B5. Software configuration

In this chapter, all the configuration settings of your VPVision are explained. The steps of this chapter are as followed:

5.1 Start your VPVision web interface 

5.2 Configure the settings

5.3 Configure the inputs of your devices

5.4 Configure the widgets to visualize your data

5.5 Pages

1. Starting

Be aware that the new version of VPVision has just released, for more information about VPVision 5.2 can be found in the user manual

1. Startup – Go to the configuration backend

Now you are able to configure the VPVision software. The first steps are the startup of the back-end of the VPVision. In the back-end, all the configurations can be done.

1. Connect to the VPVision cabinet: Open a web browser and fill in the IP-address of the VPVision main PC.

2. Click the green puzzle icon.

3. Login with the default username: ‘Admin’. The default password can be found on the configuration sheet.

4. Now that the back-end of VPVision is opened, the configuration of VPVision is possible.

2. Icon definition

In this table, different icons that are visible in the VPVision menu can be seen. Click the up and down arrows to scroll through the different icons.

Icon	Definition	Options	Explanation
	System configuration	User settings General settings	Set the users and their permissions. Set language and other network settings.
	Input devices	Configure inputs	Here Modbus devices and analog sensors can be configured, zero and span can be set and channel names can be changed.
	Widgets	Configure widgets	Here you can configure widgets for example pie charts, dashboard overviews, real-time graphs, and Key Performance Indicators.
	Pages	Configure pages	Here you can configure a page. A page can contain multiple widgets. Icons can be assigned to a page, drag and drop widgets, etc.
	Reports	Configure reports	Here you can create reports, add modules to reports. Once the report is set up, it can be generated automatically with just one mouse click.
	Alarms	Configure alarms	Here you can set alarm conditions to guard the compressed air system, automatically generate alarms and have them sent out by e-mail.
	Configuration	Configure the whole system	In this screen, you are able to set all the configurations of your VPVision system such as widgets and the device settings.
	Log-out	Log out See the pages	In this mode, you are only able to see the pages you have created. When logged in the configurations can be changed.

2. System configuration

In this sub-chapter, we will give a brief explanation of the different properties and possibilities within the system configuration tool.

In the menu system configuration you have 2 options to choose namely:

• User
• Settings

1.User

Click the user button and see a list of your existing users:

Add a new user

There are 2 levels of access:

• Users: can configure everything except the system settings.
• Administrator: has full access to all of the settings and can change them all.

Add user
1. Click the icon.	2. Fill in the descriptions of the new user.
3. Click add to save this new user.

Activate/ deactivate user

Click the flag icon to activate or deactivate the user, by default the new user is set to inactive.

	Active user
	Inactive user

Edit existing user

1. Click the pen icon to edit the user.	2. Edit the user settings.
3. Click Save.

Delete user

Click the icon to delete the user.

2.Settings

Click the settings icon to open the settings page. On this page, there are different options.

System

In the system settings, you are able to see the VPVision software version and the serial number of your VPVision system.

License

VPVision contains a licensing system. Enter the license page to view your current license settings or to renew your licenses. A new license can be uploaded by clicking the update license button.

Your license can be updated by uploading a license file. Click the update license button to upload a new license file. The files are distributed by VPInstruments when license changes have been made.

Regional

On this page, the date and time format, decimal separator, thousands separator, valuta, valuta symbol, and the report paper size can be changed. Changing them will affect all widgets, reports, and alarms however, it will not affect the stored measurement data in the database as this is stored always in a consistent format.

Changing regional settings will effect all widgets, reports, and alarms.

Global

In your global settings, you are able to set the kWh price to your own preference. This price is used in a number of Key Performance Indicators and as default number in the report module.

Network

The VPVision main PC contains 4 Ethernet (LAN) ports. For each port, the IP settings can be assigned. Keep in mind that LAN port 1 should be reserved for the configuration access and LAN port 2 is used for the local analog I/O module in the VPVision cabinet. Ports 3 and 4 can be used for connecting other remote I/O modules.

The Network configurations can be changed from here, such as the IP-address, netmask, gateway, and DNS for each network adapter.

Keep in mind that you use different IP ranges, these can be completely different or a range separated into parts by using the netmask.

The 4 Ethernet connections are all separate network interfaces. They do not “see” each other. VPVision can not be used as a switch.

E-mail

VPVision features it’s own e-mail server, it can send out e-mail reports or alarms. Depending on the factory Ethernet settings, the e-mail port might be blocked for security reasons. In many cases, a relay host is needed in order to send out e-mails.

Ask the IT department for the correct Relay host.

Fill in the correct Relay hosts so that you are always able to receive the e-mails.

Date and Time

VPVision uses UTC time format to store all its data consistently. If VPVision is connected with the internet, or a local time server on the factory Ethernet network then the time will be set and adjusted automatically. When there is no connection the time and date can be set manually. In that case, it is recommended to check the system time on a regular basis.

