Legacy Systems: When You’ve Lost Documentation

Stacks of manuals for obsolete industrial equipment.  Manuals for legacy systems are important.
When you’ve had equipment for years, it’s easy to misplace the manual.

Imagine: you need to make a complex repair on a legacy system, but no one in your facility has any experience with the job.

Sometimes, all you need is that one piece of information to make everything work the way it should. But what happens when you’ve lost the manual that goes with your legacy system and the OEM no longer supports that model? You know your equipment will work exactly as it should if only you can track down that one setting.

What are Legacy Systems?

Legacy systems are made up of older technology no longer supported by the original equipment manufacturer. They make up the backbone of thousands of companies around the globe.   Replacement of these systems can be very expensive and challenging. And because of the inherent robust nature of industrial equipment, it often seems wasteful to remove a system in good working order.

Industrial-Strength | adjective

marked by more than usual power, durability, or intensity.

Merriam-Webster.com

How Can I Get Documentation?

If we carry parts for your legacy system, we may be able to help with documentation replacement with your orders. While our in-house experts are knowledgeable about all things related to automation, they like having the manuals at their disposal, too.  We’re happy to help your in-house experts have the same advantage. Just ask when you call to place your next order.

So we….well, we’ve developed hoarder instincts when it comes to legacy documentation: if it’s going to be useful at some point down the road, we’ll grab a copy and keep it safe. 

That’s not a bad instinct if you think about it. With manuals at our side, we check every reconditioned unit leaving our facility. That way, when those Directlogic PLC ,   Reliance drive, or Reliance Automax PLC components reach you, they’re in excellent working condition.

So if you need documentation, let us know when you place your next order. For now, I’m going to end this post with a link to the User’s Manual (GFK-1065F) which is for one of our more popular items, a GE Fanuc Series 90 Micro PLC. It has full chapters devoted to the subjects of installation, configuration, and diagnostics, along with additional links to an ABB PVI-3.0/3.6/4.2 inverter

AX Control specializes in legacy equipment. We carry industrial automation replacement parts from GE, Fuji, and Reliance, to name just a few. Let us know what we can help you with today.