S7-200 questions

[SHvanBommel]

Hello all! I was just given a s7-200 pls (226 cup) and am curious. Where on god's hoppy earth do I start?! I have spent three hours trying to find the IDE or whatever and have not made any progress. Also, what are your thoughts on said Plc for a brewing setup?

 

[BrokenHorn]

Hello all! I was just given a s7-200 pls (226 cup) and am curious. Where on god's hoppy earth do I start?! I have spent three hours trying to find the IDE or whatever and have not made any progress. Also, what are your thoughts on said Plc for a brewing setup?

I don't know much about Siemens PLC's as everything I've done is Allen Bradley, but from what I could see with a quick internet search it is a very capable PLC (actually overkill) for this application. It has all the I/O you'll need except for a temperature sensor module (EM 231) which you can probably get on EBay. They have a thermocouple and an RTD version of the EM 231 so make sure you get the right one.

Siemens probably has a technical manual, but YouTube and PLC forums will help a lot.

Did you score an HMI to go along with the PLC?

 

[SHvanBommel]

No, just power supply, cup, and programming cable. I'm looking at integrating ph readings etc. it should be an interesting build as he has a ton of stuff to add but I still need to figure out how to program it. I can't even find the right programmer.

 

[nrosin]

You need to get the appropriate software for the plc. I believe it is step 7 ($$$$) from siemens.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[trimixdiver1]

Ah, another Bubblehead. Siemens can suck, just to warn you. If this is your first time at PLC's, you may want to sell the Siemens on ebay and get into the Automation Direct DoMore PLCs. The processor is just $400 and has ethernet, the software is free. It has 2000 PID loops and the racks and cards are on ebay for a reasonable price.

As for STEP7, search for a torrent and standby…… Do at your own risk.

 

[SHvanBommel]

It's a thought but the guy was adamant about their superiority and that he would provide the support/knowledge. I don't want to bother the guy too much so that's why I was looking around.

 

[trimixdiver1]

It's a thought but the guy was adamant about their superiority and that he would provide the support/knowledge. I don't want to bother the guy too much so that's why I was looking around.

PLC guys are like sports fans, we all are fanboys of the PLC's we learned on for the most part. I was an AB fanboy, then started to want to use automation in my home and went to Automation Direct. There is a stigma out there that if you don't spend $1500-$3000 for a processor you have a inferior PLC. Thats WRONG! The DoMore line is awesome and is much more economical than AB for home users.

Siemens is a German product with German engineering, for better or worse…..

I don't like statement list programing. But there is the ability to do ladder…. without the right rung….. Communication between the racks is where the cost will come in, mostly Profibus, and you will need special cable and connectors for that. My DoMore system is all ethernet to remote IO and to the HMI's. To do that in Siemens you will pay out the butt. Even on ebay.

Im sure those on here that speak Siemens everyday at their job will chime in soon and say Im full of it.

This is just my opinion.

 

[SHvanBommel]

I'll have to take a look. Supposedly I'll be getting whatever modules I want/need but when that ends I wonder what the cost of maintaining/adding/modifying will be. Sigh.

 

[ccbadd]

You need to find a copy of MicroWIN to program the 226. The Siemens PLCs are actually quite good and very flexible. They are more complicated than most however.

 

[SHvanBommel]

I managed to get a copy with the plc, the guy is the ****. So far, I've used various online examples... The classic "sample mixing tank application" example and am tailoring to my needs... Ironic, that...