PLC-Course

Sprint 1 — Architecture & I/O Reality

Bolton chapters: 1–2 Time budget: 5–7 hours Core concept: A PLC is a hardened computer that scans inputs, runs logic, and updates outputs in a deterministic cycle — the I/O devices are where the physical world meets the program.

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🎯 Sprint Goals

By the end of this week you will be able to:

• Describe the five core hardware blocks of a PLC and what each does
• Walk through a scan cycle and explain why scan time matters
• Distinguish discrete from analog I/O and pick the right type for a given device
• Tell sourcing from sinking inputs and read a wiring diagram for a 24 VDC sensor
• Explain why a 5 ms pulse can be invisible to a PLC with a 50 ms scan time
• Map at least 10 real-world devices to their PLC I/O type

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📚 What to Read in Bolton

Section	Pages	Why
Ch. 1 — Programmable Logic Controllers	full chapter	Core architecture and history
Ch. 2 — Input-Output Devices	full chapter	The catalog of sensors and actuators
Ch. 4 — I/O Processing	first half	Scan cycle deep-dive

You’ll come back to Ch. 4 in Sprint 2 for the digital details.

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🗂️ Sprint Materials

• 📄 Cheat sheet — one-page distillation
• 🧮 Workbook — map 10 devices, classify each
• 🔧 Scan Cycle Visualizer — animated demo, runs in the browser
• 🧪 Lab 01: Traffic Light Controller — your first auto-graded submission
• 🃏 Flashcards — sprint-1 cards for spaced repetition

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📋 Sprint Plan

Day 1 — Read & Anchor (1.5 h)

Read Bolton Chapter 1. As you read, sketch (on paper or Excalidraw) the five core blocks and how they connect. No copying — your sketch is the proof you understood it.

Day 2 — I/O Catalogue (1 h)

Read Bolton Chapter 2. Open the workbook (workbooks/01-io-mapping.ipynb) and classify the 10 devices listed. There’s no “right” answer for every one — the discussion is the point.

Day 3 — Scan Cycle Deep-Dive (1.5 h)

Skim the first half of Chapter 4. Then open the Scan Cycle Visualizer in this repo. Run it three times:

1. Slow scan (100 ms), short input pulse (10 ms) — watch the pulse get missed
2. Fast scan (5 ms), same pulse — watch it get caught
3. Slow scan, but with a latching rung — see how latching rescues you

Day 4 — Lab (1.5 h)

Tackle Lab 01: Traffic Light Controller. The spec is in the lab folder. Submit your structured text as a PR. The CI auto-grades it.

Day 5 — Recall & Reflect (0.5 h)

Run through the sprint flashcards. Update your sprint-progress Issue with the reflection notes.

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✅ Definition of Done

• Bolton Ch. 1 + 2 read
• Cheat sheet read and bookmarked
• Workbook completed
• Scan Cycle Visualizer run with all three scenarios
• Lab 01 submitted as PR (auto-grader green)
• Flashcards reviewed
• Sprint-progress Issue updated

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➡️ Next

Once Lab 01 passes CI, head to Sprint 2: Digital Foundations.

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