When the power is removed to a circuit, the common measurements of voltage and current prove meaningless. The only remaining option is to use resistance testing…
When the power is removed to a circuit, the common measurements of voltage and current prove meaningless. The only remaining option is to use resistance testing to determine which components and conductors are working.
Alignment procedures for pulleys and shafts are a key to preventing costly breakdowns. An effective strategy pairs…
Alignment procedures for pulleys and shafts are a key to preventing costly breakdowns. An effective strategy pairs alignment with vibration analysis to both prevent and predict these downtime events.
Learn about force control in robots and what sets it apart from typical point-to-point programming. This feedback method…
Learn about force control in robots and what sets it apart from typical point-to-point programming. This feedback method can overcome many small irregularities in manufacturing processes.
In this instrumentation and control (I&C) article, we will explore the fundamental terminology and concepts used when…
In this instrumentation and control (I&C) article, we will explore the fundamental terminology and concepts used when working with industrial plants.
A shunt resistor connects in series with a load to measure the high current in the DC circuit. Using Ohm's law, the…
A shunt resistor connects in series with a load to measure the high current in the DC circuit. Using Ohm's law, the current value can be calculated by measuring the voltage across the shunt.
Voltage is a simple topic at the surface, yet also extremely complex, with thousands of scenarios involving the unseen…
Voltage is a simple topic at the surface, yet also extremely complex, with thousands of scenarios involving the unseen forces of electron flow all around us. These 7 facts might surprise you!
The simple tasks can lead to the most failures. Basic practices in the wiring assembly stages of a project can lead to…
The simple tasks can lead to the most failures. Basic practices in the wiring assembly stages of a project can lead to long-term success or haunting tales of intermittent yet persistent failures.
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.
This article takes an in-depth look at how magmeters work, the different types of magmeters, and useful equations for…
This article takes an in-depth look at how magmeters work, the different types of magmeters, and useful equations for calculating flow rates using a magmeter.
Every element of your life–your food, your car, your house–everything is made with processes that use sensors. Join…
Every element of your life–your food, your car, your house–everything is made with processes that use sensors. Join us as we visit the SICK facility, where many of these sensing products are made.
No doubt you have heard all about the use cases of AI and predictive maintenance. Learn about the algorithms that are…
No doubt you have heard all about the use cases of AI and predictive maintenance. Learn about the algorithms that are actually used to provide analysis and insights based on industrial data sets.
In any process industry, transducers are the basic instrumentation unit for continuous monitoring of system variables…
In any process industry, transducers are the basic instrumentation unit for continuous monitoring of system variables that provide inputs for control system algorithms and outputs.
Do you know enough about electricity to poke around in a conversation, but not inside a breaker panel? Read on for an…
Do you know enough about electricity to poke around in a conversation, but not inside a breaker panel? Read on for an introduction to electricity in a way you’ve (probably) never heard it before!
Logic is critical for industrial control, and it usually looks like ladders, function blocks, or structured text. I/O…
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.
Learn how to use analog I/O devices with AutomationDirect’s Productivity series of PLCs and Productivity Suite…
Learn how to use analog I/O devices with AutomationDirect’s Productivity series of PLCs and Productivity Suite software. Wiring, configuring I/O, and programming will be a part of this tutorial.
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.
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?
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?
Converting different numbering systems is quite common in PLCs and structured text codes. Why? Because people read…
Converting different numbering systems is quite common in PLCs and structured text codes. Why? Because people read decimals. Computers read binary. Processors read sets of bits. Not so simple.
We conclude the data flow project with the step of developing a business intelligence dashboard to present machine data,…
We conclude the data flow project with the step of developing a business intelligence dashboard to present machine data, at a reliable schedule, to a leadership or maintenance team.
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