PLC-Course

Sprint 4 — The Other Four IEC 61131-3 Languages

Bolton chapter: 6 Time budget: 6–8 hours Core concept: IEC 61131-3 standardizes five interchangeable languages so you pick the right tool for each part of the program — text for math, ladder for interlocks, SFC for sequences.

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🎯 Sprint Goals

• Read and write basic Instruction List (IL), recognize when to leave it for legacy code
• Write Structured Text (ST) for math, conditions, and loops
• Build a Sequential Function Chart (SFC) for a multi-step batch process
• Use the language decision tree to pick the right language for a sub-task
• Map each IEC 61131-3 language to its Siemens TIA Portal equivalent (KOP / FUP / SCL / GRAPH / AWL)

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📚 Bolton Reading

• Ch. 6 — IL, SFC and ST Programming Methods (full chapter)

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🗂️ Materials

• 📄 Cheat sheet
• 🔄 Translate-the-Rung Workbook
• 🚗 Car Factory Simulator — a worked SFC-in-ST example you can step through in the browser
• 🧭 SFC sketching — use the Mermaid flowchart syntax used in the capstone diagram, or pencil-and-paper before you commit to text
• 🃏 Sprint-4 flashcards
• 📜 IEC 61131-3 Quick Reference

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📋 Sprint Plan

Day 1 — Read Ch. 6 sections on IL and ST. Write Hello-PLC: blink an output once a second in ST. Day 2 — Read Ch. 6 SFC section. Build a 5-step coffee-machine SFC on paper. Day 3 — Translate-the-Rung workbook: 10 ladder rungs → IL and ST equivalents. Day 4 — Render your coffee SFC as a Mermaid flowchart and write the matching ST actions for each step. Day 5 — Use the language decision tree to plan how you’d structure a complete tank-fill program (preview of Sprint 5 lab).

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✅ Definition of Done

• Bolton Ch. 6 read
• Translate-the-Rung workbook completed
• One non-trivial SFC built and traced
• Decision-tree exercise documented
• Flashcards reviewed

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