Day: 13 January 2022

S7 1200 SPS

Scan for S7 controllers in your network

Scan for S7 controllers in your network

You may know the problem: You simply do not know the IP address of your Siemens S7 anymore. We can now provide a remedy for this issue. We will show you an easy S7 network scan.

Content overview
S7 1200 SPS

Simply scan for all available Simatic S7 PLCs in your local network. A scan via a VPN is also possible. With the free PLC scanner software, you can see every connected S7 PLC in seconds, incl. IP address and further info.

Content

Setup

What you need for scanning

The setup is quite simple. You need:

PC with Windows 10 or 11
Connection from this PC to the control network
Scan software

Setup S7 network scan

Of course, one or more S7 PLCs are also required. This can be any model of the Siemens S7 series. It is important that the PLC CPU has a Profinet connection, alternatively a CP, e.g. a CP 343-1 lean is suitable.

How to do it

Perform scan

The actual scan is done via Ethernet, so RPC 1006, sometimes called S7 direct. We assume Siemens S7 controllers in this article. This tutorial works for S7 300, S7 400, S7 1200, S7 1500 and similar products from Siemens or Vipa.

With our network scan software, the “PLC Scanner”, you can now scan for controllers in the network. To do this, simply select the menu item “Network” in the left navigation.

Network scan of S7 controllers

You have the choice whether you simply want to scan automatically in the connected network, or whether you want to perform a manual scan in a network that is hidden, perhaps behind a router.

Especially for larger networks, or if you scan over a VPN, you should specify the network manually. Under such circumstances, routing must also be taken into account.

Single S7 scan

Read out details

If the result list of the network scan does not provide you with enough details, then you can also read out an individual PLC completely. To do this, select the “Scan” menu item in the navigation.

Measurements can be easily performed with the free PLC Scanner software

The following data is displayed:

  • CPU Type
  • Status (Running/Stop)
  • Serial number
  • Time
  • Deviation of the time from the PC time
  • Some more details
scan yourself

Download for free

If you want to scan your network for S7 controllers yourself, just fill out this form and we will send you the download link to the software by mail.

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Conclusion

With the PLC-Scanner software, you can easily and quickly find S7 CPUs in your network. Details of the individual CPUs can also be read out. The setup is simple and the software is free of charge.

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PLC PC Data Exchange: Without OPC Server?

PLC PC Data Exchange: Without OPC Server?

When it comes to the data exchange between the PC world and the automation world, there is no way around an OPC server, right? The remaining question is: Use OPC UA, or not? What are the alternatives? Learn more in this article.

Content overview

Content

Faster data exchange without OPC UA

Especially relevant for S7 1200 CPUs

Some advantages of a direct ProfiNet (RFC1006) connection are obvious:

  • No complicated OPC server configuration
  • No additional license costs

Not quite as obvious, however, is the speed advantage of a direct connection without OPC UA, especially compared to the now outdated OPC DA. We have performed a series of measurements with an S7 1212 CPU and determined how fast a direct data connection from a PC to the S7 can be:

Speed measurement with an S7 1212C

The diagram shows how fast it can be. We measured the speed with a S7-1200 CPU with data sets of different sizes. The data records are read from a data block and written to an Excel file. The times here are well below 200ms per data set. It should be noted that a large part of the time is required for writing to the Excel file. Pure data transfer via Ethernet is much faster.

How fast is the data transfer in your S7 project?

It depends on these factors

The transmission time or the speed depends on many factors: PLC CPU, program workload, network, PC speed, etc. With a fast S7-1500 CPU and almost ideal conditions we could realize transfer times in the range of 1 ms. The S7-1200 used here for the measurement is of course slower. There the pure transmission times are about 10 to 12 ms.

You notice: It is not trivial to answer this question. We will be happy to advise you free of charge and without obligation and answer specific questions about your project and your plans.

We answer your questions

In a free video call with our experts on this topic, you can ask questions about your application and get useful background knowledge.

This is how it works:

  1. Click on “Start appointment booking
  2. Select content and date/time
  3. Book appointment

The appointment booking is done with Microsoft Bookings, Microsoft’s privacy policy applies.

Free Consulting

Profinet and OPC UA in comparison

Comparing a direct S7 connection (RFC 1006) and OPC UA

A lot has happened in the meantime with the new OPC UA standard. Many problems of the old OPC DA have been solved. So it is still a small effort to install an OPC UA server on a Siemens S7 PLC, but it is much easier than in former OPC DA days.

A big advantage of OPC UA compared to a direct S7 connection is the security. With OPC UA you can easily establish encrypted data connections to Siemens S7 PLCs. This can be done by user name and password, and also with a certificate.

