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What if you could practice real PLC
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ladder logic right in your browser for
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free with no hardware and no downloads?
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The ACC PLC simulator lets you do
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exactly that. And today I'm going to
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walk you through the control panel scene
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step by step so you can build and test a
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real start, stop, jog circuit in
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minutes. The ACC PLC simulator is a free
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browserbased tool that runs entirely in
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Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. It uses
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standard PLC register conventions. X
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registers for digital inputs, Y
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registers for digital outputs, C
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registers for internal relays, and it
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even supports analog with AX and AY
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registers. There's nothing to install
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and nothing to license. You just open
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the page and start programming. Here is
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what makes it interesting. The simulator
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comes with a 3D control panel scene.
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It's a floor- mounted Nema 4 enclosure
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with three push buttons and a motor run
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pilot light. The green button is your
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start push button wired to X1 as a
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normally open momentary contact switch.
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The red button is your stop push button
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wired to X2 as a normally closed
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momentary contact switch. And the blue
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button is your jog push button wired to
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X3, also normally open. On the output
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side, Y1 drives the Motor Run pilot
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light on the panel. When you open the
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simulator, this scene connects
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automatically through the browser. No
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wiring and no configuration.
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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. accautomation.ca.
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When you load the simulator, it comes
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preloaded with a two-run start, stop,
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jog program. This is classic PLC ladder
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logic that every beginner needs to
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Rung zero is your main control rung. It
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has three parallel input branches. The
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first branch is a normally open contact
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on X1, your start button. The second
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branch is a sealin path.
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It uses a normally open contact on Y1 in
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series with a normally closed contact on
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And the third branch is a normally open
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contact on X3. your jog button.
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All three branches feed into a normally
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closed contact on X2, your stop button.
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And the output is an OTE instruction on
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Y1, your motor run. Rung one is the jog
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intermediate rung. It has a normally
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open contact on X3 that drives an OTE
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Let's walk through how the start and
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When you press the green start button,
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Power flows through the first branch
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past the X2 stop contact and energizes
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Y1. The motor run light turns on. Now,
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here's the key part. When you release
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the start button, X1 goes false. But Y1
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is already true. So, the second branch,
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the sealin path, keeps power flowing. Y1
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stays on. That's your sealin latch. To
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stop the motor, you press the red stop
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button. X2 is normally closed, so it's
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passing power in its normal state.
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When you press stop, X2 goes false, the
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normally closed contact opens, power is
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interrupted, and Y1 drops out.
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The motor stops, and the sealin is
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Now, let's look at how the jog works.
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This is the clever part of this circuit.
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When you press the blue jog button, X3
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goes true. That does two things at once.
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In rung zero, the third branch
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energizes, sending power to Y1. The
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But in rung one, X3 also energizes C1.
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And here's why that matters. Back in
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rung zero, the sealin branch has a
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normally closed contact on C1.
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When C1 is true, that contact opens. The
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sealin path is blocked. So, as long as
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you hold the jog button, the motor runs.
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But the moment you release it, X3 goes
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false, C1 drops out, and Y1 turns off.
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No latch. That's exactly how a real jog
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function works on a factory floor. The
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motor only runs while you hold the
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button. It's a safety feature.
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To connect the control panel scene to
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the simulator, click the connect button
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in the simulator toolbar. You'll see a
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card for the control panel showing all
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Click launch and the scene opens in a
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The connection happens automatically
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through the broadcast channel API.
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You'll see the link badge turn blue and
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Now every X input from the scene feeds
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directly into the simulator and every Y
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output from the simulator drives the 3D
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Once connected, put the simulator in run
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mode by pressing F5 or clicking the run
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Now go to the scene window and press the
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Watch the pilot light turn on.
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Release it. The motor stays running
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because of the seal in. Press the red
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Now try the jog button. Hold it and the
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motor runs. Release it and the motor
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No latch. That's the entire circuit
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working exactly the way it would on a
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real PLC connected to a real control
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If you're enjoying this video, please
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hit the like button below. Keeping up
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with all the latest automation
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innovations can be difficult, so hit the
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subscribe button. Remember to hit the
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bell beside your subscription to receive
6:15
Let's recap what you just learned.
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You built and tested a real start stop
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jog circuit with a sealin latch. You
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understand how normally open and
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normally closed contacts work.
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You know how internal relay C1 blocks
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the seal in during jog to prevent
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And you did it all in a browser for free
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with a 3D control panel providing visual
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This is exactly how PLC programs work in
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the real world. Head over to
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acccautomation.ca/simulator
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to try the ACC PLC simulator yourself.
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The link is in the description. If you
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found this helpful, subscribe to ACC
6:53
Automation for more PLC tutorials and
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leave a comment telling me what scene or
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circuit you'd like to see next.
