Programmable Logic Controllers
SLC 500 System
Overview
Power and Flexibility for a Complete Control Solution
The Allen-Bradley SLC 500 is Rockwell Automation's small, chassis-based, modular family of programmable controllers and I/O. The SLC's smaller size means that you can use an SLC in applications where you can't afford the size and overhead of a traditional, full-size PLC. With its multiple processor choices, numerous power supply options and extensive I/O capacity, the modular SLC 500 controller allows you to create a system specifically designed for your application.
The SLC 500 was one of the first full-featured small controllers on the market, and it remains the gold standard in small logic controllers more than a decade after its introduction. In fact, the SLC 500 provides cost-effective, reliable control in hundreds of thousands of applications around the world — everything from amusement park rides to pharmaceutical and food processes.
Right For Today. Ready For Tomorrow.
SLC 500 controllers control hundreds of thousands of processes around the world — everything from amusement park rides to pharmaceutical processing.- 1.5M processors and 12M, I/O modules installed worldwide
- Used by over 75% of companies comprising the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)
- Large choice of I/O available from Rockwell Automation and third party companies, making these products appropriate for almost any application
- Over 100,000 customers trained in the U.S. alone, making this product one of the most understood of its type
- Proven Reliability. An example is the addition of 1747-BSN Back-Up Scanner, which has grown application base to even more critical areas
- Step Forward program ensures customer can upgrade to latest technology
New Developments Now Available
- SLC 5/05 Series C — 10/100 Mbps enhancement provides more connection capability and faster throughput
- Basic RS-232/DF1 Port Splitter — Interface converter device that will provide customers with a low cost way to expand (or split) a single RS-232/DF1 port on a Rockwell Automation controller into two RS-232/DF1 ports for communication with two external devices at the same time
- SLC 5/03, 5/04, 5/05 Firmware Enhancements — Improved messaging for DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP applications, and improved security for RSLogix 500 programming
A Solid Investment. Today. Tomorrow.
- Excellent quality now and in the future
- Continued support for an enormous installed base
- On-going engineering investment
- Customer advance warning long before any products are no longer available for sale
We are committed to selling & supporting SLCs into the next decade!
Management Statement
Dear Customer,
Rockwell Automation appreciates your investment in the Allen-Bradley SLC 500, and we will continue to protect that investment. We offer a complete range of SLC 500 products for sale to service a wide variety of applications. And we continue to invest in the SLC 500 architecture. Our most recent additions include an Enhanced 5/05 CPU with 10/100 Mbps, increase connections, and embedded web server capability. Other additions include DF1 Radio Modem Compatibility for SLC 5/03, 5/04 and 5/05, the 1747-DPS1 Port Splitter, and the 1747-UIC Universal Serial Port (USB) to DH-485 Interface Converter.
We plan to actively market and manufacture the SLC 500 product line well into the next decade. This line will continue to service those small to mid-range PLC applications where high performance and a wide variety of communication networks and I/O structures are important.
Allen-Bradley plans to continue to offer hardware/firmware upgrades and repair of SLC 500 Family products. Protecting our customers’ investment is a significant reason we have an installed base over 1.6 million CPU and over 12 million 1746 I/O installations world-wide. Furthermore, it is our practice to support products for seven years from the date they are removed from general sale, pending availability of components.
To give you some idea of our commitment to our customers, the 1772 Series PLC-2 family, which was introduced in 1979, was removed from sale in 2002. That is a product life in excess of twenty years. While we cannot predict component availability and market forces for the SLC 500 that would allow us to do the same, we are committed to the sale and support of the SLC 500 family for the foreseeable future.
I hope that this brief correspondence will give you some idea of Allen-Bradley’s commitment to providing a quality automation product and commitment to the SLC 500 product line.
Paul Kohntopp
Control Platforms (SLC/PLC) Business Manager
Automation Control and Information Group
Rockwell Automation / Allen-Bradley