Understand a PLC project you inherited
You open a project with thousands of tags and dozens of programs, written by someone else, and someone asks why a pump stopped. This is the situation Orbis is built for.
1. Get the shape of the project
Section titled “1. Get the shape of the project”Open the .L5X or .ACD file. The project tree lists the controller, programs, routines, Add-On Instructions, data types and I/O configuration. Tag tables show controller and program tags. See Open a project.
2. Read logic as ladder
Section titled “2. Read logic as ladder”Routines open as graphical ladder with the glyphs you know from Studio 5000: contacts, coils, instruction boxes and branches. Structured text, function block and sequential function chart routines open too.
3. Ask instead of searching
Section titled “3. Ask instead of searching”Ask the agent in plain words why a rung trips, where a tag is written, or what happens when a level goes high. Each answer cites the rungs and tags it used. See Ask the agent and Find where a tag is written.
4. Change it with a review
Section titled “4. Change it with a review”When you know what to change, edit a working copy by hand or ask the agent, then review the change as ladder before it goes back to Studio 5000. See Review changes.
Orbis is free during the beta. Start with Install Orbis.