The Allen-Bradley 1771-DA PLC-5 ASCII I/O Module can transfer data, by means of an I/O scan, from an ASCII device to a PC processor data table, and vice versa. The module has two modes of operation, data mode and report generation mode. In data mode, the user can transfer ASCII, BCD, or hex characters. Generally, this mode can be used to transfer data to the processor data table. In report generation mode, the user can include BCD values in the string of ASCII characters. Generally, this mode can be used to transfer messages.
The ASCII module can be used with any Allen-Bradley programmable controller that has an expandable data table, block transfer capability, and uses the 1771 I/O structure. If a PLC-2/20 controller is used, the programming will be lengthier as its processor does not have file move or block transfer instructions.