Siemens S7 Speed Test

Frequently S7 programmers ask the question “How can I determine the transfer speed between PLC and PC?” We will show you how to perform an S7 Speed Test.

Example: If a machine produces a part every 200 milliseconds, then the transfer of the associated data should take less than 200 milliseconds. Otherwise, there will be overlaps in the data transfer and consequently data loss.

Read in this article how you can detect such problems before it becomes critical.

Content

So that production runs safely

Measuring instead of guessing

A general answer to the question of how fast my Siemens S7 PLC can deliver data is unfortunately not possible, because the speed depends on several factors. Among other things, the speed of the PC, the used S7 PLC and the network play an important role.

Therefore, the easiest way to find out the speed is a measurement.

How to do it

Measurement setup

First of all, a PLC is 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. The measurement is done via Ethernet, i.e. RPC 1006, sometimes also called S7 direct.

In order to retrieve data for the speed test, the Put/-Get communication must also be activated in the S7 PLC. With older PLCs, series S7 300 and S7 400, this is automatically the case. With newer Siemens PLCs, e.g. S7 1200 and S7 1500, you have to activate this in your project engineering.

In addition to a Siemens S7 PLC, a PC is also required to perform the S7 speed test.

Free measurement software for S7

Measurement software and settings

After the hardware is ready, you still need a measurement software. With our free PLC scanner, you can not only scan your network for Siemens controllers, you can also perform a speed test.

More info about the scanner software in this article: Network scanner for Siemens S7 controllers

The configuration and use of the scanner software is, as with all products from [MB], simple and intuitive. You only have to establish a connection to the PLC and then the speed test can start.

Measure yourself

Download for free

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

Conclusion

With the PLC-Scanner software, you can easily and effectively measure the speed between a Siemens S7 PLC and a PC. The measurement setup is simple, and the software is free of charge.

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