parameter editor, status view, and configurable command buttons, plus a tuning history.
      [RMC70 firmware 1.42 or newer is recommended for full functionality]
    3. Simplified the user interface when uploading plots. Plots can now be uploaded in Trend or Capture mode.
      [RMC70 firmware 1.42 or newer is recommended for full functionality]
    4. Clarified progress during a plot upload by displaying a progress bar while uploading.
    5. When a trending plot is stopped, the data is filled in from right-to-left in order to show the most recent information first.
    6. Added Mean Squared Error to the plot detail window. This can be used as a rough approximation of how tightly an axis is tuned.
    7. Added a notice when uploading the same plot currently displayed in the plot manager. This helps avoid confusion when a plot has not been retriggered.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.40 or newer]
    8. Added a Shortcut Command Bar to the Plot Manager.
  3. Variable Table Enhancements
    1. The variable table now holds 1024 user variables.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.45 or newer]
    2. Variables are now listed by the variable number instead of register address in the Variable Table and Program Monitor windows. The register address can still be displayed using an optional column.
  4. Communication Settings
    1. Added support for locking the RMC75E's IP settings. When locked, these settings can only be changed from RMC70Tools over the USB port.
    2. IP addresses can now have ":<port>" added to the end to use a different TCP port. Notice that users should use the default port unless instructed to do otherwise.
    3. The controller Connection Path settings are now located in a separate dialog box rather than as a part of the Controller Properties dialog box. This was done to simplify the Controller Properties dialog box.
  5. Added support for homing incremental axes. This applies to not only the QA1/QA2 and Q1 modules, but also the incremental SSI interfaces.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.45 or newer]
  6. Added support for assigning physical overtravel limit switches to an axis. Axes based on a QA1/QA2 quadrature axis module can use its dedicated physical limit inputs, but any axis can assign its Fault input and/or generic inputs (from the EXP70-D8) to this task.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.45 or newer]
  7. Added support for two new motion commands: Advanced Time Move Absolute (26), and Advanced Time Move Additive (27). Notice that these are advanced command for advanced users only.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.45 or newer]
  8. Added two new global system variables used for custom timers: _SysMS and _SysTicks. Both system variables hold the time since controller power-up or reset. _SysMS is in milliseconds, and _SysTicks is in control loops.
    [_SysTicks requires RMC70 firmware 1.32 or newer]
  9. Changed the behavior of pressing ENTER when editing a cell. It no longer moves the cell selection after accepting the edit.
  10. Made the Command Tool visible by default.
  11. Made the default folder used by Open and Save To dialog boxes more consistently remember the last open folder.
  12. Replaced the terms "Download" and "Upload" with "Download to Controller" and "Upload from Controller" to clarify the direction of the transfer.
  13. Parameters can now be entered in exponential format. For example, instead of typing "0.0000015", you can now type "1.5E-6".
  14. Added a horizontal scroll bar to the Event Log.
  15. Added support for logging PROFIBUS parameters and configuration.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Plot Manager
    1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly while uploading a plot.
    2. Fixed some cases where RMC70Tools could become non-responsive.
    3. Fixed a bug in which a negative Position Unwind parmater could cause plots of rotary axes to have large velocity spikes when the position was unwound.
