SLC 500 Network Card

Hi guys. I'm very new to the PLC world. I'm a coputer guy trying to set up our machines on the network. I was told we have 3 SLC 500s that I will need to buy a network card for.
First question is, where do I get one? and how much are they?

Also, are they hard to install, or are they similar to a PC network card install?

Thanks.

Basically there are two families of SLC 500's, the older 5/01's &5/02's and the newer "enhanced SLC500's. The newer units 5/03, 5/04, and 5/05 each have a serial port and one other port that varies by model:
5/03 has DH485
5/04 has DH+
5/05 has ethernet.

So tell us which model of SLC's you have and we can probably help.

You need to specify the EXACT model number for each SLC500 unit. Also, what type of 'network' do you wish to connect to? What do you want to do with this 'network'?

I'm not sure what model number we have and I can't walk out to the production floor to get the info. They are in another building/town.
We had an outside software company come in to look at our equipment for a quote and one of the guys said we need to install a network card on these machines. So I'm pretty sure they are not 5/05s.

What I'm trying to do is connect our packing machines and presses to our network via ethernet to implement a "real time" dashboard to display on the production floor.

If the SLCs are 5/03s or 5/04s you can use a 1761-NET-ENI or 1761-NET-ENIW to get them on ethernet. These are DIN rail mounted devices that connect to the processor with a serial cable. The ENIW has an embedded web server and e-mail capability.

Are your SLC's currently connected to each via DH485 or DH+, if so, there are ways to connect the entire network to ethernet without having to purchase individual devices for each PLC.