Plc5/25

Hi there, I just bought a PLC 5/25 with rack and cards. I am a student in PLC's and am going to hook this up at home but, I cant find out the link it uses between my PC and the processor. I was just wondering if it uses a normal connection or an eithernet cable. I am waiting for it to arrive and want to make sure I have the right wires to hook it up. Any help would be great. Thanks

That connector only looks like RS-232; it's actually "Peer Communication Link" (PCL), also known as Data Highway Plus.

The interface cards aren't cheap; a card for your laptop is about $1400 and for your desktop about the same. The RS-232 serial interface box, called the 1770-KF2, costs about $3000 !

That's one of the reasons why the newer PLC-5's have RS-232 ports on them: the cost to simply download a program to the old controllers is prohibitive for simple maintenance tasks.

If you bought that thing surplus, you're going to also want to search for 1784-KT/B or 1784-KTX cards (and be sure your PC has an ISA slot available).

What are you going to use for programming software ?

Thanks for the speedy reply Ken, we use RS logix5 for our programing software. If I find a A/B PLC5/11, 5/20 or 5/30, can run a simple cord from my PC? Or another processor that uses an eithernet cable? I am not lookin to spend all that cash for a connection. Thanks

You will need to purchase software, ie; 6200 or RSLogix5 and you could use a 1784-PCMK card (PCMCIA) with a 1784-PCM5 cable. Also if you use the PCMCIA sockets on your laptop you will need card & Socket service software, if it didn't come with your laptop, Allen-Bradley sells Cardware but you can get Cardsoft on the Internet for free.

Bottom line is you are not going to get away with just hooking a wire from your laptop to the PLC, you will need to invest in software. If you intend on using Ethernet with a PLC-5/25 you will need to spend more bucks to buy the Ethernet card, you certainly do not need Ethernet to program any PLC, Ethernet or no Ethernet you still need the correct software. Ken is correct, the 9 pin D shell connector on the front of the PLC-5/25 is Data Highway Plus and the two connectors below the 9 pin are Data Highway Plus and Remote I/O. You can program through either of the Data Highway connections you just need to make your own cable end to use the three pin (typically used for communications)

Roger

If you get your hands on a "New Platform" PLC-5 (model 5/11, 5/20, 5/30, 5/40, 5/60 or 5/80) you will be able to use a simple 'null modem' cable with a DB9S connector on one side and a DB25P connector on the other. The New Platform PLC-5's all have this DF1 protocol RS-232 port that makes it easy to connect and download programs from a PC using just RSLinx Lite software (included with RSLogix 5).

There's an A-B part number for this cable; 1784-CP10. You can also use any general-purpose null modem cable and a 9/25 pin adapter.

Ethernet

zxninja

You can program over Ethernet but you need a Ethernet card for your laptop and a Ethernet card for your PLC-5/25. Much cheaper to do it via DH+. Allen-Bradley Ethernet Processors will end with "e", for example they have the PLC-5/20 and the PLC-5/20e, PLC-5/40 and the PLC-5/40e, and so on. If you have a PLC-5/25, 5/20, 5/30, etc.... then you will need to buy the Ethernet card for your chassis.
"e"= Ethernet for A-B PLCs. "e"= Enhanced for standard PanelViews.

Roger

If you have an ISA slot on your PC this is the way to go. Buy a used interface from ebay. I saw one for sale with a 25pin to 3 wire DH+ adapter. It looks like a good deal. This will save you trying to find a cable and just use 9463 Blue hose.

http://cq-search.ebay.com/search/se...t&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=1784-K*

Ethernet caveat:

Beware, Roger; that Ethernet 'Sidecar' only works with New Platform PLC-5's like the 5/20 and 5/40. It won't work with "Classics" like the PLC-5/15 and PLC-5/25.

(and no, I don't know why a 5/20 is newer than a 5/25).

Ken

All the years I used the 5/25 and I never realized it wouldn't work with the Ethernet module. I never had an occasion or a need to use the 5/25 with Ethernet so I never gave it any thought. When the opportunity came to use fiber optics and Ethernet I had started using the newer PLC-5 family and never gave the 5/25 a thought.

Thanks Ken
Roger

Ethernet

zxninja

I gave you some bum information when I included the PLC-5/25 in the PLCs which can use the Ethernet module. Ken brought it to my attention.

Roger

WOW, $25 for a ktx card..I dont think I will attempt to sell mine anytime soon. I did sell one on ebay but not anywhere near that price.