UNIT 2

APPLICATIONS OF PLC

Timer instructions - On delay, Off delay, Cyclic and Retentive timers, Up

/Down Counters, control instructions – Data manipulating instructions, math
instructions; Applications of PLC – Motor start and stop, Simple materials
handling applications, Automatic water level controller, Automatic lubrication
of supplier Conveyor belt, Automatic car washing machine, Bottle label
detection and process control application.
 TIMER
• PLC timers are internal PLC instructions that can be used to delay input and output
signals in the PLC program.
• These timers operate like relay timers but you cannot hold a PLC timer in your hand and
they do not need to be connected to wires to operate.
• You could set the PLC timer from millisecond (ms) to an hour (hr) time span in the
programming of the Ladder Diagram (LD) PLC.
PLC Timer & Function

Accumulator: Time that has elapsed

Preset: Value that the timer much reach
EN: Enable Bit
DN: Done Bit
TT: Timer Timing

• Timer instruction is a very common

instruction used in Ladder Logic
programming.
• Timers are used to delay actions, or
to keep an output on or off for a
specific time.
TYPES OF PLC TIMERS
ON DELAY TIMER
Timer Enable Bit is ON when the timer instructions are true.
Timer Timing Bit is ON when the timer is running and the accumulator changes the value.
Timer Done Bit is ON when the accumulator value reaches the preset value.
ON DELAY TIMER Conditions
 ON Delay Timer
• On delay means that once a timer has received a power on signal, its output will change state after
a predetermined delay.

• The timer will be ON when a start input signal is received, and when a preset timing is reached,
the signal state of the output changes from 1 to 0.

• The signal status of the output adjusts from 0 to 1 when the preset time is reached by changing the
RLO (Result of logic operation) from 0 to 1(ON) at the starting input.

• An on-delay timer is a instruction used when you want to program a time delay before an
instruction becomes true.

• In on delay timer, the timer changes its contacts after reaching the present time (On delay time).
As its name suggests the timer contacts change overs after some delay.
 Application of ON Delay Timer

• ON-delay timers are typically used in applications where it is important to ensure that a
circuit is not activated until after a certain amount of time has elapsed. This can help prevent
accidental circuit activation or allow time for a system to stabilize before it is activated.

• In Star-delta motor starting, to reduce starting current with changeover delay to prevent
interphase short-circuits.

• Pushbutton for crosswalks, for example, when you push the button for a walk signal, the
signal light changes from don’t walk to walk after a delay.

• Time-controlled start-up or shut down of machinery equipment, for example, the delayed
switch-off of conveyor belts or the successive shut down of a plant.
OFF DELAY TIMER
OFF DELAY TIMER Conditions
 OFF DELAY TIMER

• The OFF delay means that it will change state a predetermined time after the
timer has received the shutdown signal.

• When the off-delay timer (True) is energized in PLC programming, it

immediately turns its output on. The display will be ‘ on ‘ until the setting time
is reached.

• The timer begins to work when the rung signal is false The time continues to
accumulate times until the accumulated value becomes equal to the preset value.
When the accumulated value is equal to the preset value, the output turns off.
RETENTIVE TIMER
 RETENTIVE TIMER
• The RTO’s main function is used to keep or store the (accumulated) set time. It is
used when rung state change, power loss or any device interruption occurs.

• When its rung goes from false to true, the Accumulate value of the retentive timer
counts from where it stopped the last time.

• The reset instruction will be activated when its rung is true and resets the timer
according to the address assigned to the reset instruction.

• The timer’s power loss after reaching its preset value does not affect the contacts

state. The retentive timer must be reset with a different signal for the reset time .
RETENTIVE TIMER Conditions
 PLC Counter
• A counter is a PLC instruction that either increments (counts up) or
decrements (counts down) an integer number value when prompted by the
transition of a bit from 0 to 1 (“false” to “true”).

Counter instructions come in three basic types:

Up Counter (operates up mode)
Down Counter (operated in down mode)
Up/Down Counter (operates in bidirectional and quadrature mode)

• Both “up” and “down” counter instructions have single inputs for triggering
counts, whereas “up/down” counters have two trigger inputs: one to make
the counter increment and one to make the counter decrement.
Difference Between timer and counter in
PLC
• Both have the same function of programming instruction to control
and to operate the device.
• But the main difference in between is-
• Counter counts the sequential digital pulse in binary form.
• Timer counts and controls the operation based on time intervals.
• PLC timers and counters can be used as LD programming instructions.
How PLC Counter Works [Block Diagram]
 Up Counter
• Up counter counts from zero to the preset
value. Basically, it increases the pulse or
number.
• Up counter is known as the ‘CTU’ or ‘CNT’ or
‘CC’ or ‘CTR’.
• We can also set the initial and target value as an
input to the counter.
• Here, the up-counter in PLC can count the
value from the initial value to the target value.
This initial value must be less than the target
value. Most of the time, it is set as zero.
• For each pulse at Count Up(CU) bit,
the current Counter Value(CV) will
be increased by 1.
• When there is a pulse at Set
input(S), it will set Preset Value(PV)
at the current Counter Value(CV).
• When there is a pulse at Reset
input(R), the counter block will get
reset and the current counter value is
set at 0 again.
 Example,
There is an indicating alarm when the production limit reaches 100.

