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Understanding I/O Terminal Types And When To Use Them

Understanding I/O Terminal Types And When To Use Them

Embedded, modular, panel mount, distributed, machine mount, and remote, oh my! What does it all mean, and how are you supposed to know which one to choose for your application?


Introduction to Codes and Standards for Instrumentation and Controls Engineers

Introduction to Codes and Standards for Instrumentation and Controls Engineers

Regardless of industry, codes and standards developed by organizations including ISO, ANSI, and IEEE are an integral part of the environment in which we work and have a major influence on engineering and design.


AI Applications in Warehouse and Inventory Management

AI Applications in Warehouse and Inventory Management

Inside the walls of a manufacturing or storage facility, AI is used heavily to prevent shortages and bottlenecks. Learn about the algorithms used within various warehouse applications.


Fundamentals of Grounding and Safety: Protecting People and Equipment

Fundamentals of Grounding and Safety: Protecting People and Equipment

Electrical grounding is used to accomplish several different tasks, but none more important than for the safety of users and equipment while maintaining strict adherence to regulations.


Practical Applications of AI: Transportation and Yard Management

Practical Applications of AI: Transportation and Yard Management

Learn about the various strategies and algorithms used to optimize trucking routes and manage the loading and unloading of warehouses, all to keep the supply chain world running smoothly.


All About PLCs: The Power Supply Unit

All About PLCs: The Power Supply Unit

Learn all about the power supply: modular and built-in devices that deliver electricity to the PLC backplane and modules, and learn the difference between control and field device power delivery.


Supply Chain Optimization Through AI

Supply Chain Optimization Through AI

The supply chain is a vast network, from raw materials to components and finished goods. Learn what types of AI algorithms are employed to predict disruptions and enhance optimization.


PLC With a Miniature Twist: Crouzet Millenium Slim Tutorial

PLC With a Miniature Twist: Crouzet Millenium Slim Tutorial

One of the smallest PLCs on the market, the Millenium Slim by Crouzet, can handle advanced functions with a wireless interface and function block (FBD) style IEC 61131 programming.


Maintenance and Troubleshooting for 6-Axis Robot Arms

Maintenance and Troubleshooting for 6-Axis Robot Arms

Across every make and model of articulated robot, certain maintenance procedures must be followed as motion occurs. Failure to do so can often result in warnings, alarms, and even failure.


Reversing the Rotation of an Industrial 3-Phase Motor

Reversing the Rotation of an Industrial 3-Phase Motor

Many online sources explain how to reverse a 3-phase motor; this article will discuss the electrical principles that define why it works and how the phase relationships determine the rotation direction.


Industrial Maintenance: How AI Can Predict Failures Before They Happen

Industrial Maintenance: How AI Can Predict Failures Before They Happen

Predicting when maintenance should occur isn’t simply a matter of getting on board with the latest trend, it can save many thousands of dollars in lost downtime and unnecessary parts and labor.


Python Tutorial Part 10 | Mathematical Functions

Python Tutorial Part 10 | Mathematical Functions

While mathematical expressions are important in any programming language, the topic of math functions addresses not just the algorithms themselves, but the design of custom functions within Python.


Motion Control: It’s More Than Just “Point A to Point B”

Motion Control: It’s More Than Just “Point A to Point B”

Building precise rotating or linear systems often costs a lot! When is it justified to spend the extra cost to design and build such a system, and what are the different components and system types?


Touching on Touchscreens | Capacitive vs. Resistive Technologies

Touching on Touchscreens | Capacitive vs. Resistive Technologies

Two primary technologies are used for creating touchscreens. For industrial HMIs, resistive and capacitive methods both contain certain advantages for various applications.


Python Tutorial Part 9 | Conditional Flow: For Loops

Python Tutorial Part 9 | Conditional Flow: For Loops

Learn how to use ‘for loops’ in Python to create complex, iterable tasks such as modifying lists, combining lists into dictionaries, or iterating over a dictionary.


Python Tutorial Part 8 | Conditional Flow: While Loops

Python Tutorial Part 8 | Conditional Flow: While Loops

We’ll start exploring loops with the ‘while’ loop in this tutorial. Loops are critical in all programming languages, especially in the control world, where loops form the basis of PLC functionality.


How-To: BRX PLC Programming With Digital I/O

How-To: BRX PLC Programming With Digital I/O

Learn how to use an AutomationDirect BRX PLC with the Do-more Designer software. This tutorial will cover discrete I/O commands along with basic timing and counting ladder functions.


How To: Use ControlByWeb’s I/O Controller for Web-Based Logic

How To: Use ControlByWeb’s I/O Controller for Web-Based Logic

Logic is critical for industrial control, and it usually looks like ladders, function blocks, or structured text. I/O controllers are designed to automate simple logic tasks and data functions.


Seal-In Ladder Logic vs. Latching/Unlatching PLC Commands

Seal-In Ladder Logic vs. Latching/Unlatching PLC Commands

An age-old debate in PLC programming: investigating the uses and caveats of latching software commands versus seal-in ladder logic for industrial control applications.


Python Tutorial Part 7 | Conditional Flow: If Statements

Python Tutorial Part 7 | Conditional Flow: If Statements

The next part of our Python learning journey will touch upon control flow, critical to implementing logic in programs. The concept is broad and the first topic to cover will be if/elif statements.