MP 177 6" HMI Replacement Options for WinCC Flexible 2008

1. Problem Definition: Replacing the MP 177 6" Touch Panel

The SIMATIC MP 177 6" Touch (MLFB 6AV6642-0EA01-3AX0) used in this installation has been declared a mature product within the Siemens product lifecycle. When this panel fails or when the line is duplicated as a repeated project, Siemens formally directs replacement to the TP700 Comfort (6AV2124-0GC01-0AX0). However, the TP700 Comfort only runs under TIA Portal WinCC Comfort/Advanced — it cannot be programmed or downloaded from WinCC flexible 2008. Engineers operating STEP 7 V5.5 SP3, WinCC V7.0 SP3, and WinCC flexible 2008 on Windows 7 Professional face a forced environment change unless a WinCC flexible-compatible alternative panel is selected.

This reference documents both migration paths: (A) staying on WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 with a compatible 6" or 8" panel, and (B) migrating to TIA Portal with the TP700 Comfort successor. The trade-off is engineering effort vs. panel longevity and feature set.

2. Baseline Hardware: MP 177 6" Touch Specifications

Verify the exact configuration against the official Siemens Industry Mall data sheet for MLFB 6AV6642-0EA01-3AX0. The MP 177 6" Touch belongs to the SIMATIC MP 177 family and is fully supported by WinCC flexible 2008 (Standard or Advanced). The panel integrates with STEP 7 V5.5 via MPI/PROFIBUS or Ethernet, and integrates into SIMATIC ProTool/Pro projects that have been migrated forward.

Pull the Industry Mall data sheet for the exact resolution, color depth, memory size, interface count, and approvals relevant to your site. Sub-variants exist with PN/DP interface mixes and key alternatives; the MLFB suffix encodes those differences. Order spare units with the exact MLFB and firmware version to preserve compatibility with the WinCC flexible 2008 project on disk.

3. WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 — Compatible Panel Catalog

Before forcing a TIA Portal migration, exhaust the panels natively supported by WinCC flexible 2008 with SP3 and applicable Hardware Support Packages. Siemens documents this list in the WinCC flexible Installation Notes and in HSP 19241467.

Verified panel families configurable under WinCC flexible 2008 SP3:

• SIMATIC OP 77B (mono)
• SIMATIC TP 177B / OP 177B (4" and 6")
• SIMATIC TP 277 / OP 277 (6")
• SIMATIC MP 177 (6", 8", 10" Touch and Key)
• SIMATIC MP 277 8" Touch V1, MP 277 10" Touch V1, MP 277 8" Key V1, MP 277 10" Key V1 (native)
• SIMATIC MP 277 8" Touch V2, MP 277 10" Touch V2, MP 277 8" Key V2, MP 277 10" Key V2 — via HSP 19241467
• SIMATIC MP 377 (12", 15", 19")

For a direct 6"/8" footprint replacement that keeps the WinCC flexible 2008 toolchain intact, focus on MP 177 6"/8", TP 177B 6", OP 177B 6", and MP 277 8" Touch V1/V2.

4. Path A — Stay on WinCC flexible 2008 (Minimum Software Impact)

If the project must remain in STEP 7 V5.5 / WinCC flexible 2008 due to validated documentation, GMP change-control overhead, or repeated-project re-use, select one of the following replacements. This path preserves the project file, tag database, alarm archive, and recipe structure with no converter intervention.

4.1 Direct replacements without HSP change

4.2 8" upgrade with HSP for V2 hardware

To select the 8" form factor with current hardware revision, install HSP 19241467 into WinCC flexible 2008 SP3. The HSP registers MP 277 8" Touch V2 and Key V2, and MP 277 10" Touch V2 and Key V2, into the WinCC flexible device catalog. Without the HSP, WinCC flexible 2008 will reject the V2 panel image during transfer or refuse the project compile.

5. Path B — Migrate to TIA Portal with TP700 Comfort

If the project will be migrated to TIA Portal (STEP 7 V17 / V18 / V19 / V20 and WinCC Comfort/Advanced), the recommended successor is the TP700 Comfort. The TP700 Comfort is part of the SIMATIC Comfort Panel family and is configured exclusively with TIA Portal WinCC Comfort/Advanced. There is no runtime path from WinCC flexible 2008 to any Comfort Panel.

5.1 TP700 Comfort baseline

Article number 6AV2124-0GC01-0AX0. Consult the Industry Mall data sheet for display size, resolution, color depth, interface count, memory, and approvals. Comfort panels ship in widescreen aspect ratios with TFT displays and modern backlight technology — verify the specific touch technology (analog resistive vs. projected capacitive) when ordering, since operating crews trained on the MP 177 6" STN may require retraining on the new touch feel.

5.2 Why WinCC flexible 2008 cannot drive the TP700 Comfort

The TP700 Comfort firmware expects a TIA Portal-projected runtime with WinCC Comfort/Advanced image format. WinCC flexible 2008 transfer files are not accepted, and Siemens does not publish a WinCC flexible runtime image for any Comfort Panel. Any engineering effort to bridge the two toolchains (e.g., rebuilding tags manually outside the converter) does not yield a supported configuration. The complete WinCC flexible project must be migrated through the TIA Portal migration wizard.

6. Installing Hardware Support Packages (HSP) for WinCC flexible 2008

HSPs extend the device catalog of WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 so that newly released panels become selectable as targets. For MP 277 V2 hardware, install HSP 19241467.

