Signal IO List for Single Rack Architecture

PLCCreator

Signal IO List for Single Rack Architecture

Select Section ...
1. General Description
2. Column Description
3. Column Requirements
4. Downloads

1.
General Description

IO Listsare created and uploaded by the user, and they have an essential role in the PLC creation. Based on the information they provide, PLCCreator creates the PLC hardware configuration together with signal to IO module assignment, and corresponding PLC tags with their addresses and/or tag aliases.

The signal IO list for Single Rack Architecture has 3 columns where user provides signal information:

  1. Name
  2. Description
  3. Signal Type

On the Figure 1 below is shown an example signal IO list for Single Rack Architecture:

Figure 1: Example of Signal IO list for Single Rack Architecture
Figure 1: Example of Signal IO list for Single Rack Architecture

The information provided by these columns is sufficient for PLCCreator, by using the algorithm for signal IO List processing , to provide following outputs:

  1. Create a PLC rack with the required IO modules, determined by the signal type specified with "Signal Type" column.
  2. Generate PLC tag based on the details provided in the "Name" and "Description" and assign it to the respective IO module with proper tag address and/or tag name.

More information for thecolumn descriptionandcolumn requirementscan be found in the further text.

The IO List Templates and examples can be downloaded either from theDownloadssection below, or from theIO List Templatesdownload page.

2.
Column Description

Name

The signal name should be same with its name from the "Instrument IO List", or similar document, provided by the control system design documentation. If it is user created it shall contain concise information about signal purpose or assignment. For example, if you have a valve HSV-001 the name of its closed position sensor can be "HSV_001_Position_Closed", or if you have proximity switch for object detection on Filling Station 1 it can be "FillSta1_Present". During the PLC generation, the signal name will become the PLC tag name for that signal.

Description

The signal description should provide additional details such as the signal's purpose, location, etc.

Signal Type

This refers to the name of the signal type, such as "DI_24VDC", "AI_4-20mA" etc.

The signal type has crucial role in PLC generation as it determines the PLC IO module to which the signal shall be wired. This is performed by the algorithm for signal IO List processing .

You can find the full list of supported signal types and their compatibility with the supported hardware platforms in the sectionCompatibility Between Signal Types and Hardware Platformson the "Hardware Platforms" page.

3.
Column Requirements

In Table 1 are listed data processing requirements for each column of the Signal IO List for Single Rack Architecture.

All requirements need to be satisfied in order for PLCCreator to process this IO list.

Column Name Required Unique Requirements
Column NameName RequiredRequired UniqueUnique Requirements
Max length:
32
Allowed characters:
A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _
Column NameDescription RequiredOptional Unique - Requirements
Max length:
256
Max length for Simatic Manager:
80
Allowed characters:
A-Z, a-z, 0-9 and single _ . -
Column NameSignal Type RequiredRequired Unique -
Requirements

To specify the "Signal Type", choose an option from the drop-down selection list of the "Signal Type" column entry in the signal IO list template. If pasting data in this column, ensure that pasted column entry can be found in this selection list.

Figure 2: Selecting Signal Type in the IO List
Figure 2: Selecting Signal Type in the IO List

Before/during filling out the signal IO list, make sure that the selected signal type is compatible with the hardware platform you plan to set on the CPU Data page.

You can perform the compatibility check in the section Compatibility between Signal Types and Hardware Platformson the "Hardware Platforms" page.

There are 2 types of signal IO list templates available in PLCCreator:

  • With Common Set of Signal Types- This template has a shorter selection list that contains the signal types most commonly used in the industry. This signals set is supported by all hardware platforms.

  • With Full Set of Signal Types- The selection list of this template contains all signal types supported by PLCCreator. Please note not all signal types are compatible with all hardware platforms.

Table 1: Column Data Requirements of Signal IO List for Single Rack Architecture

4.
Downloads

As mentioned earlier, the signal IO list template is available in 2 versions as shown below:

Signal IO list with Common Set of Signal Types:
Signal IO List Template Single Rack Common.xlsx
Signal IO list with Full Set of Signal Types:
Signal IO List Template Single Rack Full.xlsx

The template with the common set of signal types has a signal type selection set with the most frequently used signal types in the industry.

The template with the full set of signal types has a signal type selection set with the all signal types supported by PLCCreator.

Example Signal IO List Single Rack.xlsx

The signal IO list shall be saved as a.csvfile in order to be uploaded on the Upload IO Signals page.