As I began production of my Micro Programmable Controller Basics DVD last May, I realized that people who wanted to learn PLC’s on their own would likely need help finding low cost alternatives to expensive industrial programming cables.
With that in mind, I ordered both the official vendor cables as well as the low cost third party models, and in today’s article I’ll share with you the Serial DB9 to MicroLogix 8 Pin Mini-Din cable I tested and found to work well with both RSLinx and its auto-configure feature.
NOTE: For the low cost USB to Serial cable I tested see my previous article HERE.
The Generic 1761-CBL-PM02
The cable I tested was the 1761-CBL-PM02 from Amazon, which cost roughly $30 depending on the vendor chosen.
As can be seen below, it comes in a simple zip lock bag:
Once I opened the bag and took the cable out, the only major difference I notice was the cable was a couple feet longer than the official A-B cable.
In examining the 8 Pin Mini-Din side, and comparing it to the official cable, the port clearance looked similar, and in my testing I had no issue plugging it into any of the MicroLogix processors..
One final note: I had concerns about whether or not the Mini-Din side would be keyed since some third party cables are missing this feature.
Without the key, I often feel like I’m going to bend the pins of the cable by inserting it incorrectly.
In this case my worries were unfounded as this generic cable does indeed have a key to insure you plug it in correctly.
After a thorough examination, the next step was to test the cable out.
First, I connected my USB to Serial adapter to my PC. Then I connected this generic 1761-CBL-PM02 to it, and to my MicroLogix 1000 test stand.
I then opened RSLinx Classic Lite, added the DF1 driver, assigned it to my USB Serial adapter comm port, and pressed “Auto-Configure.”
The result: RSLinx not only found my MicroLogix 1000, but I was able to download and go online without any issues.
So if you’re looking for a low cost MicroLogix serial programming cable which supports RSLinx’s “Auto-Configure” feature, after my hands-on testing I feel very comfortable recommending this generic 1761-CBL-PM02.
Learn more in the below episode of The Automation Minute:
I hope you’ve found the above information about the low cost MicroLogix serial programming cable I tested helpful.
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or corrections please don’t hesitate to leave them with us by filling in the “post a comment or question” link below.
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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