Click PLC Send and Receive Instructions

Receive and Send instructions will allow you to send and receive serial data to an external device. The communication method that you setup can be ASCII or Modbus. ASCII (American Standard Communication for Information Interchange) can be used to send to devices such as a printer. Receiving ASCII can be used for connecting barcode scanners … Read more

Click PLC Establish Communication

So far in this series, we have discussed the Click PLC System Hardware (Video) and Installed the Software (Video). Today we will be establishing PC to PLC communications. This will allow us to program, edit or alter the way in which our Click PLC will function. 

What Everybody Ought to Know About IP Addressing

We will be looking at and explaining IP Addressing, MAC Addressing (Physical Address), Subnets, and Subnet Masks. Communication using Ethernet usually revolves around the Open Systems Interconnection model (OSI model). This model was made for computing systems to communicate without regard for the underlying internal structure and technology. IP Addressing Analogy Think of it like … Read more

Modbus TCP Data Logging to Database

Using Visual Basic 2015 we will log three holding registers from the PLC along with time and date into a Microsoft Access Database. We will log every minute into the database with the information that we collect from the PLC via Modbus TCP (Ethernet). All code will be done and shown so you can implement this in … Read more

Building a PLC Program That You Can Be Proud – 6

We will continue the series by looking at a sequencer controlling seven cylinders that can be taught. The cylinders can be operator programmed from the AdvancedHMI screen. You will be able to select what cylinders to activate at each step and program in 500 steps. Our PLC will be the Do-More from Automation Direct. Here … Read more

Building a PLC Program – Part 5 – Simon Game

We will now look at the Game of Simon for our part 5 in this series of building a PLC program. Learning all about bit manipulation and sequencers Simon is a memory game introduced in 1978. It has four colored buttons, each producing a particular tone when it is pressed or activated by the device. … Read more

Create a PLC HMI Training Learning Environment

We will now create a PLC with HMI Training and learning environment. We will use the Automation Direct Do-More programming software tied into the Advanced HMI learning package via Modbus TCP. All of the software is free and fully functional. Learn PLC programming and use a powerful HMI (Human Machine Interface) easily and freely. Setting … Read more

How to Implement Modbus TCP Protocol VBA Excel

We are using Modbus TCP protocol, reading ten registers in the PLC, and displaying a bar graph in Excel. e will use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to communicate with a PLC. Previously we have used VB6 to communicate Modbus TCP. Sequence for Modbus TCP on Excel using VBA The following steps will be done: … Read more

Now You Can Have Data Logging Free

A data logger is also known as a data recorder or data acquisition. It is a method to record data over some time and events. The recorded information can come from sensors in the field. They can be digital or analog. Digital data can be used for counts, times, events (motor overload), etc. With the … Read more