What it is

CODESYS is an independent programming tool for PLCs. It consists of a programming tool, which is running under Windows, and a runtime, which can run on a real PLC or an open Linux Device, like the Raspberry Pi.

Why to use it

The glue for hobbyists is, that the programming system is free and the runtime is available as a 2h demo.

There are generally a few major advantaes of using CODESYS over using C, python or s.th. similar:

• It is by far easier to access I/Os
• The graphical languages are easier to understand
• You can use an easy to use WebVisu
• You can easily use secure OPCUA communication to exchange variables through the internet

For me, the easy I/O access and connectivity is key.

How to get it

To get CODESYS, you need to register yourself for free at http://store.codesys.com. After the registration you can download the programming system.

Use it on Linux

With some minor limitations, the programming system is running in Wine. But, as SVN and therefore cforge are not working, it has only few use cases at the moment, where it makes sense.

For example, you place your project additionally on a network share to work on Linux and Windows in parallel. Then you can uae Linux for debugging and Windows to commit it in the end.

For those of you, who don't have a Windows system available, you can use a trail VM from microsoft here:
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/

hints

• Please make sure that you save your projects and stuff outside of the VM when using the trail version.
• If you use "bridged" networking, you can easily scan your devices. Otherwhise you might need to enter the IP address in the "communication" dialog.