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Hi, I'm brand new here so forgive me if I post anything already asked or n00bish... 
I have a small old PLC from the "scrapyard" of my dad's company. I use this PLC since years for a small application concearning counting people on parties (people comming in - people leaving = people currently inside).
Since years I've used an old 80386 PC with Windows 3.11 and Intellution Fix/(SCADA?) installed to poll, read out, visualize and save the data send from the PLC.
Now, I always found the Intellution Fix/(SCADA?) packet a way too big, messy and serious overkill to run for something like this; There need many "programs", drivers, etc to be running to pull this all off in this packet (and there are many things running which I don't even know what they are or why they are needed).
So I always wondered if there is anything easier, simplier and much less resource hogging then this huge packet to communicate with the PLC.
What I want is to write my own application in Visual Basic for this. But of course, I have no clue in how to communicate with the PLC and thus how to fetch and/or request the data I need.
I've done much looking around, searching and reading on various sources on the net, and thus know that it isn't as easy as it sounds. But I also have found nothing concrete which gets me started. Also because I don't have a clue where to search or what to search and there seems to be quite a lot of information....
Though, I have found some companies who have drivers which claim to be able to communicate with the PLC via the RK512 protocol and stuff and which are useable in VB (eg: Adontec). I also have found some talk about OPC servers. And I have found many other things like that, but they all cost an extremely lot of money...
Idealy there is some (free/almost free) driver (DLL, ActiveX, ...) which I can use that let me communicate with the PLC in a simple manner without all the nessecairly whistles and bells like a packet as Intellution Fix/(SCADA?). Or 1 server program which does the communicating and which I can communicate with (via DDE or whatever).
The PLC in question is a Siemens Simatic S5-100U PLC with CPU103. The input is done by a Digital Input module 8x24VDC 6ES5 421-8MA11 and all this is hooked to my PC with the Serial Interface module CP521 SI. My dad once wrote the small STEP5 program for the PLC, and has set up the Intellution Fix/(SCADA?) packet (I also have the hardware dongle for it).
I don't know how the PLC is set up to communicate with the outside world (ASCII mode, other mode), all I know it currently works, but not as I like it...
So in short, my main question:
How can I make my own Visual Basic program to communicate with the PLC with as little as possible drivers, needed programs, tools, and all the other needed overkill and resource hogging stuff... And of course it can't cost much as I don't have a companies budget. Thus an OPC server? A protocol driver?
Also, I've read that the CP521 SI can be set up to communicate in ASCII mode. How do I do this? What do I need for it? How does that work?
---
My PLC experience is very very low: I can understand a bit the STEP5 language; I have a manual for the PLC and STEP5. And I know the principles of a PLC and know what PB's, FB's, etc. are. But that's it... I do have a big Visual Basic knowledge, so that isn't any problem...
thank you
PS: I've seen that there are some people from Belgium here. It would be great if some of them could help me out, or give a bit of advice on the matter in Dutch by email or phone (that's easier to talk in for me)
I have a small old PLC from the "scrapyard" of my dad's company. I use this PLC since years for a small application concearning counting people on parties (people comming in - people leaving = people currently inside).
Since years I've used an old 80386 PC with Windows 3.11 and Intellution Fix/(SCADA?) installed to poll, read out, visualize and save the data send from the PLC.
Now, I always found the Intellution Fix/(SCADA?) packet a way too big, messy and serious overkill to run for something like this; There need many "programs", drivers, etc to be running to pull this all off in this packet (and there are many things running which I don't even know what they are or why they are needed).
So I always wondered if there is anything easier, simplier and much less resource hogging then this huge packet to communicate with the PLC.
What I want is to write my own application in Visual Basic for this. But of course, I have no clue in how to communicate with the PLC and thus how to fetch and/or request the data I need.
I've done much looking around, searching and reading on various sources on the net, and thus know that it isn't as easy as it sounds. But I also have found nothing concrete which gets me started. Also because I don't have a clue where to search or what to search and there seems to be quite a lot of information....
Though, I have found some companies who have drivers which claim to be able to communicate with the PLC via the RK512 protocol and stuff and which are useable in VB (eg: Adontec). I also have found some talk about OPC servers. And I have found many other things like that, but they all cost an extremely lot of money...
Idealy there is some (free/almost free) driver (DLL, ActiveX, ...) which I can use that let me communicate with the PLC in a simple manner without all the nessecairly whistles and bells like a packet as Intellution Fix/(SCADA?). Or 1 server program which does the communicating and which I can communicate with (via DDE or whatever).
The PLC in question is a Siemens Simatic S5-100U PLC with CPU103. The input is done by a Digital Input module 8x24VDC 6ES5 421-8MA11 and all this is hooked to my PC with the Serial Interface module CP521 SI. My dad once wrote the small STEP5 program for the PLC, and has set up the Intellution Fix/(SCADA?) packet (I also have the hardware dongle for it).
I don't know how the PLC is set up to communicate with the outside world (ASCII mode, other mode), all I know it currently works, but not as I like it...
So in short, my main question:
How can I make my own Visual Basic program to communicate with the PLC with as little as possible drivers, needed programs, tools, and all the other needed overkill and resource hogging stuff... And of course it can't cost much as I don't have a companies budget. Thus an OPC server? A protocol driver?
Also, I've read that the CP521 SI can be set up to communicate in ASCII mode. How do I do this? What do I need for it? How does that work?
---
My PLC experience is very very low: I can understand a bit the STEP5 language; I have a manual for the PLC and STEP5. And I know the principles of a PLC and know what PB's, FB's, etc. are. But that's it... I do have a big Visual Basic knowledge, so that isn't any problem...
thank you
PS: I've seen that there are some people from Belgium here. It would be great if some of them could help me out, or give a bit of advice on the matter in Dutch by email or phone (that's easier to talk in for me
)
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