This project is the start of a lab experiment for the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Electrical Engineering department’s new lab focusing on Programmable Logic Controller\u27s (PLCs). The primary focus is to create a lab where students control a Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning (HVAC) system controlled by the Modicon M580 PLC, donated by Schneider Electric. The experiment contains a heat source, which the PLC monitors with a temperature sensor, and a cooling source with multiple fans. Students will learn to use function block diagrams to program the PLC, controlling fan output and regulating the system temperature. The experiment specifications and HVAC system parameters were created and simulated with the Modicon M580’s software program, Unity Pro XLS. This simulation confirmed a working design that students would be able to recreate themselves in a lab setting and program to work. Students can gain a working knowledge of a commonplace industrial control/automation tool