    4. While viewing a trending plot, the time base now continues to increase indefinitely. Previously it would stop increasing or jump around somewhat after the trend had captured 4096 samples.
    5. Fixed a problem where dragging the horizontal scroll bar button in the plot view did not work properly on very long plots.
    6. Fixed a problem where RMC70Tools could lose communication with the RMC if a plot upload was cancelled.
  2. User Programs/Expressions
    1. Fixed some cases where an expression entered in the Expression Editor was ignored after clicking OK.
    2. Fixed a bug which allowed a number to be pasted into a tag name field. Tag names should not be allowed to start with a number.
    3. Fixed a bug where spaces were not allowed between a function name and the opening parenthesis in expressions.
    4. Fixed a problem where an expression with only spaces was incorrectly handled.
    5. Fixed a problem where system tags that have no corresponding register location (such as _FirstScan) were displayed in the Address Selection Tool as having a bogus register address (F4095:x).
    6. Fixed a bug in the Link Condition wizard where hexadecimal values are shown using the "0x" prefix instead of the standard "16#" prefix.
    7. Fixed a bug where reading the Raw Counts status register into a variable using an expression gives the wrong value.
    8. Fixed a bug in which integer constants were limited incorrectly in expressions. For example, "MyDWORD := 16#FFFFFFFF" was not accepted.
    9. The Set Discrete Output command compiled incorrectly when using single-letter tag names for any output other than %QX0.
  3. Axis Tools
    1. Fixed a bug where setting a bit field to an invalid value could corrupt other bit fields in the same register.
    2. Invalid Auto Stop configuration values are no longer offered in the Axis Tools parameter pane.
    3. Improved error handling for invalid parameter entry. For example, previously "1000000000000000" was accepted as a valid integer value and "1.#INF" was treated like 1.0.
  4. Command Tool and Shortcut Commands
    1. Fixed a text formatting problem in the Command Tool history list.
    2. Fixed a bug in the Command Tool where invalid command parameters where displayed as defaults.
    3. Fixed some bugs with multi-cell selection in the Shortcut Command editor.
    4. Fixed a bug where integers were not accepted for enumerated command parameters.
    5. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when issuing a Shortcut Command.
  5. Project Tree
    1. Fixed some cases where the Project Tree could lose keyboard focus during certain operations.
    2. Fixed a case where the selected controller was not properly updated when selecting a Shortcut Command Set in the Project Tree.
    3. Fixed a problem in which it could take several seconds to change the selected item in the Project Tree. This occurred when switching between controllers.
  6. Event Log
    1. Fixed a bug in which the Event Log could display information from a previous session after going online.
    2. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when displaying an invalid address in the Event Log.
  7. Copy/Paste
    1. Fixed a bug in which copying to the clipboard could fail in some cases.
    2. Fixed a bug where Axis Definitions were not pasted correctly when copying a controller between projects.
    3. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when pasting a project into RMC70Tools.
  8. Miscellaneous:
    1. Fixed a bug where the "Auto Refresh" checkbox did not work in the Program Monitor.
    2. Fixed a bug where the discrete I/O types could be incorrect when offline.
    3. Fixed several cases where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly, especially when going online, uploading, or downloading.
    4. Fixed a bug when creating a new controller using the automatic detection method in the New Controller Wizard if an error occurs when uploading the controller information.
    5. Fixed an annoyance in which deleting the append row in the PreScan Table editor would cause a beep.

