Allen-Bradley 1336-L5E Energy-Saving AC Drive Option Board

Allen-Bradley 1336-L5E Energy-Saving AC Drive Option Board for Optimized 1336 PLUS Automation

The Allen-Bradley 1336-L5E is a high-performance digital input option board engineered for the 1336 PLUS series of AC variable frequency drives. With part numbers 42336-172-53 and 42336-173-53, this option board extends the control capability of your drive system, enabling precise motor speed regulation, reduced energy consumption, and tighter integration with plant-wide automation architectures. In modern manufacturing environments where energy costs and equipment uptime directly impact profitability, the 1336-L5E delivers measurable improvements across the full production cycle — from energy acquisition and motor control to data feedback and predictive maintenance.

Designed to slot directly into the 1336 PLUS drive chassis, the 1336-L5E expands the drive’s digital input capacity, allowing plant engineers to implement more granular control logic without adding external relay modules or signal converters. This reduces panel complexity, lowers wiring costs, and shortens commissioning time — all of which translate into faster return on investment for capital equipment projects.

Efficiency Performance Table

Energy-Aware Automation Architecture

The 1336-L5E does not operate in isolation — it is most effective when integrated into a layered automation architecture that spans sensing, control, drive regulation, and data feedback. In a typical energy-optimized production line, the option board works in concert with a Allen-Bradley ControlLogix L7x series PLC acting as the central controller, issuing speed reference commands and monitoring drive status via the backplane or a dedicated communication link.

At the drive level, the 1336 PLUS host drive — paired with the 1336-L5E — modulates motor output frequency in real time based on process demand signals. This eliminates the energy waste associated with fixed-speed motor operation, where motors run at full power regardless of actual load. When combined with a PowerFlex 755 drive on adjacent motor circuits, engineers can standardize on Rockwell’s DriveLogix architecture across the plant, simplifying programming and enabling unified energy reporting.

For energy metering and power quality monitoring, the 1336-L5E-equipped drive can be integrated with a Allen-Bradley PowerMonitor 5000 unit, which captures real-time kWh consumption, power factor, and harmonic distortion data. This data feeds into the plant’s energy management dashboard, enabling shift-by-shift comparison of motor efficiency and identification of energy waste hotspots on the production floor.

On the I/O side, the 1336-L5E’s expanded digital inputs allow direct connection to field sensors — including proximity switches, encoder feedback signals, and process interlocks — without routing through a separate 1734 POINT I/O module. This reduces signal latency and improves the drive’s response time to process changes, which is critical in applications such as conveyor speed matching, pump pressure control, and compressor load management.

For operator visibility, a PanelView Plus 7 HMI terminal connected to the ControlLogix controller provides real-time display of drive speed, motor current, energy consumption, and fault history. Operators can adjust speed setpoints, review energy trend graphs, and acknowledge drive faults directly from the HMI — reducing the need for manual drive panel interaction and improving response time to process deviations.

In distributed plant architectures, the 1336 PLUS drive with the 1336-L5E option board can communicate upstream via a 1203-USB or 1203-GK5 gateway module, bridging the drive to an EtherNet/IP network. This enables remote monitoring of drive parameters from a SCADA system or MES platform, supporting predictive maintenance workflows that flag abnormal current draw or temperature rise before a fault occurs.

Power supply stability for the control cabinet is maintained by a Allen-Bradley 1606-XLP power supply, which provides regulated 24VDC to the PLC, I/O modules, and HMI. Stable control power is essential for consistent drive performance — voltage sags or transients on the control bus can cause spurious drive faults and unplanned downtime, both of which erode energy efficiency gains achieved through variable speed control.

Power Optimization in Real Production Lines

In real-world industrial deployments, the Allen-Bradley 1336-L5E option board contributes to energy optimization through several interconnected mechanisms. First, by expanding the digital input capacity of the 1336 PLUS drive, it enables more sophisticated control strategies — such as multi-speed presets, external fault interlock, and process-driven speed ramping — that reduce motor run time and eliminate unnecessary acceleration cycles.

In a bottling plant, for example, the 1336-L5E allows the conveyor drive to receive direct start/stop and speed-select signals from the line PLC without intermediate relay logic. This tightens the conveyor’s response to upstream and downstream equipment states, reducing the idle running time that accounts for a significant portion of motor energy consumption in batch production environments.

In HVAC and pumping applications, the option board enables pressure-based speed control by accepting analog or digital feedback from pressure transmitters. The drive adjusts fan or pump speed to maintain setpoint, rather than running at full speed with a throttling valve — a strategy that can reduce pump motor energy consumption by 30–50% at partial load conditions, consistent with affinity law relationships between flow, speed, and power.

From a maintenance perspective, the 1336-L5E supports predictive maintenance by enabling the drive to log digital input state changes, which can be correlated with motor current trends to identify mechanical wear patterns. A gradual increase in motor current at a given speed setpoint, for instance, may indicate bearing wear or mechanical binding — conditions that, if left unaddressed, lead to motor failure and unplanned downtime. Early detection through drive data reduces both maintenance costs and the energy penalty associated with degraded mechanical efficiency.

All units supplied by ZYPLC are subject to pre-shipment functional testing, verifying digital input response, drive communication integrity, and parameter retention. Each 1336-L5E is backed by a 12-month warranty, covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal industrial operating conditions. Stock is maintained for rapid dispatch, with most orders shipping within 1–3 business days to minimize production line downtime.

Energy Optimization FAQ

Q1: How much energy can the 1336-L5E help save compared to a fixed-speed motor setup?
The energy savings depend on the application and load profile, but variable speed control enabled by the 1336 PLUS drive — with precise input management via the 1336-L5E — typically reduces motor energy consumption by 15–40% in variable-torque applications such as pumps, fans, and conveyors. The option board allows the drive to respond more accurately to process demand signals, minimizing over-speed operation and reducing unnecessary energy draw during low-demand periods.

Q2: Is the 1336-L5E compatible with my existing 1336 PLUS drive firmware and control platform?
The 1336-L5E is designed for the Allen-Bradley 1336 PLUS drive series and is compatible with standard 1336 PLUS firmware revisions. It integrates with Rockwell Automation control platforms including ControlLogix, CompactLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5 via the host drive’s communication interface. If you are unsure about firmware compatibility for your specific drive revision, our technical team can assist with verification before shipment.

Q3: What is the recommended replacement or upgrade path if the 1336-L5E is no longer available for my drive?
For applications where the 1336 PLUS platform is being phased out, Rockwell Automation recommends migration to the PowerFlex 755 or PowerFlex 525 drive series, which offer native EtherNet/IP connectivity, integrated safety functions, and enhanced energy monitoring. ZYPLC can assist with cross-referencing the 1336-L5E’s input configuration to equivalent functionality in the PowerFlex ecosystem, minimizing re-engineering effort during the upgrade.

Q4: What does the 12-month warranty cover, and what is the testing process before shipment?
Every 1336-L5E supplied by ZYPLC undergoes pre-shipment testing that verifies digital input channel functionality, backplane communication integrity, and parameter storage. The 12-month warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship under normal industrial operating conditions from the date of shipment. Warranty claims are processed with priority support, and replacement units are dispatched promptly to minimize production impact. Units showing signs of physical damage, improper installation, or operation outside specified environmental limits are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

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