We know that PID stands for proportional, integral, and derivative, but have you ever seen exactly how the derivative term affects the final output signal in a…
We know that PID stands for proportional, integral, and derivative, but have you ever seen exactly how the derivative term affects the final output signal in a motion control system?
Some new factories are networked from stem to stern, ready to roll. But sometimes, it’s just you and a new PLC, so it…
Some new factories are networked from stem to stern, ready to roll. But sometimes, it’s just you and a new PLC, so it won’t really matter how you set things up, it’ll probably work just fine, right?
Unexpected, false, and fluctuating PLC input signals can cost many hours of debugging, but luckily, there are some quick,…
Unexpected, false, and fluctuating PLC input signals can cost many hours of debugging, but luckily, there are some quick, simple tricks to try before downtime is wasted.
Watch how each of the P and I terms influence the output of a motion control system. How do we explain and prevent terms…
Watch how each of the P and I terms influence the output of a motion control system. How do we explain and prevent terms like overshoot, error, and long settling time?
When the blinking lights on automation devices stop blinking, the control cabinet is often the go-to troubleshooting…
When the blinking lights on automation devices stop blinking, the control cabinet is often the go-to troubleshooting culprit, but how do you make the best judgments for quickly locating the problem?
A common field-level protocol for automation is ASi or AS-interface–a method used to convey actuator and sensor data…
A common field-level protocol for automation is ASi or AS-interface–a method used to convey actuator and sensor data and commands between I/O devices and the PLC control system level.
After we explored the initial configuration, it’s now time to see exactly how to implement IO-Link in a simple PLC…
After we explored the initial configuration, it’s now time to see exactly how to implement IO-Link in a simple PLC project, explaining how to interpret process data bytes for input and output.
Using an Arduino Opta PLC, a few off-the-shelf electrical components, and the popular OpenPLC software environment,…
Using an Arduino Opta PLC, a few off-the-shelf electrical components, and the popular OpenPLC software environment, automation control concepts can be built on your own test bench.
Learn about produced and consumed tags in PLCs, their functions, setup, and important considerations for effective data…
Learn about produced and consumed tags in PLCs, their functions, setup, and important considerations for effective data sharing between controllers in a control system.
It can be risky to adopt unknown technology; it poses serious security concerns if misused. The Control.com engineering…
It can be risky to adopt unknown technology; it poses serious security concerns if misused. The Control.com engineering team contacted our friends at OnLogic to gain some insight into VPN technology.
CODESYS is an automation software that is independent from any one vendor, capable of many PLC, I/O, and motion…
CODESYS is an automation software that is independent from any one vendor, capable of many PLC, I/O, and motion operations. However, being vendor-agnostic can present challenges. Learn how to get started.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: like you’ve (probably) never heard it before.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: like you’ve (probably) never heard it before.
As an engineer, why would you settle for simply plugging and unplugging your Christmas lights when you could, instead,…
As an engineer, why would you settle for simply plugging and unplugging your Christmas lights when you could, instead, spend many hours automating this very important December job? Let me show you.
Power and control interruptions are, at best, problematic. In some applications, it’s catastrophic. Learn about…
Power and control interruptions are, at best, problematic. In some applications, it’s catastrophic. Learn about redundancy for the system, power supplies, control devices, and network topologies.
Many PLC systems still require knowledge of the previous generation of RSLogix software from Rockwell, including the SLC…
Many PLC systems still require knowledge of the previous generation of RSLogix software from Rockwell, including the SLC 500 and the Lite software version for the MicroLogix family.
Timers and counters are two of the most important fundamental function blocks in automation programming. Learn how to use…
Timers and counters are two of the most important fundamental function blocks in automation programming. Learn how to use TwinCAT 3 to program and monitor these important function variables.
Gathering and manipulating process data is, perhaps, the most significant advantage of digital controllers. Beckhoff IPCs…
Gathering and manipulating process data is, perhaps, the most significant advantage of digital controllers. Beckhoff IPCs gather, process, and integrate data with high-level systems in one platform.
These days, the industrial PC (IPC) is changing the way that engineers approach control logic solutions. Learn how to set…
These days, the industrial PC (IPC) is changing the way that engineers approach control logic solutions. Learn how to set up a basic project in a Beckhoff IPC using structured text programming.
The SLC 500 PLC family dominated automation control for well over thirty years and now, with the recent discontinuation…
The SLC 500 PLC family dominated automation control for well over thirty years and now, with the recent discontinuation of most of the series, we look at the differences between SLC and modern Logix PLCs.
The OPC UA protocol is designed to solve two problems in automation: interoperability between device vendors and…
The OPC UA protocol is designed to solve two problems in automation: interoperability between device vendors and independence from incompatible transport layer differences.
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