RMC70Tools 1.40.1 (December 16, 2005)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a confirmation to the Controller Properties dialog box if the Ethernet settings will be changed.
  2. Improved the behavior of the New Controller Wizard by expanding and selecting the newly-created controller when complete.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which RMC70Tools would not run on Windows NT 4.0.
  2. Fixed a bug in which commands not supported by an axis would still have the command parameters of the unsupported command listed in the Command Tool.
  3. Fixed a bug in the Scale/Offset wizard in which an extra step could be displayed.

RMC70Tools 1.40.0 (September 20, 2005)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the RMC75E ethernet controller:
    1. Added support for selecting USB as a communication path from RMC70Tools to the RMC75E controller. Also added support for browsing the USB bus to identify connected devices.
    2. Added support for using USB to automatically detect controller information when setting up a new controller in the Add Controller Wizard.
    3. Added support for selecting Ethernet as a communication path from RMC70Tools to the RMC75E controller. Also added support for browsing for RMC75E devices connected to the Ethernet network.
    4. Added support for using Ethernet to automatically detect controller information when setting up a new controller in the Add Controller Wizard.
    5. Added an Ethernet page to the Controller Properties dialog box for for configuration of the RMC75E's Ethernet settings.
    6. Added support to the Event Log to display Ethernet events
  2. Added a new Communication Statistics monitor tool.
  3. Added support for multiple actions per step in the Step Editor.
  4. Added support for exporting and importing of User Programs.
  5. Added a program comment to User Programs on the "User Program Properties" dialog.
  6. Improved communication error handling.
  7. For absolute move commands, on the Direction parameter, a new "Current" option was added.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.40 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Event Log
    1. Corrected misspelling of Event Details.
    2. Fixed a bug where events were "popped up" that did not originate from RMC70Tools.
    3. Fixed a bug where the event log time was not displayed in all cases even though the firmware revision was correct.
    4. Fixed a bug in which the Event Log times were inaccurate after several days (as much as 0.010 second after 60 hours), and which could result in numbers being displayed with .1000 for the fraction (when 3 digits were supposed to be used).
    5. Fixed cases where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly if the Event Log was left open and online for long periods of time.
  2. Shortcut Command Editor
    1. Fixed a bug in the shortcut command editor which could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.
    2. Improved handling of discrete output command parameters in the shortcut command editor.
  3. Program Monitor
    1. Fixed two bugs which could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly when using the Program Monitor.
    2. Fixed a bug where the Program Monitor was not always updated correctly after uploading the controller's variable settings.
    3. Fixed a bug where the download button was never enabled in the Program Monitor.
  4. Command Tool
    1. Fixed a bug where pressing a key when the command tool had the selection did not start editing in command parameter enumeration fields.
    2. Increased the amount of scrolling when using the wheel mouse.
    3. Fixed a bug where the user could send a command when offline using the ENTER key. The command would not reach the controller, of course.
  5. Controller Properties
    1. Fixed a bug where an error displayed when changing the RMC70Tools connection path for a controller.
    2. Resolved an issue with changing the RMC70Tools connection path for a controller and then changing any other property on the controller properties pages. When online, the wrong controller could be updated.
    3. Fixed a bug after changing the RMC70Tools connection path for a controller and reconnecting an error was displayed.
    4. Fixed a bug which could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly when using this dialog.
    5. Fixed a bug where the RMC70Tools connection path was not correct after changing CPU types.
    6. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when deleting the last expansion module on a controller.
    7. Fixed a bug where changes to the RMC70Tools connection path for a controller were not always used correctly applied when updating firmware.
  6. Expressions
    1. Fixed a case where bit assignments to IEC addresses were not compiled correctly.
    2. Fixed a bug in which _Task[].* would return incorrect values.
    3. Fixed a bug setting the _CurAxis tag.
  7. User Programs
    1. Fixed a bug where duplicate labels were not reported as errors when verifying.
    2. When deleting a user program the user is now prompted before continuing.
    3. Fixed a bug where the discrete I/O tag names in the user programs had the I/O point number appended which caused problems when moving the tag name to another point.
  8. Step Editor
    1. Fixed several bugs in the edit control used for command parameters.
    2. Made commanded axes check boxes activate on a single click.
    3. Fixed a bug where the user could not exit from a combo box when they had not selected a valid option.
    4. Improved handling of discrete output command parameters.
  9. PreScan Table Editor
    1. Fixed a bug where deleting a range of cells in the did not update the selected range correctly.
    2. Fixed a bug when deleting rows in the prescan table caused the editor to display the rows incorrectly.
  10. Axis Tools Editor
    1. Fixed a bug in Axis Tools which could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.
    2. Fixed a bug which could cause RMC70Tools to lock up when removing the only visible axis in the axes tools editor.
  11. Indirect Data Map Editor
    1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when downloading/uploading.
    2. Changed the row labels in the Indirect Data Map from "F17:*" to "F18:*" to avoid confusion between the configuration area and the data area.
  12. Miscellaneous
    1. Fixed several bugs which caused RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly when changing Axes Definitions.
    2. Fixed a bug where an invalid user entry did not prevent the user from moving to the next page in the Scale/Offset Wizards.
    3. Fixed a bug where selecting an item in the popup list window when entering an address in the Indirect Data Map, or a command parameter in the Step Editor did not update the edit control properly.
    4. Fixed a problem when drawing parts of the screen where some elements would be appear solid black after running for long periods of time. This would happen when running with the Event Log open for a long time.
    5. Fixed a bug where discrete I/O was not copied when copying the Programming node in the project tree.
    6. Removed the Command registers from the Step Editor, PreScan Table, and Plot address selection lists.
    7. Fixed a bug when displaying I/O points in the Address Selection Dialog.

