How CPU 410-5H Process Objects and System Expansion Cards Work
For a CPU 410-5H, determine PO capacity from its actual System Expansion Card and order specification; do not assume that every CPU includes a default 100-PO allowance. Siemens documents the SEC as required for operation and separately identifies AS RT PO licensing on the engineering side. Historical card designations and later version-specific expansion rules need their own context, and an unrestricted PO count does not make controller resources unlimited.
Table of Contents
- Separate SEC Capacity from Engineering Licenses
- Historical Capacity Designations Need Version Context
- Specify the CPU and Card Before Ordering
- Plan Expansions and Replacement Separately
- Verification
- Limitations and Operational Precautions
- Engineer FAQ
- Technical References
- Related Articles
- Related Tags
Separate SEC Capacity from Engineering Licenses
The CPU 410-5H uses a System Expansion Card, or SEC, to define its loadable process-object capacity. The CPU manual states that the card is required for operation. It does not make every bare CPU order a package with the same included card.
Separately, the engineering system needs the applicable AS RT PO licensing for AS downloading. SEC capacity and the ES-side runtime-license requirement must both be assessed; they are not two names for one license.
Historical Capacity Designations Need Version Context
The 2013 CPU manual lists SEC variants including 100, 500, 1000, 1600 and a 2k+ designation. That establishes 100 as one documented capacity option, not a universal default for every purchase.
The V9.0 licensing manual documents an online SEC PO upgrade for PCS 7 V8.1 or later with CPU firmware V8.1 or later and describes removal of the SEC PO-count restriction at 2600 POs. Do not replace that specific explanation with an unrestricted claim that any 2000-PO purchase has unlimited hardware resources.
Capacity labels, version-specific counting rules and physical CPU performance are separate matters. Use the actual order and installed versions when interpreting them.
Specify the CPU and Card Before Ordering
Use this engineering procurement procedure:
- Record the intended PCS 7 release, CPU model and firmware combination.
- Determine the application's PO requirement from the engineering project and record its scope.
- Identify the proposed CPU order and whether its delivery explicitly includes an SEC.
- Record the exact card capacity or applicable expansion entitlement in the offer.
- Check the separate ES-side AS RT PO requirement.
- For a redundant pair, confirm the card and CPU combination against the matching-capacity requirement documented for that release.
- Obtain explicit confirmation of the delivery contents before assuming that a card or a base PO allowance is included.
No current order number or package contents are inferred from the general CPU family name.
Plan Expansions and Replacement Separately
The manual describes the SEC as an essential hardware component at the rear of the CPU. Its replacement is not a harmless live inspection: the documented boundary conditions require CPU removal and address the resulting program consequences.
Therefore, establish capacity from the approved engineering and procurement records and applicable diagnostics before planning physical intervention. Do not remove a card from an operating controller simply to read it.
A type change in RUN is also a separate, conditional engineering feature. It is not a general promise that any block-interface change or capacity operation can be performed without affecting availability.
Verification
Before commissioning, compare the delivered CPU and SEC with the approved specification and the engineering PO requirement. Verify the installed software and firmware combination and the separate required licenses.
Review the actual compile and download prerequisites using the applicable CPU/PCS 7 documentation. A successful purchase or recognition of one license alone does not demonstrate that the complete application fits the intended controller configuration.
Limitations and Operational Precautions
The selected CPU order, SEC delivery contents and target PCS 7/firmware versions are unspecified. Consequently, the exact included allowance and current package cannot be confirmed. The historical capacity information is not a current sales guarantee.
Preserve project and controller backups and review redundancy and availability before any card, CPU or download operation. Do not treat a removed PO-count restriction as removal of memory, execution-time, communication or other controller constraints.
Engineer FAQ
Does every CPU 410-5H have the same included PO allowance?
The family name does not establish its delivered card and capacity.
Is an SEC optional for operation?
The cited CPU manual requires one.
Does SEC capacity replace AS RT PO licensing on the ES?
No. Assess the separate requirements.
Technical References
- Siemens: CPU 410-5H Process Automation / CPU 410 SMART, October 2013, A5E32631667-AA — scaling and licensing on page 30; card requirements and section 13.1, page 193.
- Siemens: Licenses and configuration limits V9.0, May 2017, A5E39222309-AA — AS licensing and section 5.2, version-specific SEC upgrade note on page 46.