Automation Training, Inc.

Monday (Morning and Afternoon)

Introduction -- Presentation of students and pretest
ControlLogix Level 1 Review -- A review of the ControlLogix Level 1 course is important for students to gain momentum in this Level 2 class, and to answer any questions they may have come across after attending the first level. This first day, we will review the hardware, setting up drivers in RSLinx, building a basic project with local and remote I/O, timers, counters, analog, and User Defined Data types (UDTs).

Tuesday Morning

JSR Instruction -- In the Level 1 course, we covered how to use the JSR instruction simply to call subroutines that existed for the purpose of organization. In the Level 2 class, the students will learn to use subroutines as functions by passing parameters to a subroutine which will store and manipulate the data, then the RET statement will be used to return data back to the JSR that called that subroutine. This will also prepare the students for a better understanding of Add-On Instructions in the next step.
Add-On Instructions -- Add on instructions have been available since version 16, and are becoming increasingly more popular. In this step the students will learn to create and import Add-On instructions, and how to view the logic that is written behind an existing Add-On Instruction.

Tuesday Afternoon

Indirect Addressing -- Indirect Addressing allows for variable sources and destinations for data. Although this can simplify programming dramatically, it can be more difficult to troubleshoot. Students will create logic using indirect addressing to gain an understanding of it's operation, and how indirect addressing is applied in your plant projects.
FAL (File Arithmetic Logic) -- File Arithmetic Logic allows for complex expressions to be performed on an entire array of data, storing the result to another array (and many other uses). Students will understand the modes of operation, the difference between the ControlLogix FAL instruction and the PLC-5 FAL instruction, and how this instruction is applied in your plant projects.

Wednesday Morning

Lab (2.5 hours)-- This lab will give the students hands on experience with the material covered up to this point. Students will set up a new project with local and remote I/O, and will be given a project to demonstrate their understanding of the JSR, Add-On instructions, Indirect Addressing, and the FAL instruction.
Function Blocks -- Function blocks can be used as a more graphic representation of data flow, and can simplify troubleshooting. This is especially true when used with instructions such as the Enhanced PID (PIDE). Students will learn to create, edit, and troubleshoot function block logic.
Structured Text -- Usually, structured text is used for more complex algorithms that can be cumbersome to program in other languages. This step will be a brief introduction to Structured Text. Students will learn to create and edit simple logic, and interpret logic from the plant projects (if applicable)

Wednesday Afternoon

Producer/Consumer -- One method of peer to peer communication is the Producer/Consumer method. The Producer/Consumer model several advantages: 1) It can be used for multicast, therefore saving bandwidth, 2) It's deterministic (the Requested Packet Interval can be set in the consumed tag), and 3) it works at the tag level, so will still transfer data even when the processor is in program mode. It's not recommended to use this method over the plant's enterprise network, however (Ethernet/IP should be on a separate switch from the TCP/IP) We will cover how to create a produced tag and how to build a path to a target processor, and create the consumed tag to receive data.
Message Instruction -- The message instruction is widely used for unscheduled (not time critical) communication. Students will set up the message instruction to communicate with other ControlLogix and PLC-5 processors. When the PLC-5 is initiating the message, they will learn to map the PLC-5 request to an array in the Controller Tag database. Students will also practice the numeric (manual) path method to trace what processor data is coming from or going into.

Thursday Morning

ControlNet -- This step will cover the terminology and network specifications of a ControlNet network. Students will set up a network in class to connect to a remote chassis. RSNetworx for ControlNet will then be used to schedule the network, to view keeper status, and to update invalid keeper devices on the network.

Thursday Afternoon

Lab (3 hours) -- This lab will demonstrate an understanding of the Producer/Consumer model, the Message instruction, and ControlNet.
Plant Projects -- In this step, we will review various plant projects, and how what they have learned applies to what they need to know in plant operations.

Friday Morning

PID (Proportional Integral and Derivative) -- Although this will not qualify anyone to tune a PID loop, this step will demonstrate the PID instruction in the ControlLogix processor.
- We will start with Proportional gain only, and will manually enter values into the Process Variable to predict the output based on the error (difference between the process variable and the setpoint), and the proportional gain. We will then see the effects of this action in a simulated heating process, and students will observe the oscillating effects of having the Kp value set too high.
- We will then calculate and predict the effects of various values for Integral by manually entering values for the Process Variable. Once the students are confident with the integral calculations, we will then apply what we learned to our simulated heating process. They will see a clear curve as the process variable approaches the setpoint.
- We will then discuss the effects of derivative influence, and also apply those to our simulated heating process.
Post Test -- Students will be given 20 minutes to answer 25 questions. This test will consist of hand-written answers.
Evaluations -- The students will complete evaluation forms prepared by your plant, or we can use the evaluation forms available from ATI. When the course is complete, you will receive a report on the Pre/Post test scores, Evaluations, Other courses requested by the students, and Suggested courses from the instructor that will help them move on to the next level. A sample of these reports can be seen at this link: http://atifortraining.com/index.php?page=ati07/faqs.php