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How to Improve your PLC Logic after migrating to TIA Portal: 8 Optimization Tips plc structure tia portal Feb 27, 2024

 

So you've just finished migrating your Step 7 PLC application from Simatic Manager to TIA Portal (which is an awesome accomplishment by the way!) and now it's time to sit back and relax, right?  What if I told you that you're only half way...?   

In this blog post, I'm...

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3 Easy Steps to Add a VFD to your TIA PLC Application plc structure tia portal Sep 26, 2023


UPDATE - YouTube video tutorial available!  Simply click the play button above to watch it.


 

If you're a PLC programmer or field technician, programming production lines or troubleshooting automation processes, then you're most likely familiar with VFDs or Variable Frequency Drives....

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Reduce Logic & Save Coding Time: 4 Hacks to Level Up Your Arrays in TIA Portal plc structure tia portal Aug 28, 2023

 

Are you a PLC programmer, already familiar with the basics of using arrays in TIA Portal but not sure what's really possible? 
Are you interested in minimizing redundant logic and saving program development time?

 

Then keep on reading my friend.  In this blog post, I...

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How to Add Pop-Up Screens to Your HMI Application hmi tia portal Jul 23, 2023

In today's post I'm going to tell you WHY you should implement pop-up screens in your own application, and I'll give you all the STEPS (with lots of screenshots!) on how to do it.  Sounds good?  Then let's go.

If your application hasn’t got any pop-up screens yet, then here's a...

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How to Fix Incorrect Scaling of Objects in your Simulated HMI Runtime hmi tia portal Jun 16, 2023

I recently had a really interesting question from a student who was going through my HMI course. 

He asked me: Why does the HMI runtime simulation (S7-PLCSIM) of the sample application display incorrectly scaled graphics and text objects.  All the screens in his TIA Portal HMI...

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Axis Control: My Top 5 Motion Control Instructions in TIA Portal motion plc tia portal Mar 18, 2023

Did you know that your TIA Step 7 library comes equipped with an extensive range of motion instructions?

If you've checked my earlier posts, you may have come across a GUIDE where I lay out a 5 step plan to add and configure a servo axis for an S7-1500 PLC.  This post was mostly...

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How to Add User Administration to Your TIA HMI Project hmi tia portal Feb 20, 2023

 

Are you interested in enhancing your machine's security?
Would you like to prevent any erroneous operation of your system by implementing varying clearance levels to your HMI buttons, input fields, and other on-screen objects?

If so, this video will help you get there!

 

After...

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Say Goodbye to Confusing PLC Logic with Variable Naming 2.0 plc structure tia portal Feb 15, 2023

Today I am going to share with you my preferred method of naming variables when programming PLC applications.  If you incorporate these simple techniques in your own programming, you can easily save hours on troubleshooting tasks, and your logic will be so much easier to read...

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5 Step Tutorial - How to Add a Servo Axis to a S7-1500 in TIA Portal motion plc tia portal Feb 08, 2023

Notice how the post title does not read '5 EASY Steps...'?

Adding a servo drive to your S7-1500 can be a bit of a challenge. I know I've been struggling with these steps in the past, so that's why I created this post. 

In today's post, I am going to share with you 5 basic steps you...

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6 Reasons TIA Portal Dominates Simatic Manager: A Comprehensive Step 7 Comparison for PLC Programming plc simatic manager tia portal Nov 24, 2022

 If you're a seasoned Siemens PLC programmer like myself, then you've probably come across both TIA Portal and its older sibling Simatic Manager.  Both of them are software platforms, designed to create PLC applications for SIMATIC S7 hardware.  Step 7 - or simply called S7 - is...

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4 Pro-Tips for Creating Better PLC Sequencing Logic plc tia portal Oct 25, 2022

If you've programmed PLC applications before, chances are that you have worked with step sequences.

In it's most basic form, a step sequence will transition from one step to the next if one or more conditions are met.  A series of step sequences could look something like this:...

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Function Blocks in TIA Portal - Pro Insights and Best Practices plc tia portal Oct 03, 2022

If you're used to programming in Siemens (or any other platform for that matter), you've probably heared of - or worked with - function blocks.  Function blocks are especially useful to create structure in your program and to encapsulate re-usable blocks of code.

Check out the video above...

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