Seimens Software Opinion

I am looking at purchasing new software for our Seimens S5 PLC's. I have looked into the Software Software Toolbox offers.

http://www.softwaretoolbox.com/store/item_pages/itempage_510.asp

Mostly I have played around with the free demo simulator.

My question is this. Is this software any good for S5's and if it is any good should I buy the S7/S5 combo pack or just the S5 package. We do not have any S7's in the building but I was wondering if some of the features offered on S7's might be useful in understanding the S5's.

Here is my humble opinion: You don’t have any S7’s now, but you will, S5 is outdated and you will soon be struggling for spares (if you aren’t already). Siemens offers buy back options for those who wish to replace the S5 range with S7. Get the latest (or at least 5.3) Simatic software, this will include step5.

Ask Siemens for an quotation on the buy back of old S5 equipment, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the cost saving in upgrading to S7.



Good luck….

Clay B. said:

I am looking at purchasing new software for our Siemens S5 PLC's.

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What are you using at the moment and why are you considering changing ?

Hi Doug.

I upgraded from 5.2 to 5.3 and have a full S5 package included as well as the S5 to S7 “converter”.

What software package did you install to get that STEP5 v5.2 ?
Normally you have to purchase STEP5 separately, and it is very expensive !
Maybe you have a "Field PG" with various softwares preinstalled, only you have to purchase the desired licenses.

I think that "S5 for Windows" is a decent package. It is certainly easier to use than the real STEP5 (Have only tried it [S5 for Windows] a little though). I hear of many who uses it for old S5 projects.

SimonGoldsworthy said:

What are you using at the moment and why are you considering changing ?

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What I using now I inherited when I started working or this company. It is version 3.0. I have to run Norton Comander just to get it to run on my laptop. I priced new S5 software from our seimens vendor and it is over $6000.

The S5's we have here are in OEM built machines so I doubt we will be upgrading anytime soon. But I have learned on this sight infact that you can convert some STL to ladder in S7. I believe that could help me better understand STL.
Y'all will have to excuse my ignorance but I was originally trained on TI5's and I went to AB's after that so to me right now, STL looks like sandscript.
The OEM who built our machines does not offer many details into how they programed the PLC. Also our PLC's have alot of custom built cards that you can only get from the OEM.

The irony is that the newest machines they have built have GE LM-90/30 PLC's in them.

Looking for software for those as well. I have read about it but have not priced it yet.

http://www.gefanuc.com/en/ProductServices/AutomationSoftware/index.html

You can go between LAD and STL in S5 as well.