Dox Mini PLC Software: A Complete Guide for Beginners and Experts
Dox Mini PLC Software Download: A Complete Guide
If you are looking for a reliable, flexible and easy-to-use software package for programming and debugging programmable logic controllers (PLCs), you might want to consider Dox Mini PLC software. In this article, we will explain what PLC software is, what are its benefits, what is Dox Mini PLC software and what are its features. We will also show you how to download and install Dox Mini PLC software on your computer, how to use it to create and test PLC programs, and how to get the most out of it. By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of Dox Mini PLC software and how it can help you with your industrial automation projects.
dox mini plc software download
What is PLC Software and What are its Benefits?
PLC software is a software package that allows you to program and debug industrial automation systems that are based on programmable logic controllers (PLCs). PLCs are a type of computerized control system that can be used to automate a wide range of industrial processes, such as assembly lines, machines, robotic devices, or any activity that requires high reliability, ease of programming, and process fault diagnosis.
PLC software enables you to create, modify and debug programs for PLCs in a structured, user-friendly manner. The software can also be used to design control systems for various industries such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace and automotive production. In addition, it provides features such as data logging, trending and simulation capabilities.
Some of the benefits of using PLC software are:
It increases the efficiency and productivity of your industrial processes by reducing errors, downtime and maintenance costs.
It improves the safety and quality of your products by ensuring consistent and accurate performance of your machines and devices.
It offers greater flexibility and scalability by allowing you to easily modify or expand your control systems according to your changing needs.
It simplifies the programming and debugging process by providing intuitive graphical interfaces, predefined function blocks, online help and documentation.
It supports multiple programming languages, such as Ladder Logic, Structured Text, Function Block Diagram, Instruction List and Sequential Function Chart, that comply with the IEC 61131-3 standard.
What is Dox Mini PLC Software and What are its Features?
Dox Mini PLC Software is a software package that allows you to program and debug Messung Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs. Messung Nexgen 4000 series are compact and modular PLCs that offer high performance, reliability and flexibility for various industrial applications. They support up to 1024 digital inputs/outputs (I/O) and 128 analog I/O. They also support various communication protocols such as Modbus RTU/ASCII/TCP/IP, CANopen, Profibus DP/PA/FMS/FDL/PBIO.
Dox Mini PLC Software is an unlicensed version of Dox developed by an anonymous individual on the internet. It offers most of the features of Dox without requiring any registration or activation. It also includes a free emulator called Dox Mini Emulator that allows you to simulate and test PLC programs without requiring any physical hardware. Dox Mini Emulator can also be used to communicate with real PLCs via serial or Ethernet ports.
Some of the features of Dox Mini PLC Software are:
It supports multiple programming languages, such as Ladder Logic, Structured Text, Function Block Diagram, Instruction List and Sequential Function Chart, that comply with the IEC 61131-3 standard.
It provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows you to create and edit PLC programs using drag-and-drop, copy-paste, undo-redo and other common operations.
It offers a rich set of predefined function blocks, such as timers, counters, comparators, arithmetic operators, logic gates, flip-flops, shift registers and more, that can be used to implement complex control logic.
It allows you to create custom function blocks using any of the supported programming languages and reuse them in your projects.
It enables you to debug your PLC programs using breakpoints, watch variables, single-step execution, online monitoring and modification of variables and outputs.
It allows you to simulate and test your PLC programs using Dox Mini Emulator, which can emulate various PLC models and I/O modules.
It supports online and offline modes of operation. In online mode, you can connect to a real PLC via serial or Ethernet ports and upload or download programs, monitor or modify variables and outputs, and perform diagnostics. In offline mode, you can work on your PLC programs without requiring any connection to a PLC.
It generates documentation for your PLC programs in HTML format that includes program structure, comments, variables, function blocks and cross-references.
How to Download and Install Dox Mini PLC Software
In this section, we will show you how to download and install Dox Mini PLC Software on your computer. Before you proceed, make sure that you meet the following requirements and compatibility:
RequirementsCompatibility
- A Windows PC with at least 1 GB of RAM and 500 MB of free disk space.- A serial or Ethernet port for connecting to a PLC (optional).- Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit).- Messung Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs (NXG-4000-PLC-01/02/03/04/05/06/07/08/09/10).
Follow these steps to download and install Dox Mini PLC Software:
Go to the following link: https://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=125878. This is a forum thread where you can find the download link for Dox Mini PLC Software. The link is posted by a user named "plcman".
Click on the link that says "DoxMini.zip". This will start the download of a compressed file that contains the setup files for Dox Mini PLC Software and Dox Mini Emulator.
Once the download is complete, extract the contents of the zip file to a folder of your choice.
Open the folder and double-click on the file named "setup.exe". This will launch the setup wizard for Dox Mini PLC Software.
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. You can choose the destination folder, the components to install (Dox Mini PLC Software and/or Dox Mini Emulator), and the shortcuts to create.
