What is the difference between AB SLC-150 Series A/B/C?

Hello,
I am completely new to PLC's (and forums) and have been tasked to repair/upgrade a conveyor system at my college. It currently has an Allen Bradley SLC-150 series B in it and I am looking for a replacement for it as an option to fix the system (current one has a CPU fault and I have not been able to diagnose the issue). I have found some series C PLC's online but I could not find any documentation stating the differences between A/B/C to determine if a series C would be a direct replacement for a B. I was wondering if someone could give me some guidance on if I could use a C instead, where to look for the differences between them, or something else to look into for replacing the current one?

Wow a SLC-150 i haven't seen one of those in at lest 15 years
their is no support and the only parts are used
while i have the software for them and have programmed many of them I do not recommend upgrading or repairing them
i would recommend that you just upgrade the PLC to a Micro 820 or 850 it will be cheaper in the end if you have the program you may be able to print it out and use it as a guide

Normally the suffix i.e. A,B,C are just later versions and extra functionality, If you are changing a processor then either use the version as is or use the later one so if it's an A then use a B or C, there could be problems if trying to use an earlier version than the one already installed. Obviously because the hardware is so old it is recommended that it be upgraded without doubt.

+1 on the replace that thing.

Micro 8xx, Automation Direct Click, Siemens Logo, Idec or anything with the correct IO count.

One thing I disliked about the SLC100/150 was each rung could only have one output. If you needed an output and something else (bit, timer, copy a value, etc.) you had to create a duplicate rung for each output command.

A MicroLogix 1400 would make a good replacement due to the similar footprint and I/O layout.

SLC-150 Series A was released back in 1987, so if you are in college, it's older than you are! It also predates the existence of the WWW (as we know it now) and the only data you will find on it on-line would be something that someone scanned in manually.



The manual is actually still available on the A-B Knowledgebase though, it just doesn't go into details about the different versions, because it's the manual for the Series A, so at that time they didn't have but one version.


https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/490969/loc/en_US#__highlight


You will have to register with an email address to get access to the Knowledgebase, but o far it's still free.

I think you can still get a Windows PC to talk to a SLC-150 using Dosbox and the right comms adapter. I last had to do this in about 2008 on a Windows XP laptop with a real serial port.

I also seem to remember replacing one with a ML1400 and had to replace the I/O wiring since the outputs were on top and inputs on the bottom of the SLC-150...the opposite of the 1400.

Here's a link to an aftermarket cable and detailed instructions for how to use it with DosBox.
https://www.plccable.com/allen-bradley-plc-slc-100-150-usb-1745-pcc-cable/

You can download the software for SLC-100/ 150 for free if you can find it
it will run on a Windows 98 maybe n an Windows ME
i run it n a Windows 98 VM but that not the end of it, you need a special cable to communicate with it. 8 pin din to RS422 if you can find one
or if you can still find a hand held programmer
they are a little different to program but for they time they worked well

GaryS said:

You can download the software for SLC-100/ 150 for free if you can find it
it will run on a Windows 98 maybe n an Windows ME
i run it n a Windows 98 VM but that not the end of it, you need a special cable to communicate with it. 8 pin din to RS422 if you can find one
or if you can still find a hand held programmer
they are a little different to program but for they time they worked well

Click to expand...

You dont need W 98 or a handheld, you can use Windows 10 or any Windows OS works just fine, we sell a USB 1745-PCC cable that OkiePC link (Thanks Paul) and EVERYthing you need is on that page, from the manuals, software procedures and videos on how to set it up.

https://www.plccable.com/allen-bradley-plc-slc-100-150-usb-1745-pcc-cable/

Usually a "Series" change was due to a change in hardware as part of the manufacturing process. This change would generally not have any effect on the device compatibility. I vaguely recall the Series C adding some new functionality. But it's been ages since I've even thought about these controllers, much less seen or used one.

For the most part, replacing an older series unit with a newer series would be plug and play. If I recall with the old SLC 100/150 programs you didn't specify a series anywhere.

But I'm with others on this. Replace it with something more current. Avoid the hassle of dealing with the old software.

OG