ProSoftMVI46-ADMC-Programmable Application Development Module for SLC 500 / 1746, Three Serial Ports (Two Isolated), Single Slot

Product Description

The MVI46-ADM is a single-slot module for the Allen-Bradley SLC 500 (1746) chassis that runs your own C application on the module itself. It is not a fixed-protocol gateway. You write the code, and the module handles the serial traffic while the SLC processor gets on with the machine.

Part number decode

MVI = Multi Vendor Interface · 46 = SLC 500 / 1746 platform · ADM = Application Development Module, the C-programmable variant. (Earlier listing copy said “SLX controller platforms” — there is no such platform. The correct host is the SLC 500 family on the 1746 backplane.)

What people actually use it for

Talking to barcode scanners, weigh heads, printers and other serial field devices that speak a bespoke ASCII protocol nobody has written a driver for.Implementing a legacy or proprietary serial protocol when no off-the-shelf module exists.Terminal port emulation and alarm/report printing.Protecting proprietary algorithms — the logic lives in compiled C on the module, not in readable ladder that anyone with RSLogix can lift.

Chassis and backplane — the constraint that catches people:
Single slot, 1746 backplane compatible, local or extended I/O rack only. Remote racks are not supported. Plan the rack layout around that before you buy. The module presents itself as an I/O module and moves data through M0/M1 files, with ladder logic doing the transfer; a sample ladder program is provided. Backplane draw is 800 mA at 5 V DC, which is substantial — add it to your chassis power budget rather than assuming it will fit.

Three serial ports, two of them isolated

CFG — debug and configuration port, RS-232 only, RJ45. Console baud rates 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600 and 115200.PRT1 and PRT2 — the two application ports, fully isolated, RJ45, selectable RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 and jumper-configurable for direct or multi-drop wiring. Each is independently controllable from your application.The isolation on PRT1/PRT2 is the reason to choose this module for long field runs or for devices on a different earth reference — it is what stops a ground loop on a remote scanner from taking out an SLC rack.

Development toolchain — check this before committing

Applications are 16-bit DOS targets running under the module’s DOS 6-XL operating system. ProSoft supplies Digital Mars C++ V8.49, and Borland C++ V5.02 is also supported. APIs are provided for the serial ports, the backplane, and ADM-level functions (debug port, database, timers, high-level backplane transfer, LEDs and flash read). This is a genuinely old toolchain — building for it on a modern PC generally means a DOS emulator or a virtual machine, so factor that into any new development.

Environmental and hazardous location

Operating 0 to 60 °C, storage −40 to 85 °C, 5–95% RH non-condensing. Shock 30 g operating, 50 g non-operating; vibration 5 g from 10–150 Hz. Suitable for Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C and D hazardous locations.

One thing to know about the battery

There is an internal battery and it is not user-replaceable. On a module built in 2005 that battery is long past its design life. It backs up the module’s configuration and clock, not your compiled application in flash, but it is a real consideration for a spare intended to sit on a shelf and then work first time.

Lifecycle: discontinued, with no replacement
ProSoft formally discontinued the MVI46-ADM in a lifecycle letter dated 7 February 2023, alongside the MVI46-ADMNET and MVI46-DFCM. ProSoft states that no replacement exists for the In-Chassis SLC communications modules — there is no newer part to migrate to within the 1746 form factor. For an SLC 500 line still in production, that makes surviving new stock the only like-for-like option; the alternative is a controller migration to CompactLogix or ControlLogix with an external gateway.

What is in the box

The photographs show the original ProSoft carton labelled MVI46-ADM, serial 564361, CAT REV A02, dated 11/14/05 — which independently confirms the A02 catalogue revision quoted in this listing. Supplied with the module in its clamshell: the RJ45-to-DB9 serial cables, the ProSoft “Important Information” booklet, the ProSoft solutions CD, and a sealed antistatic bag containing the RS-422/RS-485 wiring-instruction card and configuration jumpers. That is the complete original kit, which matters here because the wiring card and jumpers are what you need to set PRT1/PRT2 for 422 or 485.

Interchange and searching

Also written MVI46ADM and MVI46 ADM. Related ProSoft SLC modules: MVI46-ADMNET (adds Ethernet), MVI46-MCM (Modbus master/slave), MVI46-DFCM, MVI46-S3964R. The MVI46 series is the SLC 500 member of ProSoft’s MVI family — MVI56 is ControlLogix, MVI69 is CompactLogix, MVI71 is PLC-5.