Entries for the 'Automation' Category

Have you ever wanted to read current, torque, or power data from your Siemens variable frequency drive (VFD) without having to change your telegram or communication configuration? Well, you are in the right place! The guide below will walk you through how to acyclic read or write any drive parameter with your Siemens PLC.  Acyclic communication to a Siemens drive may seem like an impossible, obscure language, so the goal of this article is to translate it into something more understandab...

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The GraphWorX64 software from Iconics is a powerful tool for building HMIs. As an upgrade from GraphWorX32, it offers several new features that allow the designer more flexibility and ease of use. The purpose of this blog post is to focus on the new Smart Symbol feature, and how it can greatly simplify HMI development. What is a Smart Symbol? A Smart Symbol is essentially a group of objects that have their properties and data exposed at the group level. Creating a Smart Symbol is extremely...

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The Siemens Open Library marked its 1000th download this week. The free, open source function block library was launched in June 2016 through a partnership between DMC and Siemens. The library aims to be a resource for consistency, usability, and faster development for the Siemens community. The library has continued to evolve since its initial release. Updates have included the inclusion of all of DMC’s library, which included a large number of Function Blocks and Function calls. Addit...

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DMC recently discovered that there are some unique settings associated with configuring a Siemens G120 Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) with extended safety functionality using the onboard terminals. This blog is meant to be a guide for this type of configuration to avoid troublesome and difficult-to-diagnose issues. Hardware Setup In this particular situation, we used an S7-400H PLC to control a CU240E-2 VFD. The S7-400H can be configured with two CPUs in a fully redundant PLC setup, bu...

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For anyone debugging a program, a scope can be an extremely efficient tool for determining the cause of an issue. A scope allows you to monitor a variable (or multiple) in real time, which is a great way of viewing and debugging specific parts of the machine process.  In Beckhoff, TwinCAT 3 offers a very straightforward built-in scope. In this article, I'll detail how to set up a scope to debug a program. Like TwinCAT 3, the TwinCAT 3 Scope is integrated into...

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Whether you are starting from scratch or adding functionality to an existing setup, B&R Automation Studio makes it easy to add and configure hardware. This article is part of a multi-part series that will guide you through the required steps to set up a new project, add a CPU and I/O modules, and map the I/O channels to variables in your code. This section will focus on creating a new project and adding a CPU, Select Unit, and I/O module. Note: The work is done using Automation Studio Ver...

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DMC is proud to present at the Axis NJ 2016 Automation Expo on Thursday, October 27, 2016. Project Director Jon Carson will lead the keynote address on the topic of cyber security at 12:00 p.m. The Axis NJ Automation Expo is an annual event hosted by Axis Industrial Automation Solutions that provides a venue to learn about new products, technologies, and industry trends. The theme of this year's expo is "Increasing Productivity through Advancements in Automation Technology."...

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MatrikonOPC Server allows you to connect OPC clients like HMIs, SCADA systems, and other custom applications to a wide range of Siemens PLCs (S7-200, S7-300, S7-1500, etc.) via Ethernet.  This blog shows you how to configure a Siemens S7-300 PLC in MatrikonOPC Server to connect to an HMI or any other OPC client.   Configuring a Siemens PLC Channel One of the benefits of using MatrikonOPC Server is easy, step-by-step configuration through the Siemens PLCs Configuration Wizar...

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As legacy hardware begins to fail, support can be difficult for a variety of reasons - not the least of which is the deprecation of programming software and debugging tools. I recently helped a customer restore the program to an old Telemecanique (now owned by Schneider Electric) XBT-C terminal, and wanted to pass along some lessons I learned. This guide will be for the XBT-C series terminals, but should be similar to other legacy devices as well. Getting Started First and foremost, you wi...

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Jimmy Condon and I joined E&M on the 2016 edition of their annual New Stuff Road Show to help Siemens showcase their new Modernization Made Easy initiative that was launched this year. The two-week tour, which stretched from Sacramento to San Diego, was a great opportunity to connect vendors, system integrators, and end-users and give hands-on access to the latest in automation technology. In addition to answering a wide variety of general automation questions, drinking lots of coffee,...

