LOGO! Access Tool: Install, Configure, and Log Data in Excel

The Siemens LOGO! Access Tool is a Microsoft Excel add-in that streams live and historical data from a LOGO! Base Module into a worksheet for analysis, logging, and reporting. Engineers building small dashboards, energy logs, classroom demonstrators, and quick field-service diagnostics use the Access Tool because the standard LOGO! Soft Comfort environment is focused on program development, not continuous data export. This guide explains what the Access Tool is, why the public Siemens download link often returns a missing-page error and how to work around that, how to install the add-in, how to configure the HTTP or HTTPS connection to the Base Module, and how to set the data synchronization period and history display for production use. A full troubleshooting matrix and a field commissioning checklist are included for engineers who need to deploy the tool on a real plant network.

Overview and Purpose

LOGO! is the Siemens entry-level logic module family for small automation tasks. The Base Module runs a stored circuit program and exposes live variable values over its Ethernet port, including digital I/O states, analog inputs, function block outputs, and shift register flags. The Access Tool bridges that process data to Microsoft Excel, turning the spreadsheet into a lightweight HMI or data logger. Because Excel is widely available, the Access Tool is frequently selected for student projects, lab demonstrations, building automation pilots, and rapid field service diagnostics where deploying a full SCADA package would be excessive.

The Access Tool differs from LOGO! Soft Comfort in three important ways. First, Soft Comfort is the engineering tool used to write, simulate, and download the circuit program; the Access Tool is a runtime data consumer that does not edit the program. Second, Soft Comfort communicates with the Base Module over a proprietary protocol, while the Access Tool talks standard HTTP and HTTPS to the Base Module's built-in web server, using the variable path exposed on the LOGO! web interface. Third, the Access Tool is delivered as an Office add-in rather than a stand-alone executable, so it inherits Excel's chart, formula, conditional formatting, and macro capabilities for downstream analysis.

For the latest LOGO! software portfolio, including LOGO! Soft Comfort V9 and the LOGO! Web Editor, see the official Siemens LOGO! Software product page. The bundled documentation set for the Access Tool itself is published as the LOGO! Access Tool Help (PDF), which describes the add-in, its HTTP/HTTPS connection, the data synchronization period, and the show-history data feature.

Why the Public Siemens Download Link Returns "Entry Not Found"

The most common obstacle reported by first-time users is a Siemens Industry Online Support page that returns the message "The desired entry could not be found. You tried to access a document that is temporarily not part of our offer." This response is not a user error. The Siemens Support portal periodically reorganizes article IDs and attachment paths, leaving pages that look identical to the original but return a 404-equivalent response on entries that have not been retired by name. Because Siemens pages frequently host multiple downloads under a single article, even a working parent article can show a broken child attachment, and the portal does not always redirect callers to the new location.

Two facts matter for the engineer trying to recover the install package. The first is that the Access Tool is officially supported, so the binary is preserved somewhere in the support hierarchy. The second is that direct user-to-user redistribution of the ZIP, even when the recipient has a valid license, raises questions about export-control and EULA compliance. The supported route is therefore to pull the package from a current Siemens Support entry ID, request the file from the regional Siemens distributor, or install the tool from a current LOGO! Soft Comfort installation that bundles it.

Prerequisites

Confirm the following items are in place before starting the installation:

• LOGO! Base Module with Ethernet: An Ethernet-equipped LOGO! 8 or LOGO! 8.3 Base Module. Modules without an Ethernet port cannot be used with the Access Tool because the data path is the Base Module's web server.
• LOGO! Soft Comfort installed locally: Soft Comfort V8.0 or later is recommended, because the Access Tool depends on shared runtime components that Soft Comfort registers during its own setup.
• Microsoft Excel desktop edition: Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, or Microsoft 365 on Windows. The add-in uses Office JavaScript and COM components that require a desktop installation of Excel. Excel for the web and Excel for Mac do not load the Access Tool.
• Network reachability between PC and Base Module: Either a direct Ethernet connection or a shared switch. Default Base Module IP is 192.168.0.10, subnet mask 255.255.255.0. The PC must be on the same subnet or routed to it.
• User access to the Base Module's web server: In LOGO! Soft Comfort, navigate to Tools → Ethernet Connections and confirm that web server access is enabled and that the operator password is known if a non-default password has been set.
• Administrator rights on the PC: Required for the add-in registration and for installing the Siemens certificate chain.

