Allen-Bradley Programming Procedures

Two programs are required to be running on the computer to be able to successfully

create, download and test an Allen-Bradley PLC program.

Programs are created, edited and monitored with the program called RSLogix 500. This
is the software that you will be directly interacting with while programming the PLC.

Communications between the PLC and the PC (and any other equipment connected)
works through software called RSLinx. This program needs to be running in the
background to enable the computer to talk to the PLC. To ensure proper operation, be
sure you always start RSLinx before RSLogix.

RSLogix can be used without RSLinx for Off-line Programming at another computer.

This handout has been prepared to help you get a running start at using the A-B PLCs in
E1-17. The procedure may look very complicated at first, but it will quickly become
routine. Be sure you do not skip any steps when you are starting the software, unless
you really enjoy wasting your time.

Contents

Allen-Bradley PLC Start-up Checklist .................................................................................... 2

Getting Started ........................................................................................................................... 3
Configuring RSLinx .................................................................................................................. 4
Starting RSLogix........................................................................................................................ 7
Creating a new program ........................................................................................................... 8
The Main Screen ........................................................................................................................ 9
I/O Configuration .................................................................................................................... 10
Entering a Program ................................................................................................................. 11
Downloading the Program ...................................................................................................... 14
Allen Bradley Input and Output List (E1-17) ....................................................................... 15
Setting up Communications (if you have problems) ............................................................. 16

Page 1 of 16
Allen-Bradley PLC Start-up Checklist

□ Allen-Bradley PLC connected to multi-pin socket PLC

□ Power ON

□ Computer ON and logged in

□ Determine COM port used on your station

□ Start RSLinx

□ Configure Drivers (DH-485 UIC device) Minimize RSLinx

□ Start RSLogix 500, maximize the window

□ Start New File

□ Select correct Processor Type

□ Configure I/O

□ Enter program…

Page 2 of 16
Getting Started

Be sure that the AB PLC is plugged into the multi-pin socket. Sometimes, the station will
be left with the Siemens PLC or the relay logic terminal strips connected. In this case, be
sure the power is off before changing the plug.

Turn on the power supply for the PLC workstation.

Log on to the computer.

Each station in the lab is unique. Before you can establish communication between the
computer and the PLC, you need to know which COM port your computer will use for
communication. This information will be found using Device Manager

In Windows: open Start > Control Panel > Device Manager > Ports and observe COM
port # from the bottom of the list (see below). In this case it is 9 but it varies on different
PCs. If necessary, unplug and plug back in the USB cable which connects PC to PLC.

Remember this number, you will need it soon.

Page 3 of 16
Configuring RSLinx

Next, start RSLinx from the Start menu:

Start > Programs > Rockwell Software > RSLinx > RSLinx Classic

RSLinx is a program that acts as a traffic cop for information in an Allen-Bradley PLC
system. It coordinates communications between the PC and any AB PLC and other
hardware connected, such as the PanelView HMI unit.

RSLinx needs to be configured to allow communications between the computer and the
PLC. This identifies the path that will link the computer to the PLC. There are many
different configurations available. Our systems use a link from a USB port through a
cable with a box called a UIC. Every time the computer is restarted, the configuration
needs to be set up again.

When the program has started, there may already be a driver installed, called AB_VBP-1.
This is for a virtual (not an actual) device, which will not be used in this course. You can
remove it for this session when setting up the correct driver.

Open the ‘Communications’ menu, then select

‘Configure Drivers’

A ‘Configure Drivers’ window will open.

If there is an AB_VPB-1 driver running, it will be listed

in the ‘Configured Drivers’ list. You can select it, then
press ‘Stop’, then ‘Delete’ to remove it.

Page 4 of 16
In this window, click on the drop-down arrow for ‘Available Driver Types’:

Choose DH-485 UIC devices from the list and then click Add New…

The system will ask for a name for the new driver. Just click on OK to select the default
name: AB_UIC-1

Now you will see this window:

Click on the drop-down arrow for a list of COM ports. Scroll down the list to select the
correct port from Device Manager.
Then click OK.

You may see a warning screen as the driver is being installed.

You can safely ignore this warning, so select “Continue Anyway”.

Page 5 of 16
If the driver installs correctly you should see the following screen:

Close the Configure Drivers window.

Click on the + beside your new driver, and wait for the PLC [01 UNTITLED] to show up in
the window:

Now, minimize RSLinx so that it remains running in the background.

Page 6 of 16
Starting RSLogix

Now you can start the RSLogix 500 software from the Start menu:

Start > Programs > Rockwell Software > RSLogix 500 English > RSLogix 500 English

If there is a pop-up window asking about disk location, press ‘Cancel’.

You can safely ignore any other warning or information screens.

When the program opens, Maximize the window.