1 2

3
 Down Counter

• The down counter counts from the preset value

to zero. It decreases the pulse or number.
• Down counter is shortly known as the ‘CTD’ or
‘CD’.
• For each pulse at Count Down(CD) bit, the
current Counter Value(CV) will be decreased by
1. When there is a pulse at Set input(S), it will set
Presetting Value(PV) at the current Counter
Value(CV).
• When there is a pulse at Reset input(R), the
counter block will get reset and the current
counter value is set at 0 again.
Example,
There is an alarm showing that the production limit has reached below
10.
 Up-Down Counter

• The up-down counter counts the value from zero to the

preset value or from the preset value to zero.
• In other words, this counter can be act as down counter
or up counter.
• Up-down counter is known as ‘CTUD’.
• For the bidirectional and quadrature operation mode,
the up-down counter is selected depending on the status • When there is a pulse at the Set input(S), it

(high or low) of the specified count input terminal. will set Preset Value(PV) at the current

• At each pulse at Count Up(CU) bit, it will increase the Counter Value(CV).
• When there is a pulse at Reset input(R), the
current Counter Value(CV), and each pulse at Count
counter block will get reset and the current
Down(CD) bit, will decrease the current Counter
Counter value is set at 0 again.
Value(CV).
Example,
Suppose there is a limit of 50 vehicles in a parking lot. So it will show the vacant positions and
parking full indicator.
Counter Instructions Address for Multiple PLC Brands
Applications:

The applications of up/down counter include the following:

• This type of counter can be utilized as a self-reversing counter.
• This counter can also be used as a clock divider circuit.
• This type of counter is used in car parking slots.
• These counters are used for low noise emission and low power
applications.
• These are used as frequency dividers.
• These are helpful in designing an asynchronous decade counter.
 Data manipulation instruction in PLC
• Data manipulation involves transferring data and operating on data with
math Functions, data conversion, data comparison and logical operations.
• Data manipulation instructions enable the PLC to take some of the
qualities of a computer system.
• Most PLC’s are equipped with the capability to manipulate data. Each
instruction requires two or more words of data memory for operation.
• The words of data memory are referred to as Registers.
• Data transfer instructions involve the transfer of the contents from one
word to another.
• Data transfer instructions are Output instructions.
• The MOVE instruction is used to copy the value in one word to another
word. The instruction copies data from a source word to a destination word.
Data comparison instructions are useful in cases such as:

•To start an action or process when the counter value at a specific value.
•To verify that an input device’s data (Analog input) is within the range.
•To verify that the parts are within the tolerance limit.

The commands can be summarized as follows:

MOV (Move) —Moves the source value to the destination.

MVM (Masked Move) —Moves data from a source location to a selected portion of the destination.
AND (And) —Performs a bitwise AND operation.
OR (Or) —Performs a bitwise OR operation.
XOR (Exclusive Or) —Performs a bitwise XOR operation.
NOT (Not) —Performs a bitwise NOT operation.
CLR (Clear) —Sets all bits of a word to zero.
Data Compare Instructions:
The compare instructions can be summarized as follows:
LIM (Limit test) —Tests whether one value is within the limit range of two other values.
MEQ (Masked Comparison for Equal) —Tests portions of two values to see whether they are equal.
Compares 16-bit data of a source address to 16-bit data at a reference address through a mask.
EQU (Equal) —Tests whether two values are equal.
NEQ (Not Equal) —Tests whether one value is not equal to a second value.
LES (Less Than) —Tests whether one value is less than a second value.
GRT (Greater Than) —Tests whether one value is greater than a second value.
LEQ (Less Than or Equal) —Tests whether one value is less than or equal to a second value.
GEQ (Greater Than or Equal) —Tests whether one value is greater than or equal to a second value.
Math Instructions
 PLC Motor Control Applications

• Design the ladder logic for controlling the running state of the single
phase motor by pressing START and STOP pushbuttons i.e. motor
should remain in ON state after START pushbutton is pressed and
should OFF when STOP pushbutton is pressed. We also have to check
if the motor is running normally by pressing TEST pushbutton?
• I0.0 – START pushbutton to Start Motor
• I0.1 – STOP pushbutton to Stop Motor
• I0.2 – Error signal from Motor to PLC.
• Q0.0 –Single phase Motor
PLC Motor Logic
Press START button and I0.0 is ON. The Motor will keep running if no error occurred (I0.3 is OFF). The action can be
practiced by a latching circuit which takes output Q0.0 as one of the input condition to keep the motor running even if the
START button is not pressed (See normally open contact Q0.0 below I0.0).

When STOP button is pressed, I0.1 is ON and

Q0.0 is OFF. The motor will stop running. If
any error is occurred (I0.3 is ON), Y1 will be
OFF and the motor will stop running.

When TEST is pressed (I0.2 is ON), Q0.0 is

ON. The motor will start running if no error
occurred (I0.3 is OFF). On the contrary,
when TEST is released, the motor will stop
running. The testing function is performed
by this process.
MOTOR START
MOTOR RUNNING
MOTOR STOP
Addition of Limit Switch
Further Expansion of the PLC Program
Material Handling : PLC Conveyor Motor Ladder Logic