Configuring TP1200 Comfort V15 with S7-1200 V13 PLC in TIA Portal

1. Overview

The scenario covered here is a common field replacement problem: an installed Siemens S7-1200 CPU 1215C programmed in TIA Portal V13 SP1 must continue to operate with a brand-new TP1200 Comfort panel whose firmware mandates a newer TIA Portal version (V15 or V15.1). The central engineering question is whether the S7-1200 program must be migrated, or whether the HMI can simply be rebuilt at V15 against the unchanged V13 PLC.

The short answer, confirmed by Siemens support and corroborated by the behavior of integrated HMI connections: the PLC does not need to be upgraded. When both devices live inside the same TIA Portal project, the HMI connection is established through standard S7 routing and tag pointers. The HMI Runtime on the panel simply consumes the data blocks and tags exposed by the CPU 1215C, regardless of the TIA Portal version used to author the PLC program, as long as the PLC firmware is compatible with the configured connection type.

This reference documents the exact conditions, firmware baselines, configuration steps, and known pitfalls when a V15 Comfort panel is bound to a V13 S7-1200 station.

2. System Components and Version Identification

2.1 S7-1200 CPU 1215C

The CPU 1215C (MLFB 6ES7215-1...) is a mid-range S7-1200 controller. Variants in production include the DC/DC/DC (6ES7215-1AG40-0XB0), DC/DC/Relay (6ES7215-1HG40-0XB0), and AC/DC/Relay (6ES7215-1BG40-0XB0). The relevant specs for HMI integration are summarized below.

Reference: S7-1200 Programmable Controller System Manual (Siemens Support, entry 91696622).

2.2 TP1200 Comfort Panel

The TP1200 Comfort is a 12.1" widescreen HMI in the SIMATIC Comfort line, part numbers beginning with 6AV2124-.... It is the replacement target for legacy Multi Panels and the older TP1200 Touch device. Key parameters:

Reference: SIMATIC HMI Panels TP1200 Comfort Operating Instructions (Siemens Support, entry 109746240).

2.3 TIA Portal Version Baseline

Identifying the TIA Portal version actually in use is the first step. The version is shown in the title bar and in Help > About. The same menu reports the installed Service Pack and Update levels. The two main variants relevant to a Comfort panel replacement are:

• TIA Portal V13 SP1 / V13 SP1 Update 9 (original PLC project)
• TIA Portal V15 / V15.1 (new HMI project forced by replacement panel firmware)

3. TIA Portal Version Compatibility Matrix

Version compatibility is governed by the lower of the two versions installed. If the PLC is V13, the V15 install must still ship with V13 SP1 components to compile the legacy program. A V15-only install cannot re-open a V13 project – it only opens it after a migration prompt. To keep the PLC at V13 while authoring the HMI at V15, the engineer can:

1. Keep a V13 SP1 installation on a separate engineering PC (read-only, for archive, fault-finding, and PLC online)
2. Install V15.1 on the main engineering PC, migrate only the HMI into a copy of the project, leave the PLC sub-project referenced via an HMI connection created inside the V15 HMI device
3. Or upgrade both to V15.1 and accept a one-time migration cost (see Section 7)

The combined configuration with a separate STEP 7 (TIA Portal) PLC project is documented in the official application example: Combined configuration with WinCC (TIA Portal) and STEP 7 (TIA Portal) in separate projects (Siemens Support, entry 82114117).

4. HMI Connection Mechanisms in TIA Portal

4.1 Integrated Project (Same Project) – HMI Connection

When the S7-1200 and the TP1200 Comfort are both inserted in the same TIA Portal project, the HMI's Connections editor lists the CPU as a partner by default after the user drops a HMI connection on the panel and selects the S7-1200. The HMI Runtime on the panel then uses the S7 communication stack to:

1. Resolve the PLC's IP address (entered manually or distributed by the TIA Portal loader).
2. Open ISO-on-TCP connections to port 102 (S7 communication).
3. Read/write the configured tag addresses inside the configured PLC data blocks, inputs, outputs, and bit memory.

Because the HMI Runtime performs all live communication, the project file version is irrelevant at runtime. The panel does not read the TIA Portal project; it reads the binary configuration loaded by TIA Portal Transfer / ProSave. The PLC project stays a V13 binary on disk and in the CPU's load memory.

4.2 Separate Projects – Device Proxy

The Device Proxy is only required when the S7-1200 lives in a project that the HMI author cannot access. This happens when:

• The PLC programmer and the HMI programmer work in parallel in two separate projects.
• The PLC project was authored with STEP 7 V5.x or SIMATIC Manager (legacy toolchain).
• Two contractors share the work, and the PLC project is not to be exported.

The Device Proxy is a placeholder in the HMI project that exposes the same tag interface (data blocks, inputs, outputs, bit memory) that the HMI needs. The HMI is compiled against the proxy; at runtime, the panel still talks to the real CPU by IP. The proxy is created with Devices & Networks > Add device > Device Proxy > SIMATIC S7 1200 in V15 / V15.1.

4.3 Combined Configuration with STEP 7 V5.x

If the PLC was originally written in STEP 7 V5.x, the proxy can also be created from the S7 station's symbolic data. The standard workflow is documented in the entry linked in Section 3. This is not the scenario covered in the field case (the PLC was authored in TIA Portal V13 SP1, not V5.x), but it is the typical cause of the recurring confusion between Device Proxy and HMI connection.

5. Step-by-Step: Connecting V15 HMI to V13 PLC in the Same Project

The procedure below assumes the original V13 project is available and a V15 (or V15.1) install is on the engineering station.

