New to PLCs and in desperate need of help.

vixen4u

Member
Join Date
Jun 2006
Location
Pennsylvania
Posts
34
Hello Please be patient with me I am new to all this. I am currently a student who just started my PLC class with alot of work to do on our own without teachers help. Our teacher has not taught use nothing or better yet has not even explained anything we are to figure it our on our own. The problem I have and the other students is that we have a capstone project that we need to do and do not know what kind of electronic projects can be done on the PLC. We feel so lost in this class. I was wondering if anyone knew of a site for PLC projects or experiments that can at least get use started. I have looked on this site, but we also have to build the project and need electronic schematics also so we can build it. We just do not know where the PLC fits in. I hope this all makes sense I and my fellow classmates are a little frustrated and lost.

thank you for your time
 
Where the PLC fits in is that it is the brains of the machine. It tells the various devices when to start and when to stop. It reads in data from the sensors, and then uses its internal logic (which would be written by you) to determine what outputs need to be switched on and which to be switched off.

I would suggest the following steps:
1, Go to the top of the page and click on the learn PLCs link, complete this series of lessons.
2, Go to your lab, or teacher, and find out the brand and model of PLC you are using.
3, Go to the PLC manufacturer's web site and download the manual for that PLC. If you are lucky, it will have some application examples for you.

If you get stuck on any of the steps, post back at this forum and let us know what step you are stuck on and what the problem is.

Good Luck with your studies.

Doug
 
Thank you for your quick response. I have tried to email my teacher to see if he can tell what type of PLC we are using I hope he can answer by class on friday.

thanks again
vickie
 
the plc is used to replace contactors, relays, timers and counters etc in an electrical panel thus making wiring much simpler and allowing easy changes to be made to the plc programme without changing wiring or adding extra components
 
sounds fishy

vixen4u said:
Hello Please be patient with me I am new to all this. I am currently a student who just started my PLC class with alot of work to do on our own without teachers help. Our teacher has not taught use nothing or better yet has not even explained anything we are to figure it our on our own. The problem I have and the other students is that we have a capstone project that we need to do and do not know what kind of electronic projects can be done on the PLC. We feel so lost in this class. I was wondering if anyone knew of a site for PLC projects or experiments that can at least get use started. I have looked on this site, but we also have to build the project and need electronic schematics also so we can build it. We just do not know where the PLC fits in. I hope this all makes sense I and my fellow classmates are a little frustrated and lost.
vixen4u said:


thank you for your time




If this is really your situation, you should consider dropping this class. Take it with another instructor, or go to another school. For any teacher to put students in the situation you describe is hard to believe. You may indeed have a project to accomplish, and you may indeed be lost, but I find it hard to believe that the instructor just threw you into this and said "good luck". I teach PLCs as part of my course load at my school and I do challenge my students to do some work on their own, but provide them with plenty of ways to get the job done, including asking me any questions they wish. I just find this whole description a bit hard to swallow.
 
We do not have the choice of dropping the class there is no one else to teach this class. It is not a college but a tech school ITT Tech. And yes this teacher always throws you into it a class and says goodluck. We have had this problem with this teacher before and have complained. Nothing gets done about it. We just have to try to get as much outside help as possible. I am truthfully telling you He skipped 5 chapters on PLCs and talked for 5 minutes giving use 3 symbols and then put us on the simulator and said here follow those directions and he left the room. The instructions say that we have to figure out how to make certain things work without help or info we can not do that. I could not make that up. This is my last quarter and am just trying to get some help with the class. I am not a liar I came here for some help with a class and you think that I am lying about such a thing. Guess what I am glad you as a teacher tell students they are not telling the truth what a wonderful teacher you must be. Maybe you could of actually been constructive and added some help. I am already frustrated enough but thanks for the non-help.
 
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Hey, Vickie, buck up, girl.

Things are not as bad as they seem. You can get plenty of help here, but you will need to do some work on your own also. At this point you probably do not know enough to even ask good questions. You will have to start by learning the basics about a bunch of different subjects, wiring, electronics, schematic drawings, binary logic, and so on. Possibly you have been exposed to some of these in previous classes?
 
