WINCC HMI VIDEO
Your First WinCC HMI Screen in TIA Portal, From Panel to Simulation (Video)
Add a Basic panel to an S7-1200 project, connect it, create tags, a start/stop button pair and an I/O field, and test it in the runtime simulator with PLCSIM, following Hegamurl's lesson.
A WinCC HMI screen in TIA Portal takes four steps: add the panel to a project that already has the PLC, connect the two with an HMI connection, create HMI tags that point at PLC tags, and drag buttons, lamps and I/O fields onto a screen and link them to those tags. Then you start PLCSIM and the HMI simulator and test the whole thing on your PC, no hardware needed.
Checked 1 October 2026.
In this lesson by Hegamurl, an HMI is added to a TIA Portal project and connected to the PLC, HMI tags are created, and buttons, switches, sliders, circles and bar graphs are placed on a screen and tested in the simulated panel. It is the first video of a series that ends with a PID-controlled tank, and one of the lessons in our free Siemens TIA Portal HMI course, in the module on adding a panel, HMI tags and the PLC connection. Build along with it in your own project.
What you need
- TIA Portal with STEP 7 and WinCC Basic or higher. Siemens offers a trial download of STEP 7, PLCSIM and WinCC. Siemens' installation notes also say that when TIA Portal starts without a licence key, you have a one-time option to activate a trial licence that expires after 21 days. Our TIA Portal trial guide explains the options.
- A small PLC program to visualise. A motor start/stop with a seal-in, a speed value and a tank level is enough. If you do not have one, follow our first S7-1200 program walkthrough first.
The steps
Step 1: add the panel
In the project tree, double-click Add new device, click SIMATIC HMI, choose a panel and click OK. A KTP700 Basic is a good first choice: it is common, and every Basic panel can be simulated. Siemens' S7-1200 Easy Book notes that you can run the HMI wizard at this point to configure screens and the PLC connection; if you skip it, TIA Portal creates a simple default screen.
The wizard is quick, but doing it by hand once teaches you where everything lives, which is what the video does.
Step 2: connect the PLC and the panel
Open Devices and networks, network view. Drag a line from the green Ethernet port on the PLC to the one on the panel; that creates the PROFINET subnet. Then click Connections, choose HMI connection, and drag from the CPU to the HMI. The Easy Book describes exactly this: the HMI connection lets you configure HMI tags by selecting from the PLC's tags.
Check the IP addresses. The PLC and the panel need addresses in the same subnet (for example 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2 with mask 255.255.255.0), and the panel's address is set in its device configuration.
Step 3: create HMI tags
Open the HMI's HMI tags table and add a tag for each value the screen needs. For each one, set the Connection to the PLC and pick the PLC tag it points at; the data type follows. A tag with no connection is an internal tag, which lives only on the panel and is useful for screen logic such as which page is open.
Set the acquisition cycle with some thought. A second is fine for most values; a fast cycle on every tag only adds load. The course covers when to use internal tags and how symbolic access works with optimised data blocks.
A shortcut: drag a PLC tag from the PLC tag table straight onto a screen. TIA Portal creates the HMI tag, the connection if needed, and an I/O field for it in one go.
Step 4: build the screen
Start and stop buttons. Add a button, open its Events tab, and on Press add the system function SetBit with the tag HMI_Start; on Release add ResetBit with the same tag. The bit is true only while the operator presses the button, like a real push button. Do the same for stop. In the PLC, put HMI_Start in parallel with the field start button and HMI_Stop (as a normally closed contact) in series with the field stop.
Point buttons at memory or DB bits, never at %I inputs. The PLC refreshes its inputs from the input modules at the start of every scan, so anything the panel writes to %I0.0 is overwritten almost at once. This is the most common reason a first HMI button seems dead.
A run lamp. Draw a circle, open Animations, add an appearance animation on Motor_Running, and give value 0 grey and value 1 green. Grey for stopped is better practice than red, which operators read as an alarm. ISA-101, the HMI standard from the International Society of Automation, is built around this kind of restrained, consistent design.
I/O fields. An I/O field in Output mode displays a value, such as actual speed. In Input/output mode the operator can also type a new value, such as a setpoint. Set the format (number of digits and decimal places) and, for inputs, limits on the HMI tag, and still clamp the value in the PLC.
