# Migrating from an SLC 150



## gpop (May 14, 2018)

do you have the logic with the descriptors or just the ladders/back up.


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## Jay Freeman (Aug 2, 2017)

I'm trying to get a print out of the logic but no luck yet.

I'm also working on getting the interface software.

In the meantime, I also found a used SLC 150 processor on sale.


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## Peewee0413 (Oct 18, 2012)

How many rungs does the SLC have?

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk


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## Peewee0413 (Oct 18, 2012)

There is a company I heard someone used that charges 1 dollar a rung to convert to the format of your choice. Well worth the price and possibly pushes the liability on to someone else.


Jay Freeman said:


> I'm trying to get a print out of the logic but no luck yet.
> 
> I'm also working on getting the interface software.
> 
> In the meantime, I also found a used SLC 150 processor on sale.


Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Just a head's up that the software for the 150's needs to run in DOSBox on your computer. If you're using a USB-serial converter, that can sometimes be "special" in DosBox. lain:

A Shanklin is so dirt simple and familiar and prolific in industry, ad it could be re-written in something for a Micrologix so easily, I'm not sure that I'd mess around with sourcing spare old 150's and trying to support that old legacy hardware and fickle software. I definitely wouldn't pay someone a dollar a line to convert it, that's for sure.

Get me the logic printout and the machine prints and I'll re-write it just to do a video about it.

If you must keep the 150, keep after your battery! Don't power down to change it. Dumping the program is the last thing you want at this point. (although there ain't much to a Shanklin. If you totally lost it a decent in house electrician with PLC programming knowledge can get something cooked up ). The only weak point, if there is one, to a 150 is common to all PLCs.- an output "burning out".


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

*Still need software*



Jay Freeman said:


> I'm trying to get a print out of the logic but no luck yet.
> 
> I'm also working on getting the interface software.
> 
> In the meantime, I also found a used SLC 150 processor on sale.



Even if you get the used SLC150 you still need the software to load the program in. Shanklin shrink wrap in a SLC 150 can't be too involved, pick your PLC and HMI and go to town.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

An HMI upgrade isn't something that crossed my mind, but any time you can get rid of those DIN-sized panel mount temperature controllers and put it on the an HMI, so much the better. Let the PLC do the work and it enables you to do recipe settings if you shrink different sized packages- takes the operator somewhat out of the equation.


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## Jay Freeman (Aug 2, 2017)

This unit came with a TCAT. 

It looks like I'm going to need to use that to see the rungs and make my own ladder diagram.


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

MDShunk said:


> Just a head's up that the software for the 150's needs to run in DOSBox on your computer. If you're using a USB-serial converter, that can sometimes be "special" in DosBox. lain:
> 
> A Shanklin is so dirt simple and familiar and prolific in industry, ad it could be re-written in something for a Micrologix so easily, I'm not sure that I'd mess around with sourcing spare old 150's and trying to support that old legacy hardware and fickle software. I definitely wouldn't pay someone a dollar a line to convert it, that's for sure.
> 
> ...



this is the very reason we use the plc's to trigger relays first.
directly triggering a load puts a large strain on the output circuitry
couldnt tell you how many output boards Ive repaired burnt traces on them.:vs_laugh:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

gnuuser said:


> this is the very reason we use the plc's to trigger relays first.
> directly triggering a load puts a large strain on the output circuitry
> couldnt tell you how many output boards Ive repaired burnt traces on them.:vs_laugh:


Sure, that's common practice, but they eventually all wear out. Particularly on often used outputs (like a lamp flasher or something). The counter-emf from a relay coil dropping out can be dramatic if a properly sized snubber or MOV or similar suppressor is not used. Good practice would have 10% or so output point spares for future expansion or (more commonly for me) to have another output to assign over to in place of a dead output. 

The first PLC I ever had to work on was the PLC 2 early in my career. Some of you may recall that the output cards had a side door you took off and actually replaced socketed ice cube relays inside when an output failed. That was actually pretty nice.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

Heh, SLC-150s... I cut my A-B teeth on those puppies (and their older siblings, the SLC-100s) in the mid-80s. In 1991 before they went obsolete, I took a course in converting those programs ot work on SLC500s and won an A-B belt buckle that I still have to this day for getting the highest score on the final exam. Now even the SLC500s are obsolete (most of them anyway). Might be time to move on... Any spare unit that you buy off of Fleabay, Radwell etc. is now at least 26 years old itself, A-B stopped having new ones made back in 1992 (by Koyo, who then became PLCDirect and later, AutomationDirect).


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I'm not sure how useful the TCAT is for pulling actual logic. I've only ever used one, and to my memory, it was just for changing "recipe" settings. I dunno. I know our parts room lady threw out 3 brand new ones about a year ago into the electronics recycle bin because we don't use them anywhere anymore. Pretty sure I have a key for the keyswitch yet. If you can pull something useful to reconstruct logic, that might even be quicker than setting up Dosbox, finding the proper cable, and getting the old software successfully communicating. The Shanklin's don't have much of a program, and anything running on a 150 probably isn't much account anyhow.


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

If the machine runs its not to hard to reverse engineer it. Just work out what the inputs are connect to, Work out what the outputs do then finally work out the order things are done. 

If you dont have nothing but logic you are going to have to trace the inputs and outputs anyway so look at it as a learning lesson. Great thing is you will understand how it works better than most people.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

gpop said:


> Great thing is you will understand how it works better than most people.


We have an electrician at work who's on light duty, and they have him hand drawing prints to a couple of machines that have been modified enough over the years that the OEM prints are unuseful. Seems like a fantastic light duty assignment that will help us all out in the future.


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## Yellow World (Oct 11, 2017)

Totally agree with that. Started my new job as a plant electrician about three months ago. Sometimes work is less busy, so I just go and take a look at the machines, how they're wired and what's their working sequence. After that it's time to draw the wiring diagram. You'll really understand the machines much better afterwards. The company is hoping to upgrade some of our old stuff to PLC+HMI in the future, so it'll definitely come in handy to know what I'll have to deal with.


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