PLC Articles – Software and Hardware

Since I started this blog in early 2011 I have written a lot of articles on PLCs. The PLC is a major part of many industrial facilities and machines, and indeed has been an important part of my career. Now that I am also teaching as well as designing and programming, I thought it might be useful to recap the articles on this site related to PLC Software and Hardware. It also might make them easier for some people in my classes to find.

Platforms (Hardware)

Allen-Bradley (March 2014)
Automation Direct/Koyo (March 2014)
Idec -Guest Post (June 2014)
Panasonic -Guest Post (May 2014)
Siemens (March 2014)

Programming (Software)

Ladder Logic 101: Where do I Start (Feb. 2011)
Ladder Logic 102: Program Organization (Oct. 2012)
Ladder Logic 103: More on Organization (Sept. 2013)

Ladder Logic 201: Inputs (March 2013)
Ladder Logic 202: Outputs (April 2013)
Ladder Logic 203: Faults (April 2013)
Ladder Logic 204: Auto Sequences (April 2013)
Ladder Logic 205: System Routine 1 (May 2013)
Ladder Logic 206: Scanning (May 2013)
Ladder Logic 207: Interrupts and Periodic Tasks (Jan. 2014)

Ladder Logic 301: Toggle (June 2013)
Ladder Logic 302: Data Tracking and Structure Data Type (July 2013)
Indirect Addressing -Guest Post (May 2014)
PLC Software and Templates (Oct. 2011)

Miscellaneous

Generic Programming Rules (Sept. 2013)
PLC Manufacturer Rankings (Oct. 2013)
Vendors and Platforms (April 2011)
Which Platform Should I Choose? (Jan. 2011)

To go to any one of these posts, just click on the blue text.

I will be out of the country for a little over a week. When I return I have been asked to continue writing on some of these programming topics and will certainly try and do so; if you have a topic you would like me to cover, please let me know. As you can see, several of these articles were guest posts, mostly from other automation bloggers. If you would like to cover a topic, that would be awesome! I would especially like to hear from someone who works with Mitsubishi, GE, Omron, Modicon, ABB or Toshiba (Toyopuc).

Update March 2016: There is now a tab at the top of the Blog labeled “PLC”. This contains links to all of the PLC posts on this site.