Think & Do

Looking for a discussion about Think & Do.



I have been using AB/RA products for the past many years. And have a through understanding of their offerings but am now at a new company. Been asked to consider using Think n Do and that stuff as a standard. My first reaction (kept it to myself) is no way been using AB for years maybe expensive but it works why change. But I must keep an open mind so been reading the Auto Direct website trying to understand and would like to solicit opinions and discussions.



Thanks Rich

It depends on what you are trying to do.

Did you search for ThinknDo?

We have done our biggest motion projects using Think N DO and Profibus DP. It worked very well.

I used T&D on one vacuum furnace project back about 2000. To say that the flow chart programming left a bit to be desired is an understatement. We got the project about 3/4 of the way done before we dumped T&D and went back to the drawing board, slapped in a SLC5/05, and still completed the project on schedule. Others may like it, but I'll never use it again. The savings are not that much, especially if you factor in the longer configuration time. Compare the time to write a simple motor start/stop rung in RSLogix vs motor start stop in T&D. I can get the entire rung done in less time than it takes to drop the first decision block on the flow chart. It doesn't get any better for more complex logic, it gets worse. It handles math expressions very well, but that doesn't offset all the other things I didn't like.

Our company did a Think & Do job before I started working there and now we are quoting a repeat of it.

I have done Steeplechase which is Think & Do's big brother without the HMI part. It is a definate mind bend at first if you have only programmed in ladder. You can be successful if you can grasp flow chart programming. If you have ever written code in C or Fortran, that might help as the flow of things is more procedural than the "fall through" nature of ladder logic.

If you have done any SFC programming in Logix 5000 that would be a plus as well. Like any language there are plusses and minuses. It's very good for showing the flow of a process. It's also good for explaining that flow to non programmers because while most would look at ladder code as hieroglyphics
they have probably seen s flow chart before.

It is PC based so all the normal security/Windoz issue are there but if you lock down the system and keep your network isolated from the internet I believe these are managable.

I've used it as well, it works, in the application I had to support the OEM did a very poor job of planning system. In the end it had 6 plcs, and 1 Computer each having it's own separate project, each project contributing to the overall control of the system while interacting with each separate project. Very mind numbing and confusing....anyway...I really don't see any "value" in making it a "standard".

The reason I don't see the value in making it a standard is any cost savings on hardware will just get eaten up in training/extra programming hours. Granted if you get proficent it probably will be a time saver beause of the integration of both the HMI and PLC, however how do you recruite people who will be told in an interview that Think & Do is the standard? Would that really appeal to anyone?

I'm just starting my 3rd year in the automation industry and I've switched jobs to a company that is 90% AB (previous job 75% GE, 25% AB/Seimens), not saying that AB is the king, but I think down the road a solid background in AB (or any PLC that uses the standard programming languages) will open up more doors down the road. I've very happy with the company I'm with, but if they said Think & Do was the "standard" I would have kept looking.

But if you want job security, push for that to be the standard and learn every aspect of it.

EDIT: It is also known as "Entivity" so use that keyword in your searches as well. Here is another discussion

Thanks everyone for the intersting comments. I've done some research and agree that it is quite different. I am going to push forward with Rockwell - A/B the tried and true.


Rich