Purchase now: Allen Bradley 1747-OS401 Firmware Upgrade Kit
Purchase now: Atlantechdrives provides you the 1747-OS401, a highly critical Operating System Firmware Upgrade Kit engineered by Allen Bradley specifically for the SLC 5/04 CPU processors. As industrial control requirements evolved, Allen Bradley released significant firmware enhancements to unlock new network capabilities, add complex math instructions, and improve system reliability on existing hardware. The 1747-OS401 kit physically upgrades your legacy SLC 5/04 processor (such as the 1747-L541, L542, or L543) to the advanced OS401 firmware revision. This upgrade is absolutely essential for manufacturing facilities looking to modernize their serial communication capabilities and utilize advanced math functions without bearing the massive capital expense of buying completely new CPU hardware or migrating to a different PLC platform.
Technical Specifications of the 1747-OS401
The OS401 upgrade brings substantial enhancements to the 5/04 architecture, optimizing memory utilization for faster indirect addressing and unlocking advanced serial communication protocols on the 9-pin Channel 0 port.
- Part Number: 1747-OS401
- Component Type: Firmware / Operating System Upgrade Kit
- Compatible Processors: SLC 5/04 (1747-L541, 1747-L542, 1747-L543)
- Firmware Level: OS401 (Operating System 401)
- Key Feature Addition: Modbus RTU Master capability on RS-232 Channel 0
- Key Feature Addition: Advanced trigonometric math support
- Kit Includes: Physical Flash memory upgrade chip/card
Expert Tips: Unlocking Modbus RTU Networks
The most powerful reason to apply the 1747-OS401 upgrade is network expansion. Expert Tip: Prior to the OS401 firmware, the SLC 5/04 processor’s serial port (Channel 0) was restricted primarily to DF1, DH-485, and ASCII protocols. By installing the 1747-OS401 upgrade, you natively unlock Modbus RTU Master capabilities directly on the processor. This massive enhancement allows your legacy Allen Bradley PLC to communicate effortlessly with third-party variable frequency drives (VFDs), smart power meters, and digital temperature controllers that rely on the Modbus protocol. This upgrade completely eliminates the need for expensive third-party protocol converter gateways, streamlining your panel architecture.
Installation Advice: Physical Chip Flashing Risks
Upgrading the operating system of an industrial processor is a delicate physical and electronic procedure. The physical installation of the 1747-OS401 requires extracting the SLC 5/04 CPU module from the chassis. Technicians must open the plastic housing of the processor to expose the main circuit board. The upgrade kit typically consists of a physical PROM/Flash chip that must be carefully inserted into a specific socket on the board, replacing the old OS chip. Proper electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist straps must be worn, as touching the exposed silicon pins will permanently damage the microchip. Furthermore, you must perform a complete backup of your ladder logic program and data tables using RSLogix 500 before beginning, as changing the OS chip will completely wipe the user memory (RAM).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Will the 1747-OS401 work on an SLC 5/03 or 5/05 processor?
A: No. Firmware architectures are highly specific to the motherboard hardware. The 1747-OS401 is exclusively compiled for the internal circuitry of the SLC 5/04 processor family. The 5/03 requires an OS30x upgrade, and the 5/05 requires an OS50x upgrade.
Q: Do I need to upgrade my RSLogix 500 software after applying this kit?
A: Yes, it is highly recommended. To access the new instructions and the Modbus RTU configuration tabs unlocked by OS401, your RSLogix 500 software must be at a version level that recognizes the new firmware features.
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This firmware operating system chip is required to maintain the advanced instruction set of the SLC 5/04 L541 controller.
