very newbie question about simatic S7 PLCs

Hi all:

A friend from my job recommended me this extremely interesting site. This is one awesome good use for internet. Thanks in advance!

I work in a plant that uses automated equipment mainly from the German brand Krones AG. All this equipment is controlled by Simatic S7 300 and 400 PLCs. We also have other brands equipment (all German too), one of them having a S7 200. I wonder, besides using different software (microwin for 200s and step 7 for 300 and 400s) what other main charachteristics makes them all 3 types different. I see among each series, there is a diference in memory, number of couters and timers.

I am mech engineer just out of school last year, and i would like to learn this type of PLCs. We have some training with small Festo brand PLCs which used a DOS based ladder type software. I already downloaded the PDF manuals from Siemens for the 3 programming languages that are keeping me busy these days. I also dled microwin demo. but all this does not make much sense if i dont have a simatic PLC, so, I ask this questions because I read suggestions from guys in this forum to get a starter kit for an S7 200 and I wonder if it will be enough for me to learn 300 and 400s too. I saw microwin very similar to the screenshots of Step 7 on manual, and i noticed it has fewer timer types than the step 7 series. I guess there should be many other i did not recognize. Please, what other features do 300s and 400s have over 200? Thanks, and greetings all!

¡Feliz Navidad!

Each family of CPU series has different functions and capabilities. Scan rate, program size, special modules, etc...suggest reading up on each CPU series. AS for software, S200 use Micri/Win32 to program and S300/400 uses Step7 (I think Step5 should work also) to program.

To answer the specific question of using a S7-200 to learn Siemens programming. YES, its a good start, there are differences in programming the 200 compared to the 300/400 but if you are learning I think the 200 is a good starter. The 300/400 has similar instructions and more features but too some the 200 is a dynamo and how do you say it? "more intuitive"

If you have a good local Siemens distributor then ask about the seminar/class that is half day and includes the plc, cable/adapter and software for around $300 US or less, here it was $269. Also ask for the Step by Step CD rom, the distributor or Siemens rep will have that. ALSO if you goto the Siemens site it has online training for basics pertaining to their plcs and other electrical.

Also consider getting Phil's book from this site, it is a good basic tool.

BTW, Micro/Win32(old version was 16) is for the S7-200, Simatic Step 7 is for the 300/400 and S5 is for S5 cpu's. You can use Simatic Step 7 to convert S5 programs but it will not program a S5 nor will S5 program an S7. Note also that each uses its own adapter to communicate OR you can get an adapter that can be pcmcia or PCI that will connect to any of them, it aint cheap tho.

Gracias

Gracias fellas!

Ok, then, learning S7 300/400 (Step 7) programming should be easier after learning S7 200 from what i get from your replies. I already downloaded some 5 different manuals (Step 7 programming, Step 7 STL, Step 7 ladder, step 7 FOP and S7 200 manual) from the Siemens site. Almost done with a first reading of STL manual.

Despite having all those Simatic plcs around at the company I work for, obviously is not posible for me to do any stuff with them. It would be enough for me to watch people working on them but maintenance guys never do any adjustments to programs that I know of, or at least so far i've not seen them. So I think rsdoran's suggestion seems to be the way to go. Thanks, S7 200 should be "más intuitivo".

Saludos

Hector

Watch out for the 200

Just a little note:

The S7-200 is originally not from siemens but from texas instruments. The way you use an S7-200 isn't the same as the usage of a S7-300 or 400. but just for learning PLC's its definitly more intuïtive.

I would rephase that and say- the group out of Johnson City (formerly TI) developed the S7-200. It was developed after Siemens bought TI.