Adding TP1500 Comfort HMI to Legacy STEP 7 V5.5 Projects

Overview

Engineers maintaining brownfield automation systems frequently need to introduce a modern HMI such as the SIMATIC TP1500 Comfort into a STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 project that still contains an older OP77 operator panel, an S7-300 CPU 313C-2 DP, and a PC-based SCADA node on PROFIBUS. The decision between a full STEP 7 to TIA Portal migration and a DeviceProxy PLC (proxy) approach determines how much rework is required, which toolset must be installed, and how simulation/testing is performed.

This reference covers both paths, the prerequisites for each, the exact configuration sequence, and the verification steps needed to confirm tag exchange between the TP1500 Comfort and the CPU 313C-2 DP on PROFIBUS while keeping the legacy OP77 operational.

System Topology Under Consideration

The reference installation consists of the following components:

• SIMATIC S7-300, CPU 313C-2 DP (order number 6ES7313-6CG04-0AB0), firmware V3.3, acting as the PROFIBUS DP master.
• SIMATIC OP77 (6AV6641-0CA01-0AX0 or 6AV6641-0BA01-0AX0 family), configured in STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 via WinCC flexible 2008 SP5.
• SIMATIC TP1500 Comfort (6AV2124-0QC02-0AX0 or current 6AV2 124-1QC02 successor), 15" widescreen, WinCC Comfort/Advanced/Professional runtime.
• Industrial PC equipped with CP5613A2 (PCI) PROFIBUS interface, hosting a SCADA with OPC Server (e.g. SIMATIC NET OPC Server or third-party).
• STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 + WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 on the engineering PC (for the legacy side).
• TIA Portal V13 SP1 (or later) Professional with WinCC Professional / Comfort / Advanced installed.

Two Valid Engineering Approaches

Approach A: Full TIA Portal Migration

Prerequisites

1. Close all STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 projects and the SIMATIC Manager.
2. Verify the TIA Portal version on the engineering PC: TIA V13 SP1 Update 4 or later is recommended for the TP1500 Comfort device description (6AV2 124-*).
3. Install WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 (or the latest WinCC flexible 2008 SP available). Without it, the OP77 migration wizard inside TIA Portal will fail when the legacy project contains an operator panel.
4. License the TIA Portal Professional package (STEP 7 Professional + WinCC Professional) - this is mandatory for the migration toolchain.
5. Make a complete backup of the STEP 7 V5.5 project (folder, S7P file, and source files).

Migration Procedure

1. Open TIA Portal V13 SP1, select "Open existing project", and choose "STEP 7 V5.x migration" from the source-type list. Point to the STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 project file.
2. TIA Portal invokes the TIA Migration Tool. The tool converts the STEP 7 project into a *.am20 migration file readable by the TIA Portal. This process compiles the S7 program, symbol table, HW Config, and NetPro into the new TIA Portal project tree.
3. When the project contains an OP77 configured with WinCC flexible 2008, the migration tool launches the WinCC flexible 2008 integration component. This is the only supported way to drag a WinCC flexible panel into the TIA project; if WinCC flexible 2008 is missing, the panel must be excluded from migration.
4. After the migration completes, verify the following folders in the TIA project tree:
   • "PLC_1 [CPU 313C-2 DP]" with subfolders "Program blocks", "PLC tags", "PLC data types", and "Watch and force tables".
   • "HMI_1 [OP77]" (if WinCC flexible 2008 was present) with the migrated screens.
5. From the device catalog, drag the TP1500 Comfort (under "HMI > SIMATIC Comfort Panels > 15" Display") into the project. The default order number 6AV2124-0QC02-0AX0 is matched; if a later variant is in stock, pick the appropriate MLFB from the catalog.
6. On the TP1500 Comfort device view, open "Properties > PROFINET interface" or "PROFIBUS interface" (the TP1500 Comfort is PROFINET-native; for PROFIBUS, the CP 5613A2 topology is bridged via a PROFIBUS/PROFINET coupler or the TP1500 is connected through the CPU's integrated DP port via PROFINET/PROFIBUS gateway). The recommended approach for a 313C-2 DP master is to leave the TP1500 Comfort on PROFINET and to add a PROFINET/PROFIBUS gateway (e.g. IE/PB Link PN IO or a Siemens Scalance gateway) between the TP1500 and the DP network if PROFIBUS is mandatory.
7. Create an HMI connection on the TP1500 Comfort pointing to the migrated CPU 313C-2 DP. Choose "S7-300/400" as the PLC type and either MPI/DP or PROFINET depending on the physical path.
8. Use drag-and-drop from the migrated "PLC tags" and "Program blocks" folders directly onto HMI screens, IO fields, and trend views. This is the key engineering benefit of the migration path - no manual redefinition of tags is required and there is no transcription error risk.

