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Creating and Editing PLC Cards and Connection Points

PLC cards and connection points can be created in different ways:

You edit the properties of a PLC card in the tabs PLC box and PLC structure data of the property dialog.

You edit the properties of a PLC connection point in the PLC connection point tab of the properties dialog. The Bus data tab is additionally available for network / bus cable connection points.

Note:

If you want to use the PLC data exchange, a single-line representation of the PLC configuration is required. A multi-line representation is not needed but is additionally optionally possible. In this case enter the bus data at the single-line network / bus cable connection points.

During the PLC data exchange in the AutomationML format, the multi-line representation is reported in addition to the single-line representation in determining the network structures. If a multi-line representation of the PLC configuration is available, a single-line representation is not necessarily required anymore.

ClosedCreate PLC boxes or PLC connection points
  1. Select the following menu items: Project data > PLC > Navigator
  2. In the PLC - <Project name> dialog, select the New popup menu item.
  3. In the Function definitions dialog, select a PLC box or a PLC connection point and click [OK].
  4. In the Properties <...> dialog, edit the properties of the PLC box or the PLC connection point. For example, enter a new DT for the PLC box.
  5. Click [OK].

    The new (unplaced) PLC box or PLC connection point is displayed in the tree or the list.

ClosedPlace PLC boxes or PLC connection points
  1. Select the following menu items: Project data > PLC > Navigator
  2. Mark a PLC box or connection point and select the Place popup menu item.
  3. Before actual placing press the [Backspace].

    The dialog Place device is opened. If a macro is defined at the part, the Part macro option is set as the default.
  4. From the Representation type drop-down list select the entry "Multi-line" and click [OK] in order to place the function on a multi-line schematic page. (Select "single-line" or "overview" to place the function on a single-line or overview page.)
  5. Press the keys [Shift] + [Tab] to browse through the representation types of the macro. With [Tab] alone you can browse through the macro variants.
    Or press the [N] button in order to page through the functions and select the desired one. Or use the [Spacebar] while placing the auxiliary functions if you want to interrupt the placement of the auxiliary functions and want to start again with the placement of the main function.
  6. If you have selected a PLC box, then you draw this as a rectangle.
    If you have selected a PLC connection point, place the symbol in the schematic.

Tip:

Assigning PLC structure data in the tabular editing

Through the tabular editing you can rapidly and easily assign the PLC structure data for a rack. To this purpose first place the PLC items in the single-line representation or in the overview display. Them mark all the items of the rack and call up tabular editing (menu items: Edit > In table). Use a scheme in which the properties Main function, Placement, Rack, PLC card is placed on rack ID and Position (slot / module) are displayed.

Double-click the column heading Placement and then twice on the column heading Main function. This results in the items (main functions) being sorted after their placement at the beginning of the table.

Enter the desired value for the Rack property at the rack. Copy this value for all the associated PLC cards in the PLC card is placed on rack ID column. Subsequently enter the desired value in the column Position (slot / module).

The rack is now configured completely. On the basis of these data EPLAN assumes that the items are connected by a backplane.

See also

Inserting PLC Cards and Connection Points