IQAN™ MD4 to MD5 Migration: Updating Display Pages Faster
Heavy equipment engineers know the pain of upgrading HMIs: years of fine-tuned display pages, diagnostic layouts, and operator workflows needing to be redone to accommodate the size of a new display. IQAN™ Design 7 by Parker Hannifin changes that by enabling drag-and-drop migration of display pages from legacy MD4 units to modern MD5 displays, with automated scaling and bulk image replacement that preserves your intellectual investment in machine interfaces.
How IQAN Design 7 handles display page migration
IQAN Design 7.05 introduced native tooling to move display pages between masters of different sizes, such as MD4‑7 to MD5‑10 or MD5‑8, with built‑in scaling options. After adding the new MD5 display to the application and assigning the appropriate address, engineers can drag one or more pages from the old display container to the new, then choose how to scale: no scaling, scale to width, scale to height, or scale both. Most controls are automatically resized and repositioned; SVG‑based system graphics scale cleanly, while bitmap images (BMP, PNG, JPG) require an additional image‑workflow step.
The tool also allows bulk export of image groups from the project so all graphic assets for a keypad, background, or icon set can be resized offline and then replaced in one operation, instead of manually hunting down each instance. By maintaining file names and folder structure, the bulk “Replace images” feature can re‑inject an entire scaled image set so that pages already migrated to the MD5 automatically pick up the updated graphics. This combination of drag‑and‑drop page transfer and batch image replacement is what turns MD4‑to‑MD5 migration from a redraw project into a controlled engineering change.
What still requires engineering judgment
While the tools significantly accelerate the process, this display migration process is not a one‑click operation; some engineering judgment and cleanup are still required. For example, properties of the display container—font sizes, menu themes, and color themes—do not automatically transfer and must be re‑applied on the new MD5 to achieve the desired look and readability. Controls that reference internal channels generally preserve their links when the application logic is moved by selecting all objects in the master and dragging them to the new MD5; however, button actions, camera mappings, and some I/O references often need to be re‑linked and verified.
Image gradients and more complex composed graphics may not scale proportionally with their surrounding controls, making it necessary to rescale and adjust those elements in an external editor before running the replace‑images workflow. Finally, any logs or diagnostic records hosted on the original master must be moved over, and the system should be validated with “Check project” to catch missing references or invalid module assignments before field deployment.
Working with an experienced systems integrator
As a long‑time Parker Hannifin IQAN partner, the GS Global Resources engineering team designs, simulates, and integrates IQAN software into mobile off‑highway machines, combining displays, controllers, and communication networks into a cohesive control architecture. Interested in learning more, or even attending an in-person IQAN training session taught by our in-house experts? Register for the training today, or take a look at our IQAN University video library, a series of on-demand targeted skills training videos.
