MEMORY

ORGANIZATION AND
ADDRESSING
Darwin L. Boyd
College of Aeronautics and Engineering
Kent State University
Introduction
• Introduction
• ControlLogix/Compact
Logix Memory
• MicroLogix and SLC-
500 Memory
• Chapter Summary
ControlLogix and CompactLogix Memory
STUDIO 5000 logix designer tasks,
programs, routines
• A Logix Designer project can contain multiple tasks
• A Logix Designer task can contain multiple programs
• A Logix Designer program can contain multiple routines
• By default Logix Designer creates one MainRoutine in
one MainProgram in one MainTask
Logix Designer Hierarchy
Logix Designer
Project

Task 1 Task 2

Program 1 Program 2 Program 3

Routine 1 Routine 3 Routine 4

Routine 2 Routine 5
Tasks
• Multiple tasks are supported to schedule and prioritize the
running of programs based on specific criteria. This
balances the processing time of the controller.
• The controller runs only one task at one time.
• A different task can interrupt a task that is running and
take control.
• In any given task, only one program runs at one time.
Tasks
• Tasks can be
• Continuous
• Periodic
• Event

• There can be at most one continuous task

• The continuous task runs whenever the controller is not
doing anything else
• Periodic tasks run at set intervals of time (0.1-2000 ms)
• Event tasks run when an event (trigger) occurs
Programs
• Each program has its own program tags
• If you want routines to share tags, put them in the
same program
• If you want each routine to use the same tag names
without changing values in other routines, put the
routines in separate programs Logix Designer
Project
• Here Routine 1 and Routine 2
share tags with each other. Task 1 Task 2

Routine 4 shares tags with Program 1 Program 2 Program 3

Routine 5. Routine 3 does
not share tags with any other Routine 1 Routine 3 Routine 4

routines. Routine 2 Routine 5

Routines
• Contain the executable code
• Must have one Main Routine
• Can be one of four types
1. Ladder Logic
2. Sequential Function Chart
3. Function Block Diagram
4. Structured Text

• “MainRoutine” is always executed first – must call the

other routines with Jump to SubRoutine (JSR)
Program Scan
• In ControlLogix PLCs, program execution is NOT
coordinated with scan of I/O modules
Tags and Data Types
• Some rules that you don’t really need to remember
• First character is not a digit
• Not two or more consecutive underlines
• Last character is not an underline

• No distinction between upper and lower case

• Tags must be assigned a data type
• We will use BOOL, INT, DINT, CONTROL, COUNTER, and TIMER
• Input/Output Tags