purchasereceipts

Hi Panic, Thanks for the reply.  So is it to be expected that if I have the I/O modules installed in the rack (which has a powered UR-1 backplane), that I won't see any lights go on on those modules until I wire them to some input or output device with a 24vDC charge? Thanks, PR

Anyone?

Hi folks.  This forum reminds me of the way folks who move to Texas talk about their new state... "I ain't from here, but I got here as soon as I could."  Look forward to being an active participant on both the giving and receiving side of the equation.  I recently pieced together an S7-400 PLC for learning and testing purposes (I'm a security research type).  It's the fist PLC I"ve worked with, and while I probably didn't pick the easiest PLC to start with, I've made some good progress considering how little I know about it.  I've got a UR1 (18-slot) rack, a DC power supply (416) fed off an AC/DC converter I bought on ebay, the 443 CP module and then 2 Digital Input modules (421) and 2 Digital Output modules (422). I've configured the hardware within Siemens Hardware Manager to reflect all the correct model numbers and downloaded the configuration to the PLC.  Nothing but green lights, and I have successfully been able to send a SZL request via ethernet with proper response.  So all appears well up to that point. I've not yet configured anything regarding the individual input or output connections - perhaps that's why, but I don't see any lights - green, red or otherwise - on any of the DI or DO modules.  Is that my next step to get those working, or is this an indication that I may have a problem with them or the rack already? Also, I was wondering if anyone knows of a good source with reasonable pricing for some simple input and output gadgets that I could use to play around with... like lights or buzzers or such on the output side and switches, buttons, etc on the input side... or if anyone knows of anyone who's documented working with an S7-400 to set up a basic lab (trials and tribulations, dumb mistakes, things you wouldn't know if this were your first PLC, etc)? Greatly appreciate any time and thought you have to set me in the right direction.  I've had quite a bit of fun getting to this point, though admittedly it's not very far. Thanks so much! PR

QUESTION HAS BEEN ADDRESSED ELSEWHERE. (original text removed). Guess I can't delete the post...

Hi Folks! I'm new to the forums, but was hoping some of you seasoned Siemens vets could give me some advice. I work in cybersec, am trying to quickly get up to speed on ICS/SCADA, and am looking at getting started in setting up a lab for testing ICS/SCADA equipment from a wide variety of vendors, but want to start small with Siemens (those are my marching orders). (1.) I'm thinking that the best approach is to start at the PLC end of the spectrum and build up from a single PLC with one or two inputs/outputs. Then, once i have 2 PLCs from different manufacturers, try to fold them into a single system with SCADA system/control-room-type software and perhaps add HMI, and then figure out how to add a database/historian. Does this scaled approach (and how I'm describing these components) make sense? If not, how would you do it? (2.)I've done some research and it looks like the most popular/widely-used Siemens PLCs are S7-300, -400, and -1200 (correct me if I'm totally off base, by all means!). I'm seeing lots of used 300s and 400s available for what look to me like pretty reasonable prices, so I thought I'd start with one of those (any reason for picking one over the other?). (3.) From the installation manuals, it looks like at a minimum I'm going to need the following: -- Backplate / rack / rail -- CPU -- Power supply -- input/output modules (at least one of each I presume) -- a laptop to program the PLCs -- STEP7 software - I've read that you can get a trial version that's good for XX days? Is it expensive to buy a license for long-term use? (4.) I'd like a few farily simple output and input devices. Would welcome some recommendations on cheap but amusing/interesting ideas. Light bulbs and pushbuttons are fine but will probably get boring I imagine. What considerations should I think about? (5.) Do I need some sort of SCADA system software to act as the master control center... i imagine if I later add additional PLCs from other manufacturers, I'd want them all to be able to work together. Would something open-sourced like OpenSCADA be good? Know of better/cheap/free options (or with a reasonable license fee that's well worth the money)? (6.) What else am I not thinking about? I'm a comp-sci guy, not an EE, so I'll be elbows deep in the manuals and figuring outa lot from scratch. Sincerely appreciate any thoughs, comments or suggestions any of you can offer. Cheers! PR