Wanting to learn PLCs because it pays well will not serve you!!! We have enough free content available on the PLC Professor YouTube channel to allow you to determine if you have a strong enough interest in the subject.
The real difference in cost is the software, typically $170 from an AB distributor. If you are serious about a career involving PLCs, you are better off going the Micrologix 1400 route and using this manual.Ĭonsidering what is at stake for the learner, the cost to purchase a license for Micro Starter from your local AB distributor and a Micrologix1400 controller from a reputable seller on EBay is insignificant.
The Complete PLCLearn Series with the Micrologix 1400 is the best choice even though the software is not free and the hardware is a little more expensive.
This manual is comprehensive in that it covers all 70 instructions (including some that you will never see or use) supported by the 1761-L10BXB Micrologix 1000 controller. The Complete PLCLearn Series with the MicroLogix 1000/1100 controllers is the absolute least expensive option and is very effective for learning PLCs, programing and ladder logic diagrams. For this reason, our newest lab project manual was developed, specifically with the Micrologix 1400. The Micrologix 1400 also supports Ethernet/IP. The last two, or rather the newest, supports online editing and Ethernet communications. Micro Starter will support all Micrologix controllers and is very reasonably priced. This family of controllers has five hardware platforms and they were introduced in this order: 1000, 1200, 1500, 1100 and then the 1400.Although more expensive, the 1100 is a better investment because it has a more complete instruction set, online programming support and an Ethernet port.
The free version (Micro Starter Lite) will also program the Micrologix1100. AB has suspended manufacture of the Micrologix1000 platform since June 2017, but there are millions of them installed in factories and elsewhere and they are still relevant as a learning platform. We include it with the manual written for a Micrologix1000 and with any training stations that have a Micrologix1000/1100 controller from our inventory. If you contact Rockwell online, they can send a link from which to download it I just did that today.March 12, 2018.
The software was free from Rockwell Software but no longer appears on their website. Micro Starter Lite supports just two controllers the Micrologix 1000 and the MicroLogix 1100.The standard license of RSLogix500 will support all SLC500 and Micrologix controllers, and it is expensive.Within this platform, there are three categories of hardware/software: Of these three categories, the RSLogix500 is the least expensive to use as a learning platform. However, someone else could post articles of a similar nature on the other major vendors of controllers. If you are standardized on a different vendor for controllers, this section of the article is probably of no value to your enterprise. There are three primary families of hardware/software (in order of historical occurrence) with Allen Bradley: PLC5 with RSLogix 5, SLC500 and Micrologix 1000/1100/1200/1400/1500 with RSLogix 500, and ControlLogix/CompactLogix with RSLogix 5000. Learning PLCs to support an installed base.