On May 31, 2011, GE IP (formerly GE Fanuc) discontinued the 90-70 PLC product line.  Introduced in 1990, the GE 90-70 PLC line had moderate success around the world in mid- to large-sized PLC applications.  While a good deal of investment was made in the development of CPU Redundancy and the capabilities of the higher end CPUs, like the IC697CPX772, IC697CPX782, and the IC697CPX935, there were not a lot of changes in the product line over the past 10 years.

As we have written in the past, it is tough on a company when a manufacturer discontinues a key component of your automation scheme.  Because of the power of the 90-70, this PLC was more likely to be the core of more sophisticated, and critical, control schemes.  The manufacturer does their homework and creates a migration plan that moves the 90-70 user to the latest PLC, or PAC, solution.  Of course, that is not done for free - integration costs, new hardware costs, downtime, re-wiring of the I/O structure - all add up to a pretty major upgrade project.  And just because the manufacturer says its time to upgrade, it doesn't mean that it is in your budget this year, next year or five years from now.

So what do you do?

Realizing this burden on your business, Qualitrol has positioned itself to Extend the Life of your PLC system. Now is not the time to figure out how to fund a major PLC upgrade or conversion.  And if the system is working properly, why the need to change it now - it could conceivably continue to work flawlessly for many years to come. 

We have thousands of 90-70 parts in stock, tested through our unique quality process, and ready to ship today.  And we are committed to supporting this line for years to come.  We are still fully supporting the Series Six that was introduced in 1980 - and are equipped to do so until the last Series Six is controlling an application.  So you know we will be committed to the 90-70 for years as well.

Remanufactured parts (with a 2-year warranty), in-house repairs (with 3-5 day turnaround), phone support (from a former GE Hotline tech support specialist), field support thoughout the country, and programming tools make up our support offering for the GE 90-70.

So, we have you covered, for years to come.

One of the guys that used to work here would tell customers who had a troubleshooting question, "Read the book, don't wait for the movie!" (he was kidding, of course)

But, now, you can watch the movie - the troubleshooting movie, that is.

Qualitrol International has launched its Library of PLC Troubleshooting videos.  Topics covered include changing batteries in various GE 90-30, 90-70, and Versamax CPUs; setting up network communications for Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PAC systems; and many others. 

You can check our video collection on our PLC Tech Support Video page.

We have found that these short, concise videos are a great way to demonstrate some basic troubleshooting techniques.  Sometimes it can be difficult to try and explain techincal ideas over the phone - we've all been there.  And with the wealth of knowledge of our PLC engineers, it is a great way for them to show you how to do certain tasks and then make them available for you to use anytime.

We find that many younger maintenance personnel charged with supporting controllers in many factories are not familiar with even the simplest tasks in some older PLC systems.  It's not their fault - it's just that PLCs can last so long and they can stay in production for decades.  It's hard to expect an engineer who has only been out of school 5 years to know how to support a PLC that has been on the market for 20 years!

If you ever have question for our PLC techs, please call or email.  They are available to walk you through any troubleshooting situation.  Heck, they might even make a video about it.

Further documentation on the GE PLC family batteries:

Battery Part Number for VersaMax PLC

Refer to GFK-1503C page 4-11:

The CPU module is shipped with a battery already installed. The battery holder is located in the top side of the CPU module. Before the first use, activate the battery by pulling and removing the insulator tab.

To replace the battery, use a small screwdriver to gently pry open the battery holder.

Replace battery only with one of the following:

GE Fanuc IC200ACC001 --- CPU battery and Holder

Panasonic BR2032

Battery Part Number for VersaMax Micro PLC

Refer to GFK-1645C page 9-23,

For the 23 and 28 point Micro PLCs, a lithium coin cell can be installed in the battery holder and inserted into the front of the Micro PLC behind the removable door. Its purpose is to protect the RAM memory contents of the PLC when the PLC power supply is removed or turned off. It also backs up the CPU’s real-time clock.

Replace the battery assembly with one of the following:

GE Fanuc IC200ACC403

Hitachi-Maxell CR2032WK

Battery Part Number for S9030 PLC

IC693ACC301 --- Battery lit for 9030 CPU and PCM (qty 2)

IC693ACC302 --- External Battery Module

Battery Part Number for S9070 PLC

IC697ACC701 --- Battery lit for 9070 CPU and PCM (qty 2)

Battery Part Number for PACSystem RX7i

IC698ACC701 --- A three-cell lithium battery and spare door

We came across this document today that we thought might be helpful in understanding the capacity of Battery back-up and Capacitor back-up of programs in GE Versamax PLCs,  GE 90-30 PLCs, GE 90-70 PLCs, and PAC systems:

GE PLC Battery and Capacitor capacity

For VersaMax CPUs

Refer to IPI of VersaMax CPU modules:

• Battery backup for program, data, and time of day clock
• Super capacitor provides power to memory for 1 hour
• Over 1 hour, backup battery protects memory contents up to 6 months.
• Backup battery has shelf life of 5 years when not in use.

The part number is IC200ACC001.

For VersaMax Micro 23/28 point PLC

Capacitor backs up RAM and the Time-of-Day clock for at least 30 minutes.

Lithium battery (IC200ACC403, optional battery):

Shelf Life: Up to 5 years typical at 30 °C, Up to 3 years typical at 55 °C

Installed: 4 months battery backup time (powered down) minimum at 55 °C

For VersaMax Micro 14 point PLC and Nano PLC

Capacitor backs up RAM for at least 3 days.

There is no optional battery for 14 point Micro and Nano PLC.

For Series 9030 PLC

Super Capacitor:

The PLC power supply supplies 5 VDC to the memory circuits, including the super capacitor. Therefore, when PLC power is turned off, the super capacitor has an initial 5 VDC charge. If the battery is also disconnected shortly after PLC power is turned off, the super capacitor will begin discharging from the 5 VDC level until its charge reaches 2 VDC, at which time memory contents will be lost. When used this way, the super capacitor can maintain memory contents for a minimum of 1 hour.

The memory backup battery supplies 3 VDC to the memory circuits, including the super capacitor. Therefore, if PLC power has been turned off for an hour or more and only the battery is powering the memory circuits, the super capacitor has a 3 VDC charge. Then, if the battery is disconnected, the super capacitor will begin discharging from the 3VDC level until its charge reaches 2 VDC, at which time memory contents will be lost. When used this way, the super capacitor can maintain memory contents for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Battery: IC693ACC301 battery lit for 9030 CPU and PCM (qty 2)

A battery that is used continuously (supplying current to memory circuits with PLC power off), if used at room temperature, has an estimated average life as follows:

The voltage threshold for the BATT LED to come on in a 90-30 powers supply is 2.5V DC +/- 5%

External Battery Module (IC693ACC302)

This module provides long-term battery backup for all modular Series 90-30 CPUs. Its two-foot cable plugs into the power supply battery connector. The External Battery Module maintains RAM contents on a CPU374 and NIU004 for 15 months. CPU models 331—364 maintain RAM contents for approximately 75 months.

For Series 9070 PLC

IC697ACC701 battery lit for 9070 CPU and PCM (qty 2)

A battery that is used continuously (supplying current to memory circuits with PLC power off) has an average estimated life of 6 months, if used at room temerature.

The voltage threshold for the BATT LED to come on in a 90-30 powers supply is 2.5V DC +/- 5%

For PACSystem RX7i PLC

IC698ACC701 --- A battery that is used continuously (supplying current to memory circuits/calendar with system power off) has a minimum estimated life of 40 days.

If want to keep program forever, write HWC and Logic into Flash memory.