31/3/21 The 2.4.0 version of the Mervis IDE development environment introduces software support of the latest Unipi products, enhanced options for HMI and SCADA interfaces, an option to read memory storage status data and many more new features.
Mervis is a full-fledged software platform provided for free for controllers Neuron, Patron, and 1.1/1.1 Lite complete sets. It is a professional platform suitable for a wide range of applications, from smart home control to industrial automation. The Mervis IDE, the core of the system, is a development environment for creating, debugging and managing control programs for Unipi PLCs. It also contains an HMI editor for creating and editing web user interfaces and a visualisation editor for the Mervis SCADA service. Aside from the IDE, the Mervis Cloud online service package is also available, consisting of the Mervis DB database for data storage and analysis, Mervis Proxy for secure remote access to controllers, and Mervis SCADA interface. For more info about Mervis, please visit this link.
New features in Mervis IDE 2.4.0
Support for new Unipi products
Mervis IDE 2.4.0 includes software support for the latest Unipi products - Unipi Patron product line of controllers, and Unipi Gate series of programmable Linux gateways. You can learn more about both products at the following links
Monitoring of the memory storage status
Unipi controllers are equipped with memory storage for operational and system data. Depending on the particular product line, an internal eMMC storage (Patron, Gate and Axon lines) or microSD memory cards (Neuron line) is used. Mervis IDE 2.4.0 introduces the option to read storage health data, which allows you to react in time (e.g. replace a worn-out microSD card) and to prevent any memory errors. These data, whose definition is included in device definitions v2.2 or newer, can be collected from controllers running Mervis OS 2.4.0 or newer.
Note: The functionality is not supported by Unipi 1.1 and Unipi 1.1 Lite products
Configuration of saving period of backed up variables
Another new feature is the option to set up an interval for writing backed up variables to the controller’s memory storage. This function is useful especially in projects that do not require frequent saving of backed up variables for immediate restoration in case of a power loss. Setting up a longer period will also reduce the number of memory rewrites, increasing memory storage lifespan.
Note: On Unipi Neuron and Unipi 1.1/1.1 Lite, the memory lifespan can be extended also by using a suitable microSD card type. For this reason, we recommend using SLC or pSLC memory cards. For more info about various types of SD cards and their features, please visit the corresponding article.
Enhanced HMI interface options for local web and SCADA
Mervis IDE 2.4.0 also introduces new tools and functions for designing HMI and SCADA interfaces
- Progress bar: an analog value indicator used to visualise operation progress or system status with the maximum and minimum value,
- Slider: a control element for setting up an analogue value by a slider with a range from minimum to maximum permitted value,
- Pop-up template: upon clicking on a highlighted space, it is now possible to display or hide the selected graphic element template (a variant of the regular Template element),
- Link: serves as a link to another HMI page, or newly also to an external webpage.
Additionally, an option to set up an interval of communication between PLC and SCADA interface was added, along with a fix of entering and displaying time data.
Other new features
Aside from the above-mentioned news, the Mervis IDE 2.4.0 also includes a host of changes, fixes and improvements. The full changelog is available in Mervis IDE (Help tab -> About).
Installation and download
Mervis IDE 2.4.0 installation files and Mervis OS are available for download on the Unipi Knowledge Base.
