Siemens S7-300/400 PLC Troubleshooting
Course overview
Manufacturers are increasingly facing greater pressures to reduce costs and maintain efficiency whilst also maximising output. These problems are further challenged when it comes to arranging shift patterns to release essential production line staff for training.
This problem can be eased, as we now offer you three day courses rather than our more traditional five day courses on Siemens PLCs. Our new three day course enables you to maintain your efficiency levels with the minimum of disruption, whilst also providing focused learning.
The Troubleshooting course targets maintenance personnel who need to be able to use the full STEP7 diagnostic toolkit to effectively troubleshoot S7-300/400 hardware problems and machine or process faults. The course is entirely practical and consists of troubleshooting a range of fault scenarios to establish a logical approach to faultfinding and to reinforce the use of standard tools and test procedures.
Target Group
All engineering personnel involved with the troubleshooting of automated controlled Siemens S7 300/400 systems.
Duration
Courses take place over three days.
Previous knowledge
Delegates should have a good working knowledge of PLC systems, be competent with the use of PCs and Windows and must have a good working knowledge of S7-300/400 PLCs and STEP7 software or have attended at least the S7-300/400 PLC First-line Maintenance course.
Syllabus
Logical Approach to Faultfinding
- Understand what should be happening
- Understand what is/is not happening
- Understand the reasons why most faults will not be PLC hardware or software & are much more likely to be due to field device failures or wiring problems
- Define the symptoms & consider possible causes
- Perform appropriate checks to localise the problem
Troubleshooting Siemens S7-300/400 hardware problems
- Know the first level checks to begin to quickly distinguish between PLC & field faults
- Know typical fault symptoms for common PLC hardware (module) failures
- Be able to recognise & interpret the meaning of external system diagnostic LEDs
- Be able to correctly interpret the status of I/O LEDs & relate these to the operation of field devices to distinguish between I/O module faults & wiring or field faults
- Know how & where to use a meter to check & confirm I/O module power supplies & for correct operation of digital & analogue I/O circuits
- Know quick methods to identify a failed I/O module
- Know the symptoms of using a faulty comms cable or if connected to the wrong CPU comms port
S7-300/400 PLC system Resets & Re-starts
- Understand the effect on the operation of the PLC (program & memory) of stopping & re- starting (PGM to RUN mode) or cycling power
- Understand how & when to use Memory Reset & understand the effect of this on system operation
- Understand how Memory Reset differs when invoked on CPU utilising Micro Memory Card (MMC)
Troubleshooting “simple problems” through interpreting Siemens S7-300/400
program code
- Review the 3 program display modes (LAD, STL, FBD) & be able to interpret simple code for each
- Know how to use the Search tools in a program to trace I/O status
- Recognise & understand the different TMR/CTR formats in STL
- Know the conditions under which on-screen status is displayed incorrectly
- Be able to read an S7-300/400 program printout & interpret cross reference information to trace signals when troubleshooting
- Know how to interpret status in STL with RLO & accumulator
Diagnostic tools in STEP7
- Know how to generate on-screen Cross Reference data
- Know how to compare a program in the PLC with a program on disk & be able to interpret the report
- Know how to set up & use the Monitor/Modify Variables display using VAT tables to monitor multiple I/O points & data registers in the S7-300/400
- Know how to use the Force function with S7-300/400 to set/reset a point or to step-on a sequence & understand the dangers
- Know how to use the Diagnostics Buffer facility & how to interpret the information provided to troubleshoot more difficult problems
Tips & Tricks when Troubleshooting with S7-300/400
- Know the easy methods to be able to display more STL code in ladder
- How to unlock some “hidden” code
- Simple program tools to time or count events, to prove status & trap intermittent faults
Further S7-300/400 troubleshooting practicals
- Troubleshooting “more complex” problems
- Troubleshooting S7-300/400 systems with programs held on Flash/MMC memory
- Troubleshooting data handling problems
- Troubleshooting problems with analogs
- Troubleshooting programs which make extensive use of Data Blocks
- Troubleshooting problems which include Indirect Addressing
- Introduction to third party diagnostic tools e.g. PLC Analyser pro 5
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Troubleshoot Siemens S7-300/400 hardware problems
- Understand and apply the diagnostic tools in STEP7
- Apply tips and tricks when troubleshooting with S7-300/400
- Perform S7-300/400 system re-sets and re-starts
- Troubleshoot “simple problems” through interpreting Siemens S7-300/400 program code
Guaranteed results
Our partners INTACS are so confident that we can deliver the right training for your people that we are even prepared to offer a money-back guarantee of satisfaction.
Recommended follow up courses
Siemens S7-300/400 Networked Systems
The benefit of attending this further 3 day course is that delegates will be able to gain knowledge & practical experience of maintaining & troubleshooting Siemens PLC automation control systems that use MPI, Profibus DP & ASi. An introduction to Ethernet will also be given.
Understanding S7 Programs
The benefit of attending this further 3 day course is that delegates will be able to gain knowledge & practical experience of modifying or develop routines & applications for Siemens PLC controlled automation control systems.
For more information or to make a booking please call (01604) 667584, or alternatively e-mail business_centre@festo.com.