VB - PLC Communication

  • Thread starter Godfrey Mungadze
  • Start date
G

Thread Starter

Godfrey Mungadze

I need to know how to establish communication between between a Visual Basic 5 Enterprise Edition and a Simatic S5 PLC.
How do I get the data from the PLC?
 
> You need an I/O driver.

Or

If you are using a windows based SCADA which is already communicating with the PLC then you
can try using the Dynamic Data Exchange {DDE}
facility which is normally available in all
SCADA packages , to get the required data in
your VB program .

Thank you .
 
H

Helmut Meissner

Hello Mister Mungadze,

there are some solutions:

1. Buy a OPC-Server for Windows and use direct connection via AS511/RK512 via COM-Port and an RS232<>TTY coupler
2. Buy a OPC-Server and use H1-Bus (Ethernet) or Profibus-FMS to get more speed in communication. But you need on the PLC-side the right CP (Comm-Processor) and in the PC the right PCI-Card. (Ask Siemens for the parts)
3. Cheap solution: use serial-connection (as in 1.) but no OPC-Server, use a driver that you can link into your basic programm (Prodave by
Siemens, or S5-Link by Process-Informatik, there are some others)
4. We use for the serial-machine a communication-server (part of T.I.R.S.32 visualisation, they have no runtime-fee) connected via Profibus-FMS. And have our special application written in VB5 and VB6, communicating throu the communication-server software, which is a client-server software.

for more informations can you contact me at:
[email protected]

Greetings

Helmut Meissner
 
A

Armando Abraham - INGDESI

You can do it using an OPC Server and an OPC Client. The OPC Server is used to read/white data from/to PLC, but you will make an OPC Client in VB to read/white data from/to the OPC Server.
Go to www.opcfoundation.org for more information about this.
Best Regards

Armando Abraham

INGDESI
INGENIERIA Y DESARROLLO DE SISTEMAS INDUSTRIALES
Av. Albarellos 2620
1419 FSQ, Cdad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
TEL: 54 11 4573-2233
FAX: 54 11 4573-2255
 
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