Simatic S7 300 Vs 1200 CPU

I advise you that you contact the manufacturer about the differences between these two products. CR4 does not sell any product. Once the manufacturer gives you an answer, if their answer still baffles you then bring that answer to us for a translation and analysis.

Go here: GlobalSpec Electronics at the time of this page.

They will help you.

Don't you know your requirements?

Generally you know the speed of operation or cycle time you may need. You may also know the number and types of Inputs and Outputs from and to the process. Once you have these parameters then you select the PLC that fits into requirement and often any manufacturer can suggest a suitable PLC for the purpose.

Now that you are starting from PLC part numbers without stating your actual need, no one can judge what is suitable for you. You are not going to use everything that PLC offers and most of these models may be flexible in configurations and that may be the criteria for the manufacturer to have different model or versions. Generally higher part number is for the latest version and smaller numbers may get phased out from production line or may become obsolete.

Rightly stated, that people here are engineers willing to extend small help and they do not advocate for any product type or product make so asking such question with the support team of the product manufacturer is the only right way to act upon.

The best thing to do is to pick up the phone, and talk to the local Siemens Sales Office. The number can be found using an internet search engine.

I hear you.

The only time we use Siemens where I work for the control on our process skids is when the customer is European based and they pick the CPU and I/O cards for us. I find the Siemens site to be difficult at best.

As the others said - go to Siemens and let them help you. I have built about a dozen systems with various Siemens models, various sub-models of the the S7-300 included and I sure wouldn't try to answer your question.

They are not really comparable other than as in Apples and Oranges both being tree fruits.

The S7-1200 is a micro controller, intended to be cheap and small with limited functionality, limited expandability and intended for use in highly controlled environments, ie cool enclosures, no vibration, clean power etc.

The S7-300 is a much more robust controller that can be expanded to much higher levels of I/O count and memory capacity. It is intended for more complex machinery or processes and is better suited to handle less than perfect environmental conditions. There are a myriad of functions available in the S7-300 that you cannot do in the S7-1200.

But if the S7-1200 does what YOU need to do, and you are confident that you can keep it free from harm, then there is no reason not to use it.