PLC's for Beginners

[Dan Col 0]

Hi All, I have been using Mitsubishi FX Series PLC's as part of my job now for the past 2 years and i would like to think i can use them fairly well (for the applications that i need them to do anyway) however the company that i work for has now a 'branch' in the Far East and i am looking to enhance the PLC skills that i have as well as learn as much as i possibly can. What i am looknig for is information about PLC's for beginners. i know i have been using the FX for a few years but I think that their must be so much more to do with them as well Allen Bradley and Siemens PLC's. Basically i am looking to further myself in PLC's as i want my future to be with them. If anyone has any advice or any links or PDF's or anything i would appreciate it. Thank You Dan

[Shiner 2]

There is already a good post in this forum on it, cant remember the title off the top of my head, but it deals with programming standards and methods. Search posts by Ken Roach, Ron Beaufert, and paulenginr. In the post you will find instructors, books ect that can help. If you are interested in a trip to the US for a week to sunny North Carolina, Ron Beaufert (spelling) who posts here regularly has a PLC Boot Camp that has been highly recommended. There is also in the downloads section here, a multi step solution builder to structuring your program based on what you need it to do. For me personally, the things that have helped me the most are not the AB classes or any other OEM classes, but a class in Digital Logic, dealing with truth tables and reductions and the circuitry using AND OR gates to create a solution, which can lead to simple programming, and also help understand what the PLC is doing from an internal standpoint. Basically, your program is controlling circuitry, if you grasp the concept of how that circuitry is built, you will be able to manipulate its functions to their fullest.

[Dan Col 0]

Great post, thank you very much. Right now i am in college and have a digital electronics lesson in which we have just covered truth tables, boolean algebra, etc. Thank you ever so much for the advice, i am going to search it now. Regards Dan

[Dan Col 0]

Theres no chance you may happen to know what that post was called at all?

[Crossbow 295]

Most automation vendors offer training, some even have free or low cost online training. I know Mitsubishi offers several PLC classes in the US on FX Series.

[Mickey 71]

It might be this one... http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?showtopic=15680&st=0&p=77274entry77274

[Ken Moore 23]

I remember.....what a thread..