RMC70Tools 1.31.0 (May 27, 2005)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Scale/Offset Wizard Enhancements:
    1. Added Count Offset to Scale/Offset Wizards for SSI absolute Linear with rotary encoder and for Rotary Axes.
    2. Added Velocity Axis Scale/Offset wizard.
    3. Several changes to the Scale/Offset Wizard pages to improve usability and add additional features.
    4. Added units to the Scale/Offset wizard's results and affected settings pages.
  2. Added the Move Velocity (37) command.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.32 or newer]
  3. Command parameters now list enumerations for Set Discrete Output, Clear Discrete Output, Toggle Discrete Output and Start Task commands.
  4. Added command parameter validation for the command tool and for the shortcut command editor. Parameters are now shown in Red when they are not valid.
  5. Added support for DF1 request logging.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.32 or newer]
  6. Added option for turning off Duplicate Packet Detect in DF1.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.32 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when enabling the pre scan task after loading a project in which it was disabled.
  2. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly while the event log was uploading. This happens when the event log is open for some time, usually a few hours.
  3. Fixed a scrolling problem in the Shortcut Command Editor.
  4. Fixed several bugs with the Scale Offset wizards.
  5. Fixed a bug where after editing a comment in the user program editor you could not click to select a step or cell.
  6. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when updating the Indirect Data Map.
  7. Fixed several bugs in the command tool where some command parameter values where not sent correctly and some parameter defaults were not set correctly.
  8. Fixed a bug with the title bar display after closing a project.
  9. Fixed a bug where the context menu in the project tree did not start the scale offset wizard when the axis tools window was open.
  10. Fixed a bug which caused memory leaks in the command history list.
  11. Fixed a bug which could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly while in the shortcut command editor.
  12. Fixed a bug where errors which occurred before the controller went online were displayed when going online.
  13. Fixed a deadlock condition when an error occurred during communication.
  14. Fixed a bug which changed the cursor to a hand over a blank cell when on a wizard row in Axis Tools.
  15. Fixed a bug which prevented IEC addresses from being used with the Set Output Command.
  16. Fixed a bug where ".0" was stripped off parameters incorrectly after validation in the user program editor.
  17. Fixed a bug in the user program editor where a button in a command parameter cell could be painted on top of the text.
  18. Addressed several issues which could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly when updating the Axes Definitions.
  19. Fixed a bug where going online before a project had been loaded (such as when creating a new controller) caused a problem in the Event Log.
  20. Changed "axis velocity" to "Target Velocity" in the help text for the Move Velocity family of commands.

RMC70Tools 1.30.0 (March 4, 2005)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Axis Tools enhancements:
    1. Added Scale/Offset wizards to simplify setting up of position, pressure, and force feedback axes. These wizards not only walk the user through setting up the Scale and Offset axis parameters, but also help in changing related parameters.
    2. Combined Basic Position, Basic Velocity, and Basic P/F status tabs into a single Basic status tab, in order to simplify monitoring axes.
    3. Re-organized the setup parameters to make setup more intuitive.
    4. Added support for new rotary axis parameters.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.30 or newer]
    5. Added the Output Bias parameter to the Tune tab.
    6. Renamed the "OL Halt and Disable Out" AutoStop type to "Direct Output Halt".
    7. Added support for the new "Direct Output" status bit.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.30 or newer]
    8. Renamed the "Initialized" status bit to "Enabled".
    9. Added support for ensuring that the axis is in Direct Output state or disabled when changing critical feedback parameters.
    10. Added support for the change of the Raw Counts axis status register data type from REAL to DINT.
      [Applies only to RMC70 firmware 1.30 or newer]
  2. Event Log enhancements:
    1. Instant error notification: This feature flags the user through a popup window and icon when an axis error has occurred or when an attempt to issue a command or change axis parameters failed.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.24 or newer]
    2. Error Reporting Clarity: In Invalid Command Parameter errors, the offending command parameter is now identified by name.
    3. Error Reporting Clarity: AutoStop error bits are now listed by name instead of through a hexadecimal error bit mask.
    4. Error Reporting Clarity: References to registers now identify the register by name in addition to the address.
    5. Improved update rate of Event Log in some situations.
  3. Command Tool enhancements:
    1. Added support for new commands: Enable/Disable Axis (97), Gear Position (30), Gear Velocity (31), and Offset Position (47).
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.30 or newer]
    2. Renamed the Initialize Axes (7) command to Enable Controller (7).
    3. Renamed the Direct Drive (9) command to Direct Output (9).
    4. Renamed the Disable Output (3) command to Direct Output Halt (3).
    5. Simplified selecting values for enumerated command parameters. For example, the Direction parameter on absolute move commands now allows selecting four different values. The user now selects the appropriate value from a list with descriptive labels instead of manually entering a number from memory.
  4. Plot enhancements:
    1. Added more plot pens to allow showing more values in a single plot.
    2. Added graceful handling of position unwinding on rotary axes.
      [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.30 or newer]
    3. Reduced size of .rmcplots files.
  5. Improved accuracy and quality of RMC70 controller images.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed various cases where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly.
  2. Fixed various minor bugs.