S7 direkt

  • Fast data exchange
  • Lower costs (no OPC license)

vs

OPC UA

  • International standard
  • Encrypted data transmission
  • OPC UA Server already integrated in all S7 1500 CPUs

One solution for Profinet and OPC UA

No matter whether you decide for a direct S7 connection (Profinet) or for OPC UA: With our DataSuite software you are well positioned. After you have connected the PLC to the PC, you will hardly notice the difference between OPC UA and a direct S7 connection via RPC 1006.

OPC UA connection settings in the DataSuite software

PC connection via OPC has never been easier. The DataSuite software acts as OPC UA client for Windows and provides you with OPC data from the connected S7 controllers as documents. These can be PDFs, Excel files or HTML files. Alternatively, an export and import with SQL databases is possible.

Conclusion

The days of OPC DA are over. If you want to focus on security and future viability in machine connectivity today, there is no getting around OPC UA. Alternatively, there is the possibility to save costs with an S7 direct connection to still ensure a good data exchange.

Download trial software

Test all functions free of charge for 30 days. You will receive a mail with download link for instant use.

Notes on data protection(Required)

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It works that easy: Write Excel files with the Siemens S7

It works that easy: Write Excel files with the Siemens S7

Unfortunately, it is not possible to write real Excel files with a Siemens S7. In this article, we will show you how you can still achieve your goal and create first-class xlsx-documents with your PLC.

Content overview

Content

It's that easy:

Create real Excel files with a S7 PLC

In this context, Siemens likes to refer to the possibility of creating “Excel-compatible” files with the help of WinCC. What is meant here are CSV files. These are a relic of the last century. They do not offer much more than a line-based storage of values. It is possible to import them into Excel, but something else is nice.

But nowadays, customers expect a proper layout in the form of a real Excel file (xlsx). Sometimes they even make concrete specifications regarding logo, colors, or fonts.

But don’t worry, we have found a good solution for this task.

Forget about csv

Only real Excel files can do that

Formulas or charts are often used. Thus, it is easy to design an Excel template with a measured value representation in the form of line or bar charts. In addition, Excel offers a whole range of other features that are only possible with real Excel files.

The result could for example look like this:

Excel file with chart created from machine data

Advantages of Excel files over CSV files

  • Formulae, e.g. sum, average, max/min
  • Charts: Bars, lines, pies, etc.
  • Graphics: Logos, drawings, etc.
  • Formatted text: Bold, Italic, etc.
  • ... and much more

How to create Excel files with the S7

With our software DataSuite 3 (formerly SPSDataReader), you can easily create these and other Excel files with your Siemens S7 PLC. The program reads data blocks (DB) from your S7 and creates real Excel files from them. Your controller can read and write an unlimited number of different Excel files. In the same way, several controllers can also write to one file.

You don’t need WinCC, no installed Excel program, no OPC server. Just install DataSuite on a PC with Ethernet connection, configure, done. This is how easy it is to write Excel data with an S7 controller. You can find a free 30-day trial version here: DataSuite trial

Configuration in DataSuite

It is actually as simple as it sounds. After installing DataSuite, you can create an Excel file and configure it. DataSuite can read and write Excel files, but here we will focus on the writing process.

First, you need to create an Excel file where the values should be written. To do this, click on the “Excel files” menu option. Then click on “Create new file”, the number of possible files is unlimited. Now you can create an xlsx-file, which you can configure on this page:

edit xlsx file in DataSuite
Edit xlsx file in DataSuite

Once you have successfully created and configured the file, you can create a trigger. A trigger triggers under certain conditions and then executes a desired action.

Since we want to write an Excel file with the Siemens S7, click on “Trigger” on the left and edit the trigger “Write data record”.

write data record in DataSuite
Trigger configuration in DataSuite software: Assigning Excel cells to S7 variables

Now you can freely configure the trigger and assign Excel cells to S7 variables. Of course, you can also add more actions in the trigger. We have already prepared the most important machine applications with Excel files for you. Choose your application from different templates:

templates writing excel files
Selection of an Excel template in the DataSuite software

Much more information and setting options can be found in the DataSuite software manual, which is included in the download. There you can find detailed instructions with screenshots.

Further information and assistance free of charge from our support team:

Phone: +49 2742 72927 83
E-Mail: [email protected]

Conclusion

Creating first-class Excel files with a Siemens S7 PLC is no longer witchcraft nowadays. With the right software, even beginners can automatically generate Excel reports of machines and plants.

Download trial software

Test all functions free of charge for 30 days. You will receive a mail with download link for instant use.

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< Overview