Best way to add PLC card to running SLC 5/05

Morning everyone,

I know this sounds trivial (but I haven't done it in a long time) but what is the best way to add a PLC card to a running program? I have a SLC 5/05 running, and want to add a digital input card to the rack.

I assume I should power down, add the card, and then power back up which at that time the PLC should fault because of the config. Should I update my PLC program with the new DI card in the I/O config and then download to the controller?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Here is what I do:

Get online
Stop the machine that it is controlling
Once it is stopped, save the program
Go offline and power down
Add the card to the rack
Add the card to the PLC program
Power up and download

If you put the controller in program when you power up, it will not fault.

smohamed said:

I assume I should power down, add the card, and then power back up which at that time the PLC should fault because of the config. Should I update my PLC program with the new DI card in the I/O config and then download to the controller?

Click to expand...

you assume correctly. I make a good backup of the program from the SLC, save it as a new name, and add the new card into the i/o config. Gives me a easy way back to square one if something goes wrong.

jstolaruk said:

you assume correctly. I make a good backup of the program from the SLC, save it as a new name, and add the new card into the i/o config. Gives me a easy way back to square one if something goes wrong.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I will have to try it out.

Thanks for everyone's help.

I ended up saving a new copy, adding the card and shutting down then downloading back to the controller. Had to wait for some of the process to come back, but it did work out.

Thanks for the update.