S7-1200 V3.0 PLCSIM V13 Simulation Not Supported: Complete Fix

Problem Overview

Engineers commissioning or maintaining SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU firmware version 3.0.x or earlier routinely encounter a hard simulation wall when they attempt to bring the project online with S7-PLCSIM V13 inside TIA Portal V13 SP1. The simulator launches, no IP address is shown for the simulated instance, the PG/PC Interface dropdown empties as soon as PLCSIM is started, and Go online fails. The same configuration will compile, download to a physical CPU, and execute correctly, which makes the failure particularly confusing for first-time users of the TIA Portal V13 toolchain.

This article codifies the root cause, isolates the affected firmware matrix, and documents the two supported recovery paths: upgrading the project CPU firmware to V4.0 and migrating the simulation environment to S7-PLCSIM Advanced.

Compatibility Matrix

Root Cause Analysis

The PLCSIM V13 instance is bound at compile time to the system data blocks and organization blocks shipped with the CPU firmware image. S7-1200 firmware V3.0.x uses the pre-4.0 system data (SDBs 0..999 generated against the V3 instruction set, the V3 web server template, and the V3 syslog layout). PLCSIM V13 cannot emulate the V3 SDB set because the S7-1200/1500 common runtime introduced in V4.0 added new SDB classes, modified OB1 priority handling, and changed the PROFINET IO controller state machine.

When a V3.0 project is opened in TIA Portal V13 SP1 and the engineer clicks Start simulation, TIA Portal launches the PLCSIM V13 process (PlcSimPlus32.exe) and assigns a virtual PROFINET interface. The instance then attempts to load the SDB image of the configured CPU. If the firmware tag in the device configuration is still V3.0, the load fails silently and the simulated interface stops advertising an IP address, which is why the PG/PC Interface dropdown shows no PLCSIM entry.

Symptom Catalog

Five distinct symptoms have been observed in the field for this root cause. Treat them as a single fault until proven otherwise.

1. Empty PG/PC Interface dropdown. When the S7-PLCSIM V13 process is started, all PN/IE and TCP/IP adapters disappear from the Set PG/PC Interface dialog. They reappear only when PLCSIM is closed.
2. No virtual IP on the PLCSIM instance. The PLCSIM instance window shows a blank address field; the PROFINET device is unreachable via the TIA Online > Accessible nodes browse.
3. "No IP address" diagnostic event in the TIA Portal Diagnostics buffer with entry text The PLCSIM instance did not start a network adapter.
4. Repair / reinstall of PLCSIM V13 has no effect. The installer reports Repaired and the catalog still reads V13.00.01.00_25.01.00.01, confirming the software is healthy.
5. Project-level Compile and download to device returns a generic Internal error (0xE0FFFE0A) before any block is transferred.

Software Component Prerequisites

For PLCSIM V13 SP1 to start at all, the workstation must contain a coherent TIA Portal V13 SP1 toolchain. The catalog published by the Siemens Automation Software Installer is the authoritative reference. A working baseline that reproduces the symptoms reported in the field is shown below.

If any component is missing, install the missing package through the TIA Automation Software Installer, restart the PC, and clear C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Siemens\Automation\PlcSimPlus32\*.log before retrying.

Solution Path A — Upgrade the Project to S7-1200 Firmware V4.0

For most engineering teams this is the recommended path. It preserves the existing TIA Portal V13 SP1 toolchain and avoids a parallel installation of PLCSIM Advanced.

Step 1 — Pre-flight

1. Open the project in TIA Portal V13 SP1 Update 3 or later.
2. Open Project tree > PLC_1 > Device configuration.
3. Record the CPU order number (for example 6ES7214-1BE30-0XB0) and the article number of every connected IM/SM/SB/CB module.
4. Confirm the project has been archived: Project > Archive > Save as archived project.

Step 2 — Re-detect the CPU

1. Right-click the PLC_1 device and select Change device.
2. Browse to the same order number, but pick a firmware row with V4.0 or later (TIA Portal lists both firmware columns).
3. Confirm the dialog. TIA will translate the system data, SDBs, and OB interfaces to the V4.0 schema automatically.

Step 3 — Cross-load block-level code

If the change device dialog refuses certain V3-only blocks (for example legacy PID blocks that were deprecated between V3 and V4), copy the user blocks from the archived V3 project into a parallel V4.0 project using drag and drop inside the project tree. Recommended transfer direction is V3 → V4, not the reverse, because the V4 toolchain is the future target.

Step 4 — Compile and start PLCSIM

1. PLC > Compile > Software (rebuild all blocks).
2. Online > Simulation > Start. TIA Portal will launch PlcSimPlus32.exe and assign a virtual IP in the 192.168.0.x range.
3. Confirm the PG/PC Interface dropdown now lists PLCSIM S7-1200/S7-1500.
4. Click Go online; the connection should establish within 3 s.

