Resolving PLCSIM Advanced ET200SP CPU Module Mismatch Error

1. Problem Description

When attempting to download a TIA Portal V17 (or later) project containing an ET 200SP CPU into S7-PLCSIM Advanced V4.0, the online/offline comparison fails with one of the following diagnostic messages:

• "The existing online module '6ES7 SIM-01500-APLC' is not compatible with the module configured offline '6ES7 512-1SK01-0AB0'. Loading to the target system is not possible."
• "The existing online module 'S29.80' is not compatible with the module configured offline 'V2.8'. Loading to the target system is not possible."

The compile completes without warnings, the PG/PC interface resolves the virtual network adapter, and the Online > Download to device handshake establishes, but TIA Portal blocks the load and refuses to push the user program. The error is identical in PLCSIM Advanced V4.0 through V6.0 when the configuration drift between the TIA Portal project and the running instance is not addressed.

2. Root Cause Analysis

The PLCSIM Advanced virtual PLC is not a generic S7-1500 emulator. Each instance is bound at creation time to a specific CPU firmware and form factor. The SIMATIC S7-PLCSIM Advanced Function Manual defines two relevant object classes that the instance constructor allocates:

The mismatch is therefore a module-class error, not a firmware-version error. The TIA Portal offline project contains a CPU whose article number is decoded as follows:

• 6ES7 512-1SK01-0AB0 = CPU 1512SP-1 PN (ET 200SP, FW 2.8)
• 6ES7 511-1AK01-0AB0 = CPU 1511-1 PN (S7-1500, FW 2.8)

The fourth character of the order number (K vs K followed by PN designator) is the discriminator: ET 200SP CPUs use a SIMATIC ET 200SP module class, while S7-1500 CPUs use a SIMATIC S7-1500 module class. The PLCSIM Advanced instance generated through the Start a new instance dialog defaults to the S7-1500 class when the project type is not changed.

3. Affected Hardware, Firmware, and Software

The CPU MLFB catalogue is published in the Siemens Product Support page for 6ES7512-1SK01-0AB0 and the matching ET 200SP System Manual.

4. Solution: Match the Instance to the Offline Project

4.1 Prerequisites

• Local administrator rights on the engineering workstation.
• PLCSIM Advanced V4.0 SP1 or later installed and licensed.
• TIA Portal project open with the ET 200SP CPU device present in the project tree.
• Hyper-V (Windows 10/11 Pro or Windows Server 2019/2022) enabled, since PLCSIM Advanced V4.0+ runs each instance inside a shielded Hyper-V VM. The Hyper-V feature must be active before launching PLCSIM Advanced Manager.

4.2 Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Close the running PLCSIM Advanced instance that is reporting the mismatch. In the Windows tray, right-click the PLCSIM Advanced icon and select Stop instance, or use the Manage PLCSIM Virtual Machines window.
2. Select the offending instance in the list and click Delete. Confirm the removal. This action cannot be undone; any tags in Monitor & Modify are lost.
3. Open the Start a new instance dialog from the PLCSIM ribbon or the Manager command line:

PS> New-PlcInstance -Name "ET200SP_Project01" \
                    -CpuType "CPU 1512SP-1 PN" \
                    -FirmwareVersion "V2.8" \
                    -Interface "PN/IE_1" \
                    -SubnetId 192.168.0.1

4. In the dialog, click the CPU type drop-down. The available options are filtered to the platform family. Select SIMATIC ET 200SP and then choose the specific CPU (for example, CPU 1512SP-1 PN). Do not leave the selection on the default S7-1500 entry.
5. Set the Firmware version field to match the firmware of the offline CPU. For MLFB 6ES7 512-1SK01-0AB0 the canonical firmware is V2.8; later ET 200SP CPUs (1515SP PC) require V2.9.
6. Assign a free TCP/UDP port and IP address. PLCSIM Advanced creates a virtual switch named PLCSIM; the instance attaches to the switch on the host side as well.
7. Click Start. The instance powers up; the Manage PLCSIM Virtual Machines window reports status Running.
8. Return to TIA Portal, navigate to Project tree > Devices > [CPU] > Online & diagnosis and execute Online > Download to device. The online/offline comparison should now pass: the MLFB of the online module (e.g., 6ES7 SIM-01512-SPLC) matches the configured offline module (6ES7 512-1SK01-0AB0) at the class level.
9. Confirm by opening Online > Go online. The project tree shows the device as online; the diagnostic buffer of the virtual CPU should be empty.

