S7 300 Getting online

[ratcliffe_ic 2]

Ist post in the siemens Section. What do I need to get online with an S7 300 PLC. Haven't got the exact model number, sorry, but it was installed last year. I have some leads (232 with a converter) and software for S7 200, will this do the job? Thanks in advance.

[Moggie 17]

You will need the software for the S7 300/400 range of PLC's (Simatic Manager) as well as the MPI adaptor. The S7 200 range of PLC's use completly different software and adaptors to the S7 400/400. Siemens have finaly caught up with other suppliers and can now supply an interface cable that will connect to both the S7 200 or the S7 300/400 PLC's. For alternatives to Siemens have a look at www.process-informatik.de

[Groo 7]

The S7 200 is a totally different PLC, so not compatible as mentioned above. Depending on how you connect. The basic is MPI, you would need a serial to MPI converter I believe there are USB converters as well. All the PLC's I connect with have ethernet, so that's how I connect. If you have Profibus, you can also connect via Profibus, the same lead as MPI I believe.

[Rod_Hackney 2]

There use to be a limited version of S7 programming software you could download from siemens website. It could not work on a network but if you connect directly to MPI port with their cable it works well enough for stand alone applications.