Allen BradleyControlNet PC Interface Card, ISA Bus, Scheduled and Unscheduled Messaging, Series B

Product Description

What this part is

A ControlNet communication interface card for a PC. It fits an ISA expansion slot in a desktop or industrial computer and makes that computer a node on a ControlNet network, so RSLinx, RSLogix and RSNetWorx running on the machine can go online with ControlLogix and PLC-5C controllers, browse the network, upload and download programs, and read and write tags. It is a PC card, not a chassis module: it does not go into a 1756 or 1771 rack, and it is not a bridge or a scanner for I/O.

Decoding the catalogue number

1784 — Rockwell’s number range for computer communication interface cards and adapters.KTC — the ControlNet PC interface family (as against KT / KTX for Data Highway Plus and KTC-D for DeviceNet).X — the extended/enhanced revision of the KTC card.15 — the ControlNet variant designation within the family.SER B — hardware series B. Series and firmware revision matter here: RSLinx driver support for the KTCX15 is version-dependent, so note the series when you match a driver.

Published data

Function: ControlNet network interface for a personal or industrial computerHost bus: ISA (16-bit AT expansion slot). This is the constraint that decides whether it will work for you — it will not fit a PCI, PCIe or PC/104 slot, and no adapter makes it do so reliably.Network: ControlNet, 5 Mbit/s, coaxial (RG-6 quad-shield) media via a BNC tap connection on the card bracketTraffic supported: scheduled and unscheduled ControlNet messaging — the card can act as a full node rather than a listen-only monitorSoftware: used with Rockwell RSLinx Classic (and RSNetWorx for ControlNet for network scheduling); requires the matching 1784-KTC family driver to be installed and the card’s address and interrupt configured to avoid conflictsManufacturer status: discontinued and long out of production, along with the ISA bus itself

What this means in practice

Almost everyone buying one of these is keeping an old engineering workstation alive, because a working ISA machine with a licensed copy of period Rockwell software is often the only practical way to service a legacy ControlNet system. Before you commit, confirm three things: that the target PC genuinely has a free ISA slot, that the operating system is one the KTC driver supports, and that you have an RSLinx installation of the right vintage. Any one of the three missing and the card cannot be made to work.

A ControlNet node also needs media. The card connects to the trunk through a tap and a drop cable, and the network needs 75-ohm terminators at both ends of the trunk. Those are separate 1786-series parts. And note that adding a node to a scheduled ControlNet network normally means rescheduling the network in RSNetWorx — that is a planned activity on a running plant, not a hot plug.

Quantity and configuration

One card, tested. Supplied as the bare card as photographed.

What is not included

ControlNet tap (1786-TPR / 1786-TPS / 1786-TPYR / 1786-TPYS), drop cable, BNC connectors, trunk cable, 75-ohm terminators, host computer, ISA riser or backplane, RSLinx / RSLogix / RSNetWorx software or licence, driver disks, slot blanking plate hardware, antistatic packaging beyond that supplied, and documentation.

Installation and setup notes

Power down and unplug the host, then observe ESD precautions — handle the card by its bracket and edges. Fit it in a 16-bit ISA slot, seated fully. Set the card’s memory address and interrupt so they do not clash with anything else in the machine; on a period PC that usually means checking the BIOS for reserved ranges. Install the 1784-KTC driver in RSLinx before expecting the card to appear, then confirm the ControlNet node address you assign is unique on the network. Connect through a tap, never by soldering onto the trunk.

Interchange guidance

Direct interchange with other 1784-KTCX15 cards. Related but different parts, not equivalents: 1784-KTCX (earlier ControlNet variant), 1784-KTC (original), 1784-PCC (PCMCIA ControlNet card for laptops), 1784-PCIC and 1784-PCICS (PCI-bus ControlNet cards), and 1784-KTX / KTXD (Data Highway Plus, a different network entirely). If your host machine has PCI rather than ISA slots, the 1784-PCIC is the card you want, not this one. There is no modern replacement: current practice replaces the card with a 1756-CNB or 1788-CN2DN style gateway plus an Ethernet-connected workstation.