Which counter is the best choice for counting alarms

Impossible to answer without informations regerding the CPU and e view of the running program.

For diagnostic pourpuses you can simply add some rows of program for increase an integer or double integer in the free memory, M or a new DB created for this pourpuse.

Thank you for answering Piotr.M.

Where it is possible without causing too much extra work we use ladder programming.

Can I insert a STL network in a FB that is otherwise made in ladder?

I know many things are easier / smarter in STL and I should use it more (and modify our programming guideline to reflect this).

Piotr.M

Hi

just use CU instruction with unused counters (C1, C2, ...)

Counter counts up on raising edge of the trigger bit

STL

A <bit>            for example A M100.0

CU Cxxx                             CU C1

Note: when you sort alarms in WinCC by alarm number order is

Word.Bit8 (for example DB100.DBX1.0)
Word.Bit9 (for example DB100.DBX1.1)
...
Word.Bit15 (for example DB100.DBX1.7)
Word.Bit0 (for example DB100.DBX0.0)
...
Word.Bit7 (for example DB100.DBX0.7)

to sort alarms in the same order as they appear in the DB sort by Trigger Address
(do not remember if this column is shown in WinCC Flexible or only in TIA Portal WinCC)