You're reading from PLCs for Beginners An introductory guide to building robust PLC programs with structured text

Product type Paperback

Published in May 2024

Publisher Packt

ISBN-13 9781803230931

Length 380 pages

Edition 1st Edition

Languages

PLC programming

Tools

PLC

Concepts

PLC Programming

Author (1):

M. T. White

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Table of Contents (25) Chapters

Preface

1. Part 1: Basics of Computer Science for PLC Programmers

2. Chapter 1: Computer Science Versus Automation Programming FREE CHAPTER

3. Chapter 2: PLC Components – Integrating PLCs with Other Modules

4. Chapter 3: The Basics of Programming

5. Chapter 4: Unleashing Computer Memory

6. Chapter 5: Designing Programs – Unleashing Pseudocode and Flowcharts

7. Chapter 6: Boolean Algebra

8. Part 2: Introduction to Structured Text Programming

9. Chapter 7: Unlocking the Power of ST

10. Chapter 8: Exploring Variables and Tags

11. Chapter 9: Performing Calculations in Structured Text

12. Chapter 10: Unleashing Built-In Function Blocks

13. Chapter 11: Unlocking the Power of Flow Control

14. Chapter 12: Unlocking Advanced Control Statements

15. Chapter 13: Implementing Tight Loops

16. Part 3: Algorithms, AI, Security, and More

17. Chapter 14: Sorting with Loops

18. Chapter 15: Secure PLC Programming – Stopping Cyberthreats

19. Chapter 16: Troubleshooting PLCs – Fixing Issues

20. Chapter 17: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI)

21. Chapter 18: The Final Project – Programming a Simulated Robot

22. Assessments

23. Index

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24. Other Books You May Enjoy

Communication protocols

Communication protocols are an advanced concept in automation. Consequently, only a high-level explanation of communication protocols and how they work will be given here. However, communication protocols, along with more advanced software engineering concepts, can be explored in my previous book, Mastering PLC Programming: The software engineering survival guide to automation programming.

What is a communication protocol, and what is it used for?

Communication protocols are a way for devices to pass data to and from each other. In the most basic sense, a communication protocol is a way of packaging data in a common format that devices on a network can understand. There are many different protocols that are used in automation engineering. Some protocols are common protocols that are used throughout the IT industry, while others are proprietary and designed to work only with specific control systems. Common communication protocols are as follows:

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