TIA Portal – Working With Instance Data
Instance data is stored in two formats A top level global block relating to data for a function block A structure of a function block’s type inside another global instance…
TIA Portal – A Guide To Using Snapshots
Using snapshots is a great way to take a backup of the current values in a data block. Snapshots can be used in more than one way, but the most…
TIA Portal – Working With Pointers
Pointers are a handy method to manage vast data sets where symbolic data allocation isn't possible. They're composed of constructs that show where the data starts and its length. TIA…
TIA Portal – Working With Arrays
Arrays are an important data type in PLC programming. It’s a method of grouping variables of the same data type in a long list, and accessing each internal element via…
PLC Basics – Introduction To Structured Text
Looking to get started with Structured Text / Structured Control Logic (ST / SCL)? Here’s an introductory guide to the PLC language that is not restricted to a single development…
TIA Portal – Working With Variants
The Variant data type is a special data type that accepts almost anything. Similar to the ANY data type, TIA Portal essentially creates a pointer to the data and passes…
TIA Portal – Compiling A Project
There will always come a time in a project, where the compiling must be done. This is because you must compile in order to download to a PLC, even a…
TIA Portal – Simulating a PLC with PLCSIM
Projects can never start early enough, and getting hardware early in a projects development is getting harder every day. This is why taking advantage of the Simulation PLC, built in…
TIA Portal – PLC Failed To Start – Using The Diagnostics Buffer
Sometimes, you find yourself in a position where (despite no compilation issues) your PLC will just not start correctly. Instead of seeing the above image, with nice green ticks and…
TIA Portal – Re-Initialization & Safe Downloads
Making changes to a project is an everyday aspect of PLC programming, especially during commissioning or fault fixing. When it comes to making changes, the key consideration should always be:…