Configuring OP17 Standard Screens for Clock Adjustment in ProTool

Overview: Why OP17 Clock Adjustment Requires Standard Screens

The Siemens SIMATIC OP17 is a compact text-display HMI from the OP3/OP7/OP17/OP27 family, used historically with SIMATIC S7-200, S7-300, and S7-400 PLCs. Configuration is performed in ProTool (V6.x) or ProTool/Pro. The panel firmware contains built-in routines for date/time editing, contrast adjustment, password administration, and language switching, but these routines are not exposed on the runtime screen unless either (a) the project is created with the Use Standard Functions option enabled, or (b) a F-key is manually configured to call the Time/Date system function.

If neither path was taken at project creation, the operator has no visible way to adjust the panel clock. This document covers the full recovery procedure: enabling standard screens, manually mapping a F-key to the Time/Date function, configuring the area pointer that propagates the panel time to the S7 PLC, and field-commissioning the resulting clock adjust workflow.

Prerequisites and Required Components

OP17 Standard Screen Architecture

The OP17 firmware embeds a small set of pre-defined system functions addressable from any project. The Standard Screens concept in ProTool is a menu tree that invokes these firmware functions. ProTool does not generate the functions themselves; it generates the F-key assignments that call them.

When the project is created with Use Standard Functions selected, ProTool auto-generates a F-key menu that lists all four functions. When the project is created without this option, no menu is generated; the firmware routines are still present, but no F-key is mapped to them, and the operator has no entry point.

Decision Path: When to Use Which Method

Method 1: Recreating the Project with Standard Screens Enabled

This is the cleanest method when the project can be rebuilt. The procedure preserves the PLC tag database and communication configuration if the new project is started from the same PLC integration.

1. Open ProTool on the engineering PC.
2. Select File → New Project and choose OP17 as the panel type.
3. Select the communication partner (S7-200 MPI, S7-300 MPI/PROFIBUS, etc.) and configure the MPI address or PROFIBUS station number to match the physical panel.
4. In the project configuration dialog, locate the checkbox Use Standard Functions (the label may appear as Standard Screens or Use standard functions depending on ProTool version and localization). Enable this option.
5. Confirm the project is built. ProTool will now include the standard screens in the project tree under Standard Screens, with auto-generated F-key assignments.
6. Re-create or import all user-defined screens, tags, and alarms as required.
7. Compile the project (File → Compile → All).
8. Transfer the new project to the OP17 via RS-232 or MPI/PROFIBUS using File → Transfer → Project.
9. Test by powering the panel, pressing the F-key assigned to the standard screen, and verifying the Time/Date editor appears.

Method 2: Adding a Time/Date F-Key to an Existing Project

When the existing project cannot be replaced, add a single F-key that invokes the Time/Date standard function. This method does not generate a full standard screen menu; it only exposes the Time/Date function on a specific F-key, leaving the rest of the project unchanged.

1. Open the existing ProTool project file (*.pdb or *.pdz).
2. Navigate to Project → Screens → [Target screen] where the F-key should appear. Choose a screen the operator accesses routinely (e.g., the main process screen).
3. Right-click on the F-key location (F1-F16, depending on screen layout) and select Configure F-Key.
4. Set the function type to Select Function Screen.
5. Set the parameter to Time/Date (or Time_Date depending on ProTool localization; the German localization uses Uhrzeit/Datum).
6. Optionally enter a label text (e.g., Clock Adjust, Time/Date, or Set Time). The label appears on the F-key strip of the OP17.
7. Save the project and transfer to the OP17.

After transfer, pressing the configured F-key on the panel will invoke the firmware Time/Date editor. The operator can modify hours, minutes, day, month, and year using the panel's numeric keypad, and the new value is committed on ENTER. Depending on the panel's communication configuration (see Communication Setup below), the new time can also be written to the PLC.

Sample ProTool F-Key Configuration Export

[Screen: Main_Process]
F1 = (empty)
F2 = (empty)
F3 = Select Function Screen, Parameter = Time/Date, Label = "Clock Adjust"
F4 = (empty)
...