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davefinic said:
the plc is used to replace contactors, relays, timers and counters etc in an electrical panel thus making wiring much simpler and allowing easy changes to be made to the plc programme without changing wiring or adding extra components

Thank you for the response. Nice to know not everyone assumes someone is lying about situations. I am waiting on my teacher to email me the info about the PLC we will be using. Do you know of any place that has ideas for projects that can be used with PLC. We are so in the dark about all this. I appreciate all the Help I can get.
 
I am trying it is so frustrating. I had a project but he said I could not use it because there was not enough programming to be done. So basically scrapped a project that I had for 8 months and threw that out the window. After that he didnt tell use anything else and it makes you want to scream. I have gone so far as to report him to the state of pennsylvania. Still nothing gets done, I just want to scream, I am hoping to figure this out will be getting the PLC book they sell here. And have been reading as much as I can. I am just at the end of my rope and just really need the help would not be here if my teacher was helpful. I am familiar with schematics, electronics, we are Computer and electronic engineering technology(CEET for short) students. There are tone of circuits out there but we dont know exactly what our PLC is and how it works. We have to find somehting to build from scratch. there are some guidelines we have to follow I will post that in a minute.

thanks it is nice to know there are so many who are willing to help :)
 
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Do you know of any place that has ideas for projects that can be used with PLC. We are so in the dark about all this. I appreciate all the Help I can get.

We have helped many students with all sorts of different projects here, from traffic lights, christmas lights, package handling, bottled water processing, to elevators. Search the archives here using keywords for a project you might be interested in. Pick one that you know something about already. It is easier if your already have some knowledge of how your project should work.
 
Come up with a project...then search it...it's probably been done in the past (on this site)

There are many EE or tech. that can help you with both (prints and program)
 
My minimum requirements that I have to meet are:

1 signal input
1 user controlled input
1 signal output
1 user controlled output

system level process that demonstrates DC, AC, and semiconductor Knowledge.

I had a water level indicator with alarm http://www.electronicsforu.com/elec...05.htm&title=Water Level Indicator With Alarm. I was going to do but the teacher basically told me there was not enough programming to do that. They grade by how much programming I do also. Hence another reason why I am frustrated.

I am looking again for more project ideas and maybe will go with a water level controller. Does not look so bad to build http://www.electronicsforu.com/electronicsforu/lab/ad.asp?url=/efylinux/circuit/august2001/cir1.htm&title=Water-Level%20Controller
 
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vixen4u said:
We do not have the choice of dropping the class there is no one else to teach this class. It is not a college but a tech school ITT Tech. And yes this teacher always throws you into it a class and says goodluck.

I understand completely. I went to ITT and studied electronics. The teachers barely spoke english. There was some easy math and they couldn't even teach that. Some of the people in the class hadn't taken algebra or any math like that and they were COMPLETELY lost. I had to help a lot of them through it. Needless to say, I didn't end up getting a degree with them but found my place in the world anyway. ITT left a sour taste in my mouth. I hope that it works out for you better than it did for me. Good Luck.
 
Vickie,
Does a "signal input" and "signal output" mean that you must use analog signals, or or these simply on/off digital signals. If analog, your project will be more difficult at the student level.

Many school facilities do not have PLCs with analog input and outputs. That will be an important thing to find out.

What the heck is a "user controlled output"? If the user controls it, then the PLC is not needed! I assume this will be some device (light, solenoid) that is turned on/off with a switch?

The "water level controller" does not appear to meet the 4 criteria that you listed. I only see a level switch input (no analog signal input). What about a bottled water batch process instead? The attached spreadsheet contains a process description, a PLC Input/Output (I/O) list, and a simplified process diagram.

EDIT: I just remembered that you have to build this thing, so the bottled water plant would be easy to program, but too complicated to build. You might be able to use part of it, depending on what equipment is available at the school. Do you have small pumps and level switches available?
 
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despite all the problems with the school I worked hard and try to overcome them. I have kept highest honor for these two years and that is not a easy thing to do with some of these classes. Now we are at the end I am going back for networking but the teachers there for that are very wonderful and know alot. It is just the main course I choose has alot of issues. Man this last quarter is a kicker we also have economics online. I do help alot of my fellow students if they need it. I love to troubleshoot. Hence I am doing that right now with the PLC class and our simulator. 11 weeks are left in this course before we graduate. Hence why I am looking for help and lossing my mind trying to find a new project. I think the water level controller is a good one.

I am sorry ITT did not work out for you. It does not work out there for many. We started with 30 students we now have 5.
 

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