When the HMI dies, the line is back in an hour.
Not in four weeks.

A recovery kit for machines whose HMI panel has died: a free phone app that copies the screen while the panel still works and runs the machine when it doesn't, and a plug-in touchscreen that takes that screen and stands on the machine while the replacement is repaired or shipped. Between failures the same kit is your diagnostics tool — dashboards, history, live ladder.

No. A copy made in advance restores in minutes; without one, recovery is about an hour of work. Connect the app or the device to the PLC, get your programmer on the phone, and pick the tags that matter together — on Allen-Bradley Logix the controller hands over its whole tag list, so you search by names and addresses. Have the panel's project export or the PLC's L5X? Drop them in and the screens come back automatically. Find by action needs the panel alive, so it's the tool for the copy you make today, not for tomorrow's rescue.

Yes. The download is free, and browsing tags, building dashboards and the operator panel layout, alarms, the network scan and Find by action all work in the free version. LineKeeper Pro is a one-time $59 in-app purchase, no subscription — it unlocks writing values (buttons that really start the machine) and machine history on real controllers.

Two sizes: 7″ for $800 and 10″ for $900 — one-time, everything included, no subscriptions. Preorder with a card (Stripe checkout, shipping address collected there), or reserve a unit and pay later by invoice or purchase order. First-batch units ship within 8 weeks of order; full refund at any time before your unit ships. Specs, box contents, all terms →

LineKeeper writes tags exactly like a normal HMI does — through the PLC, whose own safety program stays fully in charge. On connection loss it never forces or holds outputs; hold-to-run buttons release automatically. Every write is recorded in an audit log with the user role, time and value. LineKeeper is not a certified HMI and must never be used for safety functions.

That's IT's call, and the app gives them a clean case to review: no cloud at all — traffic stays phone-to-PLC on the local segment — reads over the same ports an HMI already uses, nothing installed or changed on the controller, and the free version is read-only by design. The phone doesn't even have to join OT Wi-Fi: a USB-C Ethernet adapter wires it into a spare switch port. The full answer — and a one-page summary you can forward to IT — is on the app page.

The free app covers Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix over EtherNet/IP (including UDTs, arrays, timers/counters and I/O modules), Siemens S7comm and Modbus TCP — with Find by action on every one of them. The device speaks EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7, Modbus TCP and OPC UA.

Yes. Each machine gets its own profile — PLC address, panel, dashboards, history — and you switch between them on the device. Only one machine is connected at a time, so a second unit is for the day two panels die at once, or when one unit is going to live on a machine for weeks.

It's designed as a bridge, not a replacement: enough for the operator to keep the line running while the proper panel is repaired or replaced, and a diagnostics and logging tool afterwards.

No. Everything — live view, control panel, logging, dashboards, ladder — runs on the phone or the device itself. Internet is only needed for alarm messages, optional remote access and software updates.

Two things, both free: install the app — it puts live values on a phone in about 15 minutes, and start/stop buttons once the right tags are identified — and tell us in the form that the line is down. The remote triage call is free, and often the panel failure has a workaround (or a repairable cause) that gets you producing before any hardware arrives. Start with the 10-minute triage guide.