When the installation is finished, click on "Finish" to exit the setup wizard.
You can now launch Dox Mini PLC Software from the Start menu or from the desktop shortcut. You can also launch Dox Mini Emulator from the Start menu or from the folder where you installed it.
To verify that the installation was successful, you can do the following:
Open Dox Mini PLC Software and check if it shows the version number as "DoxMini V1.0" in the title bar.
Create a new project and check if you can select any of the Messung Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs as your target device.
Open Dox Mini Emulator and check if it shows the version number as "DoxMiniEmu V1.0" in the title bar.
Select any of the Messung Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs as your emulated device and check if you can start and stop the emulation.
How to Use Do x Mini PLC Software
In this section, we will show you how to use Dox Mini PLC Software to create and test PLC programs. We will assume that you have already installed Dox Mini PLC Software and Dox Mini Emulator on your computer, and that you have a basic understanding of PLC programming concepts and languages.
How to Create a New Project and Select a PLC Model
To create a new project and select a PLC model, follow these steps:
Launch Dox Mini PLC Software from the Start menu or from the desktop shortcut.
Click on "File" and then on "New Project". This will open a dialog box where you can enter the name and location of your project.
Type a name for your project, such as "MyFirstProject", and choose a folder where you want to save it. You can also use the default name and location.
Click on "OK". This will create a new project and open it in the main window of Dox Mini PLC Software.
In the main window, you will see a tree view on the left side that shows the structure of your project. You will also see a toolbar on the top that contains various buttons and menus for editing and debugging your project.
Right-click on the node that says "PLC" in the tree view. This will open a context menu where you can select the PLC model that you want to use for your project.
Select "Change Device". This will open a dialog box where you can choose from a list of Messung Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs.
Select the PLC model that matches your target device or your emulated device. For example, if you want to use Dox Mini Emulator to simulate a NXG-4000-PLC-03, select that model from the list.
Click on "OK". This will change the PLC model for your project and update the tree view accordingly. You will also see the properties of your PLC model in the bottom pane of the main window.
How to Program and Debug PLC Logic Using Ladder Logic or Other Languages
To program and debug PLC logic using Ladder Logic or other languages, follow these steps:
In the tree view, right-click on the node that says "Programs" under your PLC model. This will open a context menu where you can add a new program to your project.
Select "Add Program". This will open a dialog box where you can enter the name and type of your program.
Type a name for your program, such as "Main", and choose a type from the drop-down list. You can choose from Ladder Logic (LD), Structured Text (ST), Function Block Diagram (FBD), Instruction List (IL) or Sequential Function Chart (SFC). For this example, we will choose Ladder Logic (LD).
Click on "OK". This will add a new program to your project and open it in the editor pane of the main window.
In the editor pane, you will see a blank grid where you can create your Ladder Logic program. You can use the toolbar buttons or the keyboard shortcuts to insert contacts, coils, function blocks, branches, comments and other elements. You can also drag-and-drop elements from the library pane on the right side of the main window.
Create your Ladder Logic program according to your desired logic and functionality. For example, if you want to create a simple program that turns on an output when an input is activated, you can insert a normally open contact (NO) that is linked to an input address (such as %IX0.0), and insert a coil that is linked to an output address (such as %QX0.0). You can also add comments to explain your program.
When you are done with your program, click on "File" and then on "Save Project" to save your changes.
To debug your program, click on "Online" and then on "Connect". This will open a dialog box where you can choose how to connect to your PLC or emulator.
Select the connection type from the drop-down list. You can choose from Serial Port or Ethernet Port. For this example, we will choose Ethernet Port.
Enter the IP address of your PLC or emulator in the text box. For example, if you are using Dox Mini Emulator with the default settings, enter 192.168.1.100 as the IP address.
Click on "OK". This will establish a connection between Dox Mini PLC Software and your PLC or emulator.
To upload your program to your PLC or emulator, click on "Online" and then on "Write All". This will transfer your program from your computer to your PLC or emulator. You will see a progress bar and a message that confirms the successful upload.
To start the execution of your program on your PLC or emulator, click on "Online" and then on "Run". This will switch your PLC or emulator to run mode and start running your program. You will see a green indicator that shows the run status.
To monitor or modify the values of your variables and outputs, click on "Online" and then on "Monitor". This will open a dialog box where you can see the current values of your variables and outputs in a table. You can also change the values of your outputs by double-clicking on them and entering new values.
To stop the execution of your program on your PLC or emulator, click on "Online" and then on "Stop". This will switch your PLC or emulator to stop mode and stop running your program. You will see a red indicator that shows the stop status.
To download your program from your PLC or emulator to your computer, click on "Online" and then on "Read All". This will transfer your program from your PLC or emulator to your computer. You will see a progress bar and a message that confirms the successful download.
To disconnect from your PLC or emulator, click on "Online" and then on "Disconnect". This will terminate the connection between Dox Mini PLC Software and your PLC or emulator.
