Siemens Simatic Field PG

Mylo

Member
Join Date
Aug 2002
Location
Dublin
Posts
135
Is there anybody using Siemens Simatic Field PG's out there?? I am looking to procure a "Laptop" at the moment for commissioning purposes and have looked at the Field PG as a realistic option as we use a lot of Siemens components, however it is quite over priced compared to Notebooks/laptops such as Dells/HP/Compac etc when I look at the tech spec. but it is supposed to be an Industrial notebook , i.e hardwearing. Has anyone any ideas on the subject ???

Mylo
 
I don't believe Siemens manufactures PCs. That means they're buying someone else's machine and putting their name on it. That adds to the price.

Does it come with the software you need already installed on it? That could justify the higher price. Even if you have to purchase the software and install it yourself, Siemens tech support might be able to help you resolve communications problems more quickly with that computer than with others.

If you are already reasonably comfortable with PCs and know how to resolve issues of resource allocation among different software packages and hardware options, you can probably get as good a computer for less money. If not, you have to decide if the fact that Siemens supports this computer is enough to make the higher cost worthwhile.
 
I currently have 2 PG 720P 'laptops', Seimens list them as programming devices.

Both came preloaded with S5 and S7 and S7 microwin. I do believe the cables (MPI for S7, PPI for S7 microwin and AS for S5) came with the product. If you are doing a lot of Seimens programming then these laptops are invaluable as all the necessary ports are there ready for use, they also have a slot for programming Seimens memory cards.

As these are the only laptops I have, I have to use them to program all devices that we have at work, including 'Bromma APS's' (automatic positioning system), Bromma SSCI's (smart spreader communications interface), and good old GE logicmaster 6 (in the case of LM6 I cannot communicate with the PLC's for reasons that are obvious to anyone who has had the pleasure in working with these wonderful PLC's), EEPROMs for our GE DC300 drives.

As for whether they are hard wearing or not, my 2 have been thrown around and dragged up cranes without giving me any problems, apart from 1 motherboard going tits up (repair cost nearly £1000!!)

I would recommend them, but of course that is my humble opinion and I am sure other people who use this forum could give you hundreds of reasons not to use them.

One thing I will say against them is that the LCD screen is **** when it comes to viewing it outside in sunlight.

Paul
 
Yeah, I'm using a Siemens PG 720. I think that it came with all the software needed for S7 PLC's (not sure b/c an engineer passed it on to me.) They come with an onboard MPI/ProfiBus DP/PPI board so that you son't need separate adapters. Your use of the word "commissioning", which brings drives to mind. If you are only working with drives, a $900 laptop will do and you can build the cables yourself.
 
Thanks for the Input. When I say " Commisioning" I am mainly refering to PLC's / HMI's / networks and yes Drives, the company I work for is an OEM of special purpose machinery.Siemens S7 of course is not the only plc software I use , Mitsubishi/Omron/etc / robots are another point to consider. so I want to make sure they sit on the Siemens/Windows 2000 laptop well.

I understand that If I was to choose a Simatic PG then I would require some RS232 adaptors (9-Pin) for all other programming as the Com port in the simatic protocals are different i.e TC/PC Adaptor. Interesting to hear about the screen though.

Any other points to consider ?

Mylo
 
People, don't confuse a field PG with a PG720 or PG740. The field PG is a lot robuster than PG720/740. Furthermore, most laptops are not suited for use in an industrial environment. Especially high frequency signals coming from drives etc. can seriously disturb your common laptop. Both PG720/740 and field PG are totally shielded. The difference, as far as I know, is that the shielding for PG720/740 is an alluminium layer sprayed to the inside of the plastic housing, which is not very robust. I'm told the housing of a field PG is made of metal with a plastic covering.

A few years ago, we had the same discussion about the issue PG or laptop. When you are programming both S5 and S7, then the PG solution is the cheapest. After all, the package comes with the latest versions of STEP5, STEP7 and S7 microwin, build-in interfaces for S5 and S7 and an integrated programmer for S5 and S7 memory modules. Buy a laptop and install all these packaes and options and count your blessings. There are none!

Kind regards,

Jean Pierre Vandecandelaere

BTW Steve, Siemens DOES manufacture PCs. They only use another brand name: Fujitsu Siemens or Siemens Nixdorf (I think the former is the new name).
 
hello, escuse me for my bade english. i'm french ,i leave in lille. i've got a simatic field PG (2ghz). i want to sell it for 2500 euros.my emeil is [email protected] . see you later
 
Muus Good Price!

Steve the Siemens Industrial PC are about the only ones that survived the Navy Shock test.
The case on the field PG is Titainium, coated with plastic. They come with ALL of the cables needed. They have an eprom burner for S5 and s7 eproms. It has a slot for the new MMC cards also. They also have built in "100 meg Super Floppy drives". Yes, it has all of the software needed for PLC programming, S5 & S7.
 

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