RMC70Tools 1.21.0 (January 10, 2005)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Plots can now be exported into standard formats for use in spreadsheet programs.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug which caused RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly when an invalid parameter was used in the Step Editor with the Set Discrete Output Command.
  2. Fixed a bug which caused RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly when using some clipboard operations.
  3. Fixed a bug which caused RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly after pasting a Controller into a project and selecting the controller.
  4. Fixed a bug where going online would clear the current command tool values.
  5. Fixed several bugs with keyboard navigation in the Command Tool.
  6. Fixed a bug where deleting a Shortcut Command set while it was still open in the editor would cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.
  7. Fixed a bug where pressing the space bar twice in the command tool when the "Send" button had the focus would cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.

RMC70Tools 1.20.2 (November 16, 2004)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug which caused RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly when modifying Axes Definitions.
  2. Fixed a bug which prevented IEC formatted bit addresses from being used in User Programs.

RMC70Tools 1.20.1 (November 3, 2004)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which tags could be entered into the Stored Command editor, when only constants should have been allowed.
  2. Fixed a bug in which RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly after deleting a controller or pasting a controller from the clipboard in the project tree.
  3. Fixed a bug in which a period (.) could sometimes not be entered in a field when it should have been allowed.

RMC70Tools 1.20.0 (October 15, 2004)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. The Command Tool and Shortcut Command features are now more powerful while being easier to use:
    1. The Command Tool now allows simply issuing commands either to a single axis or to multiple axes simultaneously.
    2. The Command Tool interface has been simplified to make use of the Command History and saving a command as a Shortcut Command easier.
    3. Shortcut Commands are now divided into Shortcut Command Sets to allow easily switching between different sets of shortcut commands.
    4. Each Shortcut Command Set can now be edited through a new editor, allowing one or more axes to be simultaneous commanded through a single keyboard shortcut.
    5. A Shortcut Command toolbar was added for selecting between Shortcut Command Sets and for issuing Shortcut Commands with the mouse.
  2. The RUN/PROGRAM mode for the selected controller, if online, is now shown by highlighting the appropriate RUN Mode or PROGRAM Mode button in the toolbar.
  3. Added support for the SEL and LIMIT selection functions in User Program expressions. Both are IEC 61131-3 compliant.
  4. Added the Set Discrete Output (60), Clear Discrete Output (61), and Toggle Discrete Output (62) commands.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.20 or newer]
  5. The Event Log window now displays the last time the Event Log was updated to help identify the age of entries in the log.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.20 or newer]
  6. Added Event Log entries for DF1 application-level errors to help troubleshoot DF1 problems.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.20 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which selecting an address from the Address List using the mouse did not work correctly in some circumstances.

RMC70Tools 1.15.2 (September 28, 2004)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which the Channel A Offset and Channel B Offset parameters for differential force axes could not be set to different values. Making a change to one would apply the same change to both.

RMC70Tools 1.15.1 (September 16, 2004)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved RMC70Tools' handling of DF1 error conditions.
  2. Improved the communication diagnostic log by providing more accurate timing and logging additional error conditions.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which the Link Condition wizard showed the wrong Status/ Error Bits being checked when re-opened on an existing Status/Error Bit expression.
  2. Fixed a bug in which, in some cases, the Step Editor could not be scrolled all the way to the bottom of the User Program.
  3. Fixed a bug in which the Fault Input error condition was not included in the Auto Stop Configuration section of the Axis Tools.
  4. Fixed an issue in which serial ports used by RMC70Tools were not completely initialized. This could result in the serial port not working in RMC70Tools after running certain other applications.

