Automate/Promat 2017
Earlier this week I had the privilege of attending my second Automate and Promat show in Chicago. I wrote an earlier post on the Automate 2015 show, but when I went back and re-read it I realized that I actually …
Tag: Siemens
Birth of the Programmable Controller
Today’s post is extracted from my new “generic” PLC course manual, PLC Hardware and Programming – Multi-Platform. In the manual, I also cover the origins of the computer, beginning with the Babbage Analytical Engine, all the way back in 1823! …
PLC Memory
As I have mentioned previously, I have been working on a generic PLC course that I hope to release in some kind of online software format soon. I was able to test a prototype a few weeks ago with a …
Why BCD?
Computers hate decimal. I mean, just because we have ten fingers and ten toes, we think we can dictate what base other computing entities should think in. Well, it’s really quite inefficient when you think about it, its so easy …
Teaching the Teachers
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of teaching a Siemens S7 advanced class for Automation Training to some of the professors in my old home town of Knoxville. They were from several of the area colleges and vo-tech …
Request for PLC Information and Samples
I mentioned last week that I am working on what I believe is the first truly advanced non-platform-specific book on PLC Programming. My friend Tony over on Factory Automation Software Blog has reviewed some books that come the closest, but …
Ladder Logic 105: PLC Scanning
In my last post on PLC Memory Organization, I mentioned that I had not really covered how scanning actually works in a programmable controller. This is certainly a topic that needs to be discussed for an understanding of PLC programming, …
Ladder Logic 104: Memory Organization
One of the first decisions that needs to be made when designing a PLC system is memory allocation and organization. In the early years of the PLC memory came at a premium… 1K (one kilobyte) of memory for the program …
Non-Native Devices: .eds and .gsd files
When designing a control system, sometimes it becomes necessary or advantageous to communicate with devices that were not made by the PLC manufacturer. If these devices need to be placed on an Ethernet, DeviceNet or Profibus network there are methods …
Industrial Ethernet
Today’s post is dedicated to my new friends at Poseidon Industries, a manufacturer of stone cutting and processing equipment, located in Punta Gorda, Florida. Last week I did some software work there and had some discussions on industrial Ethernet protocols …