5. PLCSIM Advanced V6.0 Launch Failures on Windows 11

Engineers who upgrade to PLCSIM Advanced V6.0 on Windows 11 Pro (build 26100 or later) sometimes find that the application fails to start at all. Symptoms include:

• Double-clicking the launcher produces no UI and no error message.
• Event Viewer (Applications and Services Log > Siemens > PLCSIM Advanced) records CLR20r3 faulting buckets with System.IO.FileNotFoundException on Siemens.Simatic.Plcsim.Advanced.Manager.dll or System.DllNotFoundException on Vmwp.exe dependencies.
• Hyper-V manager shows the PLCSIM virtual switch was not created.

Perform the following diagnostic sequence before contacting Siemens support:

1. Confirm Windows edition: PLCSIM Advanced V6.0 requires Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education with Hyper-V available. Windows 11 Home is not supported because the Hyper-V platform cannot be installed.
2. Open Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Siemens.Automation.PLCSIMAdvanced. Note the fault offset and the missing assembly.
3. Reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable (x64) and the .NET Desktop Runtime 6.0 (LTS). PLCSIM Advanced V6.0 switched the manager UI to .NET 6.
4. From an elevated PowerShell prompt, repair the Hyper-V feature:

PS> DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V
PS> DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V-Management-PowerShell
PS> Restart-Computer

5. After reboot, launch PLCSIM Advanced Manager as administrator once so the virtual switch is created. Subsequent launches may be performed by the engineer user.
6. If the error persists, capture the file %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\PLCSIMAdvanced\Logs\PLCSIMAdvanced.log and the Event Viewer export. Submit the bundle through the official Siemens Industry Online Support ticket channel.

6. Root-Cause Matrix

7. Commissioning Workflow (Engineer Field Notes)

When bringing a new PLCSIM Advanced environment online for a project that contains ET 200SP CPUs, follow this sequence to avoid the mismatch on the first download:

1. Open the project in TIA Portal, expand Project tree > PLC_1 > Device configuration. Note the CPU article number, firmware, and rack number.
2. Map the MLFB to the PLCSIM Advanced CPU type using the table in the SIMATIC S7-PLCSIM Advanced Function Manual (chapter Supported CPUs and firmware versions). If the article is not in the supported list, upgrade PLCSIM Advanced first.
3. Create a new PLCSIM Advanced instance. Always pick the CPU class from the drop-down; do not accept the default.
4. Configure the TIA Portal PG/PC interface: Control Panel > Set PG/PC interface > PLCSIM (TCP/IP) <-> Virtual Ethernet. The access point should be S7ONLINE.
5. Click Online > Compile and download to device. If a warning Differences in the module list appears, decline Continue anyway and resolve the mismatch first; Continue anyway is the most common reason a partial download corrupts a PLCSIM instance.
6. Once online, verify with Online & diagnosis > Diagnostic buffer. A successful start-up of the virtual CPU produces an entry CPU started: POWER ON, cold start and Initialization complete within 5 seconds.

8. Alternative: Use the CPU 1515SP PC as a Live Instance

For hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test beds, the ET 200SP CPU 1515SP-2 PN can be replaced by a real industrial PC with the CPU 1515SP PC2 software controller. The CPU 1515SP PC2 Function Manual describes how PLCSIM Advanced can simulate the I/O side of the PC station while the PC station itself runs the real-time kernel. This combination bypasses the S7-1500/ET 200SP classification entirely because the instance is created as a PC station, not a rack-mounted CPU.

9. Field-Proven Caveats

• Drop-downs are not retroactive. The instance dialog does not mutate existing VMs. Engineers who only change the CPU type in the dialog without recreating the instance report the same mismatch in the next download attempt.
• Firmware drift is a second mismatch. Even with the correct CPU class, an offline FW 2.9 project cannot load into a FW 2.8 instance. Use Online > Accessible nodes to read the instance firmware before downloading.
• Snapshotting the VM is unsupported. PLCSIM Advanced V4.0 and V5.0 explicitly forbid Hyper-V checkpoints on a running instance. Doing so corrupts the cyclic task image and produces IO controller fault entries on the next start.
• Multiple instances share the same subnet. Running more than one PLCSIM Advanced instance in the same engineer subnet requires distinct IP addresses; otherwise the Online > Accessible nodes discovery becomes ambiguous.
• Windows 11 24H2 Hyper-V changes. Microsoft disabled nested virtualization for Hyper-V on Windows 11 24H2 in some OEM builds. If PLCSIM Advanced V6.0 reports Virtualization infrastructure driver is not running, re-enable Hyper-V Hypervisor and Virtual Machine Platform Windows features.

10. Verification Checklist

11. Related Siemens Documentation

• SIMATIC S7-PLCSIM Advanced Function Manual
• SIMATIC ET 200SP System Manual
• CPU 1512SP-1 PN (6ES7 512-1SK01-0AB0) product support
• CPU 1515SP PC2 Function Manual
• Siemens Industry Online Support (SIOS)

12. Frequently Asked Questions