Before you start programming, there will still be some setup steps to go through. The
RSLogix 500 software is designed to be used to program many different PLC models in
the Allen-Bradley family. To be sure that the program you create is compatible with the
PLC you are using, you must define the PLC that you are using.

First, you need to tell it which processor you are using. Then it needs to know what I/O
module is installed in each slot, so that addressing can be verified. You will have to
perform this configuration before you can download your program. If you do it at the
beginning, you will know that the communications are working properly.

HELP MENU

Clicking on Help > Instruction Help toolbar item opens the complete Help Menu with
detailed information about all instructions.

There is also a shortcut: Hitting the F1 key displays the help on the instruction that is
currently selected in your program.

Page 7 of 16
Creating a new program

Choose File | New (or click “New Document” button ) to begin a new ladder
diagram. The following window will open:

Highlight the correct processor type. For most stations the correct choice is:

1747-L532C/D 5/03 CPU 16K mem. OS302

(You may have to scroll down to find the correct processor. If you select the wrong one
now, you will have a chance to correct the mistake later.)

This is a good time to make sure the communications are working. The bottom of the
window has an area labelled Communications setting. The Driver window (Circled
above) should show AB_UIC-1. If it doesn’t, select it from the drop-down window. If it
isn’t available in the drop-down window, chances are RSLinx isn’t running. If RSLinx
isn’t running, you will have to exit RSLogix and start over from the beginning.

If the driver shows AB_UIC-1, click the OK button.

If RSLinx is running, but you couldn’t find AB_UIC-1, click the Cancel button, then
follow the procedure on page 16 for Setting up Communications. Then you can try
creating a new program.

Page 8 of 16
The Main Screen

The main screen should look like this:

Ladder Diagram
window is on the
right side of the
screen. Title Bar
should read:
LAD 2
Remember that File 0 and
File 1 are reserved for
system use, and that File 2
is the first one available
for user programs.
Currently Rung 0000
has only an END
instruction and is
selected: Rung
number is highlighted
in RED.

Above the Ladder Diagram Window is an Instruction Toolbar.

To the left of the ladder window is the Project

Window.

The project window is a place to find a lot of

information about the PLC that you are using, and
the ladder program you are writing/editing.

You can see the program files and the data files are
listed.

One of the most important things that must be

established is the configuration of the PLC that you
are using. This will allow the program to properly
address the inputs and outputs that are actually
connected to the PLC. You can write a program
without setting the configuration, but it won’t run
until the configuration has been set.

Double-click on IO Configuration in the project

window (highlighted in the figure to the right) to
open the I/O Configuration window:

Page 9 of 16
I/O Configuration

(Your window may look slightly different.)

You could manually enter the information for each card in the PLC, but it is faster and
more accurate to let the PLC describe itself.
Click the button on this window, and on the next window that opens.
If the system asks you about “Change Processor Type”, you selected the wrong processor
when you started the program. Confirm that you want to change.

The PLC will update the configuration window, to show the cards currently installed.
Each station in the lab has a 4-slot rack. There are Digital input modules in slots 1 and 3,
and a digital output module in slot 2. The processor is in slot 0, of course.

You can temporarily store your new file on the local C: or on your H: drive. You should
copy the finished program to removable media before logging out from the workstation.

You can finally start to enter your program! (Don’t worry; these steps will become
automatic with practice.)

Different Toolbars can be selected with the Tabs below the Toolbar. Be sure the USER
tab is selected. (Yours may look a little different than the one shown)

Page 10 of 16
Entering a Program

Sample Program description:

When the start button is momentarily pressed, Cylinder A will continuously reciprocate
until the stop button is pressed. The cylinder will always stop in the retracted position
after the stop button is pressed. To be sure that nothing is damaged by the moving
mechanism, we must be sure the unit is in its HOME position before starting.
(HOME is defined as all cylinders retracted)

Programming instructions required: XIC OTE

Click on LAD 2 title bar to be sure that Ladder Diagram is selected.

Click on the Insert New Rung button to insert a blank rung.

RUNG 0000

Click the Examine If Closed button

This should put an XIC symbol at the beginning of a new rung. (You may drag it to the
correct position with the mouse if necessary) Type the address of the a0 sensor I:1/0
(refer to I/O listing table on Page 13)
Click the Examine If Closed button again to add another XIC symbol for b0, then c0,
and d0. Refer to the I/O chart for the correct addresses for these inputs.
Now click the OuTput Energise button
This will put an OTE instruction at the end of
the rung. (If you get a strangely wrapped rung,
you can maximize the Ladder Diagram Window to straighten it out,
but it works as well either way.) Enter a Bit address (internal relay) to
use in the next rung as an “At HOME” indication.

