1756-L73 Firmware

I have an existing project running an assembly line on a 1756-L73 with 19.13 firmware.


I am replacing the CPU with a new one.



Does it make sense to upgrade the firmware to a more current version? Or should I stick with this old version on my new CPU?


I have Ethernet modules, Devicenet modules and I/O modules in this rack.


No servos or anything like that.

I think the general consensus is to only change firmware when you need a new feature or if there are "undocumented features" that have been fixed. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Especially when you have legacy hardware like DeviceNet/ControlNet.

There is one nice benefit of going to v21 or higher, the documentation is saved in the controller. If you were to upgrade to v21 firmware (or higher), you'd have to have the same major revision of software as well. Rockwell doesn't do backwards compatibility as you would imagine it.

+1 dmroeder. I'd be tempted to upgrade to at least v21 just for the documentation - it's one of those features that's so simple and yet makes such a massive difference. But definitely, make sure you've covered off on the risks and that you have all the required software etc to run the newer version. Out of curiosity, why are you replacing the processor?

Of course, if you flash it up to v21 and something breaks, you can always flash it back down to v19, so in many ways there's no harm in trying.

JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE PROGRAM FIRST

There's a bug on certain controllers running v19, where the clock cycles forward 100 years when to cycle power. If you are experiencing issues like this, or another one where v19 had major non-recoverable faults and dumped the program memory, I would definitely consider choosing a different firmware revision.

If your system is working fine and bug-free. Leave it that way.

Personally I would take the time to upgrade, primarily so you are compatible with Windows 10. Windows 7 EOL is next year.

*** IMPORTANT ***
Rockwell did change some tag access methods, you most likely will need to update to your latest SCADA/HMI communication drivers at the same time if you are going v20+.

You can easily downgrade the processor if you run into any issues. Create a backup, upgrade the firmware to v31.11 & take advantage of all the new features. There's absolutely no reason to stay at v19 besides being lazy.

Just my 2 cents.