PLC VS Soft-PLC

Hello, guys, and welcome to this lecture where we are going to learn what is the difference between a PLC and a soft PLC in more details. So let's get started. A PLC is actually a programmable logic controller and we use it in order to control different equipments inside our automation panel. So what kind of equipment are we talking about? Contactors That Actuates Motors, three Phase Motors or one Phase Motors. We have relays that actuate or act as a buffer in order to activate valves or solenoids or and all of these equipments we can use it in order to control vfds, in order to control anything that actuates real signals that will activate real machines. And we can use it in order to control feedback signals from sensors like pressure, like temperature open or closed circuit limit like limit switches. There is a large set of sensors that we can read using a PLC. So the main thing about a PLC that it has its own input output pins, we have usually the inputs. And here let's say we have the outputs. Outputs are used to actuate whatever contactors and stuff we are using. Inputs are used in order to receive signals from sensors and they are equipped and embedded in this plc. Also, we can if the number also a PLC advantage is if the number of I OS is limited, you can extend it using embedded i o modules like these two modules. Here we are extending the number of digital and analog inputs and outputs because let's say we have already here 20 and we are requiring 40. So we can just equip, so we can just equip it with this module. Why do we do we need PLC in the first place? The all the classical control design uses stuff like relays, stuff like contactors to build the control circuits and that consumes a lot of equipment and a lot of devices and a lot of wiring and complicated circuits. We can just replace all of that with a program we write in the PLC in order to do these complicated algorithms with software rather than with wiring relays and hardware in order to get the to the desired algorithm. So it's like either you build your algorithms with hardware and wiring, which is complicated. If the algorithm is complicated, or just write a software that you can modify easily, test easily using a PLC. Also, a PLC provides something like a communication protocols like Modbus, TCP or RTU Ethernet Profibus Profinet. There's a lot of protocol that are used in order to control multiple devices using only two wires or one cable. So here, let's say we have this Ethernet port. We can extend it to a switch and control, let's say 10 or 20 speed controllers or vfds with just one wire connected to that switch. I mean, that's really saves you a lot of wiring, a lot of programming. It's really wonderful. Now the soft PLC is actually a software that is installed on your computer. So. So your computer doesn't really have I o it doesn't have input outputs. You cannot really read sensors easily, it's just uses a bus like Ethernet in order to communicate with something outside the scope of the software. It's just use a protocol in order to communicate with the stuff from the outside world. It has all the functionalities of a real PLC, but the only drawback is it cannot really activate signals directly. So it's really useful if you have a bus system. So you can just take an Ethernet cable from your computer and also control multiple vfds or whatever devices that supports protocol control and. Here in our situation, we're going to use the Arduino as an i o card, which will activate whatever we have in the outside world. Equipment. So in our case, we're going to use an Arduino that is going to act as an i o card to activate different devices and equipments in our electrical automation panel. So this is the main difference between a soft PLC and a PLC, and we can summarize it as well as soft PLC have more capabilities. It can support maybe more programming languages. I mean, PLCs can also support multiple programming languages, but that requires some sophisticated one in order, let's say, to program in CFC, in structured text Ffbd Usually the standard PLCs come with later design only with later programming language only, but soft PLCs like Gotsis here that we are going to use supports up to five programming languages. And that's really an advantage. But the drawback, as I said, no, I O's directly coming out of of your laptop. So this is the main difference, guys. And we're going to continue in the next lecture to to explain about more stuff. See you in the next lecture.