Solution Path B — Migrate to S7-PLCSIM Advanced

PLCSIM Advanced is the modern virtual commissioning target for S7-1200 and S7-1500 projects. It runs as a Windows service, supports multiple simulated instances on a single PC, exposes a TCP/IP API (default port 102 + a control API on port 4410 for V2.x and later), and simulates S7-1200 firmware V4.2 through V4.6 (Advanced V4/V5) and the S7-1500 V2.9 line. It is the only path available to teams that must keep the production CPU on firmware V3.0 because the field equipment is approved against that firmware revision.

Installation prerequisites

Bring up the first simulated instance

1. Install PLCSIM Advanced. Launch Siemens S7-PLCSIM Advanced from the Start menu as administrator.
2. Open a TIA Portal project with the original V3.0 CPU; if the project cannot be opened in TIA V15.1+, first convert it with Project > Migrate project from TIA V14 SP1 or V15.
3. In PLCSIM Advanced, click Start Virtual CPU. The default instance is CPU-1.
4. Use the S7PlcSimX.exe -api command line interface or the PLCSIM Advanced UI to set the virtual IP (e.g. 192.168.0.10) and PROFINET device name.
5. In TIA Portal, switch the PG/PC Interface to PLCSIM Advanced or to the NIC that the virtual CPU is bound to, and Go online.

PG/PC Interface Drops When PLCSIM Starts — Diagnostic Procedure

When the PG/PC Interface list empties the moment S7-PLCSIM V13 is launched, follow this procedure before assuming the install is corrupt.

1. Close TIA Portal and PLCSIM.
2. Open Set PG/PC Interface from the Windows Control Panel (Control Panel → Siemens Automation → Set PG/PC Interface). Verify at least one PN/IE entry is present.
3. Open Online Access in the TIA project tree and confirm the PLCSIM S7-1200/S7-1500 node is listed with a virtual NIC icon.
4. Re-open the project and start PLCSIM from Online > Simulation > Start, not by launching the PLCSIM executable directly. Starting PLCSIM externally registers a different Windows SID and breaks the inter-process handshake with TIA Portal.
5. If the interface list still empties, run the TIA Portal Repair installation routine and apply any outstanding Hotfix. PLCSIM V13 Update 4 (V13.00.01.04) contains the official fix for the lost-interface regression and is required when running on Windows 10 1709 or later.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Verification

After applying either solution, run the following verification steps in order.

1. Online > Accessible nodes: the simulated CPU must respond to DCP identify with the configured PROFINET name and a non-zero IP within 5 s.
2. Force a value in the VAT Force table: the value must appear in the PLCSIM instance tag list and update the corresponding DB bit within one OB1 cycle (typically 10-100 ms depending on the configured cycle time).
3. Trigger a Read / Write clock memory diagnostic: the heartbeat bit must toggle in PLCSIM at the configured frequency (1.0 Hz for M0.5 by default).
4. Open the Diagnostics buffer and confirm the entry CPU in RUN appears within 10 s of Go online.
5. For PLCSIM Advanced, validate the S7PlcSimX.exe -status -instance CPU-1 command-line return value is RUN.

Edge Cases and Field Notes

• 32-bit Windows 7 SP1 is still supported by PLCSIM V13 SP1 even though the upgrade prompts for a 64-bit OS. The PG/PC interface regression in 32-bit was fixed in PLCSIM V13 Update 3.
• Licensing: PLCSIM V13 does not consume a separate runtime license when the project is started from TIA Portal; the floating TIA Portal license covers it. PLCSIM Advanced requires a standalone SIMATIC S7-PLCSIM Advanced license, order number 6ES7823-1FA00-0YA5 (V2.x) and the equivalent entries for V4/V5/V6.
• Multiple instances: PLCSIM V13 supports exactly one instance per TIA Portal session. PLCSIM Advanced supports up to 16 instances depending on the version and the workstation's CPU/memory budget.
• F-CPU: S7-1200 F-CPUs (e.g. CPU 1214FC) require PLCSIM Advanced; PLCSIM V13 does not emulate the safety runtime.
• Force values in PLCSIM differ from physical CPU behavior: the Force operation locks the address even if the program writes to it, and the lock survives a PLCSIM Stop → Run cycle. Clear the force job before trusting test results.
• OD (Object Dictionary) clients (e.g. OPC UA servers built on the OPC UA server interface of the S7-1500) are simulated only by PLCSIM Advanced V3.0 and later; PLCSIM V13 SP1 will return a protocol error on the first OPC UA Hello.

FAQ