benefits of a SLC505 over a SLC503?

I was wondering it there are any benefits of swapping out a working SLC503 to a newly found SLC505? More capability? Faster? umm, more learning for ethernet/IP stuff?

I found 2 SLC505s in a cabinet among all kinds of PLC stuff at work and I was wondering what the major difference is. I understand the 505 has ethernet capabilities. But doesn't the 503 as well? The 503 and 505 both have an RS232 and ethernet port on the CPU. They look almost identical, minus the labeling and colors on the face. Or, on the 503, is it that the ethernet port is only able to pass DH485, DF1, and DH+ Protocols?

I'm working with some older technology that is still in use. We use mostly DH485 communication since most have been changed over from DF1. I still don't know exactly the major differences (pros/cons) between these protocols either. We just have the DH485 adapters to make things work. So it works. But that might be for a different discussion. Namely the older Panelview 550 and 600 HMIs are what we have. They don't really exist anymore but ours work fine and have for many years. They seem to be as bullet-proof as the SLCs themselves.

I'm tempted to slap this SLC505 in the rack on a test bench and see what it can do. But am I just wasting my time?

That RJ45 port on the 5/03 is NOT an Ethernet port, it is a DH-485 port. If you plug an Ethernet device into it you might let the smoke out of the Ethernet device. The voltages that are on the DH485 port are higher. I hope you haven't tried already.

The 5/05 will have more memory and it will talk Ethernet - but it is not likely that you will see a big performance difference except on communications over Ethernet. IIRC, some of the older firmware 5/03s did not have floating point math or support the CPT instruction. The 5/05 does. So if you are using mostly DH-485 then only if your 5/03 is an old firmware version would there be any compelling reason to upgrade.

If you have a test bench rack then go ahead and play around with them.

I would advise you to put a sticker on all your RJ-45 type DH-485 ports to not connect an Ethernet device. SLC 5/03s have killed many a laptop that way.

oh no! haha. I have not. I came here first. My ignorance precedes me here.

I'm glad you mentioned that. I believe I did encounter an apprentice do something like that a little while back. There was a SLC503 connected to a Panelview 600 touchscreen via the communication port (RJ45 end to SLC and A-B "special connector" to screen). The programming port on the screen is a RJ45 connector next to the special looking comm port. We typically jack into there for program updates and changes where can see both devices at the same time in RsLinx. Someone forgot to tell him to use the 1747-UIC-USB(dh485-USB) adapter. He figured, RJ45 ethernet plug from screen to RJ45 ethernet receptacle on laptop. After plugging it in, a couple seconds later the machine shutdown, high pressure blow off valves opened, PLC locked up. Fault indicator lit up on CPU. And it took awhile to re-establish comms. It completely dumped the PLC program; lost its brains (glad we have backups). And, it didn't want to talk anymore. Kind of like it folded it arms and said screw you. I don't really know what I did to re-establish comms just so I could DL the program back in. Needless to say, I was relieved I was able to do it.

Although, no smoke was let out, does that sound about right?

That SLC505 was what I was eye-balling awhile back as a replacement option when the current SLC503 pooped out. I was ignorant before on the 505, and I'm eyeballing it again today for no apparent reason other than wanting to learn and know.