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The Siemens Open Library is a great resource that includes many commonly used Function Blocks and Faceplates. However, every project is different and customer requirements sometimes necessitate changes or the creation of new things. In the Dissecting the Siemens Open Library Series (this is the first post), I plan to break down some of the methods used by the Open Library to make configuration quick and easy. One thing that the Open Library does really well is it...

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Two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet a high-ranking US Senator. One thing that stuck with me was how seriously he took Chinese cyber espionage. Was it really possible that our phones could spy on us, even when powered down, unless the battery is removed? I was skeptical, but since then, we’ve learned of the reality of incurable spyware that lives on your hard drive’s firmware, and seen countless high-profile cyber-attacks that can bring even the largest companies to their ...

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DMC and Siemens recently co-hosted a webinar on "Developing PLC and HMI Code Faster Through Use of the Siemens Open Library." I joined Carson Kennedy of Siemens in presenting a free, 45-minute educational webinar that was originally introduced at the 2016 Siemens Automation Summit.  The Siemens platforms have always encouraged the use of modular, reusable, and object oriented code. Until recently, this meant that everyone was responsible for creating and maintaining their own i...

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In a previous blog I discussed programming motion control with a S7-1500 with Technology Objects in TIA Portal. This is a very popular method of doing the motion control on the PLC. We can also offload the motion control to the drive control unit using Siemens’ library motion blocks such as SINA_POS and allow the PLC to control more drives. The Siemens library motion blocks are also available for S7-300 PLCs, which do not support the same Technology Objects as S7-1500 PLC...

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This guide will get you started with Beckhoff PLCs by showing step by step how to go online with an existing PLC to monitor or troubleshoot existing code on a running PLC. To upload the code from the PLC for modification or backup, just follow step 1. Upload PLC code Open the TwinCAT XAE in Visual Studio. Select File > Open > Open Project From Target… Select the PLC, then OK. See this guide for finding and connecting to a PLC. Select location on local compute...

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This guide will get you started with Beckhoff PLCs by showing step by step how to connect to a Beckhoff PLC.     Download and install Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 programming environment. Once the programming environment is installed, this icon  will appear in the system tray. Select > Router > Edit Routes. In the TwinCAT Static Routes window that pops up, select Add... The Add Route Dialog will appear:  For most situations, the Broadcast Search option wi...

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Join John Sullivan of DMC and Carson Kennedy of Siemens for a 45-minute educational webinar on Wednesday, August 24 at 2 p.m. EST. John Sullivan will present on "Developing PLC and HMI Code Faster Through Use of the Siemens Open Library."             The Siemens platforms have always encouraged the use of modular, reusable, and object oriented code. Until recently, this meant that everyone was responsible for creating and maintaining ...

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Recently, I found the need to create customizable text for some alarms in a TIA Portal project. In this particular case, I needed to include the name of the operator that was monitoring the machine for traceability, as well as some specific machine information (process tag value) when the alarm occurred. Knowing this must be possible, I set off to Google, the Siemens forums, and the TIA Portal help files. Surprisingly, I was not able to find very good documentation or examples online. Howev...

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There are many great reasons for working with a certified Siemens Solution Partner. After all, Siemens Solution Partners are the #1 choice for the engineering, system integration, and implementation of superior, tailored, future-oriented solutions.  For this year's Siemens Automation Summit, DMC collaborated with Siemens Solution Partners to produce a fun video series offering a few reasons to work with a Solution Partner. We hope you enjoy it! Technologies Experience on eve...

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This year's Siemens Automation Summit was as eventful as ever and full of excellent presentations, informative sessions, and advanced technology. Here are some of our favorite moments from the 2016 Automation Summit.   Virtual Reality at the Tech Café The Technology Café was well-attended and enjoyed by a variety of conference attendees. The Café consisted of four different stations with different Virtual Reality applications. Station One displayed a roller coaster application ...

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