THE PLC LAWS

Courtesy of the Members of MRPLC.COM

PLC LAW 1 - DON'T OVERCOMPLICATE THE SIMPLE.

PLC LAW 2 - MAKE SURE YOU PLUG THE CABLE IN BEFORE YOU
TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY YOU CAN'T GO ONLINE.

PLC LAW 3 - DURING STARTUP, ALWAYS VERIFY I/O BEFORE

TESTING THE PROGRAM

PLC LAW 4 - WHEN CONNECTING YOUR LAPTOP TO THE PLC,

DON'T TIGHTEN THE SCREWS ON THE SERIAL CABLE AT THE
LAPTOP SIDE.

PLC LAW 5 - READ THE MANUAL BEFORE TRYING TO

INSTALL/COMMISSION AN UNFAMILIAR PIECE OF HARDWARE.

PLC LAW 6 - ALWAYS HAVE ALL POSSIBLE BACKUP FILES (PLUS

READ FROM PLC ETC.) BEFORE STARTING ANY CHANGES...

PLC LAW 7 - ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT

CABLES FOR YOUR CPU TYPE AND BACKUP INSTALL
SOFTWARE WITH YOU BEFORE YOU STEP ON THE PLANE.

PLC LAW 7.1 - WHEN WORKING IN A LAN OR WAN

ENVIRONMENT ALWAYS TRIPLE CHECK PROCESSOR ID'S
BEFORE ERASING AND DOWNLOADING NEW CODE.

PLC LAW 8 - EACH VENDOR HAS THEIR OWN PROGRAMMING

SOFTWARE, SO PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

PLC LAW 8.1 - SOME VENDORS SOFTWARE MAY NOT PLAY

WELL WITH OTHERS... SEE RSLINX...

PLC LAW 8.2 - ORDER THE CORRECT SOFTWARE FROM

YOUR VENDOR INSTEAD OF ASKING FOR IT ON MRPLC

2007 Edition Page 1 of 6 Pages

Editor - BobLfoot
 THE PLC LAWS
Courtesy of the Members of MRPLC.COM
PLC LAW 9 - WHEN POWERING UP A PLC THE FIRST TIME, MAKE
SURE THAT THE POWER SUPPLY VOLTAGE SWITCH IS SET TO
THE RIGHT VOLTAGE.

PLC LAW 10 - TRY TO STAGE AND TEST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

BEFORE MAKING BIG CHANGES.

PLC LAW 11 - SPARES SHOULD NOT SIT OF THE SHELF. THEY

SHOULD BE USED FOR TRAINING AND TESING.

PLC LAW 11.1 - THERE MUST BE SPARES FOR CRITICAL

PARTS!

PLC LAW 12 - PROGRAMS SHOULD HAVE MANY RUNGS OF

DIAGNOSTIC LADDER THAT CAN BE ENABLED OR DISABLED
QUICKLY. THIS INCLUDES TIMERS FOR TIMEOUTS. THESE
DETERMINE WHEN INPUT DEVICES ARE NOT WORKING
PROPERLY. FIFOS ARE GOOD FOR LOGGING REAL TIME EVENTS.
COUNTERS THAT COUNT ERRORS ARE HANDY TOO.

PLC LAW 13 - THE BEST PLC PROGRAMS ARE ABLE TO RECOVER

FROM ERROR CONDITIONS QUICKLY. THIS CAN MAKE A BIG
DIFFERENCE TO OVERALL PRODUCTION.

PLC LAW 14 - ALL PROGRAMS SHOULD BE WELL DOCUMENTED

PLC LAW 15 - MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THE

QUESTION IN THE DIALOG BOX BEFORE HITTING "OK"

PLC LAW 16 - REMEMBER TO PUT A PAPER COPY OF THE

LATEST PLC LADDER IN THE ELECTRICAL CABINET.

PLC LAW 17 - WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, ADD A TIMER, AND A ONE-
SHOT TOO JUST IN CASE.

2007 Edition Page 2 of 6 Pages

Editor - BobLfoot
 THE PLC LAWS
Courtesy of the Members of MRPLC.COM
PLC LAW 18 - WHEN A NON PLCITE TELLS YOU THAT A
MACHINE IS NOT WORKING BECAUSE OF "PROGRAMMING
ERRORS", ASK FOR PROOF BEFORE CHANGING YOUR
MASTERPIECE.

PLC LAW 18.1 - WHEN THE MACHINE IS DOWN, THE BLAME

WILL BE ASSIGNED TO WHICHEVER COMPONENT THE
PERSON ASSIGNING THE BLAME UNDERSTANDS THE
LEAST.

PLC LAW 18.2 - AMERICAN MONEY SAYS "IN GOD WE

TRUST" - WITH PLC'S ALL OTHERS BRING RELEVANT
DATA.

PLC LAW 19 - MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PLC AND OR PROCESS

WILL RUN WITHOUT THE HMI (IF USING ONE).

PLC LAW 20 - A GOOD PROGRAMMER WILL NEVER BELIEVE THE

GUY WHO SAYS NOTHING HAS CHANGED SINCE IT WORKED.

PLC LAW 21 - MAKE SURE THAT THE DEFAULT SETTINGS

DOESN'T CAUSE THE PLC TO FAIL FROM STARTING TO
OPERATE PROPERLY AFTER A BLACKOUT.

PLC LAW 22 - PLC LOGIC CAN NOT CHANGE BY ITSELF.

PLC LAW 23 - NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE

FORCES IN A PROCESSOR. THEY SHOULD ONLY BE USED FOR
TEMPORARY TESTING WHICH MEANS REMOVE THEM BEFORE
GOING OFFLINE

PLC LAW 24 - ALWAYS BE SURE THAT THE RUNG / LADDER /

BLOCK YOU ARE TROUBLESHOOTING IS BEING SCANNED
BEFORE YOU MAKE MAJOR CHANGES OR SPEND 6 HOURS
TROUBLESHOOTING IT!!!

