Change a component
The objective for this part of the course is to change the existing and interconnected PLC in the system PLC tutorial 1: Boolean logic, to a different type and change the system’s connections to the new PLC. The new PLC will in this example be the Siemens S1200 CPU controller instead of the generic PLC 8IO OPC/UA controller in the original system.
Start by adding the new PLC to the system by pressing the context menu for the assembly station and select Add Component.
Search in the Public library Controllers and select the component named Siemens S1200 CPU. Press Load in the Component information window. Select a suitable name in the pop-up that appears and press ok.
Now we will change the connections in the system from the old PLC to the new. The IO list describes the connections in and out from the PLC. By looking in the system information we can find the system assets, where we will find the IO List and Drawings. Download them and open.
The IO-List shows how the inputs and outputs of the existing PLC is connected to the other components in the system. This system connects three different push buttons (named S01, S02, S03) to the PLC inputs, and three indicator lights (named H01, H02, H03) to the PLC outputs. Note that the power connection from the power supply is not shown in the IO List, that connection can be shown in the system asset called Drawings.
If we open the workspace and select the old PLC we can see the ports connected, as described in the drawings or the IO list.
The next step is to select the added PLC and do the connections for the inputs and ports x1 and x2.
The next step is to connect the PLC outputs, by select the indicator lights (H01, H02 and H03) and change the connection from the old PLC to the new.
By selecting the new PLC we can see that the outputs has been connected.
Now the component change is complete and we can go ahead and remove the old PLC and upload (save) the system.
Test the system
Now the system is ready to be tested. Try to connect a Siemens S7-1200 PLC or PLC sim to the system and check that the inputs and outputs work as expected. If you need a refresh on how to connect a S7-1200 to Simumatik check out this video: https://youtu.be/sfk3AP-ELb4
