Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Controllers (PLCs)
Eng. R. L. Nkumbwa
Copperbelt University
School of Technology
2010
If you have ever had a personal computer lockup or reset in the middle of something important
you will appreciate that a similar failure in a large
industrial application would have severe
consequences.
A PLC is simply an industrial computer designed
to be durable enough to withstand the rigors of
industrial applications.
Eng. R. L. Nkumbwa @ CBU
2010
Ladder Logic
10
11
12
13
Boolean Logic
14
15
PLC Switching
16
17
18
19
20
Start-Stop Rung
21
22
23
In this case the push buttons are normally open i.e. they
return a low signal in their normal position and a high
signal when pressed.
Initially assume the Coil output is off, and the Push
Buttons (PB) not activated so they are also off.
When the Start PB is pressed the top path through the
rung is satisfied with start = 1and stop = 0 so the coil is
turned ON.
Note this also satisfies the bottom path through the rung
on the next scan since coil = 1 and stop = 0.
When the start button is released the top path through
the rung becomes false but the rung is still satisfied by
L. Nkumbwa
@ CBU PB
the bottom path, ie the coil remains Eng.
on R.
after
the start
2010
is released.
24
25
Other Languages
26
Blocks are built from small ladder logic subroutines and used
through the code as user defined ladder logic instructions, the
advantages of this approach is the reduction of repetitive ladder logic
code.
Sequential Function Chart (SFC) programming is similar to
programming by computer flow chart. In SFC the program advances
step by step through various blocks (where action happens such as a
motor is started).
Transition conditions determine when the program advances from
one block to another.
Both the action blocks and the transition conditions are created using
ladder diagrams.
Structured text, uses simple instructions common to medium level
Eng. R. L. Nkumbwa @ CBU
programming languages: If , While, Then etc.
2010
Other Languages
27
PLC Modules
28
29
30
31
32
The reason for the 4.0mA starting point is a failsafe feature, if the instrument fails or the signal
cable is damaged the current falls to zero and
the PLC can alarm the operating system of the
failure immediately.
This fail-safe feature is not possible for voltage
signals which pass through zero
volts.
Eng. R. L. Nkumbwa @ CBU
2010
33
Memory
(Addressing , Internal Registers)
34
35
36
37
38
39
Addressing Format
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
Allen-Bradley PLCs
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
Programming Procedure
55
Programming Procedure
56
Insert edit rungs into the On-line PLC code (as many changes as
required). These edits are effectively invisible to the processor during
this stage.
Once all edit rungs are entered switch the processor to TEST, during
TEST mode any new inserted code is allowed to be scanned along
with existing code, if any code is marked for deletion this code is
prevented from being scanned at this stage.
Once you are confident that the edit rungs are correct Assemble the
code which permanently activates new code and permanently
removes any code marked for deletion.
Programming Example:
Simple start/stop ladder logic.
57
Programming Example:
Simple start/stop ladder logic.
58
59
References
60
61