084 SERIES

The first Modicon Programmable Controller.

Interesting side note on where the name "084" came from. In the origin story for PLCs, there was a race between Modicon and 3-I, soon purchased by Allen Bradley, to create the first one for GM, who commissioned them to create a way to easily modify controls without having to rewire relay panels every time they changed a production line. Modicon (from "Modular Digital Controller") actually won that first contract with GM in 1970. Winning that contract was not without pain. The "084" came from the fact that this was the company’s 84^th attempt to get one working right.Their persistance paid off.
Programming was in ladder and a ????? CRT programming panel was used to enter the program and for diagnostics. By any standards the 084 was very primitive, but it did a job that nothing else could do at the time.
The program could be saved/stored on magnetic tape and reloaded using the L206 tape loader.The L206 connected to the PLC via a J470 adapter and serial cable.