Using Microsoft Excel as input in PLC?

alive15

Member
A
Join Date
Oct 2015
Location
Montgomery, AL
Posts
690
Good afternoon, is it possible to use Excel as an input in a PLC? For example, if I have a Program A that collects data from a gage and dumps the data into an excel column, is there any way to send a signal from excel to a PLC program on the same computer, where the input would say "Data in Column A, Row 1 present"? Or are there digital inputs available for PLC Programs?

This is a hypothetical question for now. Thanks.
 
I think the brand and model of PLC is going to be relevant here. Also, be wary of depending on any Windows based PC for control purposes.

And then the added layer of scripting in Excel...that will be another weakness you really don't want to rely on.
 
Let's just assume the PLC and Excel part of it will work.

I want to know if I can use any particular cell as an input in my PLC Program in the first place? Is it even possible to do this? If so, how? It does not matter to me how difficult it might be, I just want to learn how to do it. Thanks.
 
Yes, But you need a piece of software to act as the go-between.

There are a bunch of caveats, but if you have software on the PC that can talk to the PLC and it support dde and opc, yes you can do this.

You setup excel to reference the PLC via an OPC topic and DDE.
 
Great, now I need to learn how to do it, so are there any good pdf files or links anyone has already on hand? I'm going to do some research myself also, but if anyone has any good files to share, that would be excellent. Thanks.
 
You will need an "I/O Server" to communicate between Windows and the PLC.
The I/O Server must support DDE.
Then you can do "DDEPoke" from Excel to write to a bit or register.


RSlinx and Excel using DDE...
http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=75889



You can also use OPC with some software for the I/O Server...
http://www.matrikonopc.com/products/opc-archiving/excel-reporter.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQiAtMSzBRDs7fvDosLZmpoBEiQADzG1vNsxlflaTwvrocVgVch8yYAa1f3RB1H55uMO5v0A8UMaAg1k8P8HAQ



Would I let a PLC wait for a Windows app answer to do something.....never.
Hopefully you are doing nothing critical.
 
Last edited:
Hello,

NetNathan said:
I also mentioned OPC in my post...
Click to expand...

Yes but, to the uninitiated the statement "The I/O Server must support DDE." implies that "I/O Server" must support DDE even if it is an OPC server.

I was clarifying an "I/O Server" that supports OPC does not require DDE.
 
Some of this will depend on what software you have available.
If you have vb.net you could use something like advancedHMI, which has built in drivers for some PLCs, and monitor for the excel file to change and then send the data to the PLC.

I've just started using AdvanceHMI, but the more I use it the more I like it. It's a set of controls and drivers built around vb.net for creating HMI's.
 

Similar Topics

A
Update MySQL database with Excel using Microsoft Query
Hi, I'm using Excel and a MySQL database to store data from an AB PLC. Using Microsoft query, i can see data from the database in Excel but I...
Replies
3
Views
2,644
ABL_Leblanc
A
A
Report Printing in Cimplicity 8.2 using Microsoft Excel 2007
Can anyone guide me how to print a point current value in an excel spread sheet using Cimplicity. I`ve read the cimplicity help but to no avail.
Replies
3
Views
3,933
mikewest
M
N
Entivity software using Microsoft Visio
I'm looking for some examples/samples of flowchart programs using Microsoft Visio for Entivity Studio. Just something to get me started in the...
Replies
3
Views
3,273
Nathan Hendrix
N
K
RS485 Modbus RTU using PC com port in Twincat 3 issues
I'm trying to control a device via MODBUS RTU and the ModbusRtuMasterV2_PcCOM in Twincat 3. I've configured a device with the right com port and...
Replies
6
Views
139
Kroket
K
L
Using RAs IO Device Library with 1576-ENBT
Hi, I'm trying to use the IO Device Library (Product Versions) which is configured to work with the 1756-EN4TR & 1756-EN2TR but my system uses...
Replies
0
Views
48
LabRat906
L
Back
Top Bottom