ACC Automation: PLC & Industrial Control Learning
Practical Tips and Techniques
We will now configure and operate Analog inputs and outputs on our BRX Do-More controller. One of the features of the BRX Series PLC is the ability to expand its capability to fit your application. This is easily done by “snap-on” modules that will fit on the side of the BRX MPU (Multi-Processor Unit). As … Read more
Modbus TCP will be used to connect AdvancedHMI to our BRX Do-More controller using Ethernet. Advanced HMI is a powerful, adaptable HMI/SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) development package that takes advantage of Visual Studio. There is no coding required and you can simply drag and drop items onto the page. The best thing is … Read more
We will apply the five steps to PLC program development to a palletizer example. Our example will allow you to determine how many layers of boxes you want on each skid. Developing the PLC program is a process that can be clearly defined. In our series on the five steps to PLC program development, we … Read more
Compare instruction is often used in PLC programs to test pairs of values. The output of this comparison conditions the logical continuity of a rung. The BRX Do-More series of programmable logic controllers have the following compare contact instructions. = (if Equal contact) <> (if Not Equal contact) > (if Greater Than contact) >= (if … Read more
We will look at numbering systems in our BRX Do-More controller. This will include physical IO, casting, and indirect addressing. The BRX Do-More PLC like all of the PLCs in the Do-More Series use strong data typing. This means that there are fixed memory structures to work within your program. Errors will be displayed if … Read more
We will now use the Do-More Designer software to establish communication with the BRX Do-More PLC. This is the same software that we used in the Learn PLC Programming Fee Video Series. Using the Do-More Designer software, we will communicate via USB, RS485, and Ethernet. These three methods will allow us to communicate to our … Read more
Previously we used VB6 (Visual Basic 6) to implement the Omron Host Link Protocol to communicate to our programmable logic controller. (PLC) In part 2 we used Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to accomplish our host link serial communication. We will now look at using VB.Net to establish and retrieve information in and out of … Read more
We will now look at the parts of a PLC system. When I was in school PLCs were just in their infancy. We were taught that the PLC consisted of the central processing unit (CPU), analog and digital inputs, and outputs. Everything was programmed with dedicated handheld devices and/or software devices on specialized hardware. We … Read more
Understanding how the PLC will scan and update your program is critical in programming and troubleshooting your system. Typically a PLC will solve your logic from left to right, top to bottom. The status of the memory from the previous rung, are available for the next rung to use. We will look at a few … Read more
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