Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are at the heart of modern production equipment and automation systems. Understanding how PLCs think, behave, and generate fault messages transforms them into powerful diagnostic tools. The course is 70% practical, and focuses on troubleshooting through coding, communication, and HMI screen development.
Resources: Siemens LOGO! 8, Siemens LOGO! Soft Comfort, Siemens LOGO! web editor, Laptop and screen, Training kit with pushbuttons, LEDS, potentiometer, sensors, pneumatic valves & cylinders.
Course modules
1. Introduction to PLCs & how they work
- How a PLC operates in RUN mode
- PLC Hardware: CPU, I/O cards, HMI, Network hardware
- PLC Software Overview
- Data concepts: Tag Address, type, value, data structures
- Internal Data Tags and External Data Tags (I/O)
- Monitoring programmes
- How instructions act on data and store results
2. Communications & Project Management
- Manage communications to get connected
- Offline and Online projects
- Upload and backup of projects
- Hardware configuration
- Importance of programme structure & comments
- Compare offline/online
- Different Data Types
- Working with Analog Values
- Tag tables
3. Programming
- Overview of different programming languages
- Latches and hold on instructions
- Understand and use different timers
- Understand and use various counters
- Utilise One shot or edge conditions
- Create various logic conditions
- Programme a pneumatic sequence utilising valve, cylinders & sensors
- Create conditions for various alarm triggers
4. HMI
- How HMIs work
- Create HMI buttons to control the pneumatic rig
- Add a I/O status to the HMI screen
- Understand Read, write & read or write functions
- Link alarm triggers with error messages
5. Working with an existing programme
- Navigate and modify a programme
- How to cross reference
- Troubleshoot a pre-programmed system
- Add information to a loaded HMI
- Understand and use various counters
- Utilise One shot or edge conditions
- Create various logic conditions
- Programme a pneumatic sequence utilising valve, cylinders & sensors