Siemens S7-1200 1211C, should I buy it?

[Tricka90]

Hello everybody.
I need to learn PLC programming.
I already have some experience with Ladder language and PLCSIM so now I need a real PLC to do more practice.

I was going to buy the following unit:
6ES7211-1BE31-0XB0
http://www.eibmarkt.com/isroot/eibmarkt/Files/DatenblattE/NS6102812.pdf
It has 6 Di, 4 DO (Relay) and 2 AI, that's more than enough for me to do some practice.

Do you think it would be a good idea to buy it? Or maybe this PLC doesn't have some important component or device needed to work properly? (my company will give me the software).

Thank you to anyone will help me.

Have a nice day,
Edoardo

 

[BryanG]

It is a reasonable PLC to learn on, but the firmware is an older one (1BE31) that can't be upgraded. So there will be some functions missing from the newer ones, probably won't make the slightest difference for learning the basics and even some of the less than basics.

 

[janner_10]

Good PLC to learn on but just look on eBay for a practice one, be half the price of new.

 

[Tricka90]

Thank you for the reply!
Since the firmware is older (1BE31) do you think is better to buy a more recent one like 1BE40?

 

[mk42]

1be40 has more features. Programming is really pretty much the same, so either should be fine for learning.

The one new feature that is probably useful for learning basics is Trace, where you can set up a graph in the programming software to follow various values as you configure. Can be useful to actually watch the tags in your code change each scan.

You'll also need the programming software, Step 7 Basic. V14 is the newest version, but you can probably get away with an older one, depending on which model you get.

 

[Tricka90]

Thank you so much for all the help.
Do you think that working with an S7-1200 is significantly different than working with an S7-300?

 

[boneless]

S7 300 in TIA is pretty much the same, S7 300 in Simatic Manager is different. But if you are learning, I would bet on TIA. S7 1200 is the most affordable way of doing that.

Just remember that the software is pricey, I would also look at the SIM package, it would allow you to simulate loads of stuff.

 

[kalabdel]

I second all the above advice and if you decide to go with a different unit go with transistor output so that you can lear PWM and PTO as well. Almost every newbie wants to run a DC motor with PWM.

 

[Tricka90]

Thank you again to everyone, your advice are very helpful to me.
Kalabdel, the advice about transistor output is very interesting. I suppose transistor output is called for example ac/dc/DC instead of ac/dc/RLY, is that correct?

 

[kalabdel]

Yes that's correct.

 

[qwemx]

s7 1200 does not support STL
many program you will encounter are written in STL

 

[BryanG]

Don't think there is ac/dc/dc only dc/dc/dc. You may want the ac version which does have the advantage of not needing a separate ac/dc supply and has an onboard 24V output for powering things. You can always add a Signal Board later 6ES7 222-1BD30-0XB0 that will allow you to do PTO and PWM.

 

[janner_10]

EDIT: Wrong info

 

[Bratt]

Another way to learn programming might be something like this or the older version ITS PLC MHJ EDITION which comes with a Siemens S7300 simulator. There is a 30 day demo version that you can download.

It will give you more life like scenarios to train on

 

[JesperMP]

Rather than buying a 2nd-hand S7-1200, you can buy a new one in a starter-bundle with the programming software.
http://w3.siemens.com/mcms/programm...default.aspx?tabcardname=starter kit overview

The smallest kit costs around 350 €.