Schneider BMXP342020

Customer has a nicely laid out panel with this M340 series PLC in it and they need to do some upgrades.

I googled the part number and Allied said that module is obsolete, but SE website doesn't seem to indicate any old age maladies.

Is this an old enough PLC that I should look at migrating away from it?

If keeping it is not a mistake, what software do I need to purchase and learn to be able to incorporate changes?

Following on that last question, is it possible to connect and upload all the logic and data without having a copy of the oem source code (assume no password lock, etc.) and what about documentation, are address comments stored onboard?

I have no Schneider PLC experience, the last Modicon PLC I programmed said Gould on the front of it and that was around 1996 I think.

It's very much a current processor. We use lots of them.

The software has been renamed at least once. It was the old Unity. Now it's got a weird misspelled name. I think you need the light version. I'm guessing in the $1500 range.

It will do a complete upload if nothing is passworded.

It'll be a bit of a culture shock if you're an AB fan. It wants IEC 1131 strict data typing. There's an option to turn it off and let you slop the types but I don't ever use it.

The ladder editor is horrible compared to AB. I don't use LD with the Schneider stuff. I use a combination of FBD, SFC, and ST. You can tell that they put a lot of effort into their FBD and then slopped it to get their LD. You've got to watch solve order with FBD but it works well.

The Derived Function Blocks (DFBs) are what they call their AOIs. They do a good job of encapsulating data once you figure out how to parameterize them.

I really like the single-point isolated analog input module.

Wishing you the best with the project.

EcoStruxure?

And are comments stored in the PLC?

More stuff

You can hit EtherNet/IP stuff like AB drives from the M340. It takes a NOC module and some setup headaches. Schneider tends to be pretty awkward with the EtherNet/IP protocol, at least they are with the M340.

Ethernet remote I/O with the PRA adaptor is another oddity.

I don't want to sound too negative as overall I really like the M340 line. It's usually my first choice with small to medium stuff.

Yes, Exo whatever.

Comments are stored in the PLC as are custom datatypes, DFBs, etc. The full source upload is very good.

Unity pro is now called Ecostruxure Control Expert. Theres is normally 3 versions regarding licensing. S , L , and XLS
If you are only going to be using the m340 then you only need the S license.
All comments in programming sections and on the variables are stored on-board.
If theres no password protection you can upload the complete program including comments.
And as Corsair mentioned this is not an obsolete nor close to being obsolete.
The only issue you might have is that the firmware of the plc might be very old and not supported anymore. But you can do a firmware upgrade if this is the case

Great information. Thank you all. We will propose keeping the hardware and purchasing the software for it.