How To Use Allen Bradley 1203 USB

The Allen Bradley 1203 USB is a versatile and powerful communication module that allows you to connect your Allen Bradley PLCs to a computer or other device using a USB connection. In this blog post we will go over the steps required to set up and use the 1203 USB to communicate with your PLC.

Step 1: Hardware Connections

The first step in using the 1203 USB is to make the necessary hardware connections. The 1203 USB module has a USB connector on one end and a 1747-CP3 cable connector on the other. To connect the 1203 USB to your PLC, simply plug the 1747-CP3 connector into the communications port on the PLC and the USB connector into a USB port on your computer or other device.

Step 2: Installing Drivers

Once the hardware connections are made you will need to install the necessary drivers for the 1203 USB on your computer. The drivers can be found on the Allen Bradley website or on the CD that came with the 1203 USB. Simply follow the instructions provided to install the drivers on your computer.

Step 3: Configuring the 1203 USB

Once the drivers are installed you will need to configure the 1203 USB to communicate with your PLC. This can be done using the RSLinx Classic software, which is included with the 1203 USB. Open RSLinx Classic and click on the "Communications" menu. From there select "Configure Drivers" and choose the "DF1-USB" driver from the list.

In the configuration window you will need to set the "Baud Rate" to match the baud rate of your PLC, and the "Station Address" to match the station address of your PLC.

Step 4: Setting up your PLC

Before you can communicate with your PLC using the 1203 USB, you will need to set up your PLC to communicate over the USB connection. This can be done using the programming software for your PLC. Follow the instructions provided by your PLC's manufacturer to set up the communications settings and configure your PLC to communicate over the USB connection.

Step 5: Testing the Connection

Once you have completed the above steps, you can test the connection between your PLC and the 1203 USB by using RSLinx Classic software to read and write data to your PLC. To do this, simply open RSLinx Classic and click on the "Communications" menu. From there, select "Monitor/PLC-5" or "Monitor/SLC" depending on your PLC.

You should be able to read and write data to your PLC and see the values change in RSLinx Classic. If you have any issues or problems with the connection, double check all the steps above to ensure that everything is set up correctly.