How to Simulate and Test PLC Programs Using Dox Mini Emulator
To simulate and test PLC programs using Dox Mini Emulator, follow these steps:
Launch Dox Mini Emulator from the Start menu or from the folder where you installed it.
In the main window, you will see a toolbar on the top that contains various buttons and menus for configuring and controlling the emulation. You will also see a status bar on the bottom that shows the current status of the emulation.
Click on "File" and then on "New". This will open a dialog box where you can select the PLC model that you want to emulate.
Select the PLC model that matches your target device or your project device. For example, if you want to emulate a NXG-4000-PLC-03, select that model from the list.
Click on "OK". This will create a new emulation session and open it in the main window.
In the main window, you will see a graphical representation of the emulated PLC and its I/O modules. You can also see the values of the inputs and outputs in hexadecimal format.
To change the values of the inputs, you can use the keyboard or the mouse. For example, if you want to activate input %IX0.0, you can press the key "1" or click on the corresponding button with the mouse.
To connect to Dox Mini PLC Software, click on "Tools" and then on "Connect". This will open a dialog box where you can choose how to connect to Dox Mini PLC Software.
Select the connection type from the drop-down list. You can choose from Serial Port or Ethernet Port. For this example, we will choose Ethernet Port.
Enter the IP address of your computer in the text box. For example, if your computer has an IP address of 192.168.1.101, enter that as the IP address.
Click on "OK". This will establish a connection between Dox Mini Emulator and Dox Mini PLC Software.
You can now use Dox Mini PLC Software to upload, download, run, stop, monitor or modify programs for the emulated PLC. You will see the changes in the inputs and outputs reflected in both Dox Mini Emulator and Dox Mini PLC Software.
To disconnect from Dox Mini PLC Software, click on "Tools" and then on "Disconnect". This will terminate the connection between Dox Mini Emulator and Dox Mini PLC Software.
To save your emulation session, click on "File" and then on "Save". This will open a dialog box where you can enter the name and location of your emulation session file.
Type a name for your emulation session file, such as "MyFirstEmulation", and choose a folder where you want to save it. You can also use the default name and location.
Click on "OK". This will save your emulation session file and close the dialog box.
To load a previously saved emulation session, click on "File" and then on "Open". This will open a dialog box where you can browse and select your emulation session file.
Select the emulation session file that you want to load, such as "MyFirstEmulation", and click on "Open". This will load your emulation session and open it in the main window.
Conclusion
Dox Mini PLC Software is a software package that allows you to program and debug Messung Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs. It supports multiple programming languages, graphical user interface, predefined function blocks, online and offline modes, documentation generation and more. It also includes a free emulator called Dox Mini Emulator that allows you to simulate and test PLC programs without requiring any physical hardware. Dox Mini PLC Software is an unlicensed version of Dox that can be downloaded from the internet for free.
If you are looking for a reliable, flexible and easy-to-use software package for programming and debugging PLCs, you might want to give Dox Mini PLC Software a try. It can help you with your industrial automation projects by increasing your efficiency, productivity, safety and quality. It can also help you learn more about PLC programming concepts and languages.
To download Dox Mini PLC Software, go to the following link: https://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=125878. To learn more about Dox Mini PLC Software, you can refer to the online help and documentation that are included in the software package. You can also visit the official website of Messung Systems, the manufacturer of Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs, at http://www.messung.com/.
We hope that this article has been helpful and informative for you. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading!
FAQs
What are the advantages of Dox Mini PLC Software over other PLC software?
Some of the advantages of Dox Mini PLC Software over other PLC software are:
It is free and unlicensed, which means that you do not need to pay or register to use it.
It supports multiple programming languages that comply with the IEC 61131-3 standard, which gives you more flexibility and choice in creating your PLC programs.
It includes a free emulator that allows you to simulate and test your PLC programs without requiring any physical hardware.
It generates documentation for your PLC programs in HTML format that can be easily viewed and shared.
How much does Dox Mini PLC Software cost and where can I get it?
Dox Mini PLC Software is free and unlicensed, which means that you do not need to pay or register to use it. You can download it from the internet from the following link: https://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=125878. The link is posted by a user named "plcman" on a forum thread. The download file is a compressed file that contains the setup files for Dox Mini PLC Software and Dox Mini Emulator.
What are the limitations of Dox Mini PLC Software and how can I overcome them?
Some of the limitations of Dox Mini PLC Software are:
It only supports Messung Nexgen 4000 series of PLCs, which means that you cannot use it with other brands or models of PLCs.
It is not an official product of Messung Systems or any other company, which means that it may not be updated or supported regularly.
It may have some bugs or errors that could affect its performance or functionality.
To overcome these limitations, you can do the following:- You can use other PLC software that are compatible with other brands or models of PLCs, such as RSLogix, STEP 7, CODESYS, etc.
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