A bar graph. Add a bar linked to Tank_Level with a range of 0 to 100. It shows level at a glance far better than a number.
Step 5: compile and simulate
Compile the PLC and the HMI and fix any errors (red) before warnings (yellow). Then:
- Start PLCSIM from the PLC, download the program and put the simulated CPU in RUN.
- Select the HMI device and start the simulation (Online, Simulation, Start, or Start simulation from its shortcut menu). The panel opens in a window on your PC.
- Press Start on the simulated panel and watch the lamp change. Change the speed value in PLCSIM or a watch table and watch the I/O field follow. Type a setpoint on the panel and check that it arrives in the PLC.
If a field shows hashes or the panel reports a connection error, work down the checklist above. Most first-time problems are one of the top four.
Common mistakes
- Buttons writing to %I inputs, which the PLC overwrites every scan.
- Using the toggle function for a momentary push button, so the bit stays on after the operator lets go.
- Different data types on the PLC and HMI side, such as an Int PLC tag read as a Real.
- Too many colours. Use colour for state and alarms, not decoration.
- Forgetting to compile the HMI after changing PLC tags, so the panel still points at the old ones.
What to do after watching
The first course module sets a practice task: add a KTP700 Basic to a project with an S7-1200, connect them, create three HMI tags linked to PLC tags and one internal tag, and start the runtime simulator with PLCSIM running. You are done when an I/O field on the panel shows a PLC value changing in PLCSIM and the internal tag appears with no connection in the HMI tag table.
After that the course covers multi-state symbols, numeric display and input, screens and navigation with templates, animations and visibility, trends and alarms, recipes, scaling and limits, pop-up and slide-in screens, faceplates built on UDTs, user administration and multiple languages. Our HMI programming training guide gives the design rules behind those topics.
Learn it free
The full Siemens TIA Portal HMI course is free, with lessons from The Automation Craze, PLCskilltree and Hegamurl, credited on every lesson. Start with Siemens TIA Portal if you have not programmed an S7-1200 yet. For newer panels, move on to Siemens WinCC Unified; to compare Siemens with Rockwell screens, see HMI design with WinCC and FactoryTalk View. All are in the free HMI courses list and the Siemens engineer path.
The certificate is optional. If you pass the final assessment and want one, it costs from US$2.99 for a beginner course. It is an EDWartens Certificate of Completion with a verification code, not a Siemens qualification.
Take the free course
Questions
How do I add an HMI to an existing TIA Portal project?
Double-click 'Add new device' in the project tree, choose SIMATIC HMI, pick the panel (for example a KTP700 Basic) and click OK. You can run the HMI device wizard to pick the PLC connection and screen layout, or skip it and TIA Portal creates a simple default screen.
Can I test a WinCC HMI without a real panel?
Yes. Start PLCSIM for the PLC, then start the HMI simulation from the HMI device (Online, Simulation, Start, or Start simulation from its shortcut menu). The panel runs in a window on the PC and talks to the simulated PLC.
Why does my HMI button not change the PLC input?
Because the PLC overwrites its input process image from the real input module every scan. HMI buttons should write to a memory bit or a data block bit, and the PLC program should combine that with the field input where needed.
Do I need a licence for WinCC Basic?
For practice, no. Siemens offers a trial of STEP 7 and WinCC, and TIA Portal also lets you activate a one-time 21-day trial licence when no licence key is present. Licences are needed for continued use, and a WinCC Basic licence covers Basic panels only.
What is the difference between a KTP Basic and a Comfort panel?
Basic panels suit simple applications with a limited number of tags and screens and are configured with WinCC Basic. Comfort panels add more memory and features such as VB scripting, and need WinCC Comfort or higher. Newer Unified panels use WinCC Unified.
Sources
- Siemens: SIMATIC S7-1200 Easy Book (adding an HMI, HMI connection, screens)
- Siemens: STEP 7 and WinCC V20 installation notes (licences, 21-day trial)
- Siemens: STEP 7, S7-PLCSIM and WinCC V21 trial download
- Siemens: SIMATIC HMI Basic Panels
- ISA: ISA-101 HMI standards
Written by the EDWartens engineering team for general education. Product names are trademarks of their owners; mentioning them does not imply endorsement. Prices and terms of other providers were checked on the date shown and can change.
