Undergraduate Lab in Ladder Logic

using the Rockwell Workstations

Introduction to Basics and Lab
Equipment
The students will become familiar with the PLC (Programmable Logic
Controller) , Rockwell Automation Workstation, and their purpose in
Industrial Automation.

The lab will introduce the basics of Relay Ladder Logic and how it can be
used in industrial automation applications.
In the United States, ladder logic is the most popular method used to program
a PLC

The students will be introduced to utilizing RSLogix5000 to implement the
Ladder Logic programs and load them into the PLC
For the past decades, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) using relay ladder
logic (RLL) programming have been the workhorse for controlling event-driven
industrial automated systems. RLL proved flexible compared to the hardwired
RLL control implementation, due to its feature of software implementation. As
automated systems become more complex, they also become more difficult to
understand and maintain. It takes tremendous effort to accommodate
specification changes, which become frequent, to meet todays flexible and
agile automation needs.


Ethernet based AC drive speed control
Hardware Connection Diagram
PowerFlex 40P
192.168.1.5
DC Input/Output
192.168.1.7
192.168.1.10
1
I/O Box
Anatomy of Ladder Logic
Input Instructions
(conditions)
Output Instructions
(actions)
Rung 0
Rung 1
Rung 2
Left
Power
Rail
Right
Power
Rail
Logical Continuity
Input Instructions
(conditions)
Output Instructions
(actions)
Rung 0
Rung 1
Rung 2
T T F
F
F
T
T
T
T
Rung False
Rung False
Rung True
ANDed Instructions
ORed Instructions
Left
Power
Rail
Right
Power
Rail
Example Experiment 1: Motor Control
A practical application of relay logic is in control
systems where we want to ensure two
incompatible events cannot occur at the same
time. An example of this is in reversible motor
control, where two motor contactors are wired
to switch polarity/phase sequence to an electric
motor, and it is necessary to insure that the
forward and reverse contactors are not
energized simultaneously.
Example Experiment 1: Motor Control
Circuit 1
Figure 1 shows a control where the motor will stay energized after the button is pressed
but will only stop when there is no more power available
Figure 1
Example Experiment: Motor Control
Circuit 1 Ladder Logic
Example Experiment: Motor Control
Circuit 2
Figure 2
In Figure 2 a stop switch has been added in which will allow the user to stop the motor
when desired.
Example Experiment: Motor Control
Circuit 2 Ladder Logic
Full View
of
Example
Ladder
Logic
Circuit in
RSLogix
5000
References
Allen-Bradley Logix5000 Controllers, Quick Start,
User Manual
Lessons In Electric Circuits, Volume IV Digital ,Tony
R. Kuphaldt
PLC Fundamentals-Ladder Logic Fundamentals,
Controls & Instrumentation for Automation, T.E.
Kostek
A comparison of relay ladder logic programming and
Petri net approach for sequential industrial control
systems, Proceedings of International Conference on
Control Applications, MengChu Zhou, E. Twiss