Looking for some guidance from the PLC gurus

Join Date
Oct 2020
Location
SACT
Posts
8
Hey guys, I'm new to the PLC world, ive done lots of reading on this website and it really made me realize ive barely scratched the surface. The problem is i dont get much hands on exposure. I work in an industrial plant so we have all variety of things (almost excplusively AB products) but ive yet to really get my hands dirty, ive replaced little micrologix where you just put an IP into it and download the pre existing program but thats the extent to my hands on experience. I'm to the point where id love to try to set up some projects in my shop to play around with. It's easy enough for me to hook up a control logix and make some inputs/outputs come on. I want to do something more in depth. I know its such a broad spectrum, but how did you guys start off? Where do i go from here? Is there a database of scenarios somewheres i could attempt to troubleshoot?

Any guidance would be apreciated guys, the world of automation/control is an abyss of knowledge, the more i look into it the more i feel like im behind.
 
I would recommend downloading Codesys or TwinCAT 3 engineering and playing around with it on your home PC and/or laptop. The reason being is that these softwares are totally free and fully functional and you don't need any hardware to run a program and do some testing. There is inevitably going to be a learning curve with these softwares until you figure out the basics and get a program actually running on your laptop/PC. PLC programming is PLC programming and it really doesn't matter what platform/software you learn on. The most important thing when just learning, is to make sure whatever software you're learning on includes all 5 of the IEC-61131 PLC programming languages. Yes, there's more than just ladder logic when it comes to PLC programming. Structured Text is another one of the languages and its extremely important that one wanting to enter this field learn it. Dabble around with TwinCAT 3 on your laptop in your spare time, and that will certainly get you going and learning. Then you can translate the new skills to any PLC platform. Good luck
 
Hey guys, I'm new to the PLC world, ive done lots of reading on this website and it really made me realize ive barely scratched the surface. The problem is i dont get much hands on exposure. I work in an industrial plant so we have all variety of things (almost excplusively AB products) but ive yet to really get my hands dirty, ive replaced little micrologix where you just put an IP into it and download the pre existing program but thats the extent to my hands on experience. I'm to the point where id love to try to set up some projects in my shop to play around with. It's easy enough for me to hook up a control logix and make some inputs/outputs come on. I want to do something more in depth. I know its such a broad spectrum, but how did you guys start off? Where do i go from here? Is there a database of scenarios somewheres i could attempt to troubleshoot?

Any guidance would be apreciated guys, the world of automation/control is an abyss of knowledge, the more i look into it the more i feel like im behind.

Or, buy an AB Micro 8xx. Not the exact same instruction set, but you can wire your own stuff, and do whatever needs done. Under a few hundred bucks.
 
since you work in an industrial plant, here is my suggestion.

tell the boss that you would like to study some of the machines so you can learn plc programming. that shows that you want to learn.

1. find a machine that is in the plant that is not to complicated and study it.
what i/o does it have.
what is its sequence of operations.
what manual controls does it have.
write the info down.
then get with the operator and maintenance and see if your notes matches the machine operation based on their information.
get the electrical schematics and write down the i/o. DON'T take the prints, just as sure as you do, the machine will go down in 10 minutes and maintenance will need the prints to fix the machine.
2. then add the i/o to your sequence of operations.
3. see if you can code the machine operations into the machine.

no, you can't physically test the program on a production machine, but you gain programming experience. you can also ask a maintenance guy to look at your program for errors and get his opinion.

he will have lots to say, both good and bad. but you get to hear their opinion and what they would like to see.
then do another machine.
hope this helps,
james
 
I would recommend a combination of what jdbrandt and James mentioned. Stick to what you have available at the plant as much as possible while you practice on your own.

Don't get into Codesys and other PLC manufacturers/platforms. Stick to what you have within your plant first. For free, you can download RSLogix 500 as well as an emulator. For ~200$ USD you can purchase a used MicroLogix 1100 PLC on eBay.

From there, I would either purchase a digital course or just learn the instruction manual. Focus on the BASICS. Most of PLC code is written using XICs, XIOs and OTEs. Once you're clear on those, start reading about advanced instructions, test things, etc.

While you practice, make it known to your boss/team. Ask for increased responsibility / projects.

All the best
 
To add to the above...

As you work in industry, and have a number of running PLCs, surely there must be spare PLC components in the stores?

Put together a wish list based on the items in stores, Processor, power supply, rack, I/O (digital and analog), comms module... and say to your boss you wish to self-learn and set up a training rig. If you use components from the stores, make sure that maintenance know where these parts are, and document and back up your work. At least then, if the parts are required on plant, you will not lose any of your work.
I also assume that there will be programming software on site for you to use.
 
Thanks for the insight, i do have lots of components and all the programs needed to set up a test station, the problem is setting it up and not being in the way of the other workers, i think i will take a simple process and try to mimic the program/setup and start there, believe it or not I am considered the 'maintenance' team that takes care of all PLC related problems. Im just the rookie that doesnt get the exposure...YET. I took a course on automation and control so im familiar with wiring and getting programs to work, basic XIO XIC timers, etc are all familiar to me, what starts to stump me is say setting up PID loops, the built in instructions for VFD control, Communications is also something that seems to stump me, such as things like devicenet and using something like modbus
 
Last edited:
Write a program for a clothes washing machine. Have switches and lights on your lab unit, so you can interact with your program.
I assume you already know the way a washing machine works. Start simple, one cycle, one temperature, one water level. Then when you get all the bugs worked out, add features. Write your logic in a fashion that will allow you to add future features, without having to re-write you existing logic.
 

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