Hello all. New here and looking for comments. Possible new job runs all equipment with RSLogix 500. All my experience has been with Omron Plcs. Anyone have any comments on differences or similarities between the two brands? Just trying to get an idea of what I'm might be in for. Thanks in advance for any replies. Looks like a great forum you guys have here.

Which Omron models.

By the way my favourite PLCs in order

1. Logix
2. SLC
3. Omron CS1
.
..
...
9999. Siemens S7

Well I had hoped to get more responses on this from some of the guys who do AB and Omron since there are a few of them. I mostly do AB and Mitsubishi so can't say too much for the conversion but I can tell you they pretty much will do the same functions. Otherwise the less functional one would be out of business

I don't think you will have any trouble converting the program with the help of the users of the forum. And don't be shy about posting in the Omron forum for help converting to AB either. There was a person just a month or so ago that was needing help converting AB to Omron and I was glad to help just for this reason. One day I may need help converting Omron to AB. I think most of your Omron gurus would take the same view.

Thanks guys. Mostly Cpm1 and 2.

My last job was in a plant that was quite the opposite.. 99% Allen-Bradley but then we got a machine with an Omron PLC. So we got the Omron software, the Omron PIC module (That's what it looked like to me :) and proceeded to try to "go online" with it. Wow, we all looked pretty dumb with that one! I had to laugh because I could totally sympathize now with everyone I've talked to that struggled with RSLogix. I'm sure there's nothing inherently BAD about the Omron software, it just didn't make any sense to our A-B way of thinking! I remember one day, it took us over an hour to switch an output from one point to another on the same card. This is something I dare say I could have done in under a minute on a SLC.

I mention this not to create fear or to put down another brand of PLC, but just out of curiousity to see if someone versed in Omron programming will have as hard a time with A-B as we did going the other way. Of course this wouldn't take into account that my coworkers and I probably aren't the sharpest tools in the shed!

If you programmed one PLC brand, you will be able easily accommodate and learn another.
It takes time, but PLC is PLC and all use the same common ideas and own ways to implement them.

During my 22 years in controls I went over many different PLCs and CNCs.

It takes time, but I never saw a learning curve as an issue.

If going from the CPM to SLC you hopefully will find the AB easier once you get used to it. Certainly if using the maths functions you will find it much easier with the SLC. Biggest difference will be with hardware, but again you should get used to it fairly quickly.

I mainly used the CS1, only used CPM on a couple of occasions.

Ive done both ways on a number of occasions - never programmed a c'logix though...and the micro logix up until the 1100 i would not touch because there was no Online Programming---in this day an age now c'mon....

I have converted a SLC program which when printed out was about 3inch thick in paper...to an Omron CJ so you can say that i would be experienced at it.....

There are a number of subtle diff's, unfortunately i cannot name them all, busy doing a proj at the moment....One thing you will miss is how quick and easy it is to write ladder code in Omron as compared to AB...- especially if you are use to using true shurt cut keys for contacts, branching etc thats what i hate most about AB software, otherwise its me 2nd fav PLC and software....

Sleepy - You know that the ML1100 does support online editing don't you?

Thanks for all the replies guys. If the job goes through, I'm sure I'll have many questions for all you guys. I think the chance to learn a new system is really exciting. Thanks again.

Yeh TW i do...been a long time for you guys to enjoy this facility...it was long over due...

I'll just add two cents. In the year 2000, I went from a plant with 1800 PLC's yes thats one thousand eight hundred not a typo. Where the 1800 was split 900 Omron and 900 Toshiba. To a plant her we were installing our first 100 Allen Bradley SLC's and PLC5's. Being conversant in eight PC/Mainframe programming languages {Fortran, Pascal, Basic, Cobol, etc} and two PLC's {Omron & Toshiba} I'd have to second contr conn that there is always a learning curve, but if you have a grasp of the basics and understand your machine or operation the learning curve should not be long.

On the Omron to AB switch. Two things stick out.
1. Sleepy - Right on with the shortcuts. I really miss em.
2. All Outputs real and internal operator like Omron HR bits. You can't cycle power on an AB PLC and get a clean slate like we could wuith Omron and Toshiba.
Just MHO.

And just a note to Sleepy - a good portion of that 900 Omron where C120F, C500F and C1000HF units. Talk about an adjustment - I cursed at the first C500 non "F" they sent us.

holy crap....was this a car manufacturing plant....



I cut me teeth on the C20's with a hand held programmer, main experience is with C200Hx,CQM1x, CPM, CJ1, CS1 PLC models, have used a few C500 and C1000 even a CVM1D once upon a time...

Never did Cobol myself have dabbled in C, C++, Visual Basic as well....



You are a sales man's dream customer...

I take my hat off to you Bob, he of all knowing and wise and experience.....

yeah, i do agree. Every plc company has its own secret weapon like AB's Intergrated Architechture and Simens's Total Intergrated Automation. It's seems about different marketing positioning. However, my preference is AB, i like ControlLogix most.

Yes, the Logix5000 platform is my favorite too

I got away from Omron when I discovered that I liked AB's communication with distributed I/O better.

On a side note, for small systems, nothing beats the Toshiba T1-enhanced. For $150 with free software you won't find more processing power anywhere in the world. Plenty of instructions, I/O and comm expansion. Easy to program. Much more functional than those "budget" PLC like EZ.

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