You’ll either have a serial port connection, or a Data Highway + port on your PLC. Both types shown below.
I would recommend connecting through the serial port if you have one, as connection adapters for Data Highway + ports are around $2,000. You can make your own serial connector for less than $50. If you do not have a serial port, I recommend contacting Rockwell and following their instructions on how to use their Data Highway + device. The instructions below are for connecting via serial
Connect a DB25 (male) ->DB9 (female) cable ($10) on the DB25 (female) port of PLC5
Connect the DB9 (female) end of the cable to the DB9 (male) port of a USB to Serial adapter ($30, we use the USA-19HS Tripp Lite adapter)
Connect USB adapter to PC, and ensure it has a comm port in Device manager
Open RSLinx Classic and add a new driver (communication->configure drivers)
Select RS232-DF1 device, add new
Rename if desired, then change comm port to the one in device manager, and select “Auto-Configure”
Hit OK when configured, and close out of RS Linx
Open RSLogix 5 Pro and go to Tools->Options->SystemCommunications to make sure the driver you just set up is used.
[Optional] Within RSLogix 5 pro is Comms-> Upload (upload from PLC to PC, do this to see the code on the PLC) or Download (download to PLC from PC, do this only if you have new code on your PC that you want on the PLC)
At this point, you’re online with the PLC and can upload, download, or view errors. If you right-click the PLC and look at the properties, one of the tabs is the list of errors on the PLC. This is where you can learn exactly what is causing the red light on the PLC, and even clear it in some cases.
Based on the error code given, you can look it up in your manual or on the internet. From there, follow the recommended solution!
Regards,
Rachel Gomez