how did you guys learn about automation and PLC programming? 6

[toro45]

Hello;

I am an electrical engineer who's interested in automation and controls. I live in the philadelphia/new jersey area and I have been trying to find a class that teaches PLC programming and automation. I haven't been successful doing this.

I would like to know how you guys got to gain a mastery of PLCs and automation. Your advise as to how I can learn more about PLCs is also welcome.

Thanks

 

[tygerdawg]

Practice makes perfect. At the risk of offending all of my EE brethren, this dumb MechEngr/AutomationEngr would say you don't need a class. Take the money you'd spend on a class and invest in some cheapo PLC stuff from AutomationDirect.com or, better yet, some used stuff even cheaper. Find a book on Ladder Logic fundamentals, it might even be the programming-package manual itself. Then practice and learn how to do the programming necessary to make things work. Lights on/off, switches open/close, motors on/off, sensors, connections, wiring, data transfer and manipulation, baud rates, networking bugaboos, etc. Halloween is coming up and that is always my favorite PLC programming excercise. What better use of an engineering degree than to scare the bejabbers out of all the little darlings with some high-tech spookums.

My simplistic statement is that Ladder Logic is Ladder Logic, but HOW a particular programming package manifests that LL is always going to be a little bit different. The job websites list positions for folks who are familiar with Siemens S7 or Allen-Bradley ControlLogix or whatever. Those are just packages which can be learned, but ladder logic is the foundation. WHY LL and not some sort of structured programming language? Because LL is easy and can be understood by a lot of 3rd shift maintenance guys more than C++ or VB.

TygerDawg

 

[Rheinhardt]

I have to agree with tygerdawg,

I learned to program PLC without prior training excepting for the degree in Electrical Eng. where they never gave proper PLC training course, we had one subject with one lecture on control systems and sotware.

Got a small PLC and started expanding it and trained myself, the best training is offcourse on-site if you lucky enough to do small projects, alot of it trial and error with stacks of manuals to read.

Regards

--Off all the things i've lost , i miss my mind the most--

 

[skills]

I absolutely agree with the 2 preceding posts regarding saving your money and buying some systems and practice, practice, practice. You can get a EZPLC at

http://www.ezautomation.net

for about $170 with I/O and the software is $49. the I/O modules are about $19 each and some are fairly cool in that they mix AC and DC on 1 module, which is unusual; but, saves money. I use the EZTEXT-PLC that integrates a text panel and PLC. It has 55 very simple instructions and is easy enough to teach yourself.

 

[alainriaud]

Hi Rheinhardt,

I got my EE degree before PLC's ever exist. At that time we got lectures (and hands on) on electronic automation module based on Mealy transition machines. Five years later my school offered lectures on the first emerging PLC concept based on transition machine : the genuine franco french GRAFCET .

I spent one year '1976) at university in the states, I had lectures on transition machines.

Two question:
I'm always curious on éducation in foreign coutries, if not too curious, where are you from Rheinhardt? What type of EE degree did you got?

Is GRAFCET known outside France?

Best regards

 

[jraef]

I too think hands-on is the best way to go. Some mfgrs also offer "training kits" which consist of a micro PLC, an HMI, a switch board to simulate Inputs, and a set of LEDs to show outputs.

Intel was just releasing the 8086 mP when I was in school, and they were giving us free classes so that hopefully some of use would go into designing applications for it in industry. PLCs existed, but they were big box machines like the original AB "PLC" (they actually coined the term way back when). I took it upon myself to learn the AB PLC system, and recognized the need to keep myself up t date on trends and advancements. There are books available, free or inexpensive training seminars put on by vendors, an now countless on-line resources if you spend the time to look.

Grafcet made an appearance in the US a long time ago, but to my knowledge it never caught on. I never see it now.

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[Rheinhardt]

Hi alainriaud,

I studied at the Pretoria University of technology in South AFrica,

I initially spesialised in high frequency but changed to process instrumentation after workng in the process automation field.