Key Combinations for Accessing Standard Screens at Runtime

The OP17 runtime behavior for accessing standard screens depends on the project configuration. There are three common scenarios. The exact key combination patterns vary by OP17 firmware revision; the patterns below are observed across the OP3/OP7/OP17/OP27 family. Always verify against the device manual for your specific firmware.

Scenario A: Standard Screens Enabled in Project (Method 1)

When the project was created with Use Standard Functions enabled, the panel displays a standard screen entry point. The key combination depends on the firmware version:

• Press the F-key labeled "Standard" (or "System" / "Menü") from any project screen. ProTool auto-generates this label when standard screens are enabled.
• Use the ESC + ENTER combination to enter the System Menu, then navigate with arrow keys to the standard screen.
• Hold F1 + ESC during power-on to access the system menu directly without booting the project.

Verify the exact combination for your firmware by inspecting the user-defined F-key labels generated by ProTool when Use Standard Functions is selected.

Scenario B: Time/Date F-Key Manually Configured (Method 2)

When a single F-key is mapped to Select Function Screen: Time/Date, the operator presses that specific F-key from the configured screen. The Time/Date editor opens immediately. This is the most common pattern for retrofitting clock adjust on an existing OP17 project.

Scenario C: No Standard Access Configured (Recovery Path)

If neither standard screens nor a F-key mapping exists, the only access path is via the panel's hidden service menu. The exact key combination depends on the OP17 firmware revision; the patterns below cover the most commonly observed cases:

1. Power off the OP17.
2. Hold ESC + ACK while powering on.
3. Release the keys when the panel displays the system menu.
4. Navigate to System → Time/Date using the arrow keys.
5. Edit the time using the numeric keypad and confirm with ENTER.
6. Exit the service menu and reboot into the project.

Communication Setup and PLC Clock Synchronization

Clock adjustment on the OP17 is operationally meaningful when the panel's time is propagated to the connected PLC. The typical pattern uses the panel's date/time as the master and the PLC clock as a slave that is corrected on each operator clock adjust. This requires the Date/Time PLC area pointer to be configured in ProTool.

Area Pointer Configuration in ProTool

To configure the area pointer in ProTool, navigate to Project → Connections → Area Pointers and add the Date/Time PLC pointer with the target DB and byte offset. The BCD encoding is fixed by the OP17 firmware and cannot be changed.

BCD Time Format Detail

The OP17 writes date/time to the PLC in 8 bytes of BCD-encoded data following the standard S7 DATE_AND_TIME layout (without the day-of-week and reserved bytes):

S7-300/400 Sample STL Snippet (Clock Sync from OP17)

// On rising edge of "clock_sync_done" from OP17 coordination byte,
// push panel time into the PLC internal clock.
// Area pointer: DB100, bytes 0-7 (BCD, DATE_AND_TIME format)

CALL  "SET_CLK"                    // SFC 0 - Set Time-of-Day
     PDT  := DB100.DBB0            // Point to DATE_AND_TIME buffer
     RET_VAL := MW200              // Return code (0 = no error)
     // Alternative: read with READ_CLK (SFC 1) and compare

S7-200 Sample (Micro/WIN)

The S7-200 family uses subroutines SBR 61 (READ_RTC) and SBR 62 (SET_RTC). To synchronize the S7-200 clock from the OP17, copy the 8-byte BCD area pointer into a data register and call SET_RTC on the operator's clock adjust confirmation. A typical implementation reads the BCD area into VB100-VB107 and passes the address to SBR 62.

// S7-200 Micro/WIN ladder snippet
NETWORK 1
LD     SM0.0
// On rising edge of clock_sync_done bit, call SET_RTC
CALL   SBR62:SET_RTC, T:&VB100

Verification and Commissioning

After project transfer and area pointer configuration, verify the clock adjust function end-to-end before releasing the panel to operations.

