How to Build an Allen Bradley PLC Trainer Kit for PLC Training at Home

Community How-to-Tutorials
#1

The best way to learn PLC programming is to get hands-on experience. However, as many are trying to learn how to program these devices before landing a job, it becomes crucial to invest in your own hardware in order to accelerate the learning process. That being said, a PLC programmer will face three challenges when it comes to building an effective PLC trainer.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.solisplc.com/tutorials/how-to-build-an-allen-bradley-plc-trainer-kit-for-plc-training-at-home
#2

Is the power supply protected in any way? (MCB?)
What would you suggest for an office setup where the least amount of uncovered terminals is preferred? Some kind of laptop brick with 24V?

#3

Good questions.

I’d definitely add a circuit breaker. You shouldn’t be pulling more than 5A for just a PLC / HMI / Switch.

You should be using touch-safe terminals; you can get them from most vendors.

I’d probably also purchase an enclosure and only have an HMI exposed if I’m trying to keep the system safe and others from messing with the hardware. I like Pelican boxes for that purpose.