Old AB PLC Issue -- HELP!!

[Greif Counselor]

Sister plant has machine (AB 215 controller) that has 'lost' its program when someone turned off the power AND removed the battery backup to find a part number. For reasons unknown, there is no electronic backup of the program. Am I/we out of luck, or is there any other to try and recover the logic? System slated for upgrade, but critical production is needed immediately. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ken Roach]

I guess that upgrade has just been moved to the top of the agenda.

The PLC-2/15 had an EEPROM module option, so look to see if there's on installed.

EEPROM instructions for that controller:

http://samplecode.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/td/1770-td008_-en-p.pdf

Absent the discovery of an EEPROM, start looking for tape cartridges, hardcopy, anything you can use to bring it back up.

The fastest thing to do is get a PLC-5/20 or similar controller that can pop right into the same backplane and run those I/O. Whether or not you have A-B PLC-5 controllers still in use, and the age and condition of the existing 1771 I/O modules will determine whether or not you migrate to a new controller and I/O system now.

Oh, and welcome to the Forum ! Be sure to put your future questions up in the main Q&A section; this one ended up in the "practice posting" area that doesn't get any traffic except when folks glance at the Most Recent Post.