Resolving S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN Firmware V2.1 Missing in TIA V14

Problem Overview

When commissioning, retrofitting, or maintaining a SIMATIC S7-1500 station, the engineer frequently encounters an offline/online firmware mismatch between the project and the physical CPU. A typical field case involves the 6ES7 513-1AL01-0AB0 (SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN) running firmware V2.1 online while the offline project in TIA Portal V14 still references V2.0. Attempting to download modified logic results in the following class of error displayed by TIA Portal:

• "The online connection to the target device could not be established." (only when the project cannot be compiled against the device descriptor).
• "The firmware version of the configured device does not match the firmware version of the connected device."
• "Download to device failed — firmware of the CPU differs from the project."
• Device configuration greyed out: no matching device in the hardware catalogue.

The engineer must then either downgrade the PLC firmware (loss of bug fixes, security patches, and possibly project functionality) or update the engineering software so that the V2.1 device descriptor is added to the catalogue. The correct path is the latter.

Affected Hardware and Software

The same symptom class appears for any S7-1500 CPU whose firmware release post-dates the TIA Portal base release: CPU 1511-1 PN (6ES7 511-1AK01-0AB0), CPU 1513-2 PN (6ES7 513-2AL00-0AB0), CPU 1515-2 PN (6ES7 515-2AM01-0AB0), CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6ES7 516-3AN01-0AB0), and the F-variant CPUs.

Root Cause Analysis

STEP 7 / TIA Portal versions ship with a frozen set of device descriptors (the contents of the hardware catalogue under Controllers → SIMATIC S7-1500 → CPU). Each descriptor binds a specific article number to a specific firmware version. When a CPU ships from the factory with a newer firmware, Siemens distributes the matching descriptor through:

1. Service Packs (SP) for TIA Portal (e.g., V14 SP1).
2. Updates layered on top of SPs (e.g., V14 SP1 Update 5, Update 6, Update 7, ...).
3. Hardware Support Packages (HSP) — installable ZIP/EXE add-ons that extend the catalogue independently of the main installer.

For firmware V2.1 of the 6ES7 513-1AL01-0AB0, the descriptor is shipped within TIA Portal V14 SP1 Update 7 (released 2017). Installing only HSPs without first installing the SP will not work in this case, because V14 base does not contain the prerequisite device framework expected by the V2.1 HSP. The engineer must therefore install the SP first, then apply the latest cumulative update via the TIA Updater.

Solution: Update TIA Portal V14 to V14 SP1 + Update 7 or Later

The verified fix is to upgrade the engineering environment to TIA Portal V14 SP1 Update 7 (or any later V14 SP1 update level, since subsequent updates are cumulative and re-include the V2.1 support). The upgrade is non-destructive to existing projects — V14 SP1 opens V14 projects without conversion, and the resulting TIA Portal V14 SP1 project remains backward compatible with a V14 base runtime.

Software packages required

• STEP 7 V14 SP1 / WinCC V14 SP1 — delivery release (Siemens Support entry ID 109745611).
• STEP 7 / WinCC in the TIA Portal V14 SP1 — updates overview (Siemens Support entry ID 109751848). Provides the cumulative Update 1 through Update 9 train.
• TIA Updater — automatic update tool description (Siemens Support entry ID 109769128).

The TIA Updater is the recommended installation vehicle because it resolves dependencies between STEP 7, WinCC, Startdrive, Safety, PLCSIM, and any installed options in one pass. Manual sequential installation also works, but requires the engineer to maintain install order.

Alternative Path: Manual HSP Installation

If a full SP cannot be installed (locked-down image, no internet, license constraint), the engineer can install the matching HSP manually. For TIA Portal V14 base, however, the V2.1 HSP for the 6ES7 513-1AL01-0AB0 is not available as a standalone descriptor — it is bundled with V14 SP1. Confirm the prerequisite by checking the HSP readme: any HSP published after 2016 for an S7-1500 CPU with V2.x firmware lists "STEP 7 V14 SP1 or higher" as a prerequisite. If only V14 base is present, the HSP installer will refuse to proceed.

