Talk
OpenPLC: A Unique Approach to Programming Microchip Atmega328 microcontrollers
Dr. Don Wilcher
36:40
The traditional approach to programming a microcontroller has been with high-level languages like C or C++. Programmer Tools like compilers are used to take the high-level language code and disassemble it to a machine code format. A no-code approach can now be used to program a microcontroller using a ladder diagram programming language. In this talk, an open-source ladder diagram programming platform called OpenPLC will be discussed. OpenPLC is based on the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61131-1 Functional Programming Languages standard. Participants will learn the basics of a programmable logic controller ladder diagram and how to implement control function tasks using the OpenPLC Editor. The OpenPLC Runtime environment for programming and monitoring the control functions embedded on the microcontroller will be presented in the talk discussion. The Arduino Uno -Microchip ATMega328 based platform will be the development tool for implementing specific OpenPLC control function tasks.
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What is the primary design purpose of OpenPLC as presented in the talk?
A
A proprietary vendor-specific IDE for high-end industrial PLC hardware
B
An open-source platform aligned with IEC 61131-3 for low-cost industrial automation, teaching, and research
C
A Blockly-based visual environment designed only for children's programming education
D
A tool that replaces C compilers by directly generating assembly for any microcontroller
E
A hardware-only commercial PLC module that does not require a microcontroller
mrdon219@gmail.comSpeaker
Score: 0 | 4 years ago | no reply
Thomas.Schaertel
Score: 0 | 4 years ago | no reply
Hi Don, I liked your presentation although I was wondering how OpenPLC supports the various hardware features of the microcontroller (like PWM, A/D etc.). For example, how would you write a simple control loop in LD to control a motor's speed, or read an analog value? I never programmed a PLC, so maybe I'm missing something here. But your talk was inspiring, maybe this is a good start in electronic education.
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for the kind comments regarding the presentation. There are Function Block Diagrams (FBD) that support such microcontroller features. With these FBDs and ladder diagrams (LD) traditional microcontroller tasks can be accomplished. Further, there is an active community of developers on the forum that are creating new FBDs to expand the OpenPLC capabilities for embedded applications. I have been using OpenPLC in my Programmable Logic Controller and electronic courses with great success. My learners are engaged with various electronic control projects using OpenPLC as the software programming interface for the Arduino Uno. I hope I answered your question, Thomas.