Your screen may show the addresses with the bit below the
instruction, or it may show the address on one line as shown above.
This has no difference on the operation of the program. If you want to
use named symbols (shown above with green background), enter the
name into the Symbol box that opens when you first use an address.
Otherwise, right-click on the instruction after you have entered the
address. Select Edit Symbol [not Edit Description] from the context
menu. Usually, both the symbol and the address will be displayed.

Page 11 of 16
Right click on the rung number to be able to enter a rung comment. The comment will be
shown with a yellow background.
Click on the Insert New Rung button to insert the next rung.

RUNG 0001

Add XIC instructions for PB_1, the HOME Bit (from Rung 0000), and PB_2. (PB_2 is
wired Normally Closed, so an XIC is the correct instruction. Add an OTE instruction for
another internal relay to act as the RUN signal.

To enter the branch for the latch, click the mouse at the beginning
of the rung (on the number), and then click the Rung Branch
button. You can drag each leg of the branch to the proper position
with the mouse. [This is not the same as the LogixPro simulator.]

Put an XIC instruction on the branch, with the same address as the RUN bit.

Click on the Insert New Rung button to insert the next rung.

RUNG 0002

This rung requires two XIC instructions, one for the RUN bit and one for c0, and an OTE
for C+ (CX)

This might be a good time to save your program again.

Page 12 of 16
Click on the Insert New Rung button to insert the next rung.

RUNG 0003

This rung only requires one XIC instruction (c1) and an OTE instruction C- (CR)
Remember, all addresses in the rungs above are examples. Modify them to match the I/O
list for your station!

RUNG 0004

This rung exists by default, and doesn’t need to be programmed, except for adding
comments.

Now that you have programmed the entire ladder diagram, you should save the program
again.

You should do one last check before downloading the program to the PLC – verify the
program. You can choose Edit | Verify or click the Verify button. Verifying the
program will catch many simple typing or technical errors (such as typing 1 for I or 0 for
O), but cannot evaluate your logic. Once a program has been verified, all the ‘e’s will
disappear from the left side of the ladder diagram.

If there are problems, a window on the bottom will display them. You will need to correct
the problems before the program can be downloaded.

Page 13 of 16
Downloading the Program

On the upper left of the screen, there is a drop-

down list box, which should be currently
showing “OFFLINE”. Open the list and select
“Download”.

When the next window opens, read the

information carefully. Be sure that the transfer
is to the PLC.

If the transfer will be the right way, click OK.

There will be a message box informing you that the PLC must be changed to Program
Mode. Click OK.

After the files have been transferred, there will likely be another message box will ask if
you want to change to Run Mode. Click OK.

One more message box should open to ask if you want switch to ONLINE mode. Click
OK.

In the ladder window, every TRUE contact in your program will be highlighted in green.
You will be able to monitor changes in your program as it runs. NOTE: The PLC is
running much faster than the computer screen can be updated.

You can now use the controls on the lab board to test your program.

If the program doesn’t function as you expect, you

should use the monitor mode to try to determine
what is causing the problem. You must Go Offline
before you can make any changes to your program.
Of course, changes must be downloaded before
they can be tested.

When you are satisfied that that your program runs

properly, call the instructor to verify operation.

You should also use the File | Save As… command to save the program to your H:
drive or removable storage. Before leaving the lab, download a blank program to the
PLC, close RSLogix and logoff the computer.

Page 14 of 16
Allen Bradley Input and Output List (E1-17)
Slot 1: Digital Input
Description Address
a0 I:1/0
a1 I:1/1
b0 I:1/2
b1 I:1/3
c0 I:1/4
c1 I:1/5
d0 I:1/6
d1 I:1/7
pb1 I:1/8
pb2 I:1/9
sw1 I:1/10
sw2 I:1/11
sw3 I:1/12
No connection I:1/13
No connection I:1/14
No connection I:1/15
Slot 2: Digital Output
Description Address
LT1 O:2/0
LT2 O:2/1
A+ O:2/2
A- O:2/3
B O:2/4
C+ O:2/5
C- O:2/6
D O:2/7
Fan ON O:2/8
No connection O:2/9
No connection O:2/10
No connection O:2/11
No connection O:2/12
No connection O:2/13
No connection O:2/14
No connection O:2/15
Slot 3: Analog Output
Description Address
Analog Pressure O:3.0
Analog Heater O:3.1

Page 15 of 16
Setting up Communications (if you have problems)

In the Project Window on the left of the screen,

double-click Controller Properties.

Select the Controller Communications tab. The

window should look like the one below.
Select AB_UIC-1 from the drop down box under
Driver.

Click Apply and then OK.

The communications should now be set up.

If you have problems later, look on the menu bar

for: Comms | System Comms…
You will probably find that the driver is shown as
(unknown) and needs to be changed to AB_UIC-1

Page 16 of 16