Entries for 'Nick Shea'

If you find yourself working with Analog IO on the Siemens S7-1200 for the first time, you may wonder how and where to start.  Here are some basic tips for working with Analog IO on this PLC platform.  For the purposes of this blog, I will focus on implementing 4-20mA inputs and outputs, but the concepts should apply to other signal types as well. Configuring Analog Input/Output Models:... [Read the rest of this blog...]

Siemens and Rockwell Automation are two giants competing in industrial automation technology today.  Rockwell (aka Allen-Bradley) seems to be more popular in the US market, but Siemens has a larger international customer base.  A cursory Google search will reveal that there is no lack of debate among automation professionals over which one is preferred.

As someone who uses both platforms regularly, I would like to compare one of the key differences between them - function blocks.

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Here are some simple guidelines for troubleshooting and working with Analog IO.  Although these guidelines are intended to help you think about the process of troubleshooting, this process will surely catch any specific issues you encounter.

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For those of us who appreciate and harness the power of indirect addressing in Siemens S7 300 and 400 level PLCs, we were sad to hear that this functionality was not supported in the same way for the new Step 7 Basic software for S7-1200 PLCs.  As of Service Pack 2 for Step 7 Basic 10.5, however, Siemens has added array indexing functions that get you closer to indir... [Read the rest of this blog...]

Many consumers, including myself, have tapped into the ever-growing functionality of mobile internet.  Many people leverage this infrastructure for their mobile phone.  Others are beginning to use WiMAX connections for their PCs.  Not to be out-done, PLCs are also capable of communicating through wireless data plans.

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On a recent project in Guangzhou, China, I had an opportunity to join a soccer outing with guys from our client's factory. Ok, so maybe it wasn't a FIFA World Cup caliber match, but we had a great time pitting the engineering department versus the operations and materials departments. It was a great way to take advantage of the warm weather in late November and to get out after a long week c... [Read the rest of this blog...]

After working on several projects with Siemens S7-300 Safety PLCs, I was given the opportunity to contribute to an article for ControlDesign.com that presents cases for and against replacing hardware components with software solutions in machine control. From my experience, I have seen some direct advantages of replacing hardware such as a safety relay with a safety program in a safety-rated PLC.... [Read the rest of this blog...]

Whereas I've commissioned several systems using a Siemens S7 PLC with remote IO and VFD connections via Profibus, I found Simatic 505 to have its own nuances.  For example, configuring a Siemens Simatic ET 200 remote IO rack is not as easy as 1-2-3.  Instead, it is easy as 3-4-5… 

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Yesterday, I attended the 2009 Energy Management Seminar presented by Schneider Electric.  The seminar focused on strategies and technologies to monitor and improve energy efficiency. The keynote speaker, Peter Garforth, made a compelling case for energy productivity as a profitable business opportunity.  Some highlights of his presentation were: Only 30% of energy generated is... [Read the rest of this blog...]