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    TwinCAT 3 SoftPLC

    PostedNovember 5, 2021
    UpdatedNovember 5, 2021
    ByKasper Vestrup

    This section covers how to use the TwinCAT 3 software as a SoftPLC to program and run the basic psychics model example.

    • Right click on the TwinCAT3 icon in the taskbar
    • Click on TwinCAT XAE(VS2010)
    • On the Start Page click New TwinCAT Project (or New Project if Visual Studio 2010 is also installed on machine)
    • Fill in the fields, project name for example would be DemoProject
    • Use BROWSE to select where to save the program
    • When done click OK
    • In Solution Explorer on the left hand side right click PLC
    • Select Add New Item
    • The Add New Item window opens
    • Select Standard PLC Project
    • Fill in the name field, for example DemoProject
    • Click ADD
    • The next step is to create a Global Variable List
    • Right click on GVLs and select Add and from the pop out menu select Global Variable List
    • Name the file and click OPEN
    • The Global Variable List is now created
    • Now cut and paste the following between VAR_GLOBAL and END_VAR
    MCS: BOOL; //Motor Control Switch
LIS: BOOL; //Load In System Lamp
FLB: BOOL; //Feed Load Button
LFF: BOOL; //Load Fed from Feeder
M1R: BOOL; //Motor 1 Running
S1A: BOOL; //Sensor 1 Activated
S2A: BOOL; //Sensor 2 Activated
    • The next step is to create the program block
    • Right click on POUs and select Add and from the pop out menu select POU…
    • Enter a new name, leave the Type as Program and the Implementation Language as Ladder Logic Diagram (LD)
    • Now the ladder logic code for the model can be written
    • In the newly created ladder logic POU right click in the bottom half of the window and select Insert Contact
    • Click on the 3 question marks above the contact and type in MCS, the variable should appear in a dropdown
    • Press Enter to add it to the contact
    • Now right click on the small box to the right of the contact and select Insert Coil
    • Click on the 3 question marks above the coil and type in M1R
    • Once again the variable should appear in a dropdown
    • Press Enter to add it to the coil
    • To add the next line of logic right click to the left where the number 1 is shown
    • From the menu select Insert Network (below)
    • In the new line two contacts need to be added in parallel
    • To do this add the first contact as done previously and then right click on that contact and select Insert Contact Parallel (below)
    • Then, to the right of the contacts, right click and select Insert Coil
    • The top contact should be assigned variable FLB and the bottom contact variable S2A
    • The coil should be assigned variable LFF
    • Now add one more Network below to which should be added a contact and a coil
    • The contact should be assigned the variable S1A and the coil variable LIS
    • The last thing to do here for the moment is to add a reference to the ladder logic module into the Main program
    • In the Solution Explorer on the right under PLC->Project Name->PLC Name->POUs double click Main to open it
    • In the first line of the lower section of the file type POU(); where POU is the name of the file with the ladder logic in it
    • Save the program (Save All button or key combination CTRL+SHIFT+S)
    • Now back in Experior click on the Communications tab on the right of the Experior window, just below where the Catalogs are displayed
    • Right click and select Beckhoff ADS
    • Select the newly created entry and in the Properties pane, to the bottom right of the Experior window, change the Port to 851
    • Now the variables have to be added to their respective components
    • Select the Motor Control switch and in the properties under PLC Input -> On/Off expand the section using the small arrow to the left of On/Off
    • Input the symbol as GVL.MCS, the reason for the GVL prefix is so Experior knows the variable is global and not local
    • For the lamp Load In System the symbol should be input under PLC Output -> Lighting
    • For the button Feed Load the symbol should be added under PLC Input” -> Pushed
    • For the feeder the symbol should be added under PLC Output -> Feed
    • For the sensors the symbols should be added under PLC Input -> Blocked
    • Lastly, the symbol for the motor should be added under Operation -> Forward (Output)
    • When finished the Input and Output tabs should contain information like so
    • Save the model at this point
    • Back in the TwinCAT program it should now be built and have a license generated so that it is ready to run
    • To build the program, go to the Build menu at the top and select Build Solution
    • Now a license needs to be generated to enable the program to be run
    • Go to the Solution Explorer on the left
    • Expand System and double click on License
    • Click on Activate 7 days trial license?
    • Enter the characters displayed in the input box
    • Click OK
    • Under the TwinCAT menu select Activate Configuration
    • If prompted about overwriting an older configuration click Proceed
    • When prompted to Restart TwinCAT System in Run Mode? click OK
    • Under the PLC menu click Login
    • When prompted about application port_851 not existing, creating it and downloading the program, click YES
    • Under the PLC menu click START
    • Program is now running
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