Contactors and PLC 24VDC

if you really wana play with this, go on Ebay - i have seen many many PLC testing stations for sale - they usally involve a small plc thats been mounted and wired to a small station with a power supply thats got a bunch of led's pushbuttons - message displays and in come cases even a small HMI

all of the connections are made theres even usally a 3 prong power cord supplied so you can just plug the whole thing into a power bar.

THATS probably your safest bet since it comes fully wired you cant really FUBAR anything from lack of wiring knowledge - as long as your smart enough to plug in a power cord and a programing cable - your golden
 
if you really wana play with this, go on Ebay - i have seen many many PLC testing stations for sale - they usally involve a small plc thats been mounted and wired to a small station with a power supply thats got a bunch of led's pushbuttons - message displays and in come cases even a small HMI

all of the connections are made theres even usally a 3 prong power cord supplied so you can just plug the whole thing into a power bar.

THATS probably your safest bet since it comes fully wired you cant really FUBAR anything from lack of wiring knowledge - as long as your smart enough to plug in a power cord and a programing cable - your golden

Or better yet buy a software simulation, then only the keyboard can hurt her/him.

http://www.thelearningpit.com/lp/logixpro.html
 
I would suggest buying a small 12 volt DC PLC (try Ebay)and then play around with that to your heart's content to get familiar with PLCs and programming, etc. Can't cause too much damage with 12 volts!

I personally knew a guy who got his wedding band caught between a positive 12v battery terminal and the chassis of a tractor. The ring got so red hot that it COOKED his finger to the bone. Since it was a "ring", it did so all the way around the circumference of his finger. There was no saving it. And HE was an experienced mechanic who knew what he was doing.

I agree with the low voltage idea to tinker around with though. Just get a power supply of about 30watts max. I think I may stick with 24vdc on everything. Readily available and the OP already has some 24vdc stuff (we think). Get a few switches to wire to the inputs, and use the output indicator LEDs that are built into the PLC to tell when you've turned on an output......

Stay away from household or commercial power for a while yet. There's a REASON why the warnings say "To be installed and serviced ONLY by a licensed electrician".

Stationmaster
 
I would recommend buying Mr Melores books at the top of this website page. They will help you learn PLC programming.

They will NOT teach you anything about motor control, relays or other hands on electrical stuff. You need to go to night school and take these classes. Think of the advantates
1. Qualified instructor
2. Instructor hopefully will not let you electrocute yourself
3. Use their equipment to your hearts content for a flat fee (tuition)
4. If you do blow something up maybe they wont charge you for it.

Dan Bentler

Dan Bentler
 
I see several comments warning you about how a lack of knowledge will turn you into a crispy critter whose survivors will lament the low amount of life insurance you have purchased. From what I am able to glean from your posts, here is how you should set your system up for playing around.
First, take the terminal screws out of the PSU's 24VDC supply and throw them away. Buy a 1 amp 24VDC power supply and use that to supply any external devices with that. Next, get a 8 point isolated relay output card for the PLC rack. Your input card will need to be compatible with your inputs (24VDC or 120VAC). Get some small control relays (ice cube or some other type) and power them through your relay card. Apply power to your solenoids, lamps, etc, through the contacts on the control relays.
Once you have done this, you can program your PLC to manipulate the outputs at little risk to yourself and the equipment. Good luck.
 
Jimmy, I did the same thing at home but with a small 12 x 12 enclosure to make a small motor control cabinet. The wiring was nice and clean except that I used a bright green din rail mounted terminal block for the 120v. photo eye. Guess what happened when I energized it? I had no internal overload protection so my old circuit breaker on my house almost caught on fire before it tripped. I got lucky that nothing worse happened.
 

Similar Topics

Hello, I started my new job at a factory and I found that when I opened the PLC cabinet there are "ABB contactors" that are connected to the PLC...
Replies
9
Views
3,280
Four contactors k1, k2, k3 & k4. If temperature goes over set temp by, 1 degree bring one contactor in, two degrees bring two contactors in, three...
Replies
3
Views
3,243
Hello all, I have a question and would like a few opinions if possible. 5x 480 outlets control 5 machine. I want to run them through a contactor...
Replies
2
Views
164
I have a project where the customer specs will not allow the use of the VFD's STO safety function. They demand dual safety contactors in front of...
Replies
18
Views
1,822
Hello colleagues! I decided to ask for advice, I hope someone has already studied the issue. I'll try to formulate more correctly. There is such...
Replies
6
Views
2,297
Back
Top Bottom