Any of you guys PLC programmers?

Seriously, watch some YouTube videos.
Mind you, there are a couple of different PLC (Allen Bradley or Siemens, etc) and while they are similar in logic ( inputs satisfied, turns on outputs,etc) they are vastly different in nomenclature and bit handling

Yeah, what ECB said. It would help to know which particular system.

No, most of us side with PLF

My experience with PLC programmers is that to be really good at it, you must be crazy as hell. If not, you will just be average.

Velocio.net sells some really cheap PLCs and their software is free.

Would be good for practice.

Did some PLC programming to put myself through medical school. Basic advice would be to learn generic ladder logic and logic gate functions. Allen Bradley control logix is by far the best PLC manufacturer’s software in my opinion, but I wouldn’t even concern myself with real life PLCs until you know some basic generic stuff about logic in general. Hate to be negative but more than likely your not smart enough to do this.

Thats one of my many talents. Id recommend getting on youtube and udemy. There are tons of resources out there now that werent out there when I first started. Also, more than likely you will be using allen bradley since they have most of the NA market so find some manuals and read thru them.

Also, if you want cheap, check out automation direct. You can get a click plc with free software for like 79.

you can download Ignition by inductive automation and run on 2 hour trial for free to learn hmi/scada..

plctalk.net is a great forum. its tigerdroppings for plc's.

another thing, you can do all of these courses and learn a little bit, but nothing is a replacement for seeing a bunch of different methods and other programmers work in the field. a concept that you may think would work after reading a book, would not be the best way of doing it. Ive had some of my workers talk about the way they were taught to do things in school... and it was hilarious. Like I told them, there is a reason those guys are teaching at a trade school vs making six figure salaries implementing multi million dollar processes.

yeah i have been using the software since it first became Ignition from factorypmi and factorysql. great product and super stable. I have done some really big projects in it and I honestly love working in it because if you know sql and python, you can really do some awesome stuff in the software.

with that said, plc programming as we know it will be going away in the next 10-15 years IMHO. Its gonna move to more of a drag and drop type environment where anyone with sense can program. I think learning sql, and programming languages like python, c, java, etc will be just as important down the road. Also knowing communications, networking and security, and understanding how to build straightforward user experiences is what will separate true automation professionals from the rest of the pack down the road.

There are already programs that you can buy that will write the code for you for logix500 and siemens. That type of stuff will get cheaper and more common and do away with the need to pay a programmer 6-8 weeks to write a program. Check this out LINK

Also, the best PLC Programmer on this forum is by far mdomingue. Ive had the pleasure of working with him in the past and he is the best in the area!

Check out the wonderlogix video I linked.

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Did some PLC programming to put myself through medical school. Basic advice would be to learn generic ladder logic and logic gate functions. Allen Bradley control logix is by far the best PLC manufacturer’s software in my opinion, but I wouldn’t even concern myself with real life PLCs until you know some basic generic stuff about logic in general. Hate to be negative but more than likely your not smart enough to do this.

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Can't believe this is getting so many downvotes. Quintessential ot post.