Allen-Bradley 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51 AC Drive | 1336 PLUS Series

Allen-Bradley 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51: Industrial Data Link for Smart Factory Drive Networks

The Allen-Bradley 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51 is a communication interface option card designed for the 1336 PLUS Series AC Variable Frequency Drive, engineered to bridge field-level drive systems with upper-level control and monitoring networks in demanding industrial environments. As factories accelerate toward Industry 4.0 architectures, the ability to transmit real-time drive status, speed references, fault diagnostics, and energy data across a unified network backbone becomes mission-critical. The 1336S-EN4 option card delivers precisely this capability — transforming a standalone AC drive into a fully networked node within your smart factory data infrastructure.

Designed for seamless integration into Rockwell Automation control platforms, this interface card supports DH+ (Data Highway Plus) and RS-232 communication protocols, enabling the 1336 PLUS drive to communicate directly with Allen-Bradley PLCs, HMI terminals, and SCADA systems without the need for external protocol converters. Whether you are connecting to a ControlLogix or SLC 500 controller platform, the 1336S-EN4 provides a reliable, low-latency data path for drive command, feedback, and diagnostics — all within the native Rockwell communication ecosystem.

Network Communication Table

Connected Automation Data Flow

In a typical smart factory deployment, the 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51 sits at the intersection of the field device layer and the control network layer. At the field level, motor-driven equipment — conveyors, pumps, compressors, fans — is controlled by the 1336 PLUS AC drive. The 1336S-EN4 option card enables this drive to transmit operational data — output frequency, motor current, drive temperature, fault codes — upstream to the control layer in real time.

Connected to an Allen-Bradley SLC 5/04 or SLC 5/05 PLC via the DH+ network, the controller can issue speed commands, initiate start/stop sequences, and read back drive status without any manual intervention. Alongside the drive, 1336 PLUS Series companion modules such as the 1336S-BRF dynamic braking resistor unit and the 1336-GM1 operator interface module work in concert to provide complete drive system functionality at the machine level.

Moving up the network hierarchy, a 1785-KA5 DH+ communication adapter or a 1761-NET-AIC Advanced Interface Converter can bridge DH+ segments to broader Ethernet/IP or ControlNet backbones, allowing the drive data to flow into plant-wide FactoryTalk View SE SCADA and HMI systems. Operators at the control room level gain live visibility into drive performance metrics, enabling proactive maintenance scheduling and energy optimization across multiple production lines.

For remote I/O expansion, 1771 I/O chassis modules connected to the same DH+ segment can aggregate discrete and analog signals from proximity sensors, pressure transmitters, and temperature sensors, feeding a unified data stream alongside the drive’s own process variables. This consolidated data flow supports real-time alarm management, where fault conditions on the 1336S-EN4-equipped drive trigger immediate alerts on PanelView Plus 6 HMI terminals, ensuring operators can respond within seconds rather than minutes.

In multi-drive installations — such as coordinated conveyor systems or multi-pump water treatment stations — several 1336 PLUS drives equipped with 1336S-EN4 cards can be networked on the same DH+ segment, each assigned a unique node address. The RSLogix 500 programming environment provides the MSG instruction framework for polling each drive node, collecting speed feedback and fault status in a structured, cyclical scan. This architecture eliminates data islands between individual drive systems and the central PLC, creating a transparent, fully auditable production data record.

At the edge computing layer, an Allen-Bradley 1783-ETAP EtherNet/IP Tap or a third-party industrial edge gateway can capture the DH+ data stream and forward it to cloud-based analytics platforms or MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), completing the data journey from motor shaft to enterprise dashboard. The result is a fully connected drive network where the 1336S-EN4 serves as the critical communication node enabling every layer of the smart factory stack to operate with shared, real-time intelligence.

Solving Data Isolation in Industrial Sites

One of the most persistent challenges in legacy industrial facilities is protocol fragmentation — drives, PLCs, sensors, and HMI systems from different generations speaking incompatible communication languages, creating data silos that prevent plant-wide visibility. The 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51 directly addresses this by providing a native DH+ interface that integrates the 1336 PLUS drive into the Allen-Bradley communication ecosystem without requiring external gateways or protocol converters.

