Siemens LOGO Starter Kit – PLC Programming for Beginners

New to PLC programming? Here’s the starter kit that will teach you the basic fundamentals of PLC programming.

With its small size, user-friendly software, and low price the Siemens LOGO Starter Kit is absolutely perfect for beginners.

One of the flagships from Siemens is the LOGO PLC. Not too long ago they released the latest version of the LOGO series called Siemens LOGO! 8. A perfect mini PLC for smaller projects. A perfect mini PLC to start learning PLC programming.

Don’t let its compact size fool you—the Siemens LOGO! 8 PLC packs a punch, handling complex tasks with ease.

This is the other reason the PLC is so good for beginners. You can dig into not only the basic PLC programming.

But also more advanced concepts like analog signals, PID control, data logging, and HMI programming. You can even control the PLC from your smartphone.

You can even connect and integrate the LOGO PLC with other Siemens PLCs like the S7-1200. This makes the LOGO PLC very powerful.

Thereby, you are able to use it in bigger systems. If you are already familiar with the LOGO PLC, I would strongly recommend continuing with the Siemens S7-1200 Starter Kit.

It’s the perfect starter kit to learn PLC programming with the popular S7 platform.

The only problem with the S7 starter kit is that it’s a bit expensive. Much cheaper is the Siemens LOGO Starter Kit.

Siemens LOGO! 8 PLC’s

As said before the latest version of the LOGO PLC is version 8, and so is all the starter kits.

The starter kits come in different variations including different types of the LOGO PLC and with or without HMI. But before going into the different starter kits you can get, let me introduce you to the different types of LOGO PLCs.

The Siemens LOGO! 8 PLC is versatile, offering models with various input voltages, screen options, and relay outputs. Knowing the right model for your needs is crucial when selecting your starter kit.

Siemens LOGO! 8 Supply Voltage

First of all the LOGO PLCs comes with different input voltages. This will decide whether you have to supply it with 230V AC or 12/24V DC.

To differentiate between these types Siemens has named the LOGO PLC’s regarding their input voltage. The two types are as follows:

• LOGO! 8 230RCE
• LOGO! 8 12/24RCE

The biggest difference here is if you have to use a power supply or not.

If you have a 230V AC supply you can just connect that supply direct to your LOGO! 8 230RCE PLC.

But if you don’t have a 230V AC supply you most likely want to go with the LOGO! 8 12/24RCE PLC.

Then you will be able to transform your supply voltage to 12 or 24 volts DC to supply your LOGO! PLC. 12 and 24 volts are standard voltages, so it will be easy to find a power supply for the PLC.

LOGO! Power 24V

In fact, with the starter kits, you won’t even have to look for a power supply. The Siemens LOGO! 8 Starter Kit 12/24 includes a 24V DC power supply, capable of supplying 1.3 amperes. The power supply is called LOGO! Power 24V/1.3 A.

The power supply from Siemens is a module just like the LOGO PLC. The module is the same height but a bit thinner than the PLC itself.

You should keep in mind that if you choose the 24V LOGO PLC, you will have to use a few centimeters of extra space on the DIN-rail.

Siemens 6EP1331-1SH03 LOGO!Power 24 V, 1.3 A

You can purchase the Siemens LOGO! Power separately, or use any 24V DC power supply. However, ensure it’s stabilized, as a consistent power supply is vital for the Siemens LOGO PLC’s optimal operation.

Siemens LOGO! 8 Starter Kits

The next thing you should consider when getting the Siemens LOGO Starter Kit is your budget. They come with different parts and so also different prices. The more you invest in the starter kit the more components you’ll get. As an example in the cheapest version, you will get the most basic components.

As you go up in price the starter kits will start to include HMI’s with or without color screen and in different sizes.

All the starter kits will include some basic components that are necessary for you to get started:

• LOGO! 8 PLC (230 or 12/24V)
• LOGO! Soft Comfort V8
• Ethernet cable
• WinCC Basic (part of TIA Portal)

Here is a list of all the Siemens LOGO! 8 Starter Kits sorted by price:

Siemens LOGO! 8 Starter Kit 230RCE

Siemens 6ED1057-3BA02-0AA8 LOGO! 8 Starter Kit 230RCE

This is the cheapest of the LOGO starter kits. It includes just the basic components and software you need to get started. If you’re on a low budget and just want to get started this is my recommendation.

Siemens LOGO! 8 Starter Kit 12/24RCE

Siemens 6ED1057-3BA00-0AA8 LOGO! 8 Starter Kit 12/24RCE

With almost the same price as the previous edition this starter kit is also for the low budgets. In fact the only difference between this kit and the previous is the supply voltage for the PLC. The LOGO PLC you will get with this kit is the Siemens LOGO! 8 12/24RCE which takes 12-24 volts DC input.

