THE PLC LAWS

Courtesy of the Member of MRPLC.COM

PLC LAW #1 - DON'T OVERCOMPLICATE THE SIMPLE.

PLC LAW #2 - MAKE SURE YOU PLUG THE CABLE IN BEFORE

YOU TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY YOU CAN'T GO ONLINE.

PLC LAW #3 DURING STARTUP, ALWAYS VERIFY I/O BEFORE

TESTING THE PROGRAM

PLC LAW #4 WHEN CONNECTING YOUR LAPTOP TO THE PLC,

DON'T TIGHTEN THE SCREWS ON THE SERIAL CABLE AT THE
LAPTOP SIDE.

PLC LAW #5 Read the manual BEFORE trying to

install/commission an unfamiliar piece of hardware.

PLC LAW #6 Allways have all possible backup files (plus read
from PLC etc.) before starting any changes...

PLC LAW #7 Allways double check you have the right cables for
your CPU type and backup install software with you before you
step on the plane.

PLC LAW #7.1 When working in a LAN or WAN environment

always triple check processor ID's before erasing and
downloading new code.

PLC LAW #8 - Each vendor has their own programming software,

so plan accordingly.

PLC LAW 8.1 - Some vendors software may not play well
with others... See RSLinx...

PLC LAW #8.2 - Order the correct software from your vendor
instead of asking for it on MrPLC

PLC Law 9 - When powering up a PLC the first time, make sure
that the power supply voltage switch is set to the right voltage.

2006 Edition Page 1 of 3 Pages

 THE PLC LAWS
Courtesy of the Member of MRPLC.COM

PLC LAW #10 Try to stage and test as much as possible before
making big changes.

PLC LAW #11 Spares should not sit of the shelf. They should be
used for training and tesing.

PLC Law 11.1 - THERE MUST BE SPARES FOR CRITICAL

PARTS!

PLC LAW #12 Programs should have many rungs of diagnostic

ladder that can be enabled or disabled quickly. This includes
timers for timeouts. These determine when input devices are not
working properly. FIFOs are good for logging real time events.
Counters that count errors are handy too.

PLC LAW #13 The best PLC programs are able to recover from
error conditions quickly. This can make a big difference to
overall production.

PLC LAW # 14 ALL PROGRAMS SHOULD BE WELL DOCUMENTED

PLC LAW #15 MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THE

QUESTION IN THE DIALOG BOX BEFORE HITTING "OK"

PLC Law #16: Remember to put a paper copy of the latest PLC
ladder in the electrical cabinet.

PLC Law #17: When all else fails, add a TIMER, and a one-shot
too just in case.

PLC Law #18: When a non PLCite tells you that a machine is not
working because of "programming errors", ask for proof before
changing your masterpiece.

2006 Edition Page 2 of 3 Pages

 THE PLC LAWS
Courtesy of the Member of MRPLC.COM
PLC Law #18.1: When the machine is down, the blame will
be assigned to whichever component the person assigning
the blame understands the least.

PLC Law #18.2: American Money says "In God we Trust" -

with PLC's all others bring relevant data.

PLC Law #19: Make sure that your PLC and or process will run
without the HMI (if using one).

PLC LAW # 20” A good programmer will never believe the guy
who says nothing has changed since it worked.

PLC LAW #21: Make sure that the default settings doesn't cause
the PLC to fail from starting to operate properly after a blackout.

PLC LAW #22 PLC Logic can not change by itself.

PLC LAW #23 - NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE

FORCES IN A PROCESSOR. THEY SHOULD ONLY BE USED FOR
TEMPORARY TESTING WHICH MEANS REMOVE THEM BEFORE
GOING OFFLINE

PLC LAW #24 - Always be sure that the rung / ladder / block you
are troubleshooting is being scanned BEFORE you make major
changes or spend 6 hours troubleshooting it!!!

PLC LAW #25 When teaching points on a robot, or programming a

vision system that interfaces with a machine designed with a
dial indexer, make sure your index table is on station...

2006 Edition Page 3 of 3 Pages