Old SLC150 Software

HELP! I have a software package labeled PCIS that is used to communicate to an AB SLC150 processor. I desperately need manuals or some kind of menu help with this software. The snobs at Rockwell can only give me excuses (a major reason we try not to use them). Any help appreciated.

Kent Swaim

Odd, but this was just discussed in the thread on a washing machine sequence. It referenced this past thread for links to the software and manuals.

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showpost.php?p=199773&postcount=9

Yes, I did view the previous posts. The cat. number of the manual I need is 1745-825. It is the manual for the software itself.

EKSwaim said:

HELP! I have a software package labeled PCIS that is used to communicate to an AB SLC150 processor. I desperately need manuals or some kind of menu help with this software. The snobs at Rockwell can only give me excuses (a major reason we try not to use them). Any help appreciated.

Kent Swaim

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Not sure why they have to be snobs because they do not provide support for a discontinued product. How many 20 year old products no longer made would you expect companies to bend over backwards to provide anything for?

We have a process dumped in our lap from another building. No information. Process goes down. Customers threatening fines and other ugly stuff. Call Rockwell support. Their answer "Not our problem". Their answer is true. But not what I am accustomed to from other vendors who will bend over backward to at least send us a PDF of some obsoleted products EVEN THOUGH they don't support it anymore. To me, in my opinion, that attitude is born of snobishness. An attitude that suggest they don't need me. Have done tech support through many other vendors, all, with out exception, ALL have given the impression that my problem is their problem.

At least Rockwell still offers the manuals online and they made the software free. There are plenty of other manufactureres who won't even do that much.


You will need a 1745-PCC interface converter to connect to the SLC 100/150 PLC. And DOS. PICS will run under Windows, but it won't communicate under Windows. PCIS used direct access to the serial port, something that the Windows OS, nor any other modern OS such as Linux or OS X, will not allow to happen. If you don't have the interace and are not running under DOS then it will cost you less money to swap out the SLC100 for a Micrologix1000 than it will cost you to get the right set up.

As far as the menus of PCIS are concerned, they are a piece of cake. Its not difficult. Your funciton key options are displayed at the bottom of each screen. Choose the one you want and press it.

I have the software manual. What specific problem are you having?

(hint: you will get better help here if you don't dis the product you are looking for help on - those who are the most knowledgable about it may also have strong favorable opinions of it - a ****ing match does nothing to solve your problem)

You say you do not use them, that says a lot. If you used the migration path and upgreaded the processor to an ML then you could probably get anything you needed.
http://www.ab.com/stepforward/procmigration.html

Not sure where you got your catalog numbers from, 100/150 was 1745-xxx. The instruction manual is on AB's literature and manual database: http://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/um/1745-um001_-en-p.pdf

I agree with Alaric its extremely rare for AB or Rockwell to adopt that attitude. I've been regularly calling them for support for 10 years and have never had a problem other than the particular tech not knowing the answer but they always returned their calls when they did find out. Perhaps your management threats for fines set them off.

If you don't have the interface, you can get an aftermarket interface converter from this Ebay seller. Pay attention to the notice that it is not guaranteed to work with Windows or with USB converters (those Microsoft guys must be snobs)


Send me an email address in a private message and I'll email you the PICS sofware manual. The file is too big to attach to a post.

EKSwaim said:

We have a process dumped in our lap from another building. No information. Process goes down. Customers threatening fines and other ugly stuff. Call Rockwell support. Their answer "Not our problem". Their answer is true. But not what I am accustomed to from other vendors who will bend over backward to at least send us a PDF of some obsoleted products EVEN THOUGH they don't support it anymore. To me, in my opinion, that attitude is born of snobishness. An attitude that suggest they don't need me. Have done tech support through many other vendors, all, with out exception, ALL have given the impression that my problem is their problem.

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Attitude is everything when asking for help. Both help from the manufacturer and from these forums

Your tone here has probably cut you off from most of the users here that would have helped you. I would speculate that the same happened when you called Rockwell.

No, no, no. Our customer. The customer that needs the parts this old line is running is threatening to fine US!

EKSwaim said:

No, no, no. Our customer. The customer that needs the parts this old line is running is threatening to fine US!

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Fine you for what? Did you originally install the equipment in 199X and sign a Zero-Downtime/Loss of production compensation agreement?

Is threatening you with a lawsuit ment to motivate you?

curlyandshemp said:

Fine you for what? Did you originally install the equipment in 199X and sign a Zero-Downtime/Loss of production compensation agreement?

Is threatening you with a lawsuit ment to motivate you?

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Yes it can degrade to a lawsuit if it gets bad enough. What happens is we sign an agreement to provide parts to our customer at such-n-such price for a specified period of time. If we cause down time to their production through us not meeting our ship dates, we can be fined the ammount of their production loss. Fines have reached 10K an hour.

there comes a time ...

regardless of everything else going on, the hand is writing on the wall here ... once this particular fire has finally been put out and the dust has settled, that old SLC-150 needs to “go away” and be replaced by something newer ... something that can be adequately supported ...

EKSwaim said:

No, no, no. Our customer. The customer that needs the parts this old line is running is threatening to fine US!

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Then I would upgrade the unit to a newer prefered unit which in the long run would make things easier to deal with and fit in better with the in house knowledge. Since it is an SLC150 I can not see it being that large a program or that difficult to develop from scratch. I am not even good and have recreated old programs without documentation in newer plcs overnight.

If the machine is down why not explain the problems, the plc is rarely the problem, but there can be issues with outputs failing or something along those lines. If that is the case then will have to replace it anyway.