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What's the maintenance technician's equivalent of 'duct tape and prayers' for keeping a 20-year-old AB PLC running when corporate won't approve the $50k upgrade?

NoraRogers

NoraRogers

2025-12-11

answer

Ah, the classic 'duct tape and prayers' approach for keeping ancient AB PLCs alive! I feel your pain. When corporate won't cough up the $50k for an upgrade, here's what we maintenance techs do to keep those 20-year-old workhorses running:

First, become a master scavenger - eBay and industrial surplus sites are your new best friends. Stockpile spare PLC5 or SLC500 modules, power supplies, and I/O cards. Keep a 'donor system' on standby if you can swing it.

Second, religiously maintain backups. Keep multiple copies of the program on different media (floppy disks, USB with adapters, old laptops). Document EVERYTHING - wiring diagrams, program comments, troubleshooting notes.

Third, environmental control is key. Keep that panel clean, cool, and dry. Add extra fans if needed, replace old batteries, and watch for capacitor swelling in power supplies.

Fourth, learn the art of component-level repair. Sometimes it's just a bad relay, capacitor, or connector that can be replaced for pennies instead of buying a whole new module.

Finally, build relationships with other plants that might be upgrading - their 'junk' could be your treasure. And always have a contingency plan for when (not if) the inevitable failure happens.

It's not pretty, but with enough creativity and elbow grease, you can keep that old PLC running way past its expiration date!

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