RMC70Tools 1.15.0 (August 6, 2004)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added an Axis Definitions dialog box, which allows the user to view and change the default axis definitions. This increases the range of axis types significantly to include all of the following types:
    Control Axis Types
    1. Position Control
    2. Position-Pressure Control
    3. Position-Force (single-input) Control
    4. Position-Force (dual-input, differential) Control
    5. Pressure Control
    6. Force (single-input) Control
    7. Force (dual-input, differential) Control
    8. Output Only
    Reference Axis Types
    1. Position Reference
    2. Velocity Reference
    3. Pressure Reference
    4. Force (single-input) Reference
    5. Force (dual-input, differential) Reference
    In prior RMC70Tools versions, only the first two (Position Control and Position-Pressure Control) were supported.
  2. The Axis Definitions dialog box is accessed through the Controller menu or the Axes node's shortcut menu.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.12 or newer]
  3. Enhanced the New Controller wizard in several ways:
    1. Increased the size of the controller image to make it easier to see.
    2. Re-designed the Select Expansion Modules page to be easier to use.
    3. Added an Axis Definitions page which presents the default axis definitions and provides an opportunity to change the definitions.
  4. Enhanced the Axis Properties dialog box to show the Axis Definition, including the type of the axis and the type and location of each axis input and output. It also provides a link to the Axis Definitions editor for changing the Axis Definition.
  5. Enhanced the handling of conflicts between hardware types and versions, firmware versions, and axis definitions when going online. This includes clearer presentation of differences and choices.
  6. When RMC70Tools needs to warm-restart the controller, the user is now prompted for whether or not to save all settings to Flash before restarting. In both cases, the settings are not lost during the warm restart, but if not saved to Flash, then they will be lost on the next cold-restart or power cycle. The previous version of RMC70Tools never saved the settings to Flash on a warm-restart.
  7. Added support for the following mathematical functions in User Program expressions: LN, LOG, EXP, SIN, COS, TAN, ASIN, ACOS, and ATAN. All are IEC 61131-3 compliant.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.11 or newer]
  8. Integers constants used in RMC70 Expressions are treated more leniently so that it is no longer necessary to append ".0" to integers constants in order to use them in the same expression as REAL variables.
  9. Improved the error reporting when entering Expressions in the Condition wizard or Expression Builder. Previously the text was marked red when there was an error, but a description was not provided until the user clicked OK. Now, the error message is visible without clicking OK.
  10. Re-designed the Limit Switch page of the New Condition wizard to be easier to use.
  11. Added Event Log entries for abnormal conditions that occur when using the DF1 serial port protocol.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which Event Log entries for axis configuration errors displayed the incorrect register address. This bug was introduced in version 1.11.
  2. Fixed two bugs in the Axis Tools. Notice that neither should be a problem for RMC70Tools 1.11 users because that version never created more than two axes and they were always the same type. However, setting up a controller in a new version of RMC70Tools and then going online with an older version of RMC70Tools could make this bug show up.
    1. Working with more than two (2) axes did not work correctly.
    2. RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when displaying axes of different types.
  3. Fixed a bug in which RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly when online with the I/O Monitor open.
  4. Fixed a bug in which REAL constants in RMC70 Expressions could be truncated unnecessarily.
  5. Fixed a bug in which the Programming node could be marked as differing between the project and controller when it actually did not and vice versa.
  6. Fixed a bug in which the ABS function was rejected in RMC70 Expressions.
  7. Fixed a bug in the Axis Tools in which the category-expansion buttons could stop working temporarily.
  8. Fixed a bug in which the less-than-or-equal (<=) operator was incorrectly converted to not-equal (<>) when entered in expressions.
  9. Fixed a bug in which forced I/O points were not displayed correctly when running under Windows 98/NT4.

RMC70Tools 1.11.0 (June 15, 2004)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the D8 Discrete I/O expansion module. This includes the following features:
    1. I/O Monitor: This dockable tool can be used for viewing the I/O states, toggling outputs, and forcing inputs and outputs on or off.
    2. Discrete I/O Configuration: The settings for each I/O point can be edited from an editor found under the Program Configuration node in the project tree. Settings include whether the I/O point is an Input or Output, a user tag name, and, for outputs, what should happen to the output state when entering PROGRAM mode and when a Fault Controller command is received.
    3. New System Tag: The new "_DIO" system tag includes fields for the discrete I/O setup and state registers.
    4. I/O Point Addressing: I/O points can be referenced from expressions in the User Programs using the IEC 61131-3 addressing format of %IX0-63 for inputs, and %QX0-63 for outputs. Notice that I/O points may also be referenced by their user-assigned tag names.
    5. I/O DWORD Addressing: A block of 32 I/O points at a time can be referenced from the User Programs using the IEC 61131-3 addresses %ID0-1 and %QD0-1.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.11 or newer]
  2. Added support for assigning a discrete input to control whether the controller is in RUN or PROGRAM mode. A rising edge on this input will put the controller in RUN mode and a falling edge on this input will put the controller in PROGRAM mode. Notice that this input may either be any general discrete input (for example, from a D8 expansion module), OR any otherwise unused axis Fault input.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.11 or newer]
  3. Added a new system tag named "_FirstScan". This tag can be used in the PreScan Table to start one or more tasks when the controller enters RUN mode.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.11 or newer]
  4. Added support for referring to registers in the User Programs using IEC addressing (e.g. %MD8.0). Previously, only the Allen-Bradley format was supported (e.g. F8:0). Notice that typically system tags are easier to remember and use than numerical register addresses.
  5. Added support for defining variables with the DWORD type. This is a type defined by IEC 61131-3 that has 32 bits that can be accessed independently. Compare with the IEC 61131-3 DINT data type already supported.
  6. Added the DWORD_TO_DINT and DINT_TO_DWORD function for converting between DINT and DWORD data types.
  7. Added support for accessing individual bits within any register with a DWORD type from the User Programs. Examples of registers with this type include Axis Status and Error Bits, discrete I/O state and setup registers, and variables set up with the DWORD data type.

