Home Allen-Bradley I/O Compact I/O A-B 5380 and 5069: Don’t forget to order your terminal blocks!

A-B 5380 and 5069: Don’t forget to order your terminal blocks!

May 24, 2016

The new 5380 CompactLogix and 5069 Compact I/O don’t come with terminal blocks.

For well over a decade Allen-Bradley customers counted on terminal blocks being included when they purchased either a 1769 CompactLogix controller, or 1769 Compact I/O.

However, with the new 5380 CompactLogix Controllers and 5069 Compact I/O that’s not the case.

This change is a boon to customers who prefer spring clamp over screw terminals, as now they can order whichever they prefer up front with the combined price of I/O module and blocks roughly the same as the equivalents 1769 modules.

But for the hundreds of thousands of existing CompactLogix users, this change will more than likely to catch them off guard.

One way to be sure to avoid forgetting accessories like this is to use Rockwell’s free Integrated Architect Builder (IAB) to build your A-B programmable controller BOMs.

I’ve personally been using IAB for years to avoid forgetting the TBs for 1756,1794, and 1734 I/O.

Which 5069 Terminal Blocks Do I need?

As far as the TB’s required by the 5380 CompactLogix and 5069-AEN2TR, you’ll need one six pin and one four pin block which Rockwell has conveniently packed together in both screw terminal and “push in” spring clamp kits.

The screw terminal kit catalog number is 5069-RTB64-SCREW, and contains one 5069-RTB6-SCREW and one 5069-RTB4-SCREW.

The “push in” spring clamp kit catalog number is 5069-RTB64-SPRING, and contains one 5069-RTB6-SPRING and one 5069-RTB4-SPRING.

As far as the TB’s required by the 5069 I/O, the good news is almost all of them use the very same TBs.

The bad news is they come in a standard pack of five, so when you place your order be sure to ask your local distributor to “break pack” and only send you the quantity ordered.

The catalog number for the most common 5069 Compact I/O terminal blocks is 5069-RTB18-SCREW for screw terminals, and 5069-RTB18-SPRING for the spring clamp version.

The only exception I could find to the above was for Thermocouple inputs which require the use of the 5069-RTB14CJC-SCREW or 5069-RTB14CJC-SPRING.

Finally, if you find you’ll be needing an 5069-FPD (field potential distributor,) you’ll need to order either a 5069-RTB6-SCREW or 5069-RTB6-SPRING, but again be sure you’re not sold a pack of five unless you really need five blocks.

Until next time, Peace ✌️

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Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

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Shawn Tierney

I'm a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who started programing in the early 80's on the new Apple II and VIC-20 personal computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, I worked as a Certified Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to focus on teaching at The Automation School, as well as publishing industry news and product how-to’s at The Automation Blog.