RSLogix Micro Starter Lite with RSLogix Emulate 500

Building and simulating ladder logic PLC programs is entirely free. This guide will walk you through the simple steps to download, install, and use the RSLogix Micro Starter Lite and the RSLogix Emulate 500, letting you test your PLC programs without spending a dime.

RSLogix Micro Starter Lite from Rockwell Automation is a top choice for beginners, not just because it’s free, but also because it’s user-friendly. I always recommend it in my ladder logic tutorials as it’s the perfect starting point for diving into PLC programming.

The highlight is RSLogix Emulate 500, a PLC simulator that lets you test ladder logic right on your computer. This means you can start learning ladder logic programming without the need to purchase a PLC, saving you both time and money.

Follow my guide to download and install the free version of RSLogix with the Emulator 500.

Don’t forget to check out my reviews of online PLC training courses. I rate courses where you can learn everything about PLC programming with RSLogix from Allen Bradley.

Download and Install

Before diving into RSLogix Micro with the simulator, there’s a simple setup involving three software downloads from Rockwell Automation. Remember to include RSLinx Lite, as it‘s crucial for connecting with the simulator (Emulate 500).

These 4 steps will guide you to download and install the software you need:

1. Download the latest version of RSLogix Micro Starter Lite

Rockwell Automation has a website where you can download the RSLogix Micro Starter Lite. Go to the website listed below and saerch for RSLogix Micro:

Allen-Bradley Download Page

The image below will show you where the download link is:

Allen-Bradley Download Page for RSLOGIX Micro Starter Lite

Allen-Bradley Download Page for RSLOGIX Micro Starter Lite

2. Download RSLinx Lite

The next thing you have to do is to download RSLinx Lite. It is a piece of software that is used to connect to the simulator. You can find the download link on the same page as RSLogix Micro Starter Lite. Check the image below to see where the download link is placed on the page:

Download RSLogix Linx Lite

Download RSLogix Linx Lite.

3. Download RSLogix Emulate 500

Last thing you want to download is the simulator called RSLogix Emulate 500. It is a little more complicated to download the Emulate 500 than the two others. But all you need to do is to follow steps below:

First you need to go to this website:

RSLogix Emulate 500 Download Page

On that page you first have to search for “emulate” in the Product Search field. Then you click on RSLogix Emulate 500 and select the latest version. Just follow the animation below if you’re in doubt:

Find RSLogix Emulate 500 in Download Center

Find RSLogix Emulate 500 in Download Center.

After this you scroll down the page and click on the red Downloads button:

Select RSLogix Emulate 500 to download

Select RSLogix Emulate 500 to download.

This will send you to a series of pages where you just have to click on either a button or an icon. On the first page you just have to click on the small icon:

Show your Emulate 500 downloads

Click on the small icon to continue.

Then on the second page you click the Download Cart:

RSLogix Emulate 500 Download Cart

Click on Download Cart.

Now, you have to choose between two options. Managed or direct download. Direct Download works almost everytime, so choose that one:

Emulate 500 Direct Download

Choose Direct Download to get RSLogix Emulate 500.

At last you will get to a page where you will see a link to download RSLogix Emulate 500:

RSLogix Emulate 500 Download Link

RSLogix Emulate 500 Download Link for installation file.

4. Install The Software

At last it’s time to install the software on your computer. You should install the software in this order:

  1. RSLinx Lite
  2. RSLogix Micro Starter Lite
  3. RSLogic Emulate 500

It might work if you install the 3 in a different order, but I will not promise that.

The installation process is fairly simple. Just open the files you’ve downloaded and start the installation. The only thing you need to specify during the installation process is the directory where you want the software to be.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve got all three software packages from Rockwell Automation set up, you’re all set to explore. The next step is learning how to kickstart and adjust the simulator. Soon, you’ll be crafting your own ladder logic programs and testing them using the RSLogix Emulate 500.

PLCdev.com has written a great small guide on how you configure the RSLogix, so you can start program and simulate ladder logic.

Please, comment below if this guide helped you with RSLogix. If you have any problems with downloading or installing the software, feel free to write below.

16 Comments
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  • Nacho
    December 28, 2015 at 1:14 pm

    Quite interesting software pack, Peter. It will do wonders to my final degree proyect.

    Thanks!