I was quite lucky our campus as we had 7 sub courses underneath the Elec. Eng department. Like Process Instr, High Frequency, Power, Software Eng( C++,JAVA), Medical equipment. Low Voltage ect.

BY the time i did the course which included PLC systems i had already had 3 years experience in PLC programming so i ended up almost giving the lecture on it. Our lecturer couldn't even properly do a simple Traffic Light system, it was quite a disaster for the rest of the class.

I believe they should make PLC and automated technologies a 3 part subject in this course.

It wouldn't have to be spesific to any tyoe, just PID fundamentals, STL training, logical tables and documentation on software.

I find software and documentation to be years apart and very seldom see good documentation to complement good
software.

When i started in the field i was only doing design work in EPLAN, AutoCAD. I was trained to do decent documentation. This helped and i understood the wiring before attemting to understand the Software, my projects were small enough and later did not see the need to have a software engineer additional, and tought myself, later as the projects became biiger i got a designer to assist me and now i only do the software, buying and managament on my projects

Kind Regards

Rheinhardt

--Off all the things i've lost , i miss my mind the most--

 

[tygerdawg]

Hey SKILLS, thanks for the link to EZAutomation. I never saw this before. For the price, it rocks.

TygerDawg

 

[steveh]

You might also want to look at

http://www.plcs.net.

It has a lot of goodies.

 

[dgmar]

I learned the most by upgrading old, obsolete PLCs to new ones. Had to figure out the old LL and make functionally identical LL for the new PLCs.

 

[DAVIDSTECKER]

While I work as a mechanical engineer for the most part, my associate degrees are in Electrical and Robotic & Industrial engineering that are from a community collage.
You might look there for evening class'.

 

[engineer983]

You want to do learn it for free? I know that Allen-bradley is the monopoly in the automation section, but I have worked with omron and Allen-Bradley. They are very similar, but if you get a hold of your local tech rep for Omron the will actually give you a plc and the programming for it if you lead them on like you were interested in using them for future projects. The nice thing about Omron controllers is that the software is open Architecture, which means you don't need a security key to lug around with you. It also means that you can install the software on any computer. Like I said it is similar to AB.

 

[tygerdawg]

"...but if you get a hold of your local tech rep for Omron the will actually give you a plc and the programming for it if you lead them on like you were interested in using them for future projects."

Tsk tsk tsk. So much for honesty & ethical behavior by so-called "Professionals".

TygerDawg

 

[engineer983]

I actually used their PLC's instead of Allen-monoply-Bradley. Thank You for your input? I found them much more willing to go the extra mile for the business, where as, Allen-bradley(Rockwell engineering) couldn't care less. Plus, the tech support is FREE.

 

[MetalMan14]

On the automation side, you can use Keyence. They are factory direct sales engineers that are the best in the business. I can throw anything at my Keyence guy and he solves it on the spot and I'm a happy camper. They also have cheap PLC's, with no charge on software...limited options on the PLC's though, more for the easy apps.

Later.

 

[engineer983]

I love keyence too. Great reps!

 

[machmech]

Hi toro

Check this out $80.00

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=basic stamp

Chuck

 

[Guest0527211403]

Hi toro45,

I'm not a PLC programmer by profession, but I have a small PLC at home that I like to set up little test projects with. I am shopping around now for some microcontroller kits to try and push the envelope a bit more. (tygerdawg- I'm making a high-tech haunted house this year, too. T-minus 10 months)

I learned how to program PLC's while I was in college. While I was there the school was starting to develop Distance Ed courseware for a PLC course, and we were the guinea pigs for some of the material.

Go to

http://www.plctechnician.com/

for the course. If anything, that site has a good topic list (under Course Contents) of outcomes that you would want to achieve while learning on your own.

 

[nbe9319]

u have to learn to use relay . relay is basic of PLC . of course the function of relay is limited , but before the invent of PLC , the machine is control by relay in fully automated.