How to Use Counters in WinProladder & PLC Programming

In some industrial applications, you may need to count the number of products, cycles, the number of times a field device has been turned on and off, etc. Then you may need to use those numbers for another function within the PLC. For instance, you may need to count the number of bottles that are going to be put in a box and then when the box is full, you want to command the conveyor belt’s motor to run. For these kinds of applications, there is an instruction in PLC programming which is called “counter”.

Counters are blocks that counts the pulses that the blocks receive. When the counts equal the target specified, the counter provides an output pulse using which a further algorithm can be executed. There are two types of counters, UP Counter and DOWN Counter. When the counts increases from 0 to the limit then it is an UP Counter and when the counts decreases from the limit to 0, then it is a DOWN Counter. There is a separate reset bit to the block which will reset the current count. A counter will act as a timer when the up counter has a pulse which turns on after every 1 sec.

Counters are PLC instructions that either increment or decrement or decrement the integer value when the input line make True from False. The counter which increment value is known as Up counters and Down counters decrement the integer values on a trigger. Both the Up and Down counter starts counting on one trigger. And there is an Up-Down counter which does both the Up and Down counting. The Up-Down counter has two input triggers one for Up counting and other for Down counting.

There are four types of counters we have in Fatek PLC programming software WinProladder software. When you will see details of counters in "Memory Allocation" ("PLC > Memory Allocation > OK"), are listed below,

1. 16 bit counters (retentive)
2. 32 bit counter (retentive)
3. 16 bit counter (non-retentive)
4. 32 bit counter (non-retentive)

How to add Counters in WinProladder Fatek PLC Programming?

Now, let’s start learning about how to select counter and how to use in WinProladder. In the main menu above, there is an icon “C” on which when you will place mouse’ cursor, counter will appear written there as below.

select counter from this icon of "C" and place where you want to connect counter. A new pop up will appear as like below.

Alright, in the value of “C:” you have to write counter number. The list of counter numbers are there in “Memory Allocation” option. For example I am using my first counter, I will write “C0” because this counting start from zero. The “PV” is preset value, which means I want my “LED” ON, which is connected to the output terminal of the counter, so when "PV" will be “2”, the output will be switch ON and counter will be reset.



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