The Top 20 PLC tips and practices for better, more secure PLC programming

Jake Brodsky wrote the other day:

"Among the tribes of engineers, there are certain things we just have to learn by doing. One of them is PLC programming. Somehow, we engineers are expected to emerge from college knowing good practices for programming a PLC. Some of us older engineers learned to program using FORTRAN. If we were lucky, we learned about structured programming. The millennial engineers may have had the benefit of learning about object oriented programming. Maybe it was a class in C++. But data structures were something that they were just “supposed to know.” And engineering educations today? If we’re lucky, they’ll see a course in how to sling code in Python. That’s what my son did when he was studying in a pre-engineering course.

My point is that most engineers discover good programming practices the hard way. We learn on the job. I stumbled across this many years ago. I started collecting tips, tricks, and experiences from my colleagues ..."

Check out his collected writings - worth to read:

The Top 20 PLC tips and practices for better, more secure PLC programming are now online:

Click HERE for the website.

Lite Gateway IEC 61850 to IEC 60870-5-104 at DistribuTECH in San Diego

NettedAutomation will demonstrate the following lite Gateway between IEC 61850 (process level with various I/Os) and IEC 60870-5-104 (RTU) at the DistribuTECH next week (29.-31. January 2013) in San Diego (booth 1648):

The components (HW and SW) can be used to build many useful topologies:

• Gateway IEC 61850 (client) to IEC 60870-5-104 (slave) – as shown in the picture
• Gateway IEC 60870-5-104 (master) to IEC 61850 (server)
• Gateway many serial links to IEC 60870-5-104 (slave)
• The two software packages from SystemCorp running on these platforms (IEC 61850 stack/API and IEC 60870-5-104 stack/API) can be used in any combination and with many communication channels (Ethernet, GSM GPRS, WiFi, Bluetooth, …).
• The IEC 61850 server could – of course – be accessed directly by a remote client.
• Other protocols are available.

The box in the middle is a Com.Tom Radio 2.0 and the right box is a development kit DK61.

The following signals (data model) will be demonstrated:

I look forward to meeting you at the DistribuTECH in San Diego (CA) next week.

If you need help in using these lite components, please let us know.

Beck DK61 Library Update Available

An updated IEC 61850 library (v1.36.07) is now available for Beck IPC Development Kits. This replaces what is being shipped on the DK61 disks.

The Beck DK-61 IEC 61850 library v1.36.07 with example application with source can be found on the following website website:

https://www.systemcorp.com.au/support.html

https://www.systemcorp.com.au/component/content/article/23-software/70-iec-61850-single-chip-solution-presentation.html

Revision history can be found in the On-line API Manual:

https://www.systemcorp.com.au/PIS10API/_release_notes.html

https://www.systemcorp.com.au/PIS10API/index.html

SystemCorp IEC 61850 Stack/API – Questions and Answers

SystemCorp has published a lot details on their website. Several often asked questions have been answered in Application Notes.

The recent notes deal with GOOSE performance, Update call at server side to provide multiple values (e.g., stVal, q, t) in ONE call, and Ethernet raw package driver.

The Application notes can be found here:

https://www.systemcorp.com.au/support.html

C# Server and Client Application Source Code for IEC 61850 DLL

NettedAutomation has updated the C# Client AND SERVER application (GUI) of the IEC 61850 Evaluation Kit (DLL). You can use the SystemCorp DLL (dated back to 2010) from the evaluation package downloaded from the above NettedAutomation link. If you have installed the IEC 61850 DLL before March 2012 it will not run anymore on your PC (it runs for 6 just months). In that case you can install it on a different machine – maybe you have a new PC anyway since you tested the DLL.

The C# application source code and executable code as well as documentation and the appropriate SCL files for the client and the server are provided via the link below.

The new Server GUI supports manipulating values in the server application, e.g., the temperature and setting for temperature alarms at the server:

The client application allows to see results from polling and Reports:

You may just use another browser (e.g., the Omicron IEDScout) to connect to the server and retrieve the model and the values:

Download the complete C# application examples for the IEC 61850 DLL [zipped file, 1 MB].

Details on downloading the DLL evaluation package could be found here.

Work on IEC 61850-90-11 started -- Logics

It was agreed internationally to develop IEC TR 61850-90-11: Communication networks
and systems for power utility automation – Part 90-11: Methodologies for modelling of logics for IEC 61850 based applications.

The scope could be quite narrow, taking into account simple logics for input and output signal … but it could cover also the way how to program complex distributed applications. The standards like IEC 61131-3 or IEC 61499 may be taken into account.

Some discussion on the use of IEC 61499 …

IEC TR 61850-7-510 ed1.0 has been published

The new part IEC 61850-7-510 has been officially published:

Communication networks and systems for power utility automation -
Part 7-510:
Basic communication structure - Hydroelectric power plants - Modelling concepts and guidelines

Download the Preview of IEC 61850-7-510

IEC/TR 61850-7-510:2012 provides explanations on how to use the Logical Nodes defined in IEC 61850-7-410 as well as other documents in the IEC 61850 series to model complex control functions in power plants, including variable speed pumped storage power plants. This publication is to be used in conjunction with IEC 61850-7-410 which introduced the general modelling concepts of IEC 61850 to hydroelectric power plants.

This document lays a ground for control devices like PLCs to implement the information interface. One simple implementation could be to integrate an IEC 61850 gateway into a PLC. The gateway could, for example, be implemented with an powerful embedded controller.

The controller would implement the information model and the services like GOOSE for operational status, Setting limits or Reporting of status or measured values:

A gateway could be easily build with available embedded controllers that provide an easy API for IEC 61850 clients, servers, publishers and subscribers.

Get Free IEC 61850 Development Kit (HW and SW)

The application of IEC 61850 is very successful all over. More and more people are looking for hardware and software that can be used right away – for an easy implementation of applications and Gateways between IEC 61850 and DNP3, Modbus, IEC 60870-5-101/104 and for short time to market developments.

NettedAutomation has scheduled the next public training course to be held in Frankfurt from May 09-11, 2012. As a special gift we offer you a free IEC 61850 Development Kit (Beck IPC DK61) with an ready to go API and example application source code in C/C++ and IEC 61131/CoDeSys. The DK61 will be used during the course … after the event you can take the kit home and continue developing applications for IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25.

Download a description of the Development Kit [pdf, 1.4 MB].

The gift is included in the regular training fee.

This offer is valid until April 27, 2012. Register soon.

The program and further information on the training course can be downloaded.

If you are interested in the training and FREE IEC 61850 development kit DK61 contact us please.

The retail price of the DK61 is 1,299 Euro. The regular course fee will be discounted by 800 Euro if you don’t want to get the kit but attend the training course only. Students get a further discount … please ask for it.

Download the discussion about benefits using ready-to-go solutions with IEC 61850, DK61, Beck Chip, … and PV Inverter models [pdf, 2.3 MB, 18 pages]