AUTO 102: Implement & review a simple control system with S7

Do you want to try industrial automation without paying for it? Get a taste of industrial control design and review with a short course that covers more than just using one PLC, or setting up a single drive! Most of what I have seen online is great IF you know exactly what you are looking for. There are excellent classes that go in depth for diagrams (electrical or piping and instrumentation), just as there are great classes in PLC programming and set up. What I have struggled to find is a class that touches on these topics in a concise manner.

Start by implementing a very simple program with TIA Portal. Build a program based off a control narrative, a piping and instrumentation diagram and an input/output list. Find out what the engineer needs to clarify! Produce code that could reasonably be expected of a new programmer, just like you would in the real world… Then, just like a senior programmer would in the real world, review it! Find the deficiencies in that code and discuss methods of improvement. Learn what experienced programmers do and what they look for in applications… as well as why they do! Remember, this is going to remain something you (the student) need to work through on your computer!