PLC Connect

Project to provide interchangable drivers to SCADA and PLC programming software

The intention of this project is to provide a common PLC API so that other projects can interface to a range of PLCs by interfacing to this project. By means of a compiler flag, this project will also provide the option of a small interface with no network connectivity, or a larger interface where multiple programs can talk to the same PLC, including over a network.

The biggest problem with this project is going to be how to define a "common" interface, that can access all the different features of various PLC's, while at the same time conforming to a "standard" interface.
The approch I am taking for the moment is to encapuslate each PLC communications "Packet" in its own instance of a class derived from "PacketTemplate".
In this way I hope to provide a common interface for common funtions such as to read / change PLC network node addresses, do checksum calculations and so forth, while funtions unique to specific PLCs can still be used by customising each packet on a byte by byte basis.
It is also my intention to provide an interface to perl and Java programs so that these programming languages also have access to each "packet".
The biggest problem I can see with this approch is that there is a lot of overhead for each "packet" instance.
I intend to arrange things so that there is only one set of "packet" program code that goes with each class type, rather than each class instance, and that x "packets" will only have 1 lot of interface program code that is shared, with x copies of the packet data itself.

As this is a one person project and I do not need to keep other members of the project up to date, and it is not being used in any other projects yet, I am not keeping the sourceforge website up to date very often.
If you would like a currant copy of the project, please email me at laughton.andrew at gmail.com.

Links to other projects

Last updated 20 Jan 2008
Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition. (SCADA)

Machine Automation Tools	This is a project to create and distribute a PLC-like program for Linux (PLC = Programmable Logic Controller), licensed under the GNU GPL. A broader scope than this project, and lots of time and effort has gone into it. Unfortuneatly the project only compiles with earlier versions of gcc, and I am not clever enough to work out how to update it. Last release 19 Nov 2002
Visual	Visual is a set of programs to control,operate and monitor industrial machinery from a computer screen, either on a local computer or over intra-/internet. Latest release August 26 2005
SEA (Simple Expandable Automation)	Windows based SCADA system. Latest release 26 Sep 2002
RTiC-Lab	The Real Time Controls Laboratory, (RTiC-Lab), is a layer that sits on the Comedi interface and provides a selection of tools. It is designed as an easy to use controls prototyping tool. Latest update April 23, 2001.
STANTOR	Stantor is SCADA for the computer interface board K8000 (I2C bus) , X10 modules and also Webcam. It uses Browser WEB, I-mode and Wap, Apache,mySQL, PHP, javascript. It runs with Linux-Mandrake. The version 06 uses SOAP Latest release January 17, 2008
Stage Light Basic	StageLight Basic is a simple automated stage lighting sequencer idea for Schools, traveling performers, shops and small theatres. Latest update V0.0.20Alpha July 10, 2002
Process View Browser	SCADA software that is similar to an internet browser. It is intended for the use in industrial process visualization. It is based on Qt http://www.trolltech.com which is a platform independent GUI toolkit. ProcessViewBrowser is platform independent, because only posix calls and Qt are used. Latest update Version 4.2.5 20 Jan 2008
FreeSCADA	No releases at 20/Jan/2008 A general purpose open source SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system.
SCADA honeynet	The SCADA honeynet project aims to extend the concept of Honeynet to SCADA networks. The project aims to simulate a SCADA network, includeing the devices and the network itself running a bunch of scripts on a single box. Latest release 15 July 2005.

PLC programming software

ADEFU
ClassicLadder
OpenController

Programming interfaces

LIBNODAVE Siemens PLC protocols
k8000mct Velleman K8000 I/O board interface
CELL the CIP/Ethernet Library for Linux. CELL is a programmers library that allows you to gain full read/write access to all the data objects within an Allen Bradley ControlLogix PLC.
ABEL (Allen Bradley Ethernet Library) sourceforge or Linux Network Services
Linux Network Services has a later version.
ABEL - the Allen Bradley Ethernet Library for Linux - is a programmers library that allows you to read and write all registers within an Allen Bradley PLC-5, SLC-500 and Pyramid Integrator (PLC5/250).
The Linux PLC and DirectNET Project ( PLC protocols )
OMTLin Linux OMT For Siemens' Exchange
TinyOS TinyOS is an operating system for sensor networks. This project explores a variety of system design issues on dust-sized, low power devices, with a few kilobytes of memory, and wireless communication. TinyOS -- because size DOES matter.
PELCO-PTZ 'P' Protocol RS422 Driver PELCO-PTZ provides a command line RS232 driver for controlling Pelco Inc., surveillance cameras that have RS422/485 inputs. This driver implements the Pelco 'P' protocol used to control such devices. The command line interfaces supports all aspects

Emulators

Simulator for the Honeywell TDC3000x and SCADA systems

Other control

Q light controller DMX or 0-10V lighting systems
Linux USB Output Interface for Robotics
parallelport unipolar stepper motor
Comedi Linux control and measurement device interface.
Nathan Hurst Plasmatronics PL60 Solar Panel Controller
Purple Project Sersniff is a simple program to tunnel/sniff between 2 serial ports. Handy tool for working out protocols
JRobot
VISCA camera control library

Programming methods

Simple XML ManMachine Interface Language
IDEAS Interface Design Efficiency Assessment System
Esterel is a control infrastructure for distributed automation applications such as security systems, home automation, process control systems etc. Scripting language for control.
SensorML provides the models and XML schema encoding for defining the geometric, dynamic, and observational characteristics of a sensor.

For general information, the following PLC types have drivers, but not on this site.

Automation Direct, DirectLOGIC(tm) PLC's by The Linux PLC and DirectNET Project
Beckhoff BK9000/BC9000 Ethernet couplers, by Visual
Cegelec ALSPA 80-35 , by Visual
DMX is the industry standard for controling lighting devices DMX4Linux
GE Fanuc series 90, appears to be the same as Cegelec ALSPA 80-35.
Simatic S5 family via programming interface ( AS511 ), by Visual & LIBNODAVE
TSX17/20 driver by ADEFU

Computer Interface cards ( A/D )

Comedi has drivers for most, if not all boards.
K8000 I/O board interface by K8000mct and STANTOR

Other

Eye Express (eye)Tracker software Eye Express(tm) Eye tracker hardware
JRobot - Tool for Mitsubishi RVM1 robot
The Puffin Projects This page features open-source PLC (programmable logic controller) projects and related links.
SPLat This is a cross between a PLC and a dedicated controller.
Vinca
linuxdevices.com A site that includes industrial control devices

FeedBack

Feel free to e-mail Andrew Laughton if you have any ideas on how to make this project better.