As a junior engineer inheriting a 15-year-old Siemens S7-300 system, what's the most critical documentation I should look for that's probably missing but essential for troubleshooting?

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Hey there! I totally get the challenge of inheriting a legacy S7-300 system. After 15 years, documentation tends to disappear, but here are the most critical pieces you should hunt for that are often missing:

1. Original wiring diagrams and terminal assignments - These are gold! Without them, tracing I/O connections becomes a nightmare. Look for physical prints or digital copies showing how everything is wired.

2. Program backup with comments - The actual STEP 7 project files with programmer comments. Often people only save compiled versions without the source code explanations.

3. Hardware configuration documentation - Details about module types, addresses, and PROFIBUS/MPI network configurations. This is crucial for understanding the system architecture.

4. Maintenance history and change logs - What's been replaced, modified, or repaired over the years. This helps identify recurring issues and previous solutions.

5. Network topology and communication settings - PROFIBUS addresses, baud rates, and network layouts. Communication errors are common in older systems.

Start by checking old filing cabinets, server backups, or asking veteran technicians. If you can't find these, you'll need to reverse-engineer the system - which is doable but time-consuming. Good luck with that legacy beast!

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As a junior engineer inheriting a 15-year-old Siemens S7-300 system, what's the most critical documentation I should look for that's probably missing but essential for troubleshooting?

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