Keep in mind that if the time and date are set manually a time discontinuity will occur, this can easily be fixed by again setting the time and date.

3. Input devices

1.Overview

This sub-chapter shows how to configure, add and remove devices, what type of connection is made from the sensor. Click input devices, an empty list or an overview of the configured inputs appears. This is where hard-, and software connect.

Configuration of the devices is the most important step, as this forms the basis for all of the VPVision data.

Icon explanation:

Icon	Name	Description
	Edit device.	Additional information or edit the connection type of the device.
/	Determines if a device is inactive/ active.	You can click this icon to activate or deactivate the device.
	Determine the status of the devices.	Thumbs up: the device is responding properly. Exclamation mark: there is a communication issue. There can be a 1-minute delay in this icon.
	Delete.	Deletes a device. An “Are you sure” window will pop up.
	Add device.	Add’s a new device.
	Restart VPVision.	A restart is required when a new device is added and configured.

There can be a 1-minute delay before the connection status icon updates. For the local RS485 port, you can also check the tx/rx LED’s on the VPVision main PC.

2. Adding a device

1. Click the add device icon at the right bottom corner.
2. Choose the type of device you want to add. Some devices are pre-configured. When the device is not available, contact VPInstruments for a custom device driver (additional cost may apply).
3. There are different options that you can choose from:

	Analog Converters. When an analog sensor is connected to the Analog input converter in the VPVision cabinet, you also have to add the converter device here.
	VP Dew Point Sensor. This is a Modbus over RS485 device.
	VPFlowScope M. You can choose Modbus over RS485 or Modbus TCP.
	Virtual input: here you can create a new input that contains a mathematical combination of devices, logic variables, and constants e.g. Add the power of 2 meters together or subtract flow of 1 area from the main header to calculate the 2nd area.
	VPFlowScope. You can choose Modbus over RS485 or Modbus TCP (via the Modbus TCP converter).

For all devices, a type of connection has to be chosen. The following options are available:

RS485: Use this type when the device has a direct Modbus connection with the VPVision main PC.	Assign a name to the device. Select the port type and number. (COM3 is the default). Set the Modbus address, Baud rate, Parity, and Stopbits. Click “Create a device”.

SE5001: Select this type of connection when the device has a Modbus connection with a Modbus to Ethernet converter.	Assign a name to the device. Set the IP-address, Port number and Modbus address.

TCP: This type of connection can be used for 2 types of devices: Analog to Ethernet converter devices, like the Moxa. Devices that have a direct connection with Ethernet.	Fill in the name, IP address and Port number address of your converter. When you assign your VPVision Analog input converter (Moxa), use the IP address of your VPVision and the corresponding port number.
Now that a connection is established with an analog to Ethernet converter, each analog device has to be configured separately. Click the edit icon to configure a device. Fill in the measurand, unit, zero and span. To activate the sensor click on the flag icon. For current clamps, a calculator is added to help you convert from ampere to kW. Click the calculator icon to use this tool.

Virtual input: This contains a mathematical combination of inputs or variables.	Assign a name to the input you want to create.
A virtual input contains a mathematical combination of inputs or variables. For example, add the power of 2 sensors together or subtract the flow of 1 area from the main header to calculate the 2nd area Click “Add node” to add a sensor, variable, operator or endpoint. Choose the right nodes that are needed to create the new input. Establish a connection between the input nodes and the chosen operators. This can be done by dragging and dropping the connecting lines together. The endpoint will represent the calculated output. This value will be available for all widgets and modules. The example above: The average temperature of the VPFlowScope sensor Middle and VPFlowScope sensor Low is created as a new input. Available nodes: Sensor: one of the device input signals. Variable: A constant number or factor. Operator: Add, subtract, divide or multiply signals. Endpoint: Representation of the calculated output.

After you have added a new device, an overview with all the corresponding settings will be shown. By clicking the back arrow you will go back to the main screen, where you will see your newly added device, the status of this device will be disabled, click on the flag icon to activate the device.

After adding a new device you always have to restart your VPVision, by clicking the restart button.

4. Widgets

1. Overview

Open the widgets page. In the overview of the page, you can see all the widgets that have been configured. Here widgets can be added or deleted.

You cannot delete a widget when it is in use on a page.

2. Add widget 

Click “add widget”, choose a widget type. All widget types are listed below, after a chose has been made, you will be guided through a number of intuitive steps to finalize your widget configuration.

Dashboard

This widget offers you a grid overview of up to 4 measurement values (columns). You are able to add up to 8 devices (rows). First, the desired units will have to be configured. Each device can have one or multiple inputs, if a sensor’s input unit is not available then it will not be shown. When you have selected more than one device, an additional row will be added. This row can contain the average or sum of the column. This results in a table of different devices with the measurement values.

