Siemens S7-1200 and S7-1500 Connection Guide

Open the EBPro application and start a new project, or load an existing project. In the New Project window, select the Maple Systems HMI that you will be using.

In the System Parameters window, click New Device/Server. Click on the Device Type field, then in the next window, type Siemens into the search bar at the top. Click Search.

Select the Siemens S7-1200/1500 [Absolute Addressing] (Ethernet) driver from the list, then click Ok to confirm.

In the System Parameters window, select the Siemens S7 device from the list, then click Settings. In the following window, click the Settings button shown next to the device IP address. Assign an IP address for the Siemens device, and adjust the communication settings if necessary. The IP address set here needs to match the configuration settings on the PLC hardware itself to connect successfully.

Note: Selecting the S7-1200/S7-1500 driver in EBPro will automatically configure to the default for that device. Changing these settings is possible. However, doing so may result in communication errors.

You may now assign objects to read or write to addresses on the PLC. Let’s add a Bit Lamp object to our project to use as an example. To do this, navigate to the Object menu and select the Bit Lamp object. In the Properties window, select the Siemens PLC from the Device dropdown, then configure the register type and address.

To test communication without using an HMI, use an Ethernet cable to connect the Siemens PLC to the same network as your development PC. Once connected, the online simulation mode in EBPro can be used to simulate HMI communication. To learn more about HMI project simulation, check out our Try Before You Buy page.

When configuration is complete, you may now install it on your Maple Systems HMI using an Ethernet connection or USB flash drive.

Using Ethernet Connection:

Use a standard Ethernet cable to connect your HMI to the same network as your development PC. Note that the IP addresses set for these devices must reside within the same subnet to allow direct communication.

Once the connection has been established, make sure the project is open in EBPro. Navigate to the Project menu. Select Download (PC -> HMI) from the ribbon menu, then enter the IP address for the HMI into the address field and press Download at the bottom of the window. The installation process will now begin.

Using a USB Flash Drive

Connect a USB flash drive to the PC that is running EBPro. Note that this drive should be formatted for the FAT32 file system, and have a capacity of 32GB or less. Navigate to the Project menu in EBPro, then select Build Download Files from the ribbon menu. In the following menu, select the location where you would like to save your project file, then press Build at the bottom of the window.

The project file will now be compiled and saved to the USB drive. Remove the USB drive from the PC, plug it into the HMI, and follow the prompts to install your project.

Open the EBPro application and start a new project, or load an existing project. In the New Project window, select the Maple Systems HMI that you will be using.

In the System Parameters window, click “New Device/Server.” Click on the “Device Type” field, then in the next window, type “Siemens” into the search bar at the top. Click “Search”.

Select the “Siemens S7-1200/1500 [Symbolic Addressing] (Ethernet)” driver from the list, then click “Ok” to confirm.

In the System Parameters window, select the Siemens S7 device from the list, then click “Settings.” In the following window, click the “Settings” button shown next to the device IP address. Assign an IP address for the Siemens device, and adjust the communication settings if necessary. The IP address set here needs to match what has been configured for the PLC hardware itself in order to connect successfully.

Note: When the S7-1200/S7-1500 driver is selected in EBPro, the communication settings will be automatically configured to the default settings for that device. These values may be adjusted if necessary, but doing so may result in communication errors.

When you are finished configuring the communication settings for the Siemens PLC, you must now import your communication tags to proceed. Press “Ok” to confirm until you are back to the System Parameters window. In the System Parameters, click “Import Tags.” You will now be prompted to select your tag import file.

With your tags imported, you may now assign objects to read or write to addresses on the PLC. Let’s add a Toggle Switch object to our project to use as an example. To do this, navigate to the Object menu and select the “Toggle Switch” object. In the properties window, select the Siemens PLC from the Device dropdown.

Then select the appropriate tag from the list.

To test communication without using an HMI, use an Ethernet cable to connect the Siemens PLC to the same network as your development PC. Once connected, the online simulation mode in EBPro can be used to simulate HMI communication. To learn more about HMI project simulation, check out our Try Before You Buy page.

Once configured, you can install it on your Maple Systems HMI using an Ethernet connection or a USB flash drive.

Using Ethernet Connection:

Use a standard Ethernet cable to connect your HMI to the same network as your development PC. Note that the IP addresses set for these devices must reside within the same subnet to allow direct communication. Once the connection has been established, make sure the project is open in EBPro, then navigate to the Project menu. Select Download (PC -> HMI) from the ribbon menu, then enter the IP address for the HMI into the address field and press Download at the bottom of the window. The installation process will now begin.

Using a USB Flash Drive:

Connect a USB flash drive to the PC that is running EBPro. Note that this drive should be formatted for the FAT32 file system, and have a capacity of 32GB or less. Navigate to the Project menu in EBPro, then select Build Download Files from the ribbon menu. In the following menu, select the location that you would like to save your project file, then press Build at the bottom of the window.

The project file will now be compiled and saved to the USB drive. Remove the USB drive from the PC, plug it into the HMI and follow the prompts to install your project.