Obtaining the Access Tool Package

Follow this procedure to obtain a legitimate copy of LOGO! Access Tool without resorting to unsupported channels:

1. Open the official Siemens LOGO! Software product page and locate the "LOGO! Access Tool" entry under the downloads section. The product page is updated more frequently than the article attachments, so it is the most reliable index when an attachment path has been moved.
2. If the Siemens Industry Online Support entry returns a missing-page error, capture the URL of the broken page, then use the support portal's search box with the exact phrase "LOGO! Access Tool" to surface the current article ID. Article IDs migrate when Siemens consolidates support entries.
3. Open a Support Request through the regional Siemens support channel and reference the article ID and the broken URL. Provide the Base Module order number (for example, 6ED1052-1MD08-0BA1) to confirm tool compatibility, since the Access Tool is paired with a specific Base Module family.
4. When reinstalling LOGO! Soft Comfort, choose the "Custom" install path and enable the LOGO! Access Tool feature in the feature tree. Recent Soft Comfort builds bundle the Access Tool install package and register it with the Office add-in store during the same transaction.
5. Verify the downloaded ZIP against any hash published in the Siemens download portal. A mismatch indicates a corrupted or modified package; delete the file and re-request from support.

Installing the Excel Add-in

Once the package is on disk, install it in the following sequence:

1. Close every running instance of Excel. The add-in registers COM components that Excel locks while open.
2. Run the Access Tool installer (typically LogoAccessTool_Setup.exe) as administrator. Accept the EULA, which grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable license tied to the PC's Siemens license container.
3. During installation, the wizard prompts for the target Office version. Select the bitness that matches your Excel installation: 32-bit Excel requires the 32-bit add-in even on 64-bit Windows. Mismatched bitness produces the symptom that the Access Tool ribbon tab is missing after the next Excel launch.
4. The installer registers the add-in with Office. Launch Excel and open File → Options → Add-ins. Confirm that "Siemens LOGO! Access Tool" appears in the Active Application Add-ins list. If it appears in the Disabled list, click Manage: Disabled Items → Go and enable it.
5. If the LOGO! ribbon tab is still not visible, re-register the Access Tool COM components from an elevated command prompt using the regsvr32 command against the installed add-in DLL, then reopen Excel.

Configuring the Connection to the LOGO! Base Module

The Access Tool connects to the Base Module through the same web server that a browser uses to view the LOGO! status page. Both HTTP and HTTPS are supported. HTTP is appropriate for trusted lab networks, while HTTPS is required whenever the Access Tool runs across a routed network or a VPN, or whenever the operator password is in use.

Default connection parameters:

To set the connection in the Access Tool:

1. Open Excel and click the LOGO! ribbon tab added by the add-in.
2. Click Connection → New and enter the IP address of the Base Module.
3. Select the transport: HTTP for plain, HTTPS for encrypted. When HTTPS is selected, the first connection triggers a certificate prompt. Accept the certificate permanently and store it in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store if the Base Module uses a self-signed certificate issued by the project.
4. Enter the web user credentials. If the Base Module has an operator password configured, the Access Tool uses the same credential set; the tool does not store credentials in plain text on disk.
5. Click Test. A successful test returns the Base Module firmware version and order number in the dialog. A failed test returns an error code that maps to the troubleshooting matrix later in this article.
6. Click Save. The connection profile is stored in the user's AppData folder under a Siemens-specific subfolder.

Mapping Variables into the Worksheet

Once the connection is live, the Access Tool exposes the Base Module's variable set. The variables are the same names visible in LOGO! Soft Comfort's tag list. To bind variables to cells:

1. Select a target cell, for example B2.
2. Click Insert Variable on the LOGO! ribbon. The variable browser opens and shows the Base Module's program in a tree view: digital inputs (I1, I2, ...), digital outputs (Q1, Q2, ...), analog inputs (AI1 ... AI8), analog outputs (AQ1, AQ2), function block outputs (B001, B002, ...), and shift register bits (S1.1 ... S8.8).
3. Select the desired tag and confirm. The Access Tool writes the formula =LOGO!AI1 into the cell. The leading LOGO! namespace is required and tells the add-in which connection profile supplies the value.
4. Drag the fill handle to replicate the formula across rows or columns. Each replicated cell updates independently because the add-in resolves the tag name from the relative formula at refresh time.
5. Use Excel's Define Name to assign meaningful aliases such as BoilerTemp to the LOGO! formula for clarity in formulas and charts.

Variables that are not currently used in the running circuit program return zero rather than an error, so the worksheet will not show #N/A for unconfigured tags. This is useful when scaffolding a dashboard before the circuit program is finalized.

