Siemens TIA Portal – Defining Variables
It’s no secret that you have to define variables in a block in order to assign values to them, but…
Getting started with Do & Grow is simple, all you need is the following:
- TIA Portal V16 or newer
- PLCSIM / PLCSIM Advanced
- A Do & Grow Membership
If you don’t have TIA Portal V16, then I’m able to supply a virtual machine with it installed. The Virtual Machine is NOT Licensed! You will need to supply your own license or make use of the 21 day license, after which you will not be able to use TIA Portal.
TIA Portal V16+
You’ll need access to the TIA Portal platform in order to learn along with the Do & Grow scenarios. If you don’t have access to TIA Portal, or your version is less than V16, check out the Virtual Machine that Do & Grow members can download for free.
Licensing
TIA Portal V16+ will require a license!! You cannot take part in the Do & Grow scheme without a trial or full license. You can obtain a trial license by running TIA Portal for the first time with no licenses available on your machine, at which point Siemens will grant you a 21 day license.
PLCSIM / PLCSIM Advanced
You’ll need a way to run your code, if you want to get the full benefit of the scheme. If you have access to PLCSIM or PLCSIM Advanced, then you don’t need hardware to get going, you can simulate your PLC right from your laptop!
PLCSIM is free to use, but you need to have an accompanying version of TIA Portal. You can download PLCSIM V16 here –> https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/document/109772803/simatic-step-7-incl-safety-and-wincc-v16-trial-download?dti=0&lc=en-GB
Note: You’ll need approval from Siemens that you can download it, which may take a few days in some cases!
PLCSIM Advanced is not free, and requires a license. You can download a trial of PLCSIM Advanced V4 here: https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/document/109795016/simatic-s7-plcsim-advanced-v4-0-trial-download?dti=0&lc=en-GB
Note: You’ll need a license, without it, a 21 day trial license is granted
Do & Grow Membership
Finally, you’ll need a membership to Do & Grow right here on this site. You have multiple options to get one:
- A Day Pass – 24 Hours to explore the scheme for a tiny £0.99
- A Monthly Subscription – The most common way to join in
- A Yearly Subscription – 2 months free!
Virtual Machine – TIA Portal V16
You can download a virtual machine that has a Trial Version of TIA Portal V16 installed, but you’ll need to be a Do & Grow member in order to actually download the Export file.
Below is all the information you need to know about how to use the VM, which you can use to make sure you have what you need to be able to use it
What’s In The VM?
The VM has the following installed:
- TIA Portal V16 – Unlicensed
- A 21 day trial will begin on first open
- PLCSIM V16
- Once TIA Portal’s license expires, you will be unable to use PLCSIM (it requires TIA Portal to work alongside)
- Automation License Manager
- Used to check how long you have left for your license, or to add your full TIA Portal License.
- Google Chrome
- Access Do & Grow posts directly from the VM
Getting Started With The VM & Virtualbox
Virtualbox is a free, open source virtualization platform. The exported VM was exported from Virtualbox, but is designed to work with other platforms if required
You can download Virtualbox here: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Once you have it set up, follow the steps below to install the TIA Portal V16 VM:
Importing A VM
Click the Import Appliance button from the File menu. A new window will open
From the above window, choose the .ova file supplied. You can change the Machine Base Folder to a location of where you want your new VM to be imported. Once done, click “Import” and the import process will begin.
📝Note
– You’ll need at least 16GB of RAM to run this VM as a minimum
– This VM has 2 cores assigned for CPU processing
– This VM has 3 network profiles, a NAT for host-shared internet, a Wifi access bridged network and an Ethernet bridged network. You can configure these later.
Running The VM
Click the VM in the Virtualbox window and click “Start” from the top action bar
The VM will start as normal.
📝Note
If you have issues with screen resolution, you may need to install the Guest Additions update. You can do this in the Virtual Machine by clicking Devices >> Insert Guest Additions CD and then using windows explorer to start the installation
Starting TIA Portal For The First Time
The video below details what will happen when you run TIA Portal for the first time
Note: Video quality is set to automatic by default. You can change this to HD (1080p) by using the options in the bottom right of the video if required
Moving Projects To The VM
The VM should have the option to drag and drop between the host and the VM enabled. Download your solution file, or scenario file, from the Do & Grow post like normal, and then drag into the VM. You can then open the project as normal.
Note: Video quality is set to automatic by default. You can change this to HD (1080p) by using the options in the bottom right of the video if required
You can move projects off of the VM in the same way too, just drag them back to your host machine!
Opening A Project & Activating The Trial License
The below video shows how the activate the trial license, and view it in the Automation License Manager
Note: Video quality is set to automatic by default. You can change this to HD (1080p) by using the options in the bottom right of the video if required
Simulating A PLC With PLCSIM
The video below shows an example of starting the PLC Simulation with PLCSIM from TIA Portal
Note: Video quality is set to automatic by default. You can change this to HD (1080p) by using the options in the bottom right of the video if required
Simulating A HMI Runtime With TIA Portal
There may be cases where you need to simulate a HMI in order to complete the scenario, run the solution or interact with a PLC. The video below shows how this can be done
Note: Video quality is set to automatic by default. You can change this to HD (1080p) by using the options in the bottom right of the video if required
Note that PLCSIM was already running with an active PLC project in order to make a valid connection to the HMI. Also note that the compiling process of a HMI for the first time can be lengthy, this was shortened in this video
TIA Portal V16 Virtual Machine Download
You are not enrolled in Do & Grow! You need to be enrolled in order to download
Get Involved In Do & Grow
Jumping on to the new Do & Grow platform is simple!
Click the button below to head over to the members page and sign up!
You can easily stop your membership by visiting your dashboard, which is accessible on any course page.
Over time, the menu system will be updated to provide easier access whilst the old system is removed!
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