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The ACC PLC simulator now supports
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gamepad input. You can plug in any
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standard USB or Bluetooth controller and
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drive PLC inputs, control analog values,
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navigate 3D scene cameras, and run your
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program without ever touching the
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keyboard. There is nothing to install.
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It works with Xbox and PlayStation
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controllers, as well as most generic USB
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and Bluetooth game pads.
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Detailed information contained in this
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video can be found at
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accccclautomation.ca.
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A link has been put in the description
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below. The website offers extensive
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links, references, and coding samples,
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making it a one-stop shop for all your
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automation queries. Once again, that is
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Here is why a gamepad is useful for PLC
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simulation. Analog sticks and triggers
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map to AX1 through AX5 with a range of 0
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to 4095. That is the same range a real
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potentiometer or 4 to 20 milliamp
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transmitter produces. You can smoothly
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control analog inputs the way a real
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process signal would behave. Face
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buttons act exactly like momentary push
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buttons. Press A and X1 goes true.
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Release A and X1 goes false.
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And system buttons give you hands-free
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Start runs the program.
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Select stops it. Left stick click
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executes a single step. Getting started.
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To get started, plug in your controller
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and open the simulator. Press any button
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The toolbar badge will change from
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Notepad to a green badge showing your
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That is it. No drivers, no
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configuration. The simulator uses the
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W3C Gamepad API built into the browser.
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Digital input mapping. The face buttons
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map to digital inputs.
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The D-pad maps to X5 through X8.
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The shoulder buttons LB and RB map to X9
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and X10. All of these are momentary.
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They are on while you hold the button
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and off when you release it. Just like
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real push buttons on a PLC trainer.
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Analog input mapping.
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The analog controls map to analog
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inputs. The left trigger LT maps to AX1.
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The right trigger RT maps to AX2.
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Both go from 0 to 4095.
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The left stick Yaxis is AX3 and Xaxis is
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The right stick X-axis is AX5.
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All of these are centered at 2048 with
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built-in dead zone filtering.
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The system controls let you operate the
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simulator from the gamepad. Press start
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or options to put the simulator in run
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Press select or share to stop it. Click
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the left stick to execute a single step
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scan. The right stick Y-axis zooms the
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Click the right stick to reset the zoom
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Camera navigation in 3D scenes. In the
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3D scenes, the analog sticks control the
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The right stick orbits the camera around
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the scene. The left stick Y-axis zooms
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in and out. You can orbit around a
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conveyor, zoom into a control panel, and
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press buttons on the gamepad all at the
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This is the advantage of a gamepad over
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a mouse and keyboard.
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When you have the simulator and scenes
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open in separate windows, the gamepad
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only sends input to the window that has
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focus. Press a button and only the
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window you are looking at responds. If
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you switch away while holding a button,
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the system automatically releases it to
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prevent stuck inputs.
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hit the like button below. Keeping up
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The gamepad follows the same input
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ownership rules as the rest of the
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When a 3D scene is driving an address
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through its sensors or push buttons, the
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gamepad cannot override that address.
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The scene always wins. For example, the
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conveyor scene drives X3 and X4 through
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its proximity sensors. Pressing Y on the
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gamepad will not affect X4 because the
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scene owns it. The gamepad still
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controls all the addresses that the
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Try it with the control panel scene. Try
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the gamepad with the control panel
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scene. Press A for start. The motor run
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pilot light turns on.
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Press X for jog, the motor runs while
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You can run the entire start stop jog
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program from a controller without
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touching the mouse or keyboard.
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Head over to acccaation.ca/simulator
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to try gamepad support yourself.
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Plug in a controller and press any
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button to get started.
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If you found this helpful, subscribe to
5:32
ACC Automation for more PLC tutorials.
5:35
Many PLC manufacturers offer a range of
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hardware and software. All programmable
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logic controllers share similar basic
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features. Once you are familiar with the
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basics of the PLC, you will learn the
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specifics of the controller you will be
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programming. This is the easiest way to
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learn about PLC programming. Click here
5:51
to see how I approach learning about
5:56
Click here to see how you can program
5:57
for free with the ACC PLC simulator with
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3D scenes you can program.