1. Apply power to the OP17 and wait for full startup (typically 5-10 seconds).
2. Press the F-key mapped to Time/Date (or navigate to the standard screen via the menu).
3. Confirm the Time/Date editor appears within 1 second and shows the current panel time.
4. Modify the time by 1-2 minutes ahead of the current time. Confirm with ENTER.
5. Observe the panel display update to the new time.
6. Open the S7 PLC online (via STEP 7 or Micro/WIN) and inspect the area pointer DB to confirm the new time was written.
7. Trigger a SET_CLK / SET_RTC in the PLC (or verify automatic sync if the PLC program is configured to run on change) and confirm the PLC internal clock was updated.
8. Power-cycle the panel for 30 seconds. Re-apply power and confirm the OP17 retained the new time across the outage.

Acceptance Criteria

Troubleshooting Matrix

Migration to WinCC Flexible and TIA Portal

The OP17 is supported in ProTool but not in WinCC flexible or TIA Portal. For installations planning to migrate to a newer HMI platform, the recommended replacement is the SIMATIC Basic Panel series (e.g., KTP400 Basic, KTP700 Basic) or a Comfort Panel (e.g., KTP1200 Comfort). The clock-adjust use case is preserved across all of these platforms.

1. Export the ProTool project to a CSV tag list (File → Export → Tags) for import into WinCC flexible or TIA Portal.
2. Document all F-key assignments and standard screen configurations from the ProTool project, as these do not migrate automatically.
3. In WinCC flexible or TIA Portal, recreate the Time/Date function using the Set Date/Time system function on a button event.
4. Verify the area pointer configuration in the new HMI project, as the syntax differs from ProTool. In TIA Portal, area pointers are configured under Connections → Area Pointers.
5. Re-validate the PLC-side SET_CLK / SET_RTC logic against the new area pointer DB layout.

Operational Notes for Aging OP17 Installations

OP17 panels in service today are often 15-20+ years old. Several age-related failure modes interact with the clock adjust function and should be considered during routine maintenance.

• Backup battery depletion: The OP17 uses an internal lithium battery to retain time and project data across power cycles. Typical service life is 5-10 years. When depleted, the time resets to default on power-up. Replace with the panel-specific battery type listed in the device manual. Schedule battery replacement as a preventive maintenance task every 5 years in continuously powered installations, or every 7-8 years in installations that are powered down frequently.
• Display contrast degradation: The contrast standard screen (or manual contrast F-key) is increasingly relevant as the LCD ages. Schedule periodic contrast checks during preventive maintenance visits.
• Keypad contact wear: Worn F-keys may register as "stuck key" events and prevent the standard screen from launching correctly. Inspect the keypad membrane for cracks or wear, and clean the contacts with isopropyl alcohol if contamination is suspected.
• ProTool project archival: Ensure the ProTool project file is archived with the panel. Without the source project, recovery from a corrupted panel requires manual reconstruction of all screens and tag mappings.
• Communication cable condition: MPI/PROFIBUS connectors on aging panels often develop contact resistance issues. Inspect the connector pins for oxidation and reseat the cable during routine maintenance.

Best Practices for OP17 Clock Adjust Deployments

• Always enable Use Standard Functions at project creation when building a new OP17 project. The marginal project size increase is offset by the significant reduction in support effort when the operator can access all standard functions from a single menu.
• Document the F-key mapping in the panel drawing and in the operator training material. Operators should know which F-key invokes the Time/Date editor without trial and error.
• Configure the Date/Time PLC area pointer even if the PLC program does not currently synchronize its internal clock. This keeps the architecture ready for future PLC-side clock sync without requiring an HMI project update.
• Restrict the time-edit function by password level. In ProTool, the Time/Date function can be assigned a password level. Restrict the edit to a higher access level to prevent accidental time changes by untrained operators.
• Use the coordination byte if both the OP17 and the PLC need to write date/time values. The coordination byte handshake prevents write contention and reduces the chance of corrupted time data in the PLC DB.
• Schedule DST handling in the PLC program rather than relying on operator action. Most regions require two manual time changes per year, and operators frequently forget. PLC logic that detects the DST transition and calls SET_CLK automatically is more reliable than operator-driven adjustment.