Modern PLCs are fast, but with only a few exceptions, they can only do one thing at a time. This is because PLCs are built around single-core processors. In this post, I’ll go over some of the low-level PLC concepts that both make PLCs versatil...
Whether you’re working with a PLC, a PC or an Arduino, odds are you’re going to need to send and receive signals. In this blog, I’ll go over some basic signal types and communication methods as well as why these signals may be used....
The Siemens Open Library Version 4.0 is now live, and the website is up to date with the latest version and release notes. Update Highlights Siemens TIA Portal V15 Simulation mode for all devices V15.1 version will be co...
One way to implement tasks when using Siemens products is to utilize the built-in recipe functionality. For applications in which the same PLC/HMI code is used across multiple standalone projects, it can be useful to configure a recipe on one PLC and...
I recently worked on a project using a GE PACsystems Rx3i PLC and a QuickPanel+ HMI. Throughout the course of the project, we learned some tricks to alarm handling in GE Proficy that I'd like to pass along. I'll first walk you through so...
If you're interested in storing production, sensor, or other data from your automation system, Panasonic GT series HMIs provide a flexible method for logging data from one or multiple PLCs to any standard SD card. Logs are stored in CSV file...
I’d like to take a more in-depth look at an underused feature in TIA Portal, and how to diagnose its associated issues in PLC logic rather than using online diagnostics. As mentioned in this blog, Topology setup in TIA Portal can provide an add...
I will be joining other Siemens Solution Partners and Siemens in giving a presentation on Easy and Scalable Solutions for Brewery Automation with Siemens at the 2019 Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Denver next week. You can also...
The built-in high-speed counters on Siemens PLCs are very useful for applications in which a machine needs to move material a specified distance. In these instances, the scan time of the program can add inconsistency to this distance. Reduce this ...
In a recent project, we needed to set up communication between a PC running LabView and a Siemens S7-1500 PLC. Thankfully, Siemens provides the LCom communications library, shown below, for setting up TCP communications on SIMATIC S7-300/400, SIMATIC...