S5 & S7 Freeware

[Stuart_Wales]

Appologies if this has been re-hashed over and over.. Our plant is 95% Mitsubishi but have recently been handed some old machinery with S5 & S7 PLC's. We wont be editing software, but could do with some freeware for troubleshooting purposes, as our maintenance lads are spending hours tracing cables on a large footprint of a machine. Anyone know of any freeware that could monitor both S5 & S7 please (without crossing any legal boundries)? Thanks in advance.

[acpi]

Hi, Step 7 lite is free. You can get it on the Siemens Website ( http://support.automation.siemens.com/WW/llisapi.dll?func=cslib.csinfo?=fr&siteid=CSEUS ), you just have to register first. There's no networks functions with it but it can help. For S5 I don't think there's a free software. JC

[Stuart_Wales]

Thanks JC. I'll have a try and report back. If you're familiar with Seimens, to save me time, you wouldnt have a pdf link for pin configs of serial cables etc would you?

[acpi]

Hi, Serial cable ? if you're talking about the connection cable to S5 plcs it's not a simple serial cable, it's an rS232/TTY converter. You'll find drawings to do it yourself on Internet but it's very easy to find ready made cheap ones. link JC Edited February 21, 2014 by acpi

[Stuart_Wales]

Thanks again JC.

[aabeck]

I just downloaded the Step 7 Lite.ZIP package from Siemens and Windows won't open it - it says it's INVALID. I tried CAMunzip & it says its the first disk of a backup and to insert the last disk - then goes into a loop of the error that only can get out of by going to Task Manager & ending the process. Has anyone else had this problem & been able to overcome it?

[aabeck]

It took some digging But I finally was able to open Step7 Lite.zip - unfortunately it is only for Operating Systems UP TO Win XP, not supported & install will halt on WIN7. If you want to learn Step 7 the cheapest way around it would be to buy a used WinXP notebook at the used computer store. Also, since Step7 Lite hasn't been updated since 2009 - no processors made since then are supported, so this would be a learning tool only.