Market for low budget software... PC to PLC software

[userxyz]

Hi,

I'm playing with libnodave and some ideas I have. Long time ago I programmed some things in SCL (S7) and VBScript (WinCC Flex) to accomplish some things that should have been done in a PC application. But like many fellow PLC programmers I do have an electro-mechanic background and not an IT background. In the past years I learned to write thing object oriënted in dotNet. So now I see how I could have programmed some things on the PC side instead of a comination with WinCC FLex Runtime, Scl in the PLC and scripting from the panel to csv files to a server location. I could have made my software more standard. And that's what I have in mind now, writing some ideas in software packages without the need of OPC or whatever.

I'm wondering, are there people out there that have done something like this, writing own standard software and making a business with it ? If so, how did you commercialise it, via the net ? How determining prices, how and how and how ... . I would like to read some remarks and opinions about this topic, I'm sure many have allready had the same toughts .

Kind regards,
Combo

 

[jawolthuis]

I've done several custom apps this way for a repeat customer, but not as a commercialized business...
VB.NET with .aspx pages is a powerful tool once you get your 'toolbox' fitted out with the proper 'tools'. I've built up some very basic templates for my PLC comms projects that I can start with and then customize to the moon and back (If the customer wishes). The customer I have done these apps for knows what they are getting, and pay by the hour.

 

[userxyz]

Object Oriënted

Hi,

I made a Connection Class for reading and writing DB variables. Bits, Words, DWords and Reals. The Bytes are left out, also the Flags and Inputs and Outputs are left out. For reading I used functions that return values and for writing public subs, they use the libnodave Class. To test this Class I setted up 2 VM's, one with WinLC and one with Visual Studio. So I used the Class to read and write some variables from a testForm.


I'm thinking on making all object oriënted. S7 communication = 1 Class. Recipes = 1 Class, Calendar = 1 Class, Batch = 1 Class, etc... This way I can make my software modular. I'm not searching to earn lots of money for my software, it's just a challenge to make lowbudget software for small machines.

regards,
combo

 

[boneless]

Hi!

I have not gotten that far, but been thinking about a similar thing.

No need to repeat myself see here: http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=91049&highlight=snap7