Practical Tips and Techniques
In part 1, we looked at writing PLC programs to control a traffic light using discrete bits and timed sequencing using indirect addressing. Part 2 used indirect addressing for inputs and output to control the program’s sequence of pneumatic (air) cylinders. We will now return to the traffic light application and expand our program significantly. … Read more
This post is a further follow-up from my original ‘Here’s a Quick Way to Understand PLC Inputs and Outputs.’ There are two different kinds of PLC outputs, Discrete and analog. Discrete outputs are either ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’; 1 or 0. You can think of them as a single light bulb. Analog outputs have a range … Read more
This post is a further follow-up from my original ‘Here’s a Quick Way to Understand PLC Inputs and Outputs.’ There are two different kinds of PLC inputs, Discrete and analog. Discrete inputs are either ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’; 1 or 0. You can think of them as a single switch. Analog inputs have a range to … Read more
I have been writing PLC programs for over 20 years. I often get asked what the best way to learn PLC programming is. Programming in the way I was taught in college was with the Motorola 6809. (Yes, I know that I am dating myself) This was microprocessor programming, but it was the best way … Read more