ACC Automation: PLC & Industrial Control Learning
Practical Tips and Techniques
AI PLC code is everywhere in the conversation right now, but does it actually work on a real machine? Instead of guessing, I set a trap. I gave both ChatGPT and Claude the exact same motor control task for the CLICK PLC — a task with a classic wiring gotcha buried in it — took … Read more
This PLC programming software article was written by Chris Urban, an automation educator and PLC trainer with over 40 years of hands-on experience. Find Chris on YouTube and LinkedIn. — CU Please allow me to start with a quote from Robert A. Pease: “My favorite programming language is solder.” Among the mistakes I made when I was younger, I chose … Read more
Use AI wisely with PLCs. Rules and Recommendations for Using AI in PLC Programming!AI is a genuinely useful helper when you are writing PLC code, but it is a helper — not a programmer, and definitely not a safety system. Over the last while I have worked out a set of rules I follow every … Read more
Using AI to program a Click PLC. In this post, I will show you how I use AI to help me program an AutomationDirect CLICK PLC. We will describe a simple machine in plain English, let the AI turn that description into a ladder logic plan and an address list, and then enter that logic … Read more
This article on PLC programming languages was written by Chris Urban, an automation educator and PLC trainer with over 40 years of hands-on experience. Find Chris on YouTube and LinkedIn. — CU Can we even compare the programming languages used on our PCs to those used in PLC programming? To get to the bottom of this, we have … Read more
I’ve been around PLCs for a long time now, and I’ve watched a lot of people take their first run at programming one. PLC programming challenges affect everyone. Some come from an electrical background, some from IT, some from the maintenance shop floor, and some are students who have never wired a pushbutton in their … Read more
The ACC PLC Simulator now supports simulator gamepad input. Plug in any standard USB or Bluetooth controller, and you can drive PLC inputs, control analog values, navigate 3D scene cameras, and run your program without ever touching the keyboard. This works with Xbox controllers, PlayStation controllers, generic USB HID gamepads, and most Bluetooth controllers. There … Read more
This EMR Applications article was written by Chris Urban, an automation educator and PLC trainer with over 40 years of hands-on experience. Find Chris on YouTube and LinkedIn. — CU In the complex world of automation, reliability often boils down to a single, fundamental component: the electromechanical relay (EMR) contact. Whether you are troubleshooting a legacy system or … Read more
In this tutorial, I am going to walk you through the Conveyor Scene in the ACC PLC Simulator. This is a single-axis belt conveyor with proximity sensors at each end and a box that travels back and forth along the belt. You will write a ladder logic program that starts the conveyor, detects the box … Read more
Almost every PLC program includes a timer instruction. The Productivity Mini PLC P1-M622-16DR (P1 Mini) offers several timer instructions. (P1 Timer) We discussed the Timed Coil (TMC) and Flasher Coil (FLS) in our last post as part of our discussion of contacts and coils. In this session, we will review the instructions for the Simple … Read more