Allen Bradley SLC 500 / MicroLogix (RSLogix 500) PLC Basic Maintenance & Troubleshooting (M&T)
Allen Bradley SLC 500 / MicroLogix PLC Basic Maintenance & Troubleshooting (M&T)

Duration:
4 days + optional 5th day
Additional optional 5th day (08.45 – 13.00hrs) available to include: 
- Practical workshop 
- Logical Approach to Fault-finding 
- How to relate to course to own company site & systems 
- How to ensure the benefit of the training lasts for months & years to come

Important: This course content has been radically revised for 2008 & not only includes more
emphasis on developing & consolidating key practical skills based on standard
procedures, but the course practicals will include experience with additional relevant
hardware e.g. further communications & networking, HMIs, Remote I/O, VSDs, etc.
to make the training more relevant to the needs of maintenance people today.

Additionally, and most importantly, this course moves away from the typical old style
course where the focus was the Instruction Set. This course concentrates on the
development of the key knowledge & practical skills essential for safe & effective
system maintenance & troubleshooting.

Prerequisites:
Delegates should have a basic understanding of PLCs or have attended one of our
Introductory PLC courses & must be familiar with PCs & Microsoft Windows.

Aims:
The Basic M&T course equips maintenance personnel with the essential knowledge
& skills to maintain & troubleshoot SLC / MicroLogix PLC systems. Attendees will be
able to work safely & competently with common SLC / Micrologix hardware, be able
to connect a PC/Laptop to the PLC, access the correct project/program & use the
PLC to diagnose machine or process problems.

Objectives:
For specific course objectives see Training Record Log.

Content:
Understand the Hardware 
- Be able to identify & understand the function of the main SLC / Micrologix hardware components 
- Understand the purpose of the different communication options & know where to connect the PC/Laptop comms cable 
- Know how & where the program is stored, the importance of the battery & which areas of PLC memory are retentive 
- Understand the wiring connections to the power supply module & power & field I/O connections to I/O modules 
- Understand the effects on the operation of the PLC and process under control of cycling power or a mode change initiated by the external switch & what happens to the I/O 
- Understand the meaning of all external indicators

Running & Using RSLogix 500 Software 
- Understand the key components of an installation of RSLogix 500 software 
- Know how to run RSLogix 500 software & open offline SLC / Micrologix projects 
- Know how to run the RSLogix 500 software, establish communications (go on-line) & access the SLC / Micrologix program 
- Understand the need for RSLinx Classic when establishing on-line connection 
- Be able to safely Upload & Download to a controller and know the difference between the two 
- Able to recognise main display areas including toolbars, controller organiser, code & output windows 
- To be confident while moving around in the RSLogix 500 environment 
- Know how to access controller properties 
- Know how to access & monitor ladder & Data monitor windows 
- Know how to correctly interpret status in Ladder 
- Able to use Cross-Reference & Find/Replace features 
- Know how to Toggle bits & Force inputs & outputs 
- Know how to monitor the Scan Time of the processor 
- Know how to Save As…in order to Backup your PLC program if Automatic

Project Backup unavailable 
- When monitoring a program, understand where the logic you are seeing is coming from & the important implications for the user 
- Know how to make simple on-line edits 
- Know how to access help screens & on-line manuals 
- Know how to access and configure Workstation Options 
- Know how to configure a Trend to aid longer term monitoring 
- Know how to document project using RSLogix 500

Running & Using RSLinx Classic Software 
- Know how to configure suitable driver for RS232 DF1 communications 
- Know how to configure suitable driver for Ethernet communications 
- Know how to configure suitable driver for DH485 & DH+ communications 
- Know how to access RSWho to assist resolving communications problems 
- Know how to access Driver Diagnostics to assist resolving communications problems 
- Know how to access & configure RSLinx Classic Launch Control Panel to avoid conflicts with other communications software

Understand the Terminology, Structure & Organisation of SLC / Micrologix Projects 
- Understand the method for addressing field I/O points & internal elements in an SLC / Micrologix program 
- Understand that SLC / Micrologix Projects typically consist of Multiple

Routines 
- Understand how to correctly interpret screen highlights for the different contact & coil instructions & how to relate this to the state of I/O LEDs on I/O modules & the operation of devices in the field 
- Understand the construction & display of the various Timer & Counter instructions, know how they work & the different ways to monitor them 
- Introduction to Data Handling with SLC / Micrologix & the use of Comparators & simple

Arithmetic instructions 
- Know how Analog signals are handled by SLC / Micrologix, know how to find them in a program & the different ways to monitor them 
- Understand the different data File Types 
- Appreciate how the controller memory is expanded 
- Appreciate how to monitor controller properties within user programs e.g. accessing the real time clock

System Maintenance Procedures 
- Know how to RUN & STOP the SLC / Micrologix (both hardware & software methods) & know what happens to the I/O in each mode & how that can be influenced 
- Know how to correctly interpret the status of the battery & how to appropriately replace if necessary 
- Know how to replace & reconfigure suspect power supply, I/O modules, racks & I/O interface modules 
- Know how to replace a suspect or failed CPU module & how to reload the program 
- Know how to Upload and Download to a Controller 
- Understand that the SLC / Micrologix project contains the system & I/O configuration & the important implications of this for the user 
- Know how to compare a project running in a SLC / Micrologix PLC with a project held on disk & be able to interpret the results 
- Know how to make minor modifications to an existing program in both on-line & off-line modes to add functionality or as a temporary measure to enable a stalled program to continue 
- Know how to generate a report to be printed as hard copy of project 
- Gain practical experience of a wide range of essential maintenance procedures

Diagnostic Tools & Troubleshooting Procedures 
- Understand the reasons why most faults will not be PLC hardware or software & are much more likely to be due to field device failures or wiring problems 
- Know the first level checks needed to begin to quickly distinguish between PLC & field faults 
- Know typical fault symptoms for common PLC hardware (module) failures 
- Be able to recognise & interpret the meaning of external system diagnostic LEDs 
- Be able to correctly interpret the status of I/O LEDs & relate these to the operation of field devices to distinguish between I/O module faults & wiring or field faults 
- Know how & where to use a meter to check & confirm I/O module power supplies & for correct operation of digital I/O circuits 
- Know how & where to use a meter to check analog I/O modules for correct circuit operation 
- Know quick methods to identify a failed I/O module 
- Know the symptoms of using a faulty communications cable or if connected to the wrong communications port 
- Understand how & when to reinstate factory defaults and the effect of this on system operation
 
Tools
 
Key Details
Duration5 days
 
£925
per delegate