We have some new plant equipment that is being controlled through an ET200S (6ES7 151-8FB01-0AB0)that is provided by the vendor.  We need to make some of the ET200S I/O points available through an OPC Server so we have purchased and installed the TIA V13 software.  We plan on using the OPC Server that comes with the TIA software and running the OPC Server on the PC.  We are using a Profinet interface and we have created a project and established communications between the PC and the ET200S PLC.

My questions concern how to make the data available through the OPC Server.  The examples that I have looked at involve programming the PLC to do this.  We do not have this option since the PLC is provided by a third party.  I have a connection to the PLC and I can upload the PLC software configuration and I can monitor the I/O.  I have set up an S7 Connection between the PC and the PLC.  I have not found out how to make the data available through the TIA OPC Server.  The OPC Scout does not show any of the data blocks.  Do I need to add each of the I/O cards to the PLC in my project?  (I will not be downloading the PLC since it is provided and configured by a third party.) Do I need to add the data manually to the project for each point that we are interested in accessing?  Are there any examples out there that might show solutions specific to what I am trying to do?

Thanks in advance.

Dan

Hello,

You would need to install Simatic Net and Step7 and then configure the PC Station with OPC Server v8.2 (not V13). Even if you have Simatic Net V13 installed, you still configure it as V8.2.

You then create an unspecified S7 connection and enter the ip address of the plc as partner with rack/slot of the cpu.

This you download to the Simatic Net Station Configuration Editor.

Now you can connect to the cpu with OPC Scout and manually create the addresses you want to access.

You can also use the Symbol Editor to enter the list of addresses/names in the cpu so they are automatically browsed by the OPC client.

Because you are not programming the plc and OPC server in the same project, you do not automatically have the OPC items created in the OPC server.

I hope this helps.

Michael K

Hello,

You would need to install Simatic Net and Step7 and then configure the PC Station with OPC Server v8.2 (not V13). Even if you have Simatic Net V13 installed, you still configure it as V8.2.

You then create an unspecified S7 connection and enter the ip address of the plc as partner with rack/slot of the cpu.

This you download to the Simatic Net Station Configuration Editor.

Now you can connect to the cpu with OPC Scout and manually create the addresses you want to access.

You can also use the Symbol Editor to enter the list of addresses/names in the cpu so they are automatically browsed by the OPC client.

Because you are not programming the plc and OPC server in the same project, you do not automatically have the OPC items created in the OPC server.

I hope this helps.

 

 Thank you for your reply Michael.

We had been told by the Siemens representative that TIA V13 would work so we will review this with them.  We do need to have the symbols, so we can make do with the OPC Scout addressing.

For the PLC definition in the project then is it true that we do not need to enter the specific hardware configuration of the PLC or do we need to enter every module (e.g. AI, DI, DO , etc.)?

Dan

Dan,

TIA V13 will work to configure Simatic Net.
When I wrote "Step7", I was referring to the TIA V13 Step7 that comes with V13 Simatic Net.

You will need to enter each address as an opc item that you want to read/write.
I have attached a pdf which I hope you answers your questions.

Also see the following link for explanation Simatic Net OPC addressing:
SIMATIC NET PC software Industrial Communication with PG/PC Volume 2 - Interfaces Programming Manual
https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/77378184

Michael,

Thank you for that excellent information and the examples.  I have been able to create a new project with the Symbol Table entries and view the initial data from the ET200S using a Matrikon OPC Explorer running on another system.   

Thanks again for your help!

Dan