PLC Memory

System memory (today mostly implemented in FLASH technology) is used by a PLC for an process control system. Aside from this operating system it also contains a user program translated from a ladder diagram to a binary form.

FLASH memory contents can be changed only in case where user program is being changed. PLC controllers were used earlier instead of FLASH memory and have had EPROM memory instead of FLASH memory which had to be erased with UV lamp and programmed on programmers.

With the use of FLASH technology this process was greatly shortened. Reprogramming a program memory is done through a serial cable in a program for application development. User memory is divided into blocks having special functions.

Some parts of a memory are used for storing input and output status. The real status of an input is stored either as “1” or as “0” in a specific memory bit. Each input or output has one corresponding bit in memory.

Other parts of memory are used to store variable contents for variables used in user program. For example, timer value, or counter value would be stored in this part of the memory.

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