    To access a bit, append a period and bit number after the system tag or IEC 61131-3 address. For example, _Axis[0].StatusBits.0 accesses bit 0 of the Axis 0 Status Bits register, and %MX8.0.0 accesses bit 0 of %MD8.0.

    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.11 or newer]
  8. Added the SHL, SHR, ROL, and ROR functions for shifting and rotating the bits in the DWORD data type left or right. These functions are IEC 61131-3 compliant.
  9. Added the MOD operator, which performs a modulo operation on the DINT data type. This operator is IEC 61131-3 compliant.
  10. User Program names can now be used in the same way that Step labels can be used. For example, in the PreScan table, a User Program name can be entered as a task action, signifying that the designated task will start running at the beginning of the specified User Program.
  11. Added the ability to view the current PROFIBUS-DP slave address on RMC75P controllers.
  12. Changed the "Format" column label in the Variable Table to "Type", since it really reflects the data type of the variable and not the display format.
  13. Renamed the "Programming" node in the project tree to "Program Configuration".

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue in which the MAX function worked incorrectly when used on the REAL data type.
  2. Fixed an issue in which pasting a command in the Step Editor could cause RMC70Tools to shut down unexpectedly.
  3. Fixed some issues with scrolling in the Step Editor.
  4. Fixed an issue in which steps could be pasted out of order when multiple steps were pasted in the Step Editor.

RMC70Tools 1.10.1 (May 14, 2004)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed some problems, including a case where RMC70Tools could shut down unexpectedly, that could occur when an unrecognized or future module was plugged into the RMC70 when RMC70Tools went online.
  2. Fixed a problem in which navigation using the keyboard was difficult in the Controller Properties dialog box's module list.
  3. Removed an empty "Pressure/Force Tuning" category from the Tuning tab of the Axis Parameters pane of the Axis Tools. This category should only be present when one or more axes have Pressure/Force capability.
  4. Fixed a problem in which the Upload and Download buttons did not disappear as they should in the Axis Tools when the Controller view was selected. Upload and Download are only available when the Project view is selected.
  5. Fixed a problem in which resizing a column in some editors had a difficult-to-see line showing the new column position.
  6. Fixed the grid color in some spreadsheets to match the Axis Tools.

RMC70Tools 1.10.0 (May 7, 2004)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. The RMC75P CPU module with PROFIBUS-DP communications is now supported.
  2. The AA1/AA2 axis modules with analog position inputs and analog outputs are now supported.
  3. Unified the Axis Status Monitor and Axis Parameter Editor windows into a single Axis Tools window. This window also reduces the number of status and parameter registers that are visible by default. This helps the user focus on the most-important registers initially.
  4. Added a Startup Wizard.
  5. The New Project wizard now flows into the New Controller wizard.
  6. Improved the display and editing of comments and labels in the Step Editor.
  7. Added support for cut, copy, and paste where applicable.
  8. User Programs execution times are now validated and reported.
  9. Enhanced the Event Log to include entries for (1) axes halts, (2) User Program activities.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.10 or newer]
  10. Changed the Initialize Axis (7) command to Initialize Axes (7) so that the command only needs to be issued once to initialize all axes.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.10 or newer]
  11. Added support for the following commands:
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.10 or newer]
    RUN Mode (98)
    This command puts the controller in RUN mode. When the controller is in RUN mode, the Controller LED is solid Green, the PreScan table is scanned, and tasks can be started and stopped. This command also performs the equivalent of a Initialize Axes (7) command.
    PROGRAM Mode (99)
    This command puts the controller in PROGRAM mode. When the controller is in PROGRAM mode, the Controller LED flashes Green, the PreScan table is inactive, and no tasks are allowed to run.
    Fault Controller (8)
    This command puts the controller in PROGRAM mode and halts all axes using an Open Loop with Disable Output halt.
  12. Added toolbar buttons for commonly used operations, including going online and offline, plus issuing the RUN Mode (98), PROGRAM Mode (99), and Fault Controller (8) commands.
  13. Added two new Programming options: (1) optionally stop all tasks when any axis is halted, and (2) selection for whether the controller powers up in RUN or PROGRAM mode.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.10 or newer]
  14. Changed the method in which the input feedback polarity is reversed. Previously, a separate Axis Parameter controlled this, but in 1.10 and newer firmware, the Position Scale is simply negated.
    [Requires RMC70 firmware 1.10 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue in which downloading the a Plot configuration from the project tree did not clear the difference indication.
  2. Numerous minor fixes.

