I would like to know if anyone has engineered an RSView SCADA system with Siemens S7400 PLC. If so how compatible and/or feasible is it to put this type of combination together? I have reservations about putting a system in that is more integrated to a particular PLC (AB) e.g. WINCC to Siemens. I know that there are OPC drivers from Kepware available. What would be the best SCADA for Siemens? (Don't forget about the budget!)

 

Why do you have reservations about using WinCC with a Siemens PLC, or RSView with a Rockwell PLC? Generally speaking that is probably the best way to go in terms of support, compatibility or budget. Less support headaches, who do you call when things go wrong? Integrated database, less clicking of the mouse thus saving engineering costs which decreases your overall budget.

If you are not convinced that staying with one vendor is the way to go. Then you should at least stick with the OPC Server from Siemens. It's algorithm is optimized for the S7 channel, unlike Kepware or the others. If you have 8 or less PLCs that your SCADA is communicating to then the Softnet S7 Lean package is comparably priced to the third part OPC Servers. The part number is 6GK1704-1LW62-3AA0. If there are more then you need to go with Softnet S7, 6GK1704-1CW62-3AA0

Ron

 

What is the best SCADA software for a particular control system is a question without a simple answer. If you are familiar with RSView, you get good support from your distributors, etc., then that is your best SCADA software for you. What you need is a good OPC server for RSViews's OPC client. I have helped engineers setup in the past RSView systems for S7 with our applicom OPC server. Our product is very stable, has lots of diagnostics, is extremly easy to configure, supports OPC redundancy, and we provide support worldwide. This OPC server uses a dedicated on-board CPU PCI card, which manages all the S7 messaging locally, hence the actual OPC server's load on the workstation's CPU is much lower than other OPC servers which use standard Ethernet cards. Setting the communication up is very easy, and you can not only monitor process data, but communication status and even whether the S7 is in RUN or STOP mode, etc.

If you need further assistance you can contact me regarding this product. I will be happy to give you some answers, so you can better assess our solution.

Rgds.

Alfredo
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