Approach B: DeviceProxy PLC (Proxy Method)

Prerequisites

1. TIA Portal Professional V13 SP1 or later with WinCC Professional installed.
2. STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 + WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 remains the master project for PLC and the legacy OP77.
3. The TIA Portal engineering PC must have read access to the STEP 7 V5.5 project's symbol table and program blocks (network share, copy of the S7 project, or a dedicated sub-folder).
4. The PC running the OPC server with CP5613A2 is unaffected and can be left in production.

Proxy Procedure

1. Open the Siemens Industry Online Support entry "Combined configuration with WinCC (TIA Portal) and STEP 7 V5.x" at https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/73502293 and follow the documented sequence.
2. In TIA Portal, create a new TIA project. From the device catalog, open "PLC > SIMATIC S7-300 > CPU > CPU 313C-2 DP" but do not place it as a real device. Instead, add it as "DeviceProxy PLC" (right-click on the device and select "Use as proxy" or insert a "DeviceProxy" from the catalog).
3. The DeviceProxy appears in the project tree as "PLC_1 [CPU 313C-2 DP Proxy]". This proxy contains a static mirror of the symbol table and the program block interfaces imported from the STEP 7 V5.5 source.
4. Insert the TP1500 Comfort (6AV2124-0QC02-0AX0) into the TIA project and connect it to the DeviceProxy via an HMI connection. Configure the connection's "Access point" to point at the STEP 7 V5.5 project's path so that the HMI tag pointers can be re-resolved.
5. When the HMI tag editor is opened on the TP1500 Comfort, choose "Browse project" and the symbol table from the proxy will be exposed. Select the desired DB / I / Q / M / T / Z addresses and assign them to the HMI tags. The proxy carries the symbolic name, the absolute address, and the data type, so no manual redefinition is needed.
6. Compile the HMI project. The compiler checks that all HMI tags resolve to a valid STEP 7 symbol. If a tag is missing, the compile log lists the exact HMI tag and the missing symbol.
7. Download the TIA project to the TP1500 Comfort only. Do not touch the PLC HW Config or NetPro on the S7-300 - those remain in STEP 7 V5.5.

Handling the Legacy OP77 in Both Approaches

If the OP77 must remain operational after the TP1500 Comfort is added, the only supported configuration is the proxy approach (Approach B). The full migration approach (Approach A) will force the OP77 into the TIA project, which requires WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 to be installed; even then, the OP77 runtime is then expected to come from the migrated TIA project, not from a parallel WinCC flexible 2008 download. If the OP77 stays physically on the PROFIBUS network and must continue running unchanged, prefer the proxy approach.

If the OP77 is to be decommissioned (replaced functionally by the TP1500 Comfort), then a full TIA migration is cleaner because a single TIA project will hold both the S7-300 program and the new HMI configuration.

Is New Hardware Download to the PLC Required?

