In article ,
am says...
I have aquired an AB SLC 501 PLC (programmable logic controller) for
educational/hobby purposes but am having trouble locating programming
software for it w/o having to purchase an AB copy (for many hundreds
of $). Was wondering if anyone might have a copy to sell or know of a
third party program that could be used with these things or some other
alternative. Any assistance would be appreciated........

Note: I'm not looking for a pirate copy.


Have you tried begging to the local AB distributor,
preferably the outside salesman who covers your area? If
you explain that you are just interested in learning PLC
programming, he may be willing to stop by and give you a
"demo" of the software using your laptop. Most salesmen
will go along if they know you're not in a position to
justify purchasing the software.

It's been a while since I've used one, but doesn't the SLC
also require a protocol converter (RS232/RS485 or the like)
as well?

Ned Simmons