Setting the Data Synchronization Period

The Access Tool refreshes cell values at a configurable interval called the synchronization period, as documented in the LOGO! Access Tool Help (PDF). The period balances responsiveness against Base Module and network load. To configure it:

1. On the LOGO! ribbon, click Settings → Sync Period.
2. Enter a value in seconds. The minimum period is 1 second; the practical minimum depends on the number of bound cells. Each refresh cycle is one HTTP request per profile, regardless of the number of bound variables, but the response payload scales with the variable count.
3. Click Apply. The change takes effect on the next refresh tick.

Recommended periods by application:

Logging and History Display

Two related functions turn the Access Tool from a live dashboard into a data logger.

Show History Data

When the Show History toggle is enabled, the Access Tool appends each refresh tick to a hidden worksheet inside the active workbook. The log records the timestamp, the connection profile, and every bound variable's value at that tick. The hidden sheet can be unhidden via Format → Sheet → Unhide for ad-hoc analysis, or referenced by Excel formulas, Power Query, or Power BI for downstream reporting. To prevent the workbook from ballooning, set a row cap in the Access Tool settings; the add-in rolls the log in a ring buffer once the cap is reached.

Show History Chart

The Show History Chart toggle binds a chart object on the active worksheet to the live history data. The chart updates on each refresh and is the simplest way to render a trend of a single analog value without writing VBA. Combine it with Excel's Camera tool to project the trend onto a custom dashboard layout for a print-friendly operator panel.

Working with HTTPS and Certificates

Switching the connection to HTTPS in the Access Tool provides confidentiality for credentials and process data, but introduces a certificate management step:

1. Generate or import a Base Module certificate through Soft Comfort Tools → Web Server → Certificate. Self-signed certificates work for closed networks; for routed deployments, request a certificate from an enterprise CA.
2. Export the certificate (including the private key if the Base Module will reuse it across firmware updates) and store it in Personal → Certificates on the PC.
3. For self-signed certificates, add the issuing CA to Trusted Root Certification Authorities on the PC. For enterprise CA certificates, ensure the PC is joined to the domain that publishes the CA chain.
4. Test the HTTPS connection from a browser first. If the browser returns a certificate error, the Access Tool will also fail; fix the certificate chain before debugging the add-in.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Alternatives and Adjacent Tools

When the Access Tool is unavailable or unsuitable, the same data is reachable through other paths:

• LOGO! Web Editor (LWE): A browser-based dashboard served by the Base Module itself. No Excel required. Limited to a fixed set of widget types but suitable for operator panels on any device with a browser.
• LOGO! Soft Comfort online mode: Shows live values inside the programming environment. Useful for commissioning, not for long-term logging.
• LOGO! Base Module S7 protocol over TCP: An S7-compatible server is enabled on Ethernet-equipped Base Modules. Any S7 client (LibNoDave, Snap7, the Python snap7 package, or a WinCC flexible PC runtime) can poll variables at higher rates than the Access Tool's HTTP path and is documented alongside the rest of the LOGO! Software stack.
• Custom Python script against the LOGO! web server: For data scientists and students who need a CSV pipeline without Excel. The same HTTP endpoint that the Access Tool uses is accessible through the standard requests library.

For developers who want to skip Excel entirely, the same variable set is also exposed through the Base Module's S7-200-compatible fetch/write protocol on TCP port 102 (when enabled), which gives sub-second update rates on a LAN and is well documented in the LOGO! Communication modules manuals on the Siemens LOGO! Software portal.

Field Commissioning Checklist

Run through this list before handing the Access Tool workbook to the end user:

1. Change the default WEBUSER password from "LOGO" to a strong value; record it in the plant password vault.
2. Enable HTTPS and install a CA-signed certificate if the workbook will run on a routed network.
3. Lock the Base Module's Ethernet settings so that a Soft Comfort upload cannot change the IP address in production.
4. Set the data synchronization period to the slowest value that meets the reporting requirement; document the value in the workbook header.
5. Configure the history log with a Max Rows value sized to keep the workbook under 50 MB; larger workbooks slow Excel on older PCs.
6. Set Excel to Calculation: Automatic and Save AutoRecover info every 1 minute; the Access Tool does not recover from a workbook crash mid-refresh.
7. Export a sample workbook to PDF as a layout reference for the operator panel.
8. Document the connection profile location (the AppData subfolder used by the Access Tool) so that a PC swap can be done by copying the profile file rather than re-entering the IP and credentials.
9. Test the workbook on the target PC with the production user account, because Excel trusts the user profile store, not the administrator's profile.
10. Schedule a periodic re-validation of the HTTPS certificate expiration date; Access Tool sessions break silently when the Base Module certificate expires.

FAQ