Backup SLC 5/05 can't connect

Thanks for all your help and insights.

I managed to hook it up and make backups of the data.

As suggested I installed Win XP Pro with SP2, then I decided to try the ethernet solution, hooked computer and PLC to a router - long story short: didn't work - I'm guessing ethernet seems not to be activated. The LED on teh PLC did lit up green though.

Hooked the 1747-CP3 cable I made myself between the laptop built-in COM-port and the PLC RS232-marked port directly on the CPU module. Added the 1747-PIC/AIC+ driver in RSLinx Classic Lite - and I got it to work right away!

I had another laptop setup for possible use with a Prolific USB-COM-port adapter, but I didn't need to try it and didn't do so.

So the tip using the PIC-driver was very good, it did crash in Win XP Pro SP3 though. Worked perfectly with SP2.

Yep, Rockwell acknowledge that SP3 doesn't work with the PIC.

It's that old now though, they also have said they aren't going to do anything about it.

What's the IP of the controller and what was the IP of your PC?

e5frog said:

long story short: didn't work - I'm guessing ethernet seems not to be activated. The LED on teh PLC did lit up green though..

Click to expand...

Glad you got it working with the CP3 but as Bob O is alluding to if your IP addresses are not in the same subnet than your PC will not see the PLC also depending on the L551 series is dependent on what driver in RSLinx you would use for Ethernet... if a C or D than its simple and you can just let it auto browse, if you have a older series than you would need to know the IP address and setup RSlinx with the known IP address of the PLC

Anyways, water under the bridge if you want to look at it...

You can use RSLogix 500 v12 on Windows 7 / 10 64 bit systems, no need to mess with Windows XP. As for communicating, I agree with Ken Roach.

Bob O said:

What's the IP of the controller and what was the IP of your PC?

Click to expand...

+1
When I first started with Ethernet this tripped me up several times.
Still forget to switch my laptop back when changing from AB to Omron, then it's a moment when I can't communicate.

I didn't find any IP-address on the PLC, neither was there anything written on the reserved space.
I didn't spend any more time on it after getting the serial cable to work (XP Pro SP2 and PIC-driver was the key). I now have a working setup if I need to get in there again.

This is probably a good time to go make backups of any other PLCs you aren't sure you can connect to. I don't know how many operations I've seen running 20 year old PLCs with no backup of the logic or a tattered printed copy and they just say "when production slows down we'll get you to make a copy".


Flirting with disaster.