Connect your PLC

LineRig talks to Siemens CPUs over S7 PUT/GET (port 102), from Windows or macOS. Nothing from Siemens is needed on the LineRig side.

Target	Works
S7-PLCSIM Advanced V4–V8, instance in TCP/IP mode	yes
S7-1500, S7-1200	yes, with PUT/GET allowed
Plain S7-PLCSIM (without Advanced)	no: it has no interface for other applications

Lab networks only

PUT/GET has no authentication and no encryption. Keep the CPU or the PLCSIM instance in a lab network.

1. TIA Portal

1. Add an S7-1500 or S7-1200 CPU. For PLCSIM Advanced, do not add I/O modules: LineRig writes the inputs.
2. CPU → Properties → Protection & Security: Full access, and ☑ Permit access with PUT/GET communication from remote partner.
3. For PLCSIM Advanced: Project → Properties → Protection → ☑ Support simulation during block compilation.
4. Import the tag table from LineRig (step 3) under PLC tags → right-click → Import, write the program, download.

2. PLCSIM Advanced

In the PLCSIM Advanced Control Panel choose PLCSIM Virtual Eth. Adapter, TCP/IP communication with your network adapter, and start an instance with a free IP address (e.g. 192.168.0.10). In a virtual machine use a bridged network adapter, not NAT. On an Apple silicon Mac, run PLCSIM Advanced on an x64 Windows PC in the same network.

3. Signals and the tag table

Every part has signals named <part name>.<signal>, for example BeltA.RunFwd (an output from the PLC) or StopperIn.Detected (an input to the PLC). A mapping gives each signal a PLC address.

Click the PLC pill → Mapping. The samples come with a mapping; for your own plant choose Own mapping and Edit:

• Auto-map gives every signal the next free address: sensors from %I0.0, actuators from %Q0.0;
• Import… reads your TIA Portal tag table (.xlsx / .csv);
• Export… saves the signals as a TIA Portal tag table to import in step 1. Dots become underscores: BeltA.RunFwd → BeltA_RunFwd.

Map inputs only to addresses that no I/O module uses (on an S7-1200 not the onboard %I0.0), or use a DB with Optimized block access off.

4. Connect

1. Click ▶ Run, then the PLC pill.
2. Enter the CPU’s IP address, CPU type, rack 0, slot 1 → Connect.
3. The pill shows Running. Signals are exchanged every 20 ms; short sensor pulses are held until the PLC has seen them.

The PLC stays connected through Reset and the next Run. Forcing a signal in the Signals card overrides the PLC, as in TIA Portal. If the connection drops, every output goes to 0.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause
No answer from the address	wrong IP, PLCSIM in PLCSIM (Softbus) instead of TCP/IP mode, VM network in NAT mode, firewall on port 102
Refused, or dropped right after connecting	PUT/GET not allowed, wrong rack/slot, CPU protection
Error reading a DB	the DB has Optimized block access on
Unknown tags	a signal in the mapping does not exist in the plant: a typo or a renamed part