2007 Edition Page 3 of 6 Pages

Editor - BobLfoot
 THE PLC LAWS
Courtesy of the Members of MRPLC.COM
PLC LAW 25 - WHEN TEACHING POINTS ON A ROBOT, OR
PROGRAMMING A VISION SYSTEM THAT INTERFACES WITH A
MACHINE DESIGNED WITH A DIAL INDEXER, MAKE SURE YOUR
INDEX TABLE IS ON STATION...

PLC LAW 26 - THE CONTROLS PEOPLE CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON

BEING THE LAST TO LEAVE AND THE FIRST TO RETURN TO
SOLVE PROBLEMS ON ANY PLC JOB. EVEN WHEN THE PROBLEM
IS NOT PLC RELATED.

PLC LAW 27 - SHARE YOUR UPDATED WORK..

PLC LAW 27.1 - AFTER CHANGES MAKE SURE THEY WORK

PLC LAW 28 - MACHINES WITH INTERMITTENT FAULTS ALWAYS

SEEM TO WORK OKAY FOR HOURS WHEN THE PROGRAMMER IS
AT THE LOCATION. WHEN THE PROGRAMMER LEAVES, THEY
MAY START FAILING WITHIN FIVE MINUTES...

PLC LAW 29 - PROBLEMS WITH CONTROLS AND AUTOMATED

SYSTEMS AT PLANTS HAPPEN EVERY DAY. BUT IT IS ONLY THE
DAY AFTER YOU VISITED ALL PROBLEMS MUST HAVE A
CONNECTION WITH YOUR VISIT.

PLC LAW 29.1 - SOME SPECIFIC FAULTS IN CONTROLS AND

AUTOMATED SYSTEMS ARE THERE FOR YEARS ALREADY,
AND THE OPERATORS KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO DEAL
WITH IT. UNTIL THE PLANT SUPERVISOR NOTICES.... THEN
ALL OF A SUDDEN IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

PLC LAW #30 - ANY PROBLEM WHICH GOES AWAY BY ITSELF

WILL RETURN BY ITSELF (BUT AT THE LEAST CONVENIENT
TIME.)

PLC LAW 31 - CHECK FOR PROPER EQUIPMENT GROUNDING

BEFORE POWER UP.

2007 Edition Page 4 of 6 Pages

Editor - BobLfoot
 THE PLC LAWS
Courtesy of the Members of MRPLC.COM
PLC LAW 32 - DON'T HAVE TO MANY BACKUPS IT WILL LEAD TO
CONFUSION, HAVE YOUR BACKUP IN ORGANIZED WAY IN
PROPER PLACE.

PLC LAW 33 - THE PROGRAM NEVER FAILS.

PLC LAW 34 - THE CHEAPEST PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST

OPTION. THE BEST OPTION IS THE LOWEST PRICE FOR QUALITY
WORKMANSHIP.

PLC LAW 34.1 - THE LOWEST BID MAY SIMPLY REPRESENT

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN ESTIMATING.

PLC LAW 34.2 - THE LOWEST BID MAY SIMPLY REPRESENT

A FEW MORE MISTAKES IN YOUR MACHINE.

PLC LAW 35 - IF THE PROGRAM ALREADY WORKS PROPERLY,

DON'T TOUCH IT

PLC LAW 35.1 - "BROKE " OR "OK" IS IN THE EYE OF THE

BEHOLDER.

PLC LAW 36 - IDIOTS, STUPIDITY AND OTHER PEOPLE

PROBLEMS DEFY COMMON SENSE MOST OF THE TIME.

PLC LAW 36.1 – "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS IDIOT

PROOF, ONLY IDIOT RESISTANT."

PLC LAW 36.2 – "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NEVER

OVERCOMES NATURAL STUPIDITY"

PLC LAW 36.3 – IF YOU WRITE A PROGRAM TO HELP MAKE

A MACHINE "IDIOT PROOF" THE HR DEPARTMENT WILL
JUST HIRE BETTER IDIOTS

PLC LAW 36.4 – OZZ VARIANT – “YOU CAN MAKE THINGS

IDIOT PROOF BUT NOT OPERATOR PROOF.”

2007 Edition Page 5 of 6 Pages

Editor - BobLfoot
 THE PLC LAWS
Courtesy of the Members of MRPLC.COM

PLC LAW 37 - THE MACHINE WILL ALWAYS RUN WHEN YOUR

WATCHING, THEN SUDDENLY STOPS RUNNING OR JAMS UP
WHEN THE BOSS WATCHES OR WHEN YOUR CUSTOMER COMES
FOR THE SIGN OFF.

PLC LAW 38 - WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS.......PDPU...........(POWER

DOWN POWER UP)

PLC LAW 39 - CREATE A PM FOR REPLACING PLC BATTERYS OR

AN ALARM FOR LOW BATTERY.

PLC LAW 40 - IF YOU CHANGE ADDRESSING, UPDATE THE

BACKUP PROGRAM.

PLC LAW 41 - IN A SYSTEM WHERE A PLC AND A WINDOWS

COMPUTER (PC) EXCHANGE DATA, THE PLC USUALLY ISN'T THE
ONE THAT STOPS THE DATA EXCHANGE.

PLC LAW 42 - SERVICE AGREEMENTS WILL NEVER MEET THE

NEEDS OF ALL PARTIES {ENGINEERS, MAINTENANCE,
PRODUCTION AND LEGAL}

2007 Edition Page 6 of 6 Pages

Editor - BobLfoot