PLC newbie question

Hey hows everyone? Ive been in industrial maintenance for almost 25 years as a mechanical tech. Recently I took an interest in working with our PLCs. Along with schooling, I have a good mentor. My question is, today I got to deal with a PLC fault on my own. It was an AB SLC 5/03, and the fault was 0002h. It seemed like the processor couldnt see the #12 module but knew it needed it. I removed the #12 module and reinserted it and downloaded the I/O config. The processor fault was cleared and the line started as usual. Do I need to get ready to replace this module or rack or is this common?

Maybe. Or it wasn't seated firmly in the slot. It does happen from time to time.

I have a good mentor. My question is, today I got to deal with a PLC fault on my own.

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Did your mentor have anything to do with creating this fault? I have had instructors test student knowledge of troubleshooting by inserting a small piece of paper on one of the terminals, then replugging the module.

It seemed like the processor couldnt see the #12 module but knew it needed it. I removed the #12 module and reinserted it and downloaded the I/O config. The processor fault was cleared and the line started as usual.

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It sounds like he trained you well and you passed the test.

Do I need to get ready to replace this module or rack or is this common?

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Talk to your mentor.

Lancie1 said:

Did your mentor have anything to do with creating this fault? I have had instructors test student knowledge of troubleshooting by inserting a small piece of paper on one of the terminals, then replugging the module.
It sounds like he trained you well and you passed the test.
Talk to your mentor.

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Lol. He claims nothing but looks guilty!

"I see nothing, I know nothing!" - Sergeant Shultz

Another good tip to know is that you can clean the terminals with a pencil eraser (or similar) to remove any corrosion or film deposits.

Turns out that a tech, on the previous shift, changed out the processors powersupply which was bad. I guess somehow the processor got a little scrambled.