HSPs are delivered from the same Siemens Support page used for TIA Portal updates. Use the menu path Support → Automation Technology → Automation Systems → SIMATIC Industrial Automation Systems → Software STEP 7 / TIA Portal and filter by HSP.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Verify the online CPU firmware. Connect the engineering PC to the PROFINET interface X1 of the CPU 1513-1 PN. In TIA Portal V14, select Online → Accessible devices. The CPU's MLFB (6ES7 513-1AL01-0AB0) and firmware version (V2.1.0) appear under Online → Diagnostics → Device Information. Record the exact firmware string.
2. Close all TIA Portal instances. The TIA Updater requires an exclusive lock on the installation directories.
3. Launch the TIA Updater. It is installed alongside STEP 7 at C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\TIA Updater\TIAUpdater.exe. Select Search for updates online (requires Siemens Support account) or point it at a local repository.
4. Select STEP 7 V14 SP1. Confirm all dependent packages (WinCC V14 SP1, Startdrive V14 SP1, Safety V14 SP1, PLCSIM V14 SP1) are flagged for installation.
5. Apply Update 7 (or the latest available). The updater installs the SP first, then layers the chosen update level. Total time on a typical engineering laptop is 45–90 minutes.
6. Restart the PC. Several DLLs (s7oiehsx.dll, TIAAdmin.exe) are replaced during the SP install and require a reboot before the new catalogue is registered.
7. Open the project in TIA Portal V14 SP1. The header bar will read STEP 7 V14 SP1. The project conversion wizard appears only if the project uses V14-specific features removed in SP1 — for plain ladder/FBD/SCL/GRAPH blocks no conversion is required.
8. Update the device configuration. In the project tree, right-click the CPU 1513-1 PN and select Change device → SIMATIC S7-1500 → CPU → CPU 1513-1 PN → 6ES7 513-1AL01-0AB0 → V2.1. Confirm with Replace.
9. Compile the project (Project → Compile → All (rebuild)). Verify that no new warnings related to firmware compatibility appear.
10. Download to device. Use Online → Download to device. Select the PG/PC interface, the subnet, and the target CPU. Confirm the firmware version mismatch warning is no longer present.

Verification

After the SP1 update and project recompile, verify with the following checks:

1. Catalogue entry visible. In the hardware catalogue, navigate to Controllers → SIMATIC S7-1500 → CPU → CPU 1513-1 PN → 6ES7 513-1AL01-0AB0. The version dropdown now lists 2.0, 2.1, and any later V2.x versions distributed through the update.
2. Offline/online compare. Right-click the CPU in the project tree → Compare → Offline/online. The result window must show Identical for the device configuration node, with no firmware-version delta highlighted in red.
3. Diagnostic buffer clean. In Online → Diagnostics → Diagnostic buffer, the most recent entry must be the successful STOP→RUN transition triggered by the download. No "Firmware update failed" or "Module parameter assignment error" entries should be present.
4. Web server reachable. Open http://<CPU-IP>/ in a browser. The Module Information → Firmware tile displays V2.1.0 and the engineering TIA Portal version V14 SP1 Update 7.
5. Download counter increment. Online → Diagnostics → Device Information → Download counter shows +1 versus the value recorded in step 1 of the procedure.

Avoiding PLC Firmware Downgrade

It is technically possible to downgrade an S7-1500 CPU from V2.1 to V2.0 using the SIMATIC Automation Tool or the Web server's Module Information → Firmware update page, but this is the wrong path when the on-site process has been running on V2.1. The risk surface includes:

• Retentive data. S7-1500 firmware updates can change the layout of Retain and Persistent memory areas. The CPU will prompt "Retentive data will be deleted" if the layout differs.
• Security.
V2.1 introduced Integrity Protection configuration signing; downgrading removes this protection.
• PROFINET. V2.1 fixed several PROFINET conformance bugs against IO controllers of class C; reverting can re-introduce reconnection storms.
• Trace and CPU web APIs. Trace recording and the OPC UA server (where licensed) have richer schemas in V2.1.

CPU 1513-1 PN Reference Data

For the broader S7-1500 CPU family, the same "missing V2.x descriptor" pattern applies — always verify the article-number/firmware-version combination against the TIA Portal release notes before assuming the catalogue is wrong.

Firmware ↔ TIA Portal Compatibility Matrix (excerpt)

This matrix is conservative — Siemens publishes a cumulative "TIA Portal Vxx — which firmware is supported" table inside the support entry for each service pack. Use it as the canonical reference when adding new CPUs to an existing project.

Diagnostic Decision Tree

Field Commissioning Tips

• Image standardization. In machine-builder organizations, lock the engineering image to a single TIA Portal update level (e.g., V14 SP1 Update 9). Document the level in the machine's functional specification. This eliminates firmware descriptor drift between engineering offices.
• Project audit. Use TIA Portal's Project → Properties → Protection & Security → Integrity to embed the TIA Portal version and target firmware in the project header. This makes "which build was this?" unambiguous.
• Backup strategy. Always capture an Online backup (.s7pbk) of the running PLC before any project edit. The backup records the live firmware and serves as the rollback reference.
• PROFINET topology. When changing the device version, TIA Portal may regenerate the port interconnection table. Verify all PROFINET port neighbours against the as-built topology before downloading.
• Multi-project impacts. In a multi-project environment, every sub-project must use a compatible TIA Portal level. If one sub-project remains on V14 base while the rest moves to V14 SP1, opening the master project will silently upgrade all sub-projects. Coordinate with the team lead before applying the SP1 upgrade.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Frequently Asked Questions