Hands-on OPC training on real industrial-grade servers and clients - 2 days in the classroom or 16 hours online, installing and configuring the OPC-DA, OPC-UA, and COM/DCOM connections that link PiControl software and third-party systems to any DCS or PLC.
The OPC500 course, known formally as OPC Communications Theory and Practicals, teaches process control engineers, application engineers, technicians, and supervisors to use OPC (OLE for Process Control) to connect DCS and PLC systems to host computers and third-party software. OPC500 runs as 2 days of classroom training or 16 hours online, and it is very hands-on: attendees install and configure real OPC servers and OPC clients themselves, run them in full real-time mode, and witness live two-way data communications rather than reading about it on a slide.
The course covers applications such as bringing online data from gas chromatographs into the DCS, downloading operator-entered HMI data into the DCS, connecting two independent OPC servers together, and pulling or pushing data between DCS/PLC systems and host computers. Attendees also learn signal processing and validation for increasing safety and reliability, and how to conceive, design, and implement new process control, advanced control, and communications-related applications using OPC, level-3 computers, and DCS/PLC systems.
OPC500 moves from OPC history and specifications through server/client configuration, COM/DCOM troubleshooting, and bridging two OPC servers together, with hands-on installation of real industrial-grade OPC software throughout. After completing the course, attendees can install, configure, and activate real OPC servers and clients, connect any two OPC servers, transfer data two-way to a DCS or PLC, decipher and troubleshoot OPC problems, and select the right OPC tools for a given industrial application.
The course covers the following topics.
Every module includes hands-on installation and configuration of real industrial-grade OPC software, so engineers finish able to troubleshoot a live OPC connection rather than just recognize the terminology.
OPC500 is built for the people responsible for connecting a DCS or PLC to other systems in the plant: process control engineers, application engineers, analyzer technicians, boiler technicians, DCS technicians, and instrument engineers and supervisors. Some plant experience and/or a 2-year associate's diploma in a technical field is recommended before starting, though the course also works for attendees moving into a systems integration role for the first time.
Conceive, design, and implement new process control, advanced control, and OPC-based communications applications, connecting DCS/PLC data to level-3 host computers and custom software.
Bring online analyzer and instrument signals - such as gas chromatograph data - into the DCS, and troubleshoot the OPC and COM/DCOM connections those signals depend on.
Evaluate and select the right OPC servers, clients, and bridging tools across vendors, and oversee the signal processing and validation practices that keep chemical processes safe and reliable.
OPC500 also suits full teams responsible for a system integration or DCS/PLC-to-host communications project. Group participation works well ahead of connecting a new analyzer, historian, SCADA package, or third-party system to the DCS, and companies use the course for integration onboarding and communications readiness programs. Onsite corporate training is available on request so a team installs and configures OPC servers and clients on its own network.
Hands-on installation is what separates a working OPC course from a lecture on protocol theory. In OPC500 you install and configure real industrial-grade OPC software yourself, run OPC servers and OPC clients in full real-time mode, and witness live, two-way data communications rather than reading about it on a slide. PiControl uses its own PiOPCServer simulation OPC server, which exposes a standards-compliant OPC-DA and OPC-UA interface with an embedded real-time PID control loop, as the connection target for every exercise - the same behavior an engineer sees connecting to a live DCS or PLC.
The course also trains engineers on PiBridge, PiControl's dual OPC client that bridges two independent OPC servers together for Server-Client-Server (SCS) applications, plus PiLogger for fast data monitoring and PiLims for laboratory data. Engineers who need to connect two different DCS/PLC systems, or link an OPC server to a historian or SCADA package, continue with the same bridging approach after the course. For the full course catalog and other communications and integration training, see the Training.
OPC500 attendees receive a PiControl OPC500 Completion Certificate, which supports professional development records and can be added to a resume or LinkedIn profile. Because the course is built around installing and configuring real industrial-grade OPC servers and clients, attendees finish having actually built the OPC-DA, OPC-UA, and COM/DCOM connections they will maintain in the plant, not just studied them from slides.
Attendees also receive OPC training slides and hands-on training slides, plus temporary access to the OPC software used in class - including PiOPCServer, PiBridge, PiLogger, and PiLims - and follow-up guidance after the course. Engineers who want to review other integration and communications training can browse the full Training catalog.
Short answers to the questions engineers ask most before enrolling in the OPC500 OPC communication course.
Register for OPC500 to give your engineering team hands-on OPC installation, configuration, and troubleshooting skills using real industrial-grade OPC servers and clients, with a completion certificate on finishing. Online, 2-day classroom, and onsite formats are available, so teams in any location or time zone can start. Looking for the software behind the course? See PiOPCServer and PiBridge, or return to the full training catalog.
Questions: info@PiControlSolutions.com, Tel: (832) 495 6436.