Serial to Ethernet Communication Gateways

cMT Viewer allows you to connect to any target cMT device in your network. You can operate any one CMT device at a time this way. cMT Viewer also allows users to monitor up to 50 cMT devices simultaneously using 'Monitor Mode'.

Yes. Our cMT Viewer app allows you to connect and control any cMT device from a Windows PC, as well as from a Smartphone or Tablet. cMT Viewer can be downloaded for free from our Software Downloads page.

Windows^®
cMT Viewer is installed with EZwarePlus. It can be launched from the Maintenance Menu in Utility Manager after selecting cMT Series in the top left corner:

• You may also create a desktop shortcut that points to cMT Viewer.exe in the EBPro installation directory.


• Apple or Android Device
  The cMT Viewer application is available in the Google Play store and iTunes. Simply search for cMT Viewer and follow the installation instructions for your device.

Monitor Mode is a feature exclusive to the Windows version of the cMT Viewer application. It allows real time data to be displayed from up to 50 cMT servers simultaneously. Each cMT server is displayed as a tile in a grid as seen below. This special overview screen is configured on window 3 of the cMT server's EBPro project. As the cMT responds to data read from the PLC, the tile view will update on the cMT Viewer client. A user can simply click any of the tiles to immediately jump to the full project for that cMT server.

Monitor Mode is a feature exclusive to the Windows version of the cMT Viewer application. It allows real time data to be displayed from up to 50 cMT servers simultaneously. Each cMT server is displayed as a tile in a grid as seen below. This special overview screen is configured on window 3 of the cMT server's EBPro project. As the cMT responds to data read from the PLC, the tile view will update on the cMT Viewer client. A user can simply click any of the tiles to immediately jump to the full project for that cMT server.

Maple Systems Advanced HMI and cMT series both support EasyAccess 2.0, it simply needs to be activated. There are two ways to activate your device depending on the model. The charts below indicate which models require the purchase of a separate activation card and which models come with EasyAccess 2.0 activation code already included in the purchase price of the model. EasyAccess 2.0 activation cards are purchased through Maple Systems. Please refer to the charts below for a breakdown of EasyAccess 2.0 information by model.

Advanced HMI Series

Models Purchased After Jan. 1, 2017	EasyAccess 2.0 Installed. Purchase of EasyAccess card required for activation.	EasyAccess 2.0 Installed. License Included. No additional purchase required.
RMI5001
HMI5043L
HMI5043LB
HMI5070NL
HMI5070L
HMI5070LB
HMI5070R
HMI5070P
HMI5070DL
HMI5071L
HMI5097NXL
HMI5097DXL
HMI5100L
HMI5102L
HMI5103L
HMI5121XL
HMI5121P
HMI5150XL
HMI5150P

cMT HMI Series

Models Purchased After Jan. 1, 2017	EasyAccess 2.0 Installed. Purchase of EasyAccess card required for activation.	EasyAccess 2.0 Installed. License Included. No additional purchase required.
cMT3072
cMT3090
cMT3103
cMT3151
cMT-SVR-100
cMT-SVR-102
cMT-G01
cMT-G02

EasyAccess 2.0 offers customers a wide range of features and benefits that can positively impact the way you run your organization. In addition, EasyAccess 2.0 provides several features designed to increase security, preventing unauthorized access to HMIs and the control systems they connect to.

• Easy Setup: EasyAccess 2.0 is easier to install and operate compared to the previous version of EasyAccess (1.0) because there is no need to modify router settings, firewalls, or open up ports. Very little PC setup is also required. All you need to do is enable the EasyAccess 2.0 feature on the HMI and connect the unit to the Internet via Ethernet cable. It's really that easy.


• It's Secure: In a time where security and "getting hacked" are of utmost concern, EasyAccess 2.0 employs several technologies to protect the HMI and its control network. All communications are done through VPN (Virtual Private Network) setup to prevent third parties from accessing private information. All data is encrypted using 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology, which is commonly used in on-line banking. A proxy server option can also be used to conceal the identity of remote PCs. In addition, a Domain Management System (DMS) is required to designate authorized access of HMIs to specific users. In addition, the DMS is administrator-based and requires password protection for both the administrator and all users.


• Preserves Bandwidth: Previously, EasyAccess (1.0) utilized a VNC server, which has a high bandwidth requirement. In addition to the live data, VNC would transfer the actual HMI screen and all of its graphics across the network, hogging bandwidth resources. With EasyAccess 2.0, a new HMI Viewer application has been integrated into the system. Only the actual live data is communicated across the network between the local HMI and remote device, preserving bandwidth and enabling faster data transfer.


• More Efficient: EasyAccess 2.0 offers fast installation and set-up, faster operation, less strain on network bandwidth, and the convenience of instantly accessing your HMI from anywhere in the world. The new HMI Viewer takes a copy of live HMI data, sending only the data you need. In addition, Pass-Through mode enables quick and easy monitoring or updating of connected PLCs.


• Saves Money: EasyAccess 2.0 reduces travel costs including gas, airfare, and overnight hotel accommodations. It reduces the cost of man-hours paid to send personnel onsite for troubleshooting and repair, as well as reduces the number of pricey technical support phone calls. But most of all, EasyAccess 2.0 will reduce the (very) expensive cost of downtime at the plant.


• Better for Troubleshooting: With EasyAccess 2.0, you can easily monitor and troubleshoot HMIs/PLCs from a remote location as long as an Internet connection exists. EasyAccess 2.0 manages all network settings and security issues so the user simply connects to the HMI as if they were on the local network. Instantaneously view screens or implement updates to an HMI project or PLC. Change what is seen on screen LIVE by the operator, or, using the new HMI Viewer, update the project without disrupting what the operator is doing.


• Reduces Down Time: Time is money. With EasyAccess 2.0 you can bring the plant up faster, minimizing expensive downtime. Consider a machine builder who sells machines with Maple HMIs installed. If a customer reports an issue, the machine builder remotely connects to the HMI using EasyAccess 2.0 and investigates the problem. He can quickly review and update the HMI project, monitor the PLC using Pass-Through mode, and even update the PLC program. With EasyAccess 2.0, you'll enjoy the ability to resolve your problem almost as quickly as it occurs.


• Easy Access Ready: EasyAccess 2.0 is just one element of the bigger IIoT picture. It enables us to connect to remote devices and access data for analytical purposes to ultimately benefit our bottom line. All OEMs and systems integrators can and should be IIoT ready. Because eventually, most customers will pursue a connected factory. Thankfully, EasyAccess 2.0 comes pre-installed on new Maple Systems HMIs. Simply activate the feature on the customer's device when the timing is right for them. For an extremely low cost, EasyAccess 2.0 can be an end-to-end solution for smaller-scale OEMS, even without using MQTT protocol.

EasyAccess 2.0

OEMs and large organizations need a way to connect to, monitor, and control devices that may be scattered across the globe. EasyAccess 2.0 is an out-of-the-box solution that requires little to no network set up at the site of installation, yet can be used to monitor and control your cMT solution without ever leaving the office.



EasyAccess 2.0 works by allowing the cMT device to reach out and register itself on a known, fixed, cloud-based web server. Access to the cMT HMI can be managed through a simple web interface. This allows companies to assign a particular set of HMIs to groups of EasyAccess 2.0 users. Users can then utilize one of several EasyAccess 2.0 client applications to connect to the cMT device through a secure VPN connection, allowing them to view and control the HMI project as if they were standing in front of the machine. EasyAccess 2.0 client applications are available for Windows PCs, Android devices, and Apple iPads/iPhones.

This easy to use solution brings the power of the IIoT to your product line without needing to integrate different software packages, or program a custom solution from scratch. OEMs can remotely manage their products post-sale after they're installed, with minimal need for network set up at the customer's site. This can save the enormous expense of onsite service calls. Large organizations with many devices in the field can have an instant window into any machine with an internet connection.

A static, panel-mounted display is great for many applications but can be limiting in others.

For example, a machine may be quite large and the operators want to be able to stand directly in front of the section of the machine they are working on. Previously, the only way to accommodate this need would be to install a separate control panel at every point of interest along the assembly line. Or, a plant manager may want the ability to quickly log into any plant floor machine in order to respond to issues and monitor production rates. cMT Series HMIs allow you have it either or both ways.



Wireless Access to Remote Displays

The cMT Viewer application enables operators to use wireless Android, Apple, or Windows^® tablets as their HMI. They are untethered from the control panel. The operator can move freely to any part of the assembly line or processing plant, taking their HMI with them. This eliminates the need for running back and forth to the panel while troubleshooting, or tying up two operators; one at the control panel pushing buttons, and the other at the machine troubleshooting equipment.

The cMT Viewer application can also be run on any Windows^® PC – any computer on the same network as a cMT HMI can easily view and control the system. A plant manager can connect to any cMT HMI in their plant to get a real-time view of exactly what is occurring with that machine. The connection is password protected so only authorized users can have access. The Monitor Mode feature in cMT Viewer allows plant managers to view live data from up to 50 connected cMT devices simultaneously.

An alarm condition from any device would immediately alert the operator, enabling quicker response rates and resolution to the issue. The cMT Viewer application can run on a traditional Windows desktop or on panel PC to provide a supervisory control station with access to many subordinate machines.
Explore cMT Viewer.

The HMI view of an operator interface terminal, whether on a local display, mobile tablet, supervisory panel PC, or remote workstation, is only one view of the important data in an automation system. There are also; alarm and data logging, database integration, recipe management, protocol translation and more. cMT Series Products prove to be a flexible tool in these areas as well. Let's tour a few features available to manage your data on the cMT products:

Modbus Gateway

In an ideal world, every machine vendor and systems integrator would use the same protocol and all equipment would seamlessly communicate with everything else on a plant floor. More often than not, this is far from the case. As a plant grows over time and different systems are added, little thought is given to the process as a whole. You'll often find different systems, from different manufacturers, speaking different protocols, on different serial busses. Fortunately, cMT products speak many languages. cMT Series Products can use over 300 protocols on any of the available com ports, and translate them to the default industrial standard protocol: Modbus TCP/IP. The cMT device becomes a transparent protocol translator, allowing upstream SCADA systems to connect to PLCs as if they were all using the same protocol on the same bus.

Modbus Communication Gateway



Database Object Increasingly, data that machines produce needs to be recorded and preserved. The data may be useful in process improvement or may be required by regulatory agencies. The cMT products have an object which allows them to log a data sampling object or an alarm log directly to an SQL database server over an Ethernet LAN.

This eliminates the need for manually retrieving and entering log files from each machine independently. Data from many different sources can be aggregated and stored in one central safe and secure location, automatically.

Databases and Recipes Recipes are a collection of parameters stored in the HMI that can be transferred to a machine with one press of a button. Different parts may require different amounts of material, different cook times and temperatures, or different processing steps. This data often needs to be shared across multiple machines that may be at different steps in the process, or may be redundant production lines working on producing the same or similar products.

SQL databases can act as a storage tank for all machines sharing a particular recipe database. cMT HMIs can query the database for current recipe data before sending those parameters to the PLC. This way, changes only need to be made to this central database, instead of manually changed in each HMI.

This feature saves time in systems that have many machines sharing many recipes. The changes, additions, and deletions to the database only need to be made in one place and are then automatically updated throughout the system. This ensures production uniformity throughout the system. A single machine will not get stuck using an outdated recipe simply because someone forgot to update it.

So far we have seen how the cMT series of products work as a local display, a mobile HMI server, and a data manager within the factory. But the cMT series packs even more features that enable yet another level of access and control. The IIoT, or Industry 4.0, is a growing area of interest in the automation market. The cMT series provides a capable, ready, and secure solution for the IIoT.

Learn more about Maple Systems IIoT Solutions .

OPC UA

Open Platform Communications (OPC) Unified Architecture (UA) is a tried and tested communication protocol supported by many SCADA, MES, and ERP software providers. The protocol has built-in security with signed and encrypted data transfer using state-of-the-art encryption algorithms. Data is organized into browsable objects, making it easy to both access data and quickly understand how to use what the data represents.

Any data accessible to the cMT can be added to the OPC UA server to be accessed by upstream devices. The configuration interface required to add data to the OPC UA server is very simple and straightforward to use. The user can organize data into multi-level objects with descriptive names. An OPC UA client device connecting to the cMT will see data organized in the same intuitive way.

Learn more about OPC UA .

MQTT

MQTT is a powerful and efficient IoT protocol that is lightweight, highly scalable, and has excellent support on many client devices and programs. MQTT integrates well with Amazon AWS, IBM Bluemix, and Microsoft Azure cloud hosting services for next level data collection and processing.

The cMT Series Smart HMIs offer a full featured MQTT implementation. An easy to use configuration interface allows the user to select data from any of the supported PLC drivers, add it to an MQTT topic, and publish it periodically or whenever values change. The cMT Series can also subscribe to MQTT topics and write the received data to internal HMI memory or to PLC memory addresses. And as well, cMT Series HMIs can host an MQTT broker internally, coordinating connections from other Maple Systems HMIs or any other MQTT enabled device.

cMT HMIs offer advanced integration with Amazon AWS's Device Shadow service which creates a virtual representation of the actual device in the cloud. And EBPro supports the Sparkplug B MQTT payload specification for integration with Ignition SCADA software and other Sparkplug B compatible software programs.

The MQTT protocol is data agnostic, meaning that any data can be sent through the protocol, including plain text messages. This raises security concerns since anyone with access to the network can view the data in transit. However, the MQTT feature on Maple Systems products includes the ability to encrypt messages from publisher to subscriber. This ensures that messages are only read by the people and programs authorized to receive the messages.

Learn more about MQTT .