Use the Memory Card
The controllers ship with a memory card installed.
We recommend that you leave the memory card installed, so if a fault occurs, diagnostic data is automatically written to the card. Rockwell Automation can then use the data to help investigate the cause of the fault.
We recommend that you use the memory cards available from
Rockwell Automation®
. For information on what memory cards are compatible with the controllers, see 1756 ControlLogix and GuardLogix Controllers Technical Data, 1756-TD001.While other memory cards can be used with the controller,
Rockwell Automation®
has not tested the use of those cards with the controller and you could experience data corruption or loss.Memory cards that are not provided by
Rockwell Automation®
can have different industrial, environmental, and certification ratings as those cards that are available from Rockwell Automation®
. These cards can have difficulty with survival in the same industrial environments as the industrially rated versions available from Rockwell Automation®
.The memory card that is compatible with your controller is used to load or store the contents of user memory for the controller.
When you use the Store feature, the project that is stored on the memory card matches the project in the controller memory then. Changes that you make after you store the project are not reflected in the project on the memory card.
If you change the project in the controller memory but do not store those changes, the next time that you load the project from the memory card to the controller, you overwrite the changes.
IMPORTANT:
Do not remove the memory card while the controller is reading from, or writing to, the card. If you remove the card during either activity, the data on the card or controller can become corrupt.
Additionally, the controller firmware at the time when the card is removed can become corrupted. Leave the card in the controller until the OK status indicator turns steady green.
If a memory card is installed, you can see the contents of the card on the Nonvolatile Memory tab of the Controller Properties dialog box. If a safety application is stored on the card, the safety-lock status and the safety signature are shown.
The project must be online to see the contents of the memory card.
Remember the following:
- A memory card slot is on the front of the controller behind the door.
- If the memory card is installed and a fault occurs, diagnostic data is automatically written to the card. Diagnostic data helps the investigation and correction of the fault cause.
- The controller detects the presence of a memory card at power-up or if a card is inserted during controller operation.
- The memory card can store all configuration data that is stored in nonvolatile memory.
- The memory card can store the back-up program.
IMPORTANT:
We recommend that you back up your controller project to a memory card regularly. If a major non-recoverable fault occurs that removes the program from the controller memory, the backup copy on the memory card can be automatically restored to the controller and quickly resume normal controller operation.
For detailed information on how to use nonvolatile memory, refer to the Logix 5000 Controllers Nonvolatile Memory Programming Manual, publication 1756-PM017.
Safety Project Considerations
You cannot store a safety project if the safety task status is Safety Task Inoperable. When you store a safety project, the controller firmware is also stored to the memory card.
If no application project exists in the controller, you can save only the firmware of the controller if a valid partnership exists, you can only save the firmware of the internal safety partner.
A firmware-only load does not clear a Safety Task Inoperable condition.
If a safety signature exists when you store a project, the following occurs:
- Both safety and standard tags are stored with their current values.
- The current safety signature is saved.
When you store a safety application project on a memory card, we recommend that you select Program (Remote Only) as the Load mode, that is, the mode that the controller enters after a project is loaded from the memory card.
IMPORTANT:
To help prevent the firmware that is stored on the memory card from overwriting newly updated firmware:
- The update process first checks the load option on the memory card and changes the load option to User Initiated if necessary.
- The firmware update process.
- The controller resets.
- The load option remains set to User Initiated.
If the memory card is locked, the load option does not change, and the firmware that is stored on the memory card can overwrite the newly updated firmware.
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