This is the most common field question. The answer depends on the bus topology change:

• If the TP1500 Comfort is added as a pure PROFINET node and a PROFINET/PROFIBUS gateway (e.g. IE/PB Link PN IO 6GK1411-5AB00) is inserted, the CPU 313C-2 DP HW Config in STEP 7 V5.5 must be extended by the IE/PB Link as a DP slave. In that case, yes, a new HW Config and NetPro download to the CPU is required.
• If the TP1500 Comfort is added over PROFINET directly and the existing DP network is left untouched (i.e. the TP1500 does not appear as a DP slave on the existing CPU 313C-2 DP), then no PLC download is needed at all. The TP1500 exchanges tags with the CPU through the HMI connection, and the CPU's HW Config / NetPro remain untouched.
• If the TP1500 is inserted on the same PROFIBUS segment (e.g. via a DP/DP coupler or a CP 5613A2 in the same bus), then the bus parameters (baud rate, address, Ttr, bus length, repeater count) may shift and a new PLC download is required to keep HW Config consistent with the real bus.

Removing the PC-Based SCADA with CP5613A2 and OPC Server

Since the PC node (item 3 in the original question) is being removed, the PROFIBUS station entry for the CP5613A2 must be deleted from the STEP 7 V5.5 HW Config. The OPC server project on the industrial PC can be retired independently; once the PC is physically disconnected from PROFIBUS, the bus no longer requires it to be in the project. If the SCADA must continue to read data from the S7-300 after the TP1500 is added, the OPC client should be re-routed to the TP1500's server interface (TP1500 Comfort can expose OPC UA server tags on PROFINET) or to a new PROFINET interface module on the S7-300 such as the CP 343-1 Lean (6GK7343-1CX10-0XE0).

Commissioning and Verification

Migration Path Verification

1. Power up the CPU 313C-2 DP in RUN mode. The CPU's "Communication" diagnostic buffer should show the TP1500 Comfort connection as "Established" once the HMI is online.
2. Launch PLCSIM V5.4 on the engineering PC. Open the migrated STEP 7 program in PLCSIM and toggle a few input bits (e.g. I 0.0, I 0.1) and write to a couple of data words (e.g. DB1.DBW0, DB1.DBW2).
3. Start WinCC RT (Start TIA Portal > Start runtime) on the same PC. Verify that the same inputs and data words are visible on the TP1500 Comfort screen in WinCC RT. This confirms that the migrated tags resolved correctly.
4. Trigger a configured message (e.g. a bit-driven alarm) in PLCSIM and verify the message appears in the TP1500 Comfort alarm view.
5. Open a configured trend view on the TP1500 Comfort and watch the curve respond to a ramp written into a data word in PLCSIM.

Proxy Path Verification

1. On the engineering PC, open the STEP 7 V5.5 project and the TIA project side-by-side.
2. Compile the TIA HMI project. The compile log must report 0 errors and 0 unresolved tag warnings. Any "Symbol not found" entry should be investigated by re-importing the proxy or by fixing the symbol name in STEP 7 V5.5.
3. Download the TIA HMI project to the TP1500 Comfort over PROFINET or USB.
4. Bring the TP1500 Comfort online and verify the HMI connection status icon turns green. Tap a few IO fields and confirm the values update from the live CPU 313C-2 DP.
5. If a deeper simulation is required before live commissioning, use a second engineering PC running TIA Portal with a separate PLCSIM instance and a WinCC Comfort trial runtime - the DeviceProxy in this case is a stand-in for the real PLC and the values from PLCSIM can be wired into the TP1500 Comfort via the HMI connection.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Decision Summary

• Pick the full TIA migration if WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 is installed, the OP77 is going to be removed or migrated alongside the TP1500 Comfort, the engineering team is willing to redo the HW Config in TIA, and PLCSIM V5.4 simulation of the HMI is desired.
• Pick the DeviceProxy PLC approach if the OP77 must remain in service without changes, the STEP 7 V5.5 program on the S7-300 is frozen, no WinCC flexible 2008 is available, and a minimal-touch HMI add is required.

Both approaches are documented by Siemens in the "Combined configuration with WinCC (TIA Portal) and STEP 7 V5.x" application example at https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/73502293, and the underlying STEP 7 V5.x to TIA migration steps are described in the Siemens TIA Portal documentation portal under Migration of STEP 7 projects (S7-300, S7-400).