Pie chart

This widget allows you to see the ratio of the different devices for a chosen unit, as long as the devices have the same measurand. You can use this, for example, to show the consumption of each department, in order to make a direct comparison. You are able to add 8 different inputs (devices) in one pie chart.

Line graph

This widget shows your data in a graph where time is placed on the x-axis. Add up to 4 inputs into one graph. Once the input is added in the configuration window, the unit can optionally be changed, e.g. bar to psi. You can add critical lines to your graph e.g. to set visual boundaries. Critical lines have no effect on the alarm values. You can add/remove a legend, auto-update and/or auto Y-axis scaling to the graph.

Click the image for full-screen

KPI (key performance indicator)

You can use this to show KPIs or ENPI’s. VPVision offers various indicators which are grouped in 3 categories: Consumption. Costs. Efficiency. The KPI is calculated over the last hour of data or since midnight when the name includes “today”. Depending on the KPI you can adjust the green and red value. This will give you visual feedback. Some of the KPI’s include electricity costs. The cost per kWh can be configured in the widget.

Export

This widget can export stored data to a CSV file. You can adjust the average interval and the unit. Data can be exported with a maximum resolution of 1 minute. One can choose a lower resolution which will speed up the export and limits the number of data points. All available data within the selected interval will be averaged before it is exported as one number.

Full-screen view by clicking on the image

Area chart

This widget shows a graph where the data is on the y-axis and time-scaled on the x-axis. You can add different types of data input. When the measurands are the same also a sum will be shown. There are 3 types of charts available: Basic, Stacked and Percentage. Basic: The basic area chart is like a line graph where the area below the line is filled with a color. When multiple inputs are available, they are placed in front of each other. Stacked: It shows a chart where all inputs are on top of each other. The top line will indicate the sum of all inputs together. Each input will still have its own color, which tells you about the ratio between the inputs. Percentage: The percentage area chart will always be filled from bottom to top. This area indicates 100%. The inputs will be shown as the percentage of the sum. Up to 4 inputs can be added. Once the input is added in the configuration window, the unit can be optionally changed e.g. Watt to kW. Also, you can choose to add a legend and/or an auto-update for your data.

Click the image for full-screen

Bar graph

The bar graph shows your data in bars where the time is on the x-axis. Add up to 4 inputs to the bar graph. There are 2 different types: Bar per time interval: the bar shows the data for a specific time interval in terms of basic, stacked or as a percentage. Bar per input: For each input, there is one bar representing the values over time.

Variation chart

The variation chart can be used to plot variation in data. Two types: Single graph: where you see the min. and max. values of the selected inputs together. Multi-graph: shows min. and max. of selected inputs all separately.

P&ID

Upload your P&ID image as a background picture and show your measurement fields on top of this image. The update frequency is once every second. These inputs will be represented numerically and/or with a selected color, the color can set to specific boundary conditions. The P&ID widget is part of an optional software module. Contact VPInstruments for the details.

Navigation map

In the navigation map, you are able to upload an image as a background. Within this image, you can then make short-cuts to another widget page with for example the corresponding sensor. In the navigation map, multiple short-cuts to a different page are possible for a quick overview of your entire factory. The Navigation Map is part of an optional software module. Contact VPInstruments for the details.

Alarm

This widget will show the last alarms, by default the last 5 alarms are shown. The alarm name, date, time and priority are shown. The Alarm function is an optional module. Please contact VPInstruments for the details.

5. Pages

1. Page overview

Prerequisite: A number of widgets must be created before you can set up any pages. See chapter K6.4 for additional information.

On the page overview, all the different pages that are created can be found. You are able to activate or deactivate the pages, also you can delete a specific page or change the order (with the green arrows) in which the pages appear in the navigation. You are also able to edit a page. Click the pencil icon to edit the specific page.

2. Page configuration

• Click on the icon to add a new page.
• Fill in the page name and choose a pre-configured icon for your page.

Now that you have created a page. The purpose of the pages is to visualize the real-time data of your VPVision system. This gives an accurate insight into the data. The data can be visualized by adding widgets to your pages. The page options are shown in a top bar. Pages run separately from the DAQ process, which always runs in the background. This means that you can choose to visualize only data that is meaningful to the user while logging additional data for other purposes.

• Change the page name
• Change page icon
• Add widget
• Save page
• Create multiple windows
• Edit window
• Drag and drop widgets at your convenience

Widgets can be used on multiple pages.

1. After you have created the page click ‘save page’.	2. By default the page is inactive. Click the flag to activate your page.
3. Click the puzzle icon to go to the configuration screen.	4. Click on the icon of the page you have just created.

6. Next step

The software of VPVision is now configured and it is installed on-site. So now it is time for the next step: B6. Reports and Alarms