RMC70Tools 1.03.2 (March 23, 2004)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when uploading User Programs from a controller if the programs had been downloaded and saved into FLASH with pre-1.02 firmware.

RMC70Tools 1.03.1 (March 18, 2004)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue in which editing DINT-typed variables in the Program Monitor resulted in the incorrect values being written to the variables.
  2. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when using the mouse wheel while editing a command or link parameter.

RMC70Tools 1.03.0 (March 5, 2004)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for firmware changes made in RMC70 1.02 firmware.
  2. Obsoleted Starting Points. Instead, User Programs are started by referencing the program number, which is less confusing and retains most of the flexibility. NOTE: This change is not backward compatible with with previous firmware versions.
  3. Improved the Firmware Update Wizard.
  4. The amount of space used by the User Programs is now displayed after the programs have been successfully verified.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which it was possible to position the column split in Plot Details window out of view. From this state it was impossible to retrieve the second column. The column split will now always stay in view.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Address Selection Tool used the wrong system tags for the _CurTask and _CurAxis system tags.
  3. Fixed a problem in which using the Address Selection Tool or the tag list in the Expression Builder to insert a variable would always insert the full system tag, even if the simpler user tag was available. In this release, the User Tag will be inserted if one is available. Otherwise the system tag will be inserted.

RMC70Tools 1.02.0 (February 20, 2004)

NOTE: Windows 95 is no longer supported by this product.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved the Command Selection Tool to provide more information about each command and its parameters, plus provide a link to the online help.
  2. Improved the Address Selection Tool to provide more information about each register, plus provide a link to the online help.
  3. Added access to the Address Selection Tool from within the Plot configuration property sheet.
  4. Improved the Tag selection lists in the Expression Builder dialog boxes.
  5. Added context-sensitive help to all non-trivial dialog boxes.
  6. Added context-sensitive help to the Axes Status Monitor, Axes Parameter Editor, and Command Tool. To use, press F1 when you have the register in question selected.
  7. Renamed the Axis Feedback Parameters "Orientation" and "Incremental vs. Absolute" to "Linear/Rotary" and "Absolute/Incremental" respectively.
  8. Changed the PreScan Table entry for stopping a task from "STOP" to "<StopTask>" to avoid confusing with stopping motion.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which downloading a new Plot Configuration could result in the Plot Duration value being incorrect.
  2. Fixed a condition under which RMC70Tools could lock up.
  3. Fixed a problem in which plots longer than 4096 samples were not properly uploaded.
  4. Fixed a problem in which the last several samples of a plot were often not uploaded at all.
  5. Various minor fixes.

RMC70Tools 1.01.1 (February 9, 2004)

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Add shortcut keys for accessing the Axes Status Monitor (Ctrl+M), Axes Parameter Editor (Ctrl+R), and opening both (Ctrl+T). The View menu now reflects these new shortcut keys.
  2. When differences are detected between the online controller and the project file in the Controller Properties or Plot Properties, then those nodes are marked as having a difference in the Project Tree.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. There were cases in which changes made to the Controller, Plot Layout, or Plot Configuration property sheets were not properly applied.
  2. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when a Step Editor was opened for a controller that had no axes.
  3. Fixed a case where RMC70Tools could shut down expectedly when saving a project file.
  4. Fixed a problem in which duplicate commands showed up in the Command selection dialog box used by the Step Editor.
  5. Fixed several additional cases where RMC70Tools could to shut down unexpectedly.
  6. Several other minor fixes.

RMC70Tools 1.01.0 (January 28, 2004)

First public release.