PLC Studend

[Billhc 0]

Hello, I am new to the forum and new to PLC's, and I have recently began a course on PLC's. I have no real world experience with PLC's and do not have access to any at work atm. I am looking to put together something at home which will help me understand the functions and uses of PLC's, and get a little hands on type experience. I am looking for something that will not break the bank but will be able to demonstrate the operation of a PLC. I have looked at the training devices available online but would rather build something of my own. I am wondering what the best/most affordable PLC would be to buy. I have been looking at a micrologix 1000 controller, but am not sure whether this is the best option or not. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks,

[Cookie Monster 2]

What brand does your employer utilize? I would encourage you to study the specific type you are using in-house so you have that much more added value to your company. The MicroLogix 1000 is a good place to start. The software is free and it allows most instructions to be used. Just my opinion.

[Joan M 3]

If you are free to choose any brand, take a look at TWinCAT from Beckhoff, you will need nothing else tan your computer to test anything and their products are great and powerful. Beckhoff site TWinCAT 2 is the old version, I'm using it for the last machine we are building. If your background is more electrical than software you will find it easier to start with. you can use several languages and you can download it from here. If you want you can also use TWinCAT 3 which is more powerful and it gets integrated with visual studio, therefore you will be able to use subversion, git or any other repository... Good luck!