re: Any of you guys PLC programmers?

If you are gonna be an automation guy you better learn how to use the google machine

LINK

I’d start writing small programs. Like a tank and a pump. Level transmitter on the tank to start and stop the pump and then a LSH switch to shutdown the inlet to the tank. A LSL switch to stop the pump. Do small things like figure out how to keep your Setpoint for your start and stop from being able to be set outside of say 6 and 12 feet. You would be surprised at how simple that is to do after racking your brain for hours trying to figure it out. Then start throwing in other pieces of the puzzle, like a vibration on the pump. Suction, discharge pressure.

When I first started doing programming that’s how I learned. Someone gave me a slc500 PLC with a bunch of cards. Still have most of it to this day.

I’m old & cranky and I’ve been programming controllers since DOS. First principles, PLCs were invented to spare poor bastards the heartache of troubleshooting relay panels and physically rewiring them when a change needed to be made.

Consider the enormous task of switching an automotive assembly line over with hard wired controls vs simply dumping new code to a controller.

I say this because the best programmers know how to build circuits. They know what a normally open contact actually is on a relay and how to make it work as part of a system. If you have access to any resources, get a few relays, push buttons & some wire to work with alongside of whatever literature you end up studying.

In addition, I’ve had my guys use “The Constructor” from CMH software to learn ladder logic. You build your circuit on the screen from predefined symbols, energize it and then actuate the components by mouse clicks. I would recommend it or something like it.

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