Seeking guidance to learn PLC systems - ABB PM500

As mentioned in the title, I want to learn about PLC systems.

Long story short:

I had to strip out a plant room. Everything was going to the skip
A BMS board was still live at the time. After isolation, instead of sending it to the skip I chuck it in my car in order to sell it and get myself few cold beers.

However I got in love with this bit of kit and decided to keep it and use it as a learning tool and here I am.

I find this forum and currently collecting as many info as possible.
At the moment is a bit of a mess in my head and I am trying to structure my learning process somehow but not sure where to start from.

I want to practice, get that plc running, build a little project and have that satisfaction of learning something new.

Attached you can see photos of all the gear I have taken off and also the original install before that.

Please feel free to write any guidance on the above.
At the moment I want to wire a temp sensor, a thermostat and a fan to kick on at a given temperature.
Thanks you in advance,
Dan

Codesys v2 based. Automation Builder or the older Control Builder will be needed.

You are likely to spend a lot of time on The Google and The YouTube.

You will end up here:


Although you will be using a different language. Very different.



That is the easy part. A lot of the googling will be about getting a cable to connect the PLC to a PC, obtaining and installing and running the (hopefully free?) software, wiring the temperature sensor and the fan and the power.


There are many youtubes about PLCs; I would do a search on the phrase [abb plc] there to start.


Good luck!

If you’re young and new it’s ok to learn on old stuff, I know nothing about ABB so that may not be old.

Keep in mind however, unless you are going to work in maintenance on legacy systems your jump to “new” hardware could be painful. Not trying to discourage you, just keep your career path in mind.

I’ve seen many folks drop 100k on college but won’t buy a couple thousand dollars worth of up to date hardware to learn with.

_Dock_ said:

If you’re young and new it’s ok to learn on old stuff, I know nothing about ABB so that may not be old.

Keep in mind however, unless you are going to work in maintenance on legacy systems your jump to “new” hardware could be painful. Not trying to discourage you, just keep your career path in mind.

I’ve seen many folks drop 100k on college but won’t buy a couple thousand dollars worth of up to date hardware to learn with.

Click to expand...

This but also learn to simulate. Honestly, you don't really even need hardware.

Now, don't get my wrong, troubleshooting hardware is 100% useful but if someone can simulate I think they've got a foot up on most PLC people.

You have not said if you have the software for programming the unit, here is a link to some of the things I found, the chances are it will cost you a lot of money to get the software.
https://new.abb.com/products/1SAP190100R0002/ps501-progac500-programming-sw
However, I think you would be better off searching for some of the free PLC software, some come with simulators & are probably more up to date.

Don't really know how old the CPU is, but the PM554 is still in production.
Just download Automation Builder from ABB's website and you should be good to go. If you install it as "Basic" it's free.
It has a simulation feature so you don't need the PLC to test your code.
I always use the ethernet-versions of the 500 so I don't know much about how to wire a serial cable for it. I think the cable model is called TK-502 from ABB.


Good luck and have some fun!

Truthfully, getting started with that is going to be too steep of a learning curve. You’re better off buying a $65 Click plc and start with baby steps.

The key to learning, and especially learning programming, is humility. The PLC always does exactly, exactly, exactly, EXACTLY, what you tell it to do; whether that is what you want it to do is "a matter of complete indifference*" to the PLC.


* Barry Fitzgerald, as Michaleen Oge Flynn, in The Quiet Man

"Truthfully, getting started with that is going to be too steep of a learning curve. You’re better off buying a $65 Click plc and start with baby steps."

These are 2 different animals. If someone wants to learn just ladder, then the Click is good. I was very impressed with it and a big improvement over the DL205.


If you want to learn IEC 61131-3 style, then the AC500 is the way to go.


I have tons of documentation for the AC500 if any is needed.