1. Download HSP 19241467 from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. Confirm the file matches the installed WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 baseline exactly — HSPs are SP-specific.
2. Close WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 and the Automation License Manager.
3. Run the HSP setup as administrator. The installer reads the existing WinCC flexible installation path and registers the new panel images into the device catalog.
4. Restart WinCC flexible 2008 SP3.
5. Open or create a project, then go to the project node. Either select "Change device / target system" or use "Device replacement" to verify that MP 277 8" Touch V2 / Key V2 appears in the catalog.
6. Transfer the project to the target MP 277 V2 to confirm the OS image and runtime version match. If the transfer aborts, the panel OS image is older than the project expects — update via ProSave or Ethernet OS update, then retry.

7. Project Conversion Workflow: WinCC flexible → TIA Portal

When Path B is selected, migrate the project through the TIA Portal converter. The conversion is partial; not all WinCC flexible objects map cleanly to TIA Portal objects, and some manual rework is always required.

1. Back up the WinCC flexible project as a *.hmi file (HMI device image backup). Also export the WinCC flexible project as *.pdz for archiving and audit-trail purposes.
2. Open TIA Portal V17 or later. Use V18 / V19 / V20 to match the Comfort Panel firmware's expected TIA baseline.
3. Select "Migrate project" and choose the WinCC flexible source. The wizard imports screens, tags, alarms, recipes, and scripts.
4. Map the PLC and HMI connections. STEP 7 V5.5 projects can be migrated into a TIA Portal PLC project; tag references must be re-resolved where the data type changed (e.g., legacy WORD → UInt).
5. Re-layout screens for the Comfort Panel resolution. Comfort Panels use widescreen aspect ratios that differ from the 4:3 panels of the MP 177 6". Use TIA Portal's "Adapt to target device" to scale layouts.
6. Re-validate alarms and scripts. VBScript in WinCC flexible maps to VB Script or C script in TIA Portal; some legacy constructs require manual conversion (e.g., SmartTags references, dynamic wizard calls).
7. Compile, simulate with PLCSIM and the TIA HMI simulator, and transfer to the TP700 Comfort.
8. Perform a side-by-side I/O loopback test between the old MP 177 and the new TP700 Comfort before decommissioning the original panel.

8. Display Geometry and Graphics Re-Layout

The MP 177 6" uses a 5.7" STN display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Both the TP700 Comfort and the MP 277 8" Touch use TFT displays with different aspect ratios, so any graphics designed to the exact pixel grid of the MP 177 6" must be re-scaled. Apply the following practices to minimize rework on the next replacement cycle:

• Tag the screen layout with "Adapt to size" or anchor objects to all four sides in WinCC flexible 2008 so re-scaling becomes a parameter change rather than a redraw.
• Use scalable vector graphics (SVG) or high-resolution source bitmaps so the new panel's higher pixel density is preserved.
• Verify font legibility on the new panel's resolution; STN color rendering differs significantly from modern TFT, so high-contrast color pairs must be re-evaluated.
• Document the original pixel grid in the project README so future engineers can recreate the layout if the next replacement targets yet another panel.

9. Communication Interface Compatibility Matrix

When swapping hardware, verify the fieldbus interface count and protocol support against the existing PLC network. The MP 177 6" Touch supports MPI/PROFIBUS and Ethernet. Replacement panels expose different physical interfaces, so a connection audit is mandatory before commissioning.

10. Touch Mode Configuration

Comfort Panels and PC-based RT Advanced runtimes expose a touch mode setting that controls pointer sensitivity, beep-on-touch, and calibration behavior. Configure this from the Panel Configuration Center → Touch settings, as documented in the TIA Portal WinCC help:

Touch mode (Panels, Comfort Panels, RT Advanced) – WinCC documentation

The Panel Configuration Center enumerates every detected device; the currently set touch mode is displayed per device. Adjust this setting before final commissioning if operators report mis-touches, particularly when transitioning from analog resistive (MP 177) to projected capacitive (selected Comfort variants). For MP 177 / MP 277 panels on WinCC flexible 2008, touch calibration lives in the panel's service menu and can be invoked at runtime via the diagnostic screen.

11. Verification and Commissioning Procedure

After hardware replacement and project transfer, run the following verification sequence. Document each result for the validation report and attach it to the change-control record.

1. Visual check: panel boots to the configured start screen within the expected boot time of 24 V DC application (typical target < 30 s for WinCC flexible panels).
2. Communication check: tag values from the PLC update within the configured polling cycle; verify read and write paths in both directions.
3. Alarm check: trigger a forced alarm from the PLC and confirm the alarm view, history, and acknowledgment behavior; verify the alarm log file path and retention.
4. User administration check: log in at each configured authorization level and verify access to restricted screens and button operations.
5. Touch calibration check: use the Panel Configuration Center's touch calibration wizard if available; otherwise use the panel's built-in diagnostic screen. Recalibrate if any axis shows > 2 mm offset.
6. Recipe/report check: export a recipe to USB and confirm the file is readable on the engineering station. Confirm the report path and naming convention.
7. Backup/restore check: use ProSave (WinCC flexible) or the TIA Portal backup function to save the runtime image, then restore it to a second unit of the same type to validate the backup file.
8. Power-loss check: cycle 24 V DC while the panel is in operation; confirm automatic restart into the project and alarm-state recovery.

12. Troubleshooting Matrix

13. Frequently Asked Questions