S7200 + Et200

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member here (and also to the PLC world) and I've been trying to catch up with all the reading material here so I apologize if my question as already been answered previously.
I've been giving the task of putting to good use some unused equipment on a profibus network. I've got a S7-200 PLC, a couple of ET200 and MM420. From what I've read the PLC cant perform DP MASTER duty on this network but even so, I wanted to ask you if you were aware of any way I could get the PLC to control, send or at least receive data directly from the ET's and MM. The software at my disposal is Simatic NCM, which I used to configure the ET's on the profibus network (didnt find any support for the S7-200 CPU 226 nor the MicroMaster 420), Step7-Micro/Win (for PLC programming) and WinCC which I'm guessing I'll have to use if I want everything to work together.

Thanks in advance for your support.
Best regards,
Nuno

S7-200 comm with ET200 an MM

Hello allstar,

S7-200 can't work as PROFIBUS-DP master. There is a card that allows you to use an S7-200 as a PROFIBUS-DP slave.

S7-200 can control MICROMASTER, but using USS instead PROFIBUS. You can ask Siemens for library that allows you to use the S7-200 port as a USS port. The MICROMASTER doesn't needs any card to communicate using USS, you just connect to the terminals.

Sincerely,

Kelkoon a neighbour in the north.

Hola Kelkoon

Thanks for the confirmation.In the meantime I've been told that I'll be getting a S7-300 to insert into the network, hopefully that will make thinks more interesting and easy(?). By the way, most of the posts I read here regarding projects with S7 PLCs use STEP 7 as their main software, is there a reason beyond personal taste for that? As I mentioned the software at my disposal is Step7-Micro/Win (for the PLC) and Simatic NCM (for network config) although I think I have a Step 7 version in the same package (Simatic Softnet). Should I discard NCM and start using Step 7 software? Ehehe.. as you can tell I'm still very * * with the PLC world.

So thanks again and best regards,
Nuno

Step 7

Bo Día Nuno:

A small Siemens dictionay:
-STEP 7 is the software used to program S7-300/-400 and usually includes NCM.
-Step 7 Microwin is the software used to program S7-200 family.
-SIMATIC NET is the software used for PC-PLC communication used to create an OPC server and required by WinCC and WinCC flex to establish connetion to a PLC. It isn't required by STEP 7 nor Microwin.

If you are getting an S7-300, you have to use STEP 7. If you doesn't have a license you can ask Siemens Portugal for a trial license (30 days). There is small version of STEP 7 but it doesn't allow PROFIBUS network, this version STEP 7 Lite you can downloard from:
http://support.automation.siemens.com/WW/view/en/22764522

Saudos,
Kelkoon