Latest Military/Aerospace Technical Articles

Creating custom alarm systems can be complicated and overwhelming, but they can also be very beneficial for equipment…

Creating custom alarm systems can be complicated and overwhelming, but they can also be very beneficial for equipment builders and integrators. Follow along as we build a custom alarm handling system.

We know what a circuit breaker is meant to do: stop the flow of electricity in case of a fault or failure. But just like…

We know what a circuit breaker is meant to do: stop the flow of electricity in case of a fault or failure. But just like fuses, breakers and overloads respond differently depending on the load.

What is pressure? Everybody knows about this important quantity, but how do you define it? How do you measure it? Where…

What is pressure? Everybody knows about this important quantity, but how do you define it? How do you measure it? Where does it come from? In this article, we’ll learn about the basics of pressure.

Many sensors, like prox, optical, and ultrasonic, are familiar to control engineers. More and more modern devices are…

Many sensors, like prox, optical, and ultrasonic, are familiar to control engineers. More and more modern devices are incorporating advanced motion profiles requiring motion sensing in many axes.

This article investigates the basic components and wiring conventions for common three-phase motor starter…

This article investigates the basic components and wiring conventions for common three-phase motor starter configurations, including direct online, reversing, and star-delta.

Complete wiring guide for 3-phase motor starters with and without overload (OL) relays.

Complete wiring guide for 3-phase motor starters with and without overload (OL) relays.

This article investigates the basic qualities that make up a safety PLC, what distinguishes a safety PLC from a standard…

This article investigates the basic qualities that make up a safety PLC, what distinguishes a safety PLC from a standard model, and the reasons for which a safety PLC may be critical.

Electrical and mechanical measurements are often labeled with "RMS" and "True RMS." Aside from the simple math…

Electrical and mechanical measurements are often labeled with "RMS" and "True RMS." Aside from the simple math definitions we learned in electronics class, why is this distinction actually important?

Have you ever heard of a relay? Of course you have. There are many different kinds, plus hundreds of different trade…

Have you ever heard of a relay? Of course you have. There are many different kinds, plus hundreds of different trade lingo names. What are some of the most common, and how do we use them?

Within motors, two very different types of resistance are evident. The resistance of the windings is measured with a…

Within motors, two very different types of resistance are evident. The resistance of the windings is measured with a normal multimeter. But what is insulation resistance, and how is it measured?

In order to trace control system problems to the core, the ability to read and interpret various resources, from…

In order to trace control system problems to the core, the ability to read and interpret various resources, from facility-level diagrams to machine-level wiring layouts, is critical.

Digital controls like VFDs and soft starts have advantages by elongating start time, but simple strategies for starting…

Digital controls like VFDs and soft starts have advantages by elongating start time, but simple strategies for starting motors with a reduced current draw, like star-delta (or wye-delta) are common.

In this article, we will explore real-world considerations for strain gauge performance and typical applications. We’ll…

In this article, we will explore real-world considerations for strain gauge performance and typical applications. We’ll be talking about foil and wire strain gauges, but ignoring semiconductors.

In this article, we will explore the inbound integration to the mage.ai pipeline, connecting to the spreadsheet data…

In this article, we will explore the inbound integration to the mage.ai pipeline, connecting to the spreadsheet data source using the Google Sheets API through a JSON credentials file.

Data pipelines are software services that progress the data from source to storage, hopefully without too much…

Data pipelines are software services that progress the data from source to storage, hopefully without too much programming complexity. In this article, we begin by initializing the mage.ai software.

When IT and OT converge on the shop floor, it’s important to understand how and when to let a computer control the…

When IT and OT converge on the shop floor, it’s important to understand how and when to let a computer control the assignment of network addresses, or when you would rather keep it under control.

Pressures are always rising and falling in fluid systems. Sometimes the changes are extreme and lead to damage. What…

Pressures are always rising and falling in fluid systems. Sometimes the changes are extreme and lead to damage. What causes problematic pressure changes, and how can you trace them to their source?

All of modern industry relies on data. In the first installment of a series showcasing the importance of industrial data…

All of modern industry relies on data. In the first installment of a series showcasing the importance of industrial data movement, we explain the challenge of data flow and build a fault list.

Rebooting industrial controllers and computers incurs costs, not only from the downtime but also from cascading effects…

Rebooting industrial controllers and computers incurs costs, not only from the downtime but also from cascading effects of communication with up/downstream controllers. How can this downtime be managed?