For facilities running mixed-generation Rockwell Automation equipment, the 1336S-EN4 ensures that older PLC-5 and SLC 500 controllers can communicate with 1336 PLUS drives using the same DH+ network infrastructure already in place — protecting existing capital investment while extending the operational life of proven drive hardware. This backward compatibility is particularly valuable in industries such as oil and gas, water treatment, food processing, and automotive manufacturing, where system uptime requirements make wholesale infrastructure replacement impractical.

Remote monitoring and diagnostics represent another critical value proposition. With the 1336S-EN4 installed, maintenance engineers can read drive fault history, monitor real-time operating parameters, and even adjust drive parameters remotely via the DH+ network — eliminating the need for physical access to the drive cabinet during routine diagnostics. This capability reduces mean time to repair (MTTR) and supports predictive maintenance programs by providing continuous visibility into drive health indicators such as DC bus voltage, output current harmonics, and thermal load.

Production line transparency is further enhanced by the ability to log drive data at the SCADA level. Energy consumption per production cycle, motor load trends, and fault frequency data can be archived and analyzed to identify inefficiencies, optimize drive parameters, and reduce unplanned downtime. For facilities pursuing ISO 50001 energy management certification or lean manufacturing initiatives, this data granularity is indispensable.

System scalability is built into the DH+ architecture itself. As production capacity expands, additional 1336 PLUS drives equipped with 1336S-EN4 cards can be added to the existing DH+ network segment with minimal configuration effort, supporting up to 64 nodes per segment. This modular expandability ensures that the communication infrastructure grows alongside the production system without requiring architectural redesign.

Industrial Connectivity FAQ

Q1: What communication protocols does the Allen-Bradley 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51 support?
The 1336S-EN4 option card supports DH+ (Data Highway Plus) and RS-232 serial communication protocols. DH+ enables direct integration with Allen-Bradley SLC 500, PLC-5, and ControlLogix (via DH+ bridge) controllers, while RS-232 supports point-to-point communication with HMI terminals, programming devices, and serial-capable SCADA systems. Both protocols support real-time parameter read/write, drive command, and status feedback without additional protocol conversion hardware.

Q2: Is the 1336S-EN4 compatible with modern FactoryTalk SCADA and PanelView HMI systems?
Yes. When connected via DH+ to an Allen-Bradley controller running RSLogix 500 or RSLogix 5, the 1336S-EN4 drive data is fully accessible to FactoryTalk View SE SCADA and PanelView Plus HMI systems through standard Rockwell Automation tag-based communication. For facilities requiring Ethernet/IP connectivity, a 1761-NET-AIC or 1785-KA5 bridge device can extend DH+ data to the Ethernet network layer, enabling integration with modern FactoryTalk infrastructure.

Q3: How does the 1336S-EN4 support network stability in high-noise industrial environments?
The DH+ protocol used by the 1336S-EN4 is specifically designed for industrial environments with high electromagnetic interference (EMI). DH+ uses a token-passing bus architecture with deterministic communication timing, ensuring that drive data is transmitted reliably even in electrically noisy environments typical of motor control centers, welding stations, and high-power switching equipment. The RS-232 interface includes hardware handshaking support for point-to-point connections requiring additional signal integrity control.

Q4: What warranty and pre-shipment testing does ZYPLC provide for the 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51?
All Allen-Bradley 1336S-EN4 42336-224-51 units supplied by ZYPLC are covered by a 12-month warranty from the date of shipment. Each unit undergoes pre-shipment functional verification to confirm communication interface integrity and drive compatibility before dispatch. ZYPLC maintains in-stock inventory of 1336 PLUS Series components to support urgent project timelines, with global shipping available. For stock confirmation, lead time, and pricing, contact our technical sales team at [email protected] or +86 19859288691.

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