Legacy software conversion

Saving time and money by converting software

MACOL specialises in helping customers with existing old or obsolete SAIA control systems either to upgrade them utilising another controller from the current SAIA range, or to migrate them to another system such as Siemens, Allen Bradley, Mitsibushi etc.

In many cases where plant has been in use for many years the source programming code and any documentation that went with it have been lost or destroyed. This means what at first sight seems a simple like-for-like replacement of an old control system with a new one now becomes a major project potentially creating many days or weeks of downtime while new software is designed, programmed and tested.

We can significantly reduce the downtime by translating the source programming code of an existing SAIA system and either presenting it in form that the customer's own technical department can use as the basis for the new software, or indeed to carry out the entire conversion project on the customer's behalf.

Reverse engineering versus reprogramming

Reverse engineering existing software and translating it to a new system reduces the need for complex system analysis and reduces the amount of time need for testing, modification and bug fixing. The new system will be as far as possible a functional equivalent of the old one.

Left: Disassembled raw code Below: Documented source code

Below: Ladder diagram