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In this video, I am going to show you
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how I use AI to help me program an
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AutomationDirect Click PLC.
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We will describe a simple machine in
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plain English, let the AI turn that into
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a ladder logic plan and an address list,
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and then build it in the free Click
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And just as important, I will show you
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where the AI gets it wrong because that
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is the part you cannot skip.
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You can follow the whole workflow for
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free. The AI help, the Click software,
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and prototyping the logic in a free
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online ladder simulator all cost
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When you are ready to test the real
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program, you will need the Click PLC
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itself, and that is one of the least
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expensive PLCs you can buy.
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Detailed information contained in this
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video can be found at accautomation.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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Once again, that is accautomation.ca.
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What AI can and cannot do.
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First, let me set expectations because
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there is a lot of hype right now.
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AI will not push a finished program into
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It does not open the Click software. It
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does not know your wiring, and it cannot
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test itself against a real motor.
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What it will do, and it does this well,
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is act like an experienced programmer
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You describe the machine and it hands
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back an address list, a rung-by-rung
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plan, and a plain English explanation of
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Think of it as a knowledgeable helper,
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You are still the programmer.
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Getting the free tools ready.
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I always start with the free tools.
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Download the Click programming software
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from AutomationDirect. The link is in
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This is where we will build the ladder
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For the AI side, I just use an assistant
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in my web browser and type my request in
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plain [music] English.
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One thing to know up front, the Click
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software does not have an offline
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simulator, so you cannot run a program
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without the PLC connected.
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That is fine for learning. To prove out
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the logic with no hardware, I prototype
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it in a free online ladder simulator.
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Then, to test the real program, I
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connect the Click PLC, go online, and
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use the data view window to force and
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monitor the bits before it drives a real
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Describing the machine to the AI. Here's
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the most important lesson in the whole
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video. The quality of what you get back
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depends on how you describe the machine.
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So, I give the AI the same information I
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would give a co-worker. Watch what I
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I want to start and stop a motor.
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The start push button is normally open,
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wired to input X1. The stop push button
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is normally closed, wired to input X2,
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so X2 is on when it is not pressed.
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The motor contactor is on output Y1.
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Give me the ladder rungs using Click
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addressing, explain each rung, and tell
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me the safe way to handle the stop
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Notice how specific that is. Exact
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addresses, how the buttons are wired,
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and what the output drives.
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That detail about the stop button being
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normally closed is going to matter a lot
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The first thing the AI gives back is an
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address list, and this is [music] a
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great habit to build.
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X1 is our start push button, X2 is the
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stop, Y1 is the motor.
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I take those straight into the address
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picker in the Click software and give
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them the same nicknames so the program
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A tidy address list is half of a good
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program and letting the AI produce it
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for you is one of the quiet time-savers
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Building the ladder logic.
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Now the useful part, the AI describes a
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single rung and I build it one contact
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A normally open contact for the start
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In parallel with it, a branch
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underneath, a normally open contact for
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Those two go in series with a normally
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open contact for the stop input, X2, and
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the rung ends with the output coil, Y1.
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That is the classic sealing circuit.
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Press start, X1 closes, Y1 energizes,
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the Y1 branch then seals the rung so the
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motor keeps running after I let go.
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Because the stop button is normally
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closed, X2 is already on and lets
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Press stop, X2 drops out, the rung
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breaks, the motor stops.
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Now the Click software has no offline
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simulator so I connect the PLC, go
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online, and open data view.
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From there I force the start and stop
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bits and watch the output turn on and
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off with the motor disconnected before I
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When the AI gets it wrong.
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Here is the honest part and the reason
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you never paste AI logic straight into a
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The most common mistake I see is with
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Sometimes the AI tells you to wire the
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button normally closed and use a
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normally closed contact for X2 in the
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That is a double negative. At rest X2 is
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on, a normally closed contact would be
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open and the motor would never start.
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Other times it assumes a normally open
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stop button, which works on the bench
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but is unsafe because a broken wire
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would leave you unable to stop the
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I catch these two ways every time.
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First I ask the AI to explain the rung
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back to me in plain English and I check
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it against what I know about my wiring.
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Second, I test it on the PLC with the
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field wiring off, forcing the bits in
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data view and watching the output before
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it controls a real motor.
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The AI is a fast helper, but you are the
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safety check that never changes.
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If you are enjoying this video, please
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hit the like button below.
6:50
Keeping up with all the latest
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automation innovations can be difficult,
6:53
so hit the subscribe button. Remember to
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hit the bell beside your subscription to
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receive the notifications.
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Explaining and troubleshooting existing
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The workflow runs the other way, too,
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and this is where I get the most value
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When I open an old program and cannot
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remember why a rung exists, I describe
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it to the AI and ask what it does and
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It walks through the logic and often
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points out an interlock I had not
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considered. It is a second set of eyes
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that never gets tired.
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So, that is where AI fits with a CLICK
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It will not replace you and it will not
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program the machine for you.
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But, it will help you plan faster, learn
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the instructions more deeply, and catch
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your own mistakes sooner, all while you
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keep your hands on the free CLICK
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software and prove the logic yourself.
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The full written walkthrough, the
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address list, and all the free download
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links are on the blog, link in the
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If you have any questions, drop them in
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the comments and I will answer.
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New tutorials every Monday, subscribe
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and hit the bell and I will see you in
