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How to Use the Simulation Feature in the G9SP Configuration Software
Hello this is Ray Marquiss, Application Engineer with Valin Corporation. This video is going to go over how to use the simulation feature in the G9SP configuration software. If you have been following along with our video series here, you probably have a project just like this or very similar to this with a couple of safety inputs and EDM with a safety relay output. If your project isn't exactly like this, it doesn't matter, the process is the same. In order to get into the simulation, the first thing you do is click on “simulation” in the menu. Then click “start simulation”. Your first thought will be “good. I'm in the simulation mode, so let's test it out and I can turn on these inputs.” I can highlight one and then right click on it to set in the simulation and it will automatically come up and tell me that since I've assigned this these two inputs as the E-stop that it will turn both on.
So it’s turning both on there. I can do the same thing with the light curtain. But what you can also do is if you highlight by clicking and dragging on all of the inputs that you want to manipulate, then you can just right click on any one of them and say “simulation set” and it'll turn them all on. Or I can do “simulation reset” and it will turn them all off. So I'll turn all these on. I want to have this EDM contact on so I'll turn that on too. Now all my inputs are satisfied. Everything seems fine. All I need to do is reset it. I'll click on the reset here, then right click and do my trick of “simulation set”. That didn't change the state of the outputs. Oftentimes, the reset function is set to have a leading edge, then a trailing edge before it will reset. So I'll reset this. And nothing happens still. And the reason is because the simulation, when you start it, comes up in idle mode, so I need to click on the execute button in order to get the simulation to start. I can execute continuously, or I can execute one cycle at a time. So I'll click on the execute button. My inputs have stayed on, and I'll try the reset again. And sometimes you'll see the outputs come on for a short time and then go right off and you'll have a red indicator here, meaning that something is not correct with that, the EDM, and the problem is that the contacts for my safety relay don't react exactly the way they would in the real world. In other words, every time this relay changes states, this auxiliary contact that is an input to our PLC is also going to change states to tell us whether the safety relay is operating correctly or not. There's an easy fix for this. I need to stop the simulation execution, go back to the simulation menu, and set the feedback settings by clicking on it right here.
The input tag I want to add to the feedback settings is this contact, the EDM Contacts. And the output I want to tie that to is the safety relay. So what that means is when the safety relay operates, the auxiliary contacts will operate automatically just like they would in the real world. Only I know from experience playing with this that I need to invert it so that it changes when the safety relays on the contacts will be off. When the safety relay’s off, the contacts will be on. Then I just add that to the list. If you had more things that you wanted to do the same function with, where you wanted to have them operate concurrently, then you'd add them to the list as well. Select OK once we've properly set the feedback settings.
I can go into the simulation again and set my contacts. I'll do these. And I'll set them on. We press the execute button to start simulation running again. Let's try the reset switch again. Now the outputs for our safety relay are turned on properly. If I reset the E-stop for instance. You can see that the outputs go off. I'll set the E-stop again to get the system in the in the right state, so I'll select both of those, right click on it and select “Set…”. Next I need to do the reset again. And we can see the outputs come on, so it sure seems like this circuit is working OK in the simulation mode, and so we're ready to now go to the next steps, which is to download it to the PLC, validate it, and lock it. That will be in a future video.
That's it for going over the simulation. If you have questions, you can find more information at the web link above. Or you can call us at the phone number above and ask for automation application support and you'll get either me or one of my colleagues to help you out. Thanks a lot. Have a great day.
If you have questions you can call Valin at (855) 737-4716 or fill out our online form.
So it’s turning both on there. I can do the same thing with the light curtain. But what you can also do is if you highlight by clicking and dragging on all of the inputs that you want to manipulate, then you can just right click on any one of them and say “simulation set” and it'll turn them all on. Or I can do “simulation reset” and it will turn them all off. So I'll turn all these on. I want to have this EDM contact on so I'll turn that on too. Now all my inputs are satisfied. Everything seems fine. All I need to do is reset it. I'll click on the reset here, then right click and do my trick of “simulation set”. That didn't change the state of the outputs. Oftentimes, the reset function is set to have a leading edge, then a trailing edge before it will reset. So I'll reset this. And nothing happens still. And the reason is because the simulation, when you start it, comes up in idle mode, so I need to click on the execute button in order to get the simulation to start. I can execute continuously, or I can execute one cycle at a time. So I'll click on the execute button. My inputs have stayed on, and I'll try the reset again. And sometimes you'll see the outputs come on for a short time and then go right off and you'll have a red indicator here, meaning that something is not correct with that, the EDM, and the problem is that the contacts for my safety relay don't react exactly the way they would in the real world. In other words, every time this relay changes states, this auxiliary contact that is an input to our PLC is also going to change states to tell us whether the safety relay is operating correctly or not. There's an easy fix for this. I need to stop the simulation execution, go back to the simulation menu, and set the feedback settings by clicking on it right here.
The input tag I want to add to the feedback settings is this contact, the EDM Contacts. And the output I want to tie that to is the safety relay. So what that means is when the safety relay operates, the auxiliary contacts will operate automatically just like they would in the real world. Only I know from experience playing with this that I need to invert it so that it changes when the safety relays on the contacts will be off. When the safety relay’s off, the contacts will be on. Then I just add that to the list. If you had more things that you wanted to do the same function with, where you wanted to have them operate concurrently, then you'd add them to the list as well. Select OK once we've properly set the feedback settings.
I can go into the simulation again and set my contacts. I'll do these. And I'll set them on. We press the execute button to start simulation running again. Let's try the reset switch again. Now the outputs for our safety relay are turned on properly. If I reset the E-stop for instance. You can see that the outputs go off. I'll set the E-stop again to get the system in the in the right state, so I'll select both of those, right click on it and select “Set…”. Next I need to do the reset again. And we can see the outputs come on, so it sure seems like this circuit is working OK in the simulation mode, and so we're ready to now go to the next steps, which is to download it to the PLC, validate it, and lock it. That will be in a future video.
That's it for going over the simulation. If you have questions, you can find more information at the web link above. Or you can call us at the phone number above and ask for automation application support and you'll get either me or one of my colleagues to help you out. Thanks a lot. Have a great day.
If you have questions you can call Valin at (855) 737-4716 or fill out our online form.
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