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RSLogix 500 to Studio 5000: Tag Mapping Reference

Reference table mapping SLC 500 file-based addresses (N7, B3, T4, C5, I:, O:) to ControlLogix/CompactLogix tag-based equivalents in Studio 5000.

·8 min read
Allen-BradleyRSLogix 500Studio 5000tag mappingSLC 500ControlLogixaddressingmigration

RSLogix 500 to Studio 5000: Tag Mapping Reference

SLC 500 uses numbered data files. ControlLogix uses named tags. This reference maps every SLC address type to its ControlLogix equivalent.

Data File → Tag Mapping

SLC 500 FileTypeDefault NameControlLogix Tag TypeExample Conversion
O:xOutputOutputLocal:x:O.Data[n]O:2/0Local:2:O.Data[0].0
I:xInputInputLocal:x:I.Data[n]I:1/0Local:1:I.Data[0].0
S:xStatusStatusGSV instructionS:1/15 → GSV to read controller status
B3:xBinaryBinaryBOOL array or DINT tagB3:0/0MyBits[0].0
T4:xTimerTimerTIMER tagT4:0.ACCMyTimer.ACC
C5:xCounterCounterCOUNTER tagC5:0.ACCMyCounter.ACC
R6:xControlControlCONTROL tagR6:0MyControl
N7:xIntegerInteger (16-bit)DINT (32-bit default)N7:0MyInteger
F8:xFloatFloat (32-bit)REAL (32-bit)F8:0MyReal
ST9:xStringStringSTRING tagST9:0MyString

Timer/Counter Structure Mapping

SLC 500ControlLogixDescription
T4:0.PREMyTimer.PREPreset value
T4:0.ACCMyTimer.ACCAccumulated value
T4:0.DNMyTimer.DNDone bit
T4:0.TTMyTimer.TTTimer timing bit
T4:0.ENMyTimer.ENEnable bit
C5:0.PREMyCounter.PREPreset
C5:0.ACCMyCounter.ACCAccumulated
C5:0.DNMyCounter.DNDone
C5:0.OVMyCounter.OVOverflow
C5:0.UNMyCounter.UNUnderflow

Integer Size Change

Critical: SLC 500 N-files are 16-bit INT (-32768 to +32767). ControlLogix default integer is 32-bit DINT (-2147483648 to +2147483647). For most arithmetic this is transparent, but bit manipulation and negative number handling can behave differently.

Recommendation: After migration, verify any code that uses masking (AND), shifting (BSL/BSR), or tests specific bit positions in integer words.

I/O Addressing Deep Dive

SLC 500 I/O addresses are slot-based with bit-level access:

I:1/0    → Input slot 1, bit 0
I:1.0/0  → Same (word 0, bit 0)
O:2/5    → Output slot 2, bit 5
I:3.1    → Input slot 3, word 1 (full word)

ControlLogix I/O addresses are module-path based:

Local:1:I.Data[0].0   → Local chassis, slot 1, input, word 0, bit 0
Local:2:O.Data[0].5   → Local chassis, slot 2, output, word 0, bit 5
MyRemoteRack:3:I.Data  → Named connection to remote rack

Generate Your Tag Mapping Automatically

PLCcheck Pro reads your RSLogix 500 program and generates a complete tag mapping table ready for import into Studio 5000.

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