Because of that this kit also includes a 24V power supply to transform your supply voltage – LOGO! Power 24V/1.3 A.

This is also the reason the price for this starter kit is a bit higher than the previous.

Siemens LOGO! 8 TDE Starter Kit

Siemens 6ED1057-3BA10-0AA8 LOGO! 8 TDE Starter Kit

The next LOGO starter kit includes a small HMI. A small text display HMI called LOGO! TDE. The HMI has an Ethernet interface which makes it easy to connect to the LOGO PLC.

Beside that this starter kit is a little special because of the PLC included. Here you will get the LOGO! 8 12/24RCEo.

If you look at the name of that LOGO PLC there’s a “o” at the end of the name. This letter means that the PLC has no display like the other PLC’s. That display can be used to program and configure the PLC. This can come in handy but it’s really not necessary since you can do all this with the programming software included. Sometimes it might even be a good idea to get the PLC without display. In some cases it can be problematic if it’s possible to reprogram or reconfigure the PLC from a display available for operators and others.

Siemens LOGO! 8 12/24RCE KP300 Basic Starter Kit

LOGO! 8 12/24RCE with KP300 Basic

This next Siemens LOGO Starter Kit also includes an HMI – the SIMATIC HMI KP300 Basic mono PN. The HMI is a bit more advanced and is a part of the SIMATIC series from Siemens.

The KP300 Basic HMI has a 3″ LDC screen and a PROFINET (Ethernet) interface for easy connection with the PLCs. This HMI can not only communicate with the LOGO PLC but also the S7 PLCs from Siemens.

For programming and configuration of the HMI, you will need WinCC Basic which is also included in the starter kit.

More on that later in this article.

Siemens LOGO! 8 12/24RCE KTP400 Basic Starter Kit

LOGO! 8 12/24RCE with KTP400 Basic

With this kit, we are starting to get a little more advanced. It includes the color display HMI – SIMATIC HMI KTP400 Basic.

For several reasons, this HMI is a bit more advanced than the previous one. First of all, it has a 4″ TFT color display. This HMI is also part of the SIMATIC series and is also included in one of the S7-1200 Starter Kits.

Siemens LOGO! 8 12/24RCE KTP700 Basic Starter Kit

LOGO! 8 12/24RCE with KTP700 Basic

The last and also the most expensive Siemens LOGO Starter Kit includes a 7″ HMI.

I will recommend this starter kit to you if you’re interested in getting professional with PLC programming.

Since it has a big HMI you will be able to take full advantage of all the functions in WinCC. This is the perfect kit if you want to start learning about the Siemens LOGO and then move on to the Siemens S7 platform.

With the KTP700 Basic HMI, this kit is more costly than the rest of the starter kits.

Siemens LOGO Programming Software

Let’s take a closer look at the software included in the Siemens LOGO Starter Kits. This is the software you have to use in order to configure and program the PLC and HMI.

Two pieces of software are included in all of the starter kits. One for LOGO programming and one for programming the HMI.

LOGO! Soft Comfort v8 Download and Install

Begin with installing LOGO! Soft Comfort v8, the key software for crafting and uploading logic to the LOGO PLC. It’s user-friendly and straightforward to set up.

In the starter kits, the software is included on a CD, but you can also download the software from the Siemens LOGO website. If you have an older version of LOGO! Soft Comfort you can download and install upgrades:

Download LOGO! Soft Comfort 8

Installing the Soft Comfort is very easy. You just have to open the installation program and follow the steps.

Siemens LOGO! Soft Comfort v8 Installation

Getting Started with Programming the LOGO 8

Included in the Soft Comfort 8 are a lot of sample programs. You can learn a lot from those programs.

Just try to open one and try to see if you can understand the logic and how the program works. You can even download and run it on the LOGO PLC.

LOGO 8 sample program: Alternating compressors

To open the sample programs you have to first click the open icon (Ctrl + O or File -> Open) and then go to the folder where you’ve installed LOGO Soft Comfort. The program is typically installed in C:/Program Files/Siemens/LOGOComfort_V8.

In that folder, you will find another subfolder called “Samples”. This is where all the example programs for the LOGO PLC are located.

When you open one of the sample programs you will see that there are both some logic and some text explaining the logic.

This is one of the smart features of Soft Comfort, that you can make text fields for comments without interfering with the actual program.

I made a little video on how to open sample programs and start the simulation with LOGO Soft Comfort V8: