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

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 progrmaming system.

Use it on Linux

As for now, the programming system is sadly not running under Linux. 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.