Define an alarm for a device failure

You can create a module alarm that indicates a device failure associated with a function block such as loss of communication or a configuration error. Depending upon your control strategy, you can configure how the module alarm appears and sounds to the operator.

Note

Before following this procedure, it is important that you determine the types of device failures that you want to trigger the alarm.

Open the module for which you want to define the alarm.
In the Alarm View, right-click, and then select Add.
In the Alarm Properties dialog, enter the type, priority, and if you have the option, Limit parameter and value.
To tie the alarm to the module parameter that indicates the device failure(s), click the Browse button next to the Alarm parameter field, and then select the appropriate failure parameter.

Note
You specify the device failure conditions that set this parameter in step 6.
Click the Advanced tab and in the Message parameter 1 field, and then enter the parameter for the value that you want to appear in the alarm message. The alarm message is what displays to the operator. Click OK in the Alarm Properties dialog.
To specify the failure conditions that trigger the alarm, select the block which is functioning in the device, and double-click the parameter that specifies the device failure conditions. The Properties dialog opens.
In the Value field, check the specific failure conditions that you want to trigger the alarm which you assigned to the module parameter in step 4.
Click OK.

After you make these selections, the device failures that you specified in step 6 set the module parameter that you selected in step 4. This is indicated by a bell icon next to the module parameter.