No, pepper, it's not that you're bothering us. You won't learn anything if we do it for you. We want you to KNOW what you're doing and WHY you're doing it -- not just copying what we do for you.
So, HOW would you attack this project? Programming a toaster or a light show or a flour mill (in my personal case) or whatever widget-maker you can think of all involves the same discipline. The first step is to DEFINE what you want to do. Make a flow chart, write it in pseudocode, or a process narrative, or whatever you want to call it. DEFINE your process. How does it start? How does it stop? How does it step from one phase to the next?
THEN define you inputs and outputs, which then leads you to your hardware.
Then, while you're waiting for your hardware to arrive, you start writing code. You don't write code first -- which is the mistake you're starting to make.
So --
What do you want to display? You suggest some random or pseudo-random outputs will be adequate. I propose that a simple binary counter fits the bill. But you could just as easily define something else -- but it has to be defined.
THEN, when you've defined what you want to display -- HOW do you make that happen? Take that number regardless of the source and map it to your outputs. Do you know how to do that? Or do you know where to look?
THEN What are your process steps? (How do you know when to display the next assortment of lights?)
We're not trying to frustrate you! I promise! But in real life, you must be able to break down projects into something manageable. In real life, there will RARELY be somebody who has already automated exactly what you're needing, so you'll have to figure out how to do it yourself.
Around here, we love to help you learn. Show us what you already have. What worked, what didn't. Ask specific questions and we'll gladly help guide you. We want you to grow into the coworker we'd love to work alongside or to hire.
Those of us who have already answered in this thread have many years of combined experience. And there's one (PLC Kid) who's new -- and it's been fun watching him learn and grow in his career. We want the same for you! Trust me -- help us to help you and you'll learn way more than you will sharing a PLC in a lab.
and also things that use the keys for the PLC, but other that that, nothing. And also we were four people on one PLC, and no one wanted to give the computer to me, because I'm a girl. It's really frustrating actually.
