Hey,
I'm currently doing my thesis project. I have to establish a profibus network of maybe two or three Siemens S7 315 plcs which will control small manufacturing training rigs. Take some information from that network. For now simple information like sensor status (no parts in feed mechanism, actuator position etc.) and tranfer it over the college ethernet for a labview program at a seperate pc on the ethernet to interperate. Also send a signal back through from labview (start/stop sequence perhaps).
I have a PC with a CP5611 card, step 7 software, simantic net software and a 315 currently at my disposal (more 315's to follow after christmas) Buying extra equipment (profinet card for example) is likely to either cost too much or take too long to get a hold of and would probably make life too easy for me
Although if absolutely essential I might have a case for getting new hardware/software.
Right now I'm thinking that I have to set up an OPC server on the PC and set that as a master. Try and get the OPC server to read information from profibus. Develop an application with visual basic or C to interpret the information from the opc and allow that application or another application to send the information over the ethernet to the labview program.
Obvioulsy I haven't the finer points covered yet. My current task is to network the PC and PLC on profibus. But is my line of thinking towards the solution correct. Can it be done with the technology available to me? Have I over complicated things in terms of a path to the answer. For example could I just send info straight on to the college ethernet via the opc server. After hours of trawling through pdf's on the net and exploring dead ends. I need to know am I finally on the right path.
Any thoughts or suggestion on how to make this work or improvements to the project would also be greatly appreciated.
Apologies for the long post
Cheers, Peter
I'm currently doing my thesis project. I have to establish a profibus network of maybe two or three Siemens S7 315 plcs which will control small manufacturing training rigs. Take some information from that network. For now simple information like sensor status (no parts in feed mechanism, actuator position etc.) and tranfer it over the college ethernet for a labview program at a seperate pc on the ethernet to interperate. Also send a signal back through from labview (start/stop sequence perhaps).
I have a PC with a CP5611 card, step 7 software, simantic net software and a 315 currently at my disposal (more 315's to follow after christmas) Buying extra equipment (profinet card for example) is likely to either cost too much or take too long to get a hold of and would probably make life too easy for me
Although if absolutely essential I might have a case for getting new hardware/software.Right now I'm thinking that I have to set up an OPC server on the PC and set that as a master. Try and get the OPC server to read information from profibus. Develop an application with visual basic or C to interpret the information from the opc and allow that application or another application to send the information over the ethernet to the labview program.
Obvioulsy I haven't the finer points covered yet. My current task is to network the PC and PLC on profibus. But is my line of thinking towards the solution correct. Can it be done with the technology available to me? Have I over complicated things in terms of a path to the answer. For example could I just send info straight on to the college ethernet via the opc server. After hours of trawling through pdf's on the net and exploring dead ends. I need to know am I finally on the right path.
Any thoughts or suggestion on how to make this work or improvements to the project would also be greatly appreciated.
Apologies for the long post
Cheers, Peter
