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I am looking for a plc system for our brewery. I would like buy a second hand PLC with the necessary modules. I have seen the AB SLC500 1747-L542 cpu for a good price (120$) with a lot of modules, but I dont know, if it is new enough for a project. (Windows compatibilty, programming environment, etc) Should I buy it, or it would be a bad decision? If it is not a good decision, what do you suggest for me? I have seen Siemens S7-200, Siemens ET 200 and others too.

Thank you.

Daniel Husztik
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    Questions about general computing hardware and software are [off-topic for Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/help/on-topic) unless they directly involve tools used primarily for programming. You may be able to get help on [Super User](https://superuser.com/). – Wai Ha Lee Sep 05 '17 at 13:23
  • Don't point people to other sites effectively just moving "crap". – PeeHaa Sep 05 '17 at 13:24
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    Do you already have the programming software? If you do not, it is NOT cheap, even "second hand". Technical support also costs $$$ with AB. So unless you are an expert AB programmer with the software already, even if the hardware was FREE, you will still have a LOT of $$$ to program a simple latch. – franji1 Sep 05 '17 at 17:22

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If you want to go cheap, use something from automation direct or ez automation. You not only need a CPU, you need I/O cards, rack, power supply, software & HMI. That's going to be a ton of money up front. With the two vendors I mentioned, they bundle most of that for a much lower cost of entry.

Bill J.
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Yes this is certainly new enough to use. However, you will need an entire rack. For instance, a ethernet, devicenet, or io cards to connect the processor to your components.

Also as Bill J mentioned, AB may be industry standard in America, but it is expensive. Depending on your brewery's income it my not be smart. Siemens is the same idea.

TheCookieKing
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Quote from AB's website

Our Bulletin 1747 SLC™ 500 control platform is used for a wide variety of applications. Rockwell Automation has announced that some SLC 500 Bulletin numbers are discontinued and no longer available for sale. Customers are encouraged to migrate to our newer CompactLogix™ 5370 or 5380 control platforms.

link to website

So I would say, for a new project, no it's not worth bying in 2017.

Claus Nielsen
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Depending on how many points you need to use I would recommend going with the CompactLogix or MicroLogix from AB. The lowest CompactLogix is my favorit for all around tasks, I have standardized the whole plant to use it as the lowest level PLC for the simplest machines. Built in you get Ethernet capability, 16 inputs, and 16 outputs. You can expand the controller via different modules (up to 8 for the lowest PN), that can include additional discrete IO, analog modules etc.

Do not use a SLC as they are obsolete and even though you can get it to work without much trouble this is not a good choice for a new project.

It is hard to say what you need exactly without knowing the specifics of your project so I would recommend using the "integrated automation builder" (a free download from AB) to properly size a controller for your needs.

zalek
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