Which PLC to use~!

[rahatali]

Hi all my seniors!
could any body tell me at very first stage which PCL type or brand i should use for practice and minimum how many I/O i requireds for better programming & practice! and while buying what accessories i should get with PLC to connect with PC and then operate!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lancie1]

The brand to use for practice is:

the most powerful PLC THAT you can also afford to buy.

The smallest have about 10 I/O. The accessories to connect from a PC to a PLC include at least a cable and a software interface program that allows writing and editing programs on the PC and then downloading to the PLC. The details depend on the brand and model.

You wil probably find more help if you get a PLC that local people are familar with. Check to see what brand local companies are using, then get that type.

 

[geniusintraining]

IMO...

This would depend on your market, in the states (USA) Allen Bradley is the bigest, so if you are looking for a job and you have AB experience then that would be better then if you had (only) Siemens experience

But all PLC's are similar (input's and output's)

I have heard...that if your can learn Siemens then the rest are easy, I know some Siemens...the rest is not easy

You should learn the basics first, Phil has some very good 'PLC training on this site' http://www.plcs.net/contents.shtml

Again look at the market in your area, contact your manufacturing rep and see what they have to provide

 

[PLC newbie]

You can try japanese brands such as Keyence or Omron. They offer wider range from Multi-thousand I/O PLC to 10 I/O miniature model. Good price to performance.rgds.

 

[semilogical]

I have used AB plc's for over 25 years and have just recently started getting involved with Siemens, Quantum (Modicon) and a GE brnad.

Overall I'd recommend an AB, but that is somewhat normal based on my experience. The Siemens PLC's are kind of OK so far, but the software for it is totally non intuitive when it comes to finding solutions to problems.

To be kind of my own devils advocate, the Control Logix (newest AB PLC Platform) is somewhat difficult to get your hands around, but once you get started you find that it is much easier than some of the older AB offerings. Physical I/O tended to be my downfall, that and the fact that everything is tag based.

 

[PRIJIT]

If possible get a micro model PLC of omron. Its called ZEN with LCD Display where seperate software or cable is not a must. U can create ladder pgm , edit or go run mode with the keys available. Monitoring is trough the small LCD screen.

 

[Dave.Anderson]

I haven't played with many brands.

But for smaller projects I like the Direct Automation (Koyo) They are cheap, run just fine and the software is cheap. (didn't feel like typing inexpensive )

For larger project where there may be lots of troubleshooting the AB software is hands down WAY ahead of AD's.

So if you just want to get your feet wet and see if you like it, AD is a good choice (they even have a free version of their software limited to 100 words) and the PLC's start at about $100 (or maybe $150) US.

<has a AD running his house.

 

[Crossbow]

Zen is not a PLC, it's a programmable relay. nowhere near the functionality of a true PLC.

Basically, look at what the current job postings in your area are asking for. I've worked with Mitsubishi, IOmron, Idec, Siemens S7-200 and Logo, Modicon, Telemecanique, and very little AB MicroLogix... Depending on your location, one vendor may be more prevalent than the others.