1. Open the project in TIA Portal V13 SP1 and run Project > Archive. The archived file is the only safe way to share the V13 part of the project with the V15 install.
2. Open the archive in TIA Portal V15.1. Decline the migration prompt for the S7-1200 station when asked – V15 will allow opening a V13 project in read-only mode for the S7-1200 part. HMI parts will be migrated automatically.
3. If the S7-1200 station is still on V13 firmware (V4.0/V4.1/V4.2) and the V15 install refuses to open it without a firmware upgrade, install TIA Portal V15.1 with all updates. Updates post V15.1 Update 4 added compatibility for S7-1200 firmware V4.2 (and V4.3 for V15.1 Update 5).
4. Replace the HMI device: in the project tree, right-click the old HMI, choose Change device > SIMATIC HMI > TP1200 Comfort matching the MLFB of the new panel. The HMI is re-targeted with the new firmware family.
5. Verify the HMI connection: open the new TP1200 Comfort and navigate to Connections. The original S7-1200 connection is still present; the partner's IP and rack/slot should be intact. If the project tree shows a warning icon, recompile Software (rebuild all) on the HMI only.
6. Check the access point: under Connections > Properties > Access Point, set the mode to S7 Routing / Direct for PROFINET. If the panel connects over a routing path through another PN station, enable Use router and add the router IP – but for a direct CPU link this is not required.
7. Compile the HMI: right-click the TP1200 Comfort > Compile > Software (rebuild all). Resolve any warnings tagged IO device or Connection; tag-level warnings are typically cosmetic.
8. Transfer the project to the panel: connect the panel's PROFINET port to the engineering PC, run Online > HMI Device Maintenance > Download to device. The panel will reboot into the new Runtime image.
9. Online test: from the HMI, the operator can now operate the S7-1200 CPU exactly as before. PLC tags are read/written, alarms and trend views are populated, and the project online view in V15.1 shows the V13 S7-1200 as a partner.

6. Firmware Constraints on the TP1200 Comfort

Replacement panels are typically shipped with a V15.x or V16.x firmware image. The panel's firmware must be compatible with the TIA Portal version used to compile the HMI configuration. Firmware updates are loaded through Online & Diagnostics > Firmware Update on the panel or with ProSave.

A V15 image on a panel is fully forward-compatible with V15.1 and V16 compiled configurations. A V13.0 image cannot accept a V15-compiled configuration – the panel will refuse the download and report error 80020020 (Firmware / Runtime mismatch).

7. Migration Path: V13 to V15 (Optional)

If the operator must use newer TIA Portal features (e.g. OPC UA server on the S7-1200, new motion function blocks, or the Web API), a full migration is required. The procedure:

1. Open the project in TIA Portal V15.1. Accept the migration prompt. The migration step is non-destructive to the SCL / LAD / FBD / GRAPH source code, but every device, library, and HMI tag is recompiled.
2. Update device firmware: select the S7-1200 station, run Online & Diagnostics > Firmware Update. Migrate to V4.4 if the V15.1 install is up to date, or V4.5 for V16, or V4.6 for V17. Note that V4.4+ requires a CPU with a '0XB0' suffix (or later). Older CPU 1215C hardware revisions on V4.0/V4.1 cannot go to V4.4+.
3. Re-compile the HMI to clear warnings, then transfer to the panel.
4. Test the new firmware image with the same test procedure as the V13 station (start, stop, basic tag read/write, alarm view, recipe handling if used).

8. Tag, Area Pointer, and Connection Diagnostics

When the V15 HMI is online against the V13 S7-1200, the HMI's Diagnostics > Connection view shows the active partner, status, and the configured area pointers. Confirm the following points after download:

Diagnostic output for a healthy connection: Status: Connection established, with the partner's IP, the slot number, and the rack. A connection that shows Status: Not connected / connection broken usually points to a wrong IP, a firewall rule on the panel, or a security setting on the CPU (e.g. Permit access with PUT/GET disabled in V4.x firmware). For HMI connections the access-level setting under CPU Properties > Protection & Security > Connection Mechanisms must allow HMI access.

9. Troubleshooting Matrix

10. Best Practices and Field Notes

• Keep the original V13 project file on read-only media. The V13 archive is the legal source of truth for the PLC code; do not let the V15 migration be the only record.
• Document the area pointer DBs in a separate table. When a V13 PLC is later replaced with a spare CPU flashed from the V13 archive, the HMI must still find the same DB numbers. Avoid renumbering during V15 edits.
• Maintain consistent IP addressing. A V15 HMI compile can re-resolve symbolic names but cannot re-validate the IP address at runtime. Hard-code the IP in the connection editor for the first commissioning and verify with ping from the engineering PC.
• For multi-panel installations, confirm that the S7-1200 S7 connection count is not exceeded. Each Comfort panel typically uses 1 (HMI connection) or 2 (HMI + diagnostic) S7 connections. With 8 panels, plus the engineering PG connection, the S7-1200's 16-connection limit is reached quickly; consider an S7-1500 if the network must grow.
• Watch for security settings introduced in S7-1200 firmware V4.x: Permit access with PUT/GET is required for HMI connections not declared inside the project. Inside the same project, the HMI connection is an integrated connection and does not need PUT/GET.
• Never mix two TIA Portal versions editing the same project file. The HMI part can be opened only in V15, the PLC part only in V13. The V15 install will warn or refuse the operation. Open the V13 archive on a separate, V13-only engineering PC for PLC work; use the V15 install for HMI work only.
• Test alarms, recipes, and trends after a panel swap. The HMI compiled at V15 may include new system diagnostics or different system tags that were not present in the original V13 build, even if the configured tags are identical.

11. Frequently Asked Questions