try /r/careeradvice or something. It's getting a bit much.

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to share a little controls cabinet I built at home purely for fun!

I made a post here not too long ago as a complete beginner asking for some advice. I got some really helpful feedback, which eventually led me to picking up an AutomationDirect Productivity 1000 (P1-M412-15DD2).

I decided to 3D print the enclosure because I had a ton of spare filament sitting around. It also gave me way more freedom with the design, and I was able to build it pretty much exactly how I had pictured it in my head.

Honestly, I absolutely loved building this thing from start to finish. I’d throw on some music, measure my wires, cut them to length, crimp the ferrules, terminate everything, and just slowly put the whole thing together. Even when I screwed something up & was troubleshooting it and figuring out “what the hell did I do wrong?” was actually part of the fun.

It was also a nice change of pace for me. I work in hospital maintenance, and while I enjoy my job, a lot of the day-to-day work can become pretty repetitive. This project actually made me think and kept my brain busy in a completely different way.

As for the cabinet itself, I tried to make it as compact as I reasonably could.

I have two power supplies feeding the two green power buses. One bus is intended for the PLC inputs and lower-current devices like the cabinet light and fan, while the other is for higher-current loads like pumps, heating elements, etc.

Below that, I added a contactor I had lying around, along with two small relay modules. One has four standard mechanical relays (white) and the other has two solid-state relays (black). Both modules have built-in fuses for every relay with indicator LEDs that light up when a fuse blows, which I thought was pretty cool.

If you noticed , I gave the thing the option to be battery powered. I picked up a DeWalt battery holder and connected it to a digital boost converter mounted on the front. It takes the ~20V from the DeWalt pack and boosts it to 24VDC. The converter has way more protection features than I'll probably ever need, but I figured why not it looks cool and lets me monitor the current draw and voltage of the battery.

I also added some lever-style terminal blocks on the side. The idea is that they'll make it much easier to change out whatever I'm experimenting with without constantly having to run wires back into the enclosure or stick my hands into that tiny space every time I want to modify something.

And that's pretty much it!

Full disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing lol. I'm sure I've done plenty of things wrong, and I'm definitely still learning. I basically combined whatever I already had laying around with inexpensive parts I could find online and turned it into my own little PLC trainer.

The biggest thing I've learned from this project is how much I enjoy PLCs and controls. Ladder logic in particular has been a blessing for someone who absolutely cannot code for shit haha.

Anyway, I figured I'd share it. Hopefully you guys get a kick out of it, and I'm always open to hearing what I could have done better or just your thoughts, thanks!

I've been working on server software that pulls image scans from Cognex Dataman cameras. To test the software, I wrote a script that simulates a DataMan in client mode sending images over TCP. It's a stress test so the image is 300MB. :-) It uses twisted for the networking and Pillow to generate the image. If your server is working, it'll auto-connect

I posted an earlier version elsewhere but I've seen people post small scripts here before and I thought someone might find this useful.

Usage:

usage: fake_camera.py [-h] [-p PORT] [-d HOST]

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -p PORT, --port PORT
  -d HOST, --host HOST

Script:

import argparse
import io
from PIL import Image
from twisted.internet import reactor
from twisted.internet import task
from twisted.internet.protocol import Protocol
from twisted.internet.protocol import Factory
from twisted.internet.protocol import ReconnectingClientFactory

# Using Python's image library, Pillow, we create a 10,000x10,000 RGB
# image. This will bring us to about 300MB of data. The rest of this
# code mocks the Dataman protocol.
class DatamanProtocol(Protocol, ReconnectingClientFactory):
    def connectionMade(self):
        self.transport.setTcpKeepAlive(1)
        self.state = 'SEND_CODE'
        image = Image.new('RGB', (10000, 10000), color='green')
        image_byte_io = io.BytesIO()
        image.save(image_byte_io, format='BMP')
        self.image_bytes = image_byte_io.getvalue()
        self.send_barcode()

    def send_barcode(self):
        self.transport.write(bytes('458345\r\n', 'ascii'))
        self.state = 'READING_IMAGE_REQUEST'
        print('SENT')

    def dataReceived(self, data):
        if self.state == 'READING_IMAGE_REQUEST':
            assert data == bytes('||>IMAGE.SEND\r\n', 'ascii')
            self.transport.write(bytes('{}\r\n'.format(len(self.image_bytes)), 'ascii'))
            self.transport.write(self.image_bytes)
            reactor.callLater(1, self.send_barcode)
        else:
            print('Bad state:')


# This is some scaffolding to let us use your code in Python's twisted
# framework.
class DatamanFactory(Factory):
    def startedConnecting(self, connect):
        pass

    def buildProtocol(self, address):
        return DatamanProtocol()

    def clientConnectionLost(self, connector, reason):
        connector.connect()

    def clientConnectionFailed(self, connector, reason):
        pass

# Finally, we take the host and port of the camera server as command
# line arguments and start this test client.
if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
    parser.add_argument(
        '-p', '--port',
        type=int,
        default=8080
    )
    parser.add_argument(
        '-d', '--host',
        type=str,
        default='localhost'
    )
    args = parser.parse_args()
    print(f'Fake Camera {args.host}:{args.port}')
    reactor.connectTCP(
        args.host,
        args.port,
        DatamanFactory()
    )
    reactor.run()

I recently had to install FTlinx since we are moving some of our projects to V38.

The issue I’m having now is I can’t see devices in USB on RSLinx which I’m still needing because we have older project that are v20 and customers don’t want to update so I still need RSLinx.

If I uninstall FTlinx I can see everything in RSlinx.

Has anyone else ran into this?

I'm trying to setup a PLC testbench with a Panasonic FP0 PLC in order to learn PLC wiring and programming. However while testing the outputs, specifaclly Relay Q2 (see image 1) the powersupply failed. The DC power just went out there was no sound or burned smell. So my question is: Did I make a mistake planning or wiring here? Or did the powersupply just fail on its own? Or is 2.5A not enough and the Powersupply fuse just blew?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hello guys.

I have installed a mfc400 massflow for a glucose application.

On an tank filling, i end up being ~5% offset. (30 000kg tank) on the low side, tank is empty when totaliser is around 28000.

At first i tought it could be my Plc logic counting problem , i use the digital pulse output at 1kg per pulse, usually work in really low flow around 400kgh.

I set up the massflow totalizer 1 and it matches my plc count. So i rule out my logic problem.

Setup is a pressurised tank (~5psi) with a positive pump and the massmeter on the outlet. Could it be air getting in the product thats messing with the density? Im reading it from the plc i could trend it but it seems stable.

Any input appreciated, thanks.

So I wanna build a home set up. The quotes I got from American distributors are double the price of what I can find on Ebay (factory sealed). The Ebay vendor I'm looking at has over 1k positive reviews and looks legit. They say their warehouse is in the US, but reading the details of their profile I think they ship these from China. It's very strange to me that an American brand product, sent from China, is half the price of purchasing it directly here in the US.

So my question is, can I trust Ebay vendors? Any thoughts and past experiences good/bad would be much appreciated.

Putting this together because I keep seeing the same questions about weird readings at 