ab slc500 5/01 program retention problem

hey all,

first post on this forum. i have a fair bit of plc experience, but not much with ab.
im looking for some help with and slc 500 5/01.
when the power to the plc goes off, the program in the plc is lost. when powered back up it reprograms ok.
i have replaced the battery and checked what i can.
i think theres a problem with the memory module (if it has one)?

has anyone else come across a similar problem?

i have an slc 5/04 complete with back plate and power supply, can you tell me, if i have to, is the 5/04 a direct swap with the 5/01?
the only problem i have with the 5/04 is i have nothing to program it with.
i have some really old software on a huge (was going to call it a laptop....)wheel barrow pc, and an old programming interface. its works for 5/01 up to 5/03, what do i use for the 5/04? if i am to upgrade my software for this 5/04, then i also need something to do plc5 and plc2, can you recommend anything? is RSLogix the only thing?


thanks for your time, sorry for all the questions, i would appreciate your help.

frank

If you think its the memory module then remove it or program it. See PDF below for location.
To program the SLC series of controllers you need RSLogix500, for the PLC5 series of controllers you need RSLogix5. Keep your old software for the PLC2.
Yes you can replace the SLC5/01 with your SLC5/04, you will have to deal with the communication differences though.

hi mickey,

thanks for your reply. when you say communication differences do you mean for programming? does it communicate differently to each module?

i eventually want to do away with this big piece of junk we have to program with, is there anything newer that will work with plc2?


thanks again
franks

franksmith said:

hi mickey,

thanks for your reply. when you say communication differences do you mean for programming? does it communicate differently to each module?

i eventually want to do away with this big piece of junk we have to program with, is there anything newer that will work with plc2?


thanks again
franks

Click to expand...

With comm differences I mean connecting to the processor itself ( PC,HMI,SCADA). Your modules should work just fine.

I'm not familar with the PLC2, so someone else will have to check in on that one.

thanks for your help mickey,

does anyone know about plc2 software?

thanks
frank

yeah, there's plenty of us that know PLC2... What's your question??

i need to know what software to use, and also what hardware?

at the moment we have a real old pc, with some dos software and a dedicated isa(?) interface card. i think the software was purchased around 1989.


if i am to upgrade to rslogix for plc5 and slc500, what can i use for plc2?

thanks

frank

Do a search on this site for PLC2 software. Alot of good info here.

Is your chassis grounded? If not then ground your chassis, bond it with a copper wire to a good ground. The backpan is not a sufficient ground.

We had the same problem with three SLC 5/01s at our New Jersey plant - the entire panel was not grounded, and every time they cycled power they had to reload the program. They had three different SLC 5/01s and everyone of them would drop its memory when ever the power was cycled. They called me for assistance and I checked with AB tech support. AB said "grounding." The NJ techs poo-hooed it and did nothing.

Two years later the three machines were relocated to a new plant and I supervised the re-installation. I made sure they were bonded to ground. When the tech came out from New Jersey he went on and on about how you should never turn them off. I had already cycled power many times without loss of the program, so with him standing there I cycled the power three times with no loss of memory and explained that the machines were now grounded so it wasn't a problem.

I don't know if that will solve it for you, but if your chassis is not grounded then get it grounded.


For PLC/2 software check out this site: http://www.plc2software.com/

thanks for he info on grounding, i will check it, but the system has been running for the last 15 years or so with no real problems, especially not through power interruption.
i will check it thought.

out of interest, the back plate of the plc rack, will it be the same for the slc5/01 and the 5/04, what i mean is, are they interchangeable? can i use the 5/04 rack with the 5/01 plc?

franksmith said:

... the back plate of the plc rack, will it be the same for the slc5/01 and the 5/04, what i mean is, are they interchangeable? can i use the 5/04 rack with the 5/01 plc?

Click to expand...

Yes. They all use the same chassis.

A Slc 5/04 processor will plug right into the same chassis as the SLC 5/0. Check your power supply requirements - but you should be ok to swap it out.

thanks for everyones help,

ill check out a few things over the next couple of days and keep you posted as to the outcome.

thanks

frank