Previously, we used the Factory I/O software package to create graphics that represent the machinery that we want control with a PLC program. This lesson will provide you with information on how to simulate the graphics environment with or without the use of the PLC program.
Factory I/O allows you to force the equipment status meaning, if your PLC or PLC simulator is not yet attached to the Factory I/O software package, you can still see the operation of the machinery.
You will see the force states available for use on the different devices such as conveyors and sensors. You will then learn how to force and remove force those devices. In the previous lesson, we mentioned the distinctive placement and removal objects. We will not need to force these objects as they are forced on by default.
Along with demonstrating the usual forces for turning on and off the devices, we will also discuss the force on and off failure states. An on failure is when a piece of equipment has been requested to stop yet it keeps running. Conversely, an off failure is when you have requested a run and the equipment does not start.
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to connect our PLC program to the Factory I/O simulator. We will walk through the configuration process for connecting to a PLC or PLC simulator using the proper driver for our equipment. We will demonstrate how to associate our field devices, such as the...
In this lesson, Factory I/O and our PLC program are now connected and we will start the factory simulation to see how our code checks out. We will discuss normally closed field devices and how they will function within our code. We will also discuss how the retro reflective sensor works and get i...
In the previous lesson, we had our PLC software connected to the Factory I/O software. We were able to start and stop the equipment, verify product counts passing by the retro reflective sensors, all using the Factory I/O animated simulation and our program.
One thing that we have not yet dis...
