UPDATE: As of April 2020 this procedure has changed – see the new article HERE for the updated steps.

Original Article:


RSLogix Emulate 500 is an excellent little application used to “emulate” SLC-500 and MicroLogix PLCs.

And while it use to cost hundreds of dollars, Rockwell now makes it available as a free download from their website.

To get it, start at the MicroLogix downloads page (TheAutomationBlog.com/mld) and click on the RSLogix Emulate link as shown below:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-01

Then on the next page change the filter to “All Families” and click on the red search button to the right:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-02

Next, select RSLogix Emulate 500 again:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-03

Then choose version 6.00.00:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-04

Then on the bottom right click on the downloads button :

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-05

On the next page click on the small image of a hard drive as pictured below:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-06Now select RSLogix Emulate (again,) this time from the popup window:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-07

And now if you don’t have a free login to Rockwell Automation’s website, you’ll need to create one. To do so, just click on the “Sign up now” link:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-08

Fill in your email address and the other required information, and then click on continue:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-09

The next screen asks you to fill out your preferences, and I immediately scrolled to the bottom and “opted out” of all emails as I’m already signed up to receive them with a different email address:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-10

When you’re done, the final step of creating an account is to click on the “return” button to return to the next step of the download process…

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-11

…which is to accept the license agreement:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-12

And then I usually opt for the direct download option:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-13

And now one last time you need to click on “RSLogix Emulate” after which your software should start downloading:

Download Emulate-S2-E37-TAB-14

If you’d like to learn how to setup and use RSLogix, RSLinx, and Emulate, as well as program the MicroLogix 1000 and 1100, check out my affordable MicroLogix training course at PLC Basics Second Edition

And to see a video of the above procedure, check out the below episode of The Automation Minute:

Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Have a question? Join my community of automation professionals and take part in the discussion! You'll also find my PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

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Shawn Tierney

(10,776 views)

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