Studio 5000: How to connect to an existing Controller

In today's article I cover how to upload and go online  to an existing ControlLogix or CompactLogix controller for the first time when you don't already have the program in the controller on your PC.

Prerequisite: Before following the below procedure you must have already setup RSLinx Classic to communicate to your target Programmable Controller. To learn how to do so, check out our previous RSLinx articles HERE.

Step 1)  From the Studio 5000 splash screen select “From Upload”:

Note: If you're using RSLogix 5000, then open it and then select “Communications – Who Active”:

Step 2)  Next, from the network browse window select the controller in question. Below is how it will look in Studio 5000:

Note: This is how it looks in RSLogix 5000:

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Step 3)  Next, in the “Connected to Upload” window, click on the “Select File” button:

Step 4) Then enter in a name for the file you are uploading, and click on “Select”:

Step 5) When prompted, confirm your choice by selecting “Yes”:

Step 6) After a moment you'll see the controller's program uploading:

Step 7)  Once done, you should find you have uploaded the program and are online with the Controller. At this point I always perform another “File – Save”:

Watch a demonstration of this procedure below in Episode 1 of The Automation Minute Season 4:

Have a question or comment? Please feel free to leave them with us HERE.

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

Shawn is a lifelong Technology Enthusiast who as a pre-teen in the early 80's discovered his passion for programing on the newly released Apple II and VIC-20 computers. After earning a degree in Electronics, Shawn worked as a Certified Automation Specialist for 25 years before leaving to focus full time on teaching online PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at The Automation School, as well as publishing industrial automation news, interviews, and how-to articles & videos at The Automation Blog.

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