PLmC - Ladder

PLmC - Ladder is a part of my BE Final Year Project. PLmC stands for Programmable Logic microController which is a PLC based on PIC - Microcontrollers.

PLmC – Ladder is the software program on which u design the ladder - logic visually and build it to interpret the logic into a language that the PLmC - Processor can easily understand. Then it is being downloaded to the PLmC - EEPROM via RS232. I developed this software on Microsoft Visual Studio using C# programming language.

HOW TO USE

1. To Run PLmC Ladder, Microsoft .Net Framework has to be installed on your PC. When you run it, you see the following window.

2. You can now create a new file or open a saved file.

3. Select any button and click on the workspace to place that component. Design your ladder logic.

4. Assign addresses and values to the components (where required). To do this place the address/value on the right hand side text box and press enter.

5. Because the microcontroller cannot understand the ladder-logic you designed, the ladder-logic needs to be interpreted. This step makes a text file in the same directory name “test”. The text file contains the generated code which the processor can now easily understand.

6. If the logic is build successfully, the software will give no error and you can download the logic into PLmC.

OTHER FEATURES


Expandable Workspace

The workspace is a grid. By default it has 20 rows and 20 columns. If required you can expand the workspace from Edit > expand rows/columns, that will increase 5 rows/columns on every click.

Specified File Format (*.ldr)

Ladder logics can be saved in a .ldr format designed specially for this project. Later you can transfer the files to another computer or open them in the same to modify or to download.

Error Detection

The software before building analyzes your logic. It pops and error if you have an incomplete network or have  not assigned a required element address or have assigned an address that is not physically present.

Hardware Detection

It also check/verify that PLmC is serially connected. If not, you wont be able to download the logic.