Bradley Smoker PLC-5 user manual Using Main Control Programs, Selecting Main Control Programs

Chapter 16

Using Main Control Programs

Using This Chapter

For Information About	Go to Page
Selecting main control programs	16-1
Understanding how the controller interprets	16-2
MCPs
Configuring MCPs	16-3
Monitoring MCPs	16-5

Selecting Main Control Programs

You can have as many as 16 control programs active at one time. Each of these programs is called a “main control program” (MCP). You can define one MCP for each particular machine or function of your process. This lets you separate sequential function charts (SFCs), ladder logic, and structured text to better modularize your process and make troubleshooting easier.

Consider Using this Technique	If You are
SFC	defining the order of events in the process
Ladder Logic	•	more familiar with ladder logic than with programming
		languages such as BASIC
	•	performing diagnostics
Structured Text	•	more familiar with programming languages such as
		BASIC than with ladder logic
	•	using complex mathematical algorithms
	•	using program constructs that repeat or “loop”
	•	creating custom data-table monitoring screens

A main control program can be an SFC numbered 1-999; it can also be a ladder or structured-text program numbered 2-999 in any program file. You can use any mix of SFC, ladder, and structured-text programs to define 16 main control programs. One data table is used by all MCPs (i.e., you do not have a separate data table for each MCP).

Publication 1785-UM012D-EN-P - July 2005