This driver provides a software interface between Xpanel and SIEMENS SIMATIC S7-200 PLCs via the PPI protocol.
Communication Setup: Xpanel
Create a new device
| To create a new device, select [Tools] → [I/O Devices] or click the  I/O Device Name: Give a device name. This name will be used in the tag database, accompanied by the ‘Station Name’. |
Select a device type
| After selecting the [Ok] button in the previous step, the ‘Serial communication Configuration’ dialog box will appear as shown in the following picture: In this window, set the 'Device Type' to ‘SIEMENS S7 PPI Direct’ and configure the remaining communication parameters. These parameters must match those chosen for the PLC.  The parameters should be set to the following values: Baud Rate: 9600 or 19200 (must be matched with the PLC) Parity: Even Data Bits: 8 Bits Stop Bits: 1 Bit RTS/CTS: OFF Comm. Type: RS485 See the Communication Configuration section for more information about the remaining parameters. |
Create a station | Move to the [Station] tab of the 'Serial Communication Configuration' dialog box. In this dialog box, connected PLC stations can be configured and registered to the Xpanel.  Each field can be configured with the following rules: Station Name: Give a name to the PLC. This name will be used in the tag database, accompanied by the ‘Device Name’. Station Type: Choose ‘S7’ (this is the only available option). Network ID: N/A Station No: Specify a decimal number between 0 and 126. This number must match the station chosen for the PLC. See the Communication Configuration section for more information about the remaining parameters. |
Communication Setup: S7-200
The following picture shows a screenshot of the STEP 7-Micro/Win software application.
The network address and communication speed (Baud rate) of the PLC are configured in this dialog box.
Please note that the configuration options chosen here should match the I/O Device configuration within XpanelDesigner.
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Address Notation
The address of device tags used in Xpanel must have the following format:
Tag Type | Format | Example |
Analog | [Symbol][Address] | VW064 |
Digital | [Symbol][Address].[Bit Number] or [Symbol][Address][Bit Number] | M012.3 or M0123 |
Address: decimal number (0 – 65535)
Bit Number: decimal number (0 – 7)
The following table lists the device addresses which can be referenced within the Xpanel database:
Symbol | Description | Word Notation | Bit Notation | Type | Access |
I | Input | - | I7.7 | Digital | R |
Q | Output | - | Q7.7 | Digital | R/W |
M | Internal Memory | - | M31.7 | Digital | R/W |
SM | Special Memory | - | SM85.7 | Digital | R/W |
T | Timer | - | T127 | Digital | R |
C | Counter | - | C127 | Digital | R |
IW | Input | IW7 | - | Analog | R |
QW | Output | QW7 | - | Analog | R/W |
MW | Internal Memory | MW31 | - | Analog | R/W |
SMW | Special Memory | SMW85 | - | Analog | R/W |
VW | Variable Memory | VW4095 | - | Analog | R/W |
TW | Timer SV | TW127 | - | Analog | R |
CW | Counter SV | CW127 | - | Analog | R |
Communication Cable Wiring
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Supported Functions
The following tables lists functions which are supported by this driver:
Function | Support | Remark |
Block Data Read | YES | This function allows multiple words to be read at a time. This function is used when you use the Xpanel recipe, data bridge, or trend features. |
Block Data Write | YES | This function allows multiple words to be written at a time. This function is used when you use the Xpanel recipe, data bridge, or trend features. |
String Real Tag | YES | This function treats the device as serialized memory so you can store string data from the Xpanel on the PLC. |
Word Swap | YES | This function swaps the upper and lower bytes of all word- or double-word-sized data. It is only available when the 16-Bit Data Swap option is selected. |
Dword Swap | YES | This function swaps the upper and lower words of all double-word-sized data. It is only available when the 32-Bit Data Swap option is selected. |