  • RAYMOND
    January 23, 2016 at 11:04 am

    I WAS ABLE TO DOWNLOAD : RSLinx Lite AND RSLogix Micro Starter Lite BUT RSLogic Emulate 500 SEEMS DIFFICULT AS I WAS UNABLE TO REGISTER ON THERE(AB) SITE, I KEPT GETTING A PASSWORD ERROR, FORBIDDING REGISTRATION AND IT DIDN’T CHANGE EVEN AFTER FOLLOWING THERE PASSWORD GUIDE .

    THE EMULATE 500 SETUP IS ABOUT 8.34MB BUT UNFORTUNATE AFTER DAYS OF SEARCH FOR AN ALTERNATE MEANS TO DOWNLOAD THE SETUP,WHICH MOST PEOPLE NATURALLY WOULD DO, ALL SITE DO POINT DIRECTLY TO AB dot COM FOR THE DOWNLOAD.

    I REALLY WANT T BE PRACTICAL IN LEARNING PLC BUT WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT, AM RUNNING OUT OF PATIENCE. MY AIM IS TO USE PLC FOR MY PROJECT

  • abraham
    June 6, 2016 at 1:19 am

    After the point of download of Emulate500, I am asked for a member registration. I don’t reside in the USA. How else can I get the Emulte500.

  • CJ
    June 9, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    managed to download all software, can’t wait to see how to use that to create/ test ladder logic program.

  • GMOO
    September 8, 2016 at 3:18 pm

    The software RSlogix Micro Starter Lite link is not working, do you have any new about this software?

  • Don
    September 17, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    If you don’t require actual Rockwell software and RSLogix and all you want to do is learn ladder logic and have a way to simulate and test your programs, then I would suggest TwinCAT 3. It is free and it is ONE (1) piece of software, not three or more. As with all programs, there is a learning curve but it uses the MS Visual Studio shell, so if you are familiar with navigating Visual Studio, you are already one step ahead in learning TwinCAT. TwinCAT is used for programming Beckhoff PLC’s, and you can code and simulate ladder programs, structured text, function block programs (not just ladder like with the Rockwell software) right away without any other programs to download or hardware to acquire.

  • Athar Danish
    October 4, 2016 at 8:06 am

    Dear Friends,

    Please send me the proper link to download RSLogix software.

  • SJay
    October 14, 2016 at 7:23 am

    thanks for the guide!!! it worked flawlessly on my pc. I’ve been searching for this for a while.

  • Ray Leiter
    December 3, 2016 at 3:35 am

    I have followed the directions using the article on plcdev.com “Learn Ladder Logic with a Free Version of RSLogix 500 and RSEmulator 500”.
    I am using a laptop running Windows 10 (maybe thats an issue?0.
    I did have the RSLogix Micro Starter Lite (development environment) running but had some problems with communicating with the emulator.
    So I uninstalled everything and started all over again and now when I launch RSLogix Micro Starter Lite, I get a “Server Busy” msg dialog with options to “Switch To” or “Retry”. The text is: “This action cannot be completed because the other program is busy. Choose ‘Switch To’ to activate the bust program and correct the proble.”

    The msg dialog is of no real help — it doesn’t specify ‘the other program’ and choosing ‘Switch To’, is the same as clicking on the start button.

    Any thoughts as to what the problem is?

  • IdealDan
    May 19, 2017 at 12:46 pm

    Hi
    Thanks for your work
    I really need the starter lite emulator, but download page does not work any more, CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME?

    • peter
      June 17, 2018 at 2:37 pm

      Allen-Bradley seems to change their download links. But I put the new one now and it should be working!

  • ROCKWELL WHY
    May 3, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    The download link is broken. I have heard a rumor that Rockwell likes to move this link around so that the emulator software isn’t easy to find. Thoughts?

  • Haroon
    June 12, 2018 at 5:52 am

    The download link is not available at this moment. is there any alternative download links?
    It appears, “The page you requested cannot be found.”

    Please Help

    • peter
      June 17, 2018 at 2:36 pm

      Hey Harron,
      Yes, they changed the link. Thanks for the info. Now it should be updated and working 🙂

  • Mark
    May 28, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    I contacted Rockwell in regard to downloading the above software. They said it is discontinued but pointed me to an earlier version of microlite and emulate 500.

    The steps to follow are:
    1. Go to https://compatibility.rockwellautomation.com/Pages/home.aspx
    2. Find the Downloads tab
    3. Enter 1763 in the search bar
    4. Select micro logix 1100 (weird I know but trust me)
    5. Select old version 10 on the right
    6 Everything you need under accessory files is there

    Before carrying out the above you will need to register with Rockwell.

    Hope this helps

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