Rapid Prototyping Environment Control Panel
ControlPoint’s Rapid Prototyping Environment (RPE) has two main elements, a Control Panel and a Visual Basic Script Development Interface. The control panel allows users to control, monitor and query all nodes on a ControlPoint network without writing a single line of code. It allows non-programmers to exercise motion axes and test I/O easily, and in many cases, even seasoned programmers will find that the easiest way to test or monitor a device is to use the RPE Control Panel.
The Control Panel is laid out with a set of tabbed pages; one for each node on the network. The page provides access to the most commonly used functions for each node. For example, for a motion node, you can set velocity, acceleration and jerk limits, as well as distance and time between successive moves for repeating moves. The axis can be jogged or moved from point to point. It can also be enabled and disabled and its digital outputs can be toggled.
Below the tabbed pages is an area that displays a user-defined collection of monitoring information and digital output points. Here, critical nodes can be watched while the tab for another node is open for modification.
After you have used the RPE Control Panel for a little while, you’ll be amazed at how much more productive you have become. A large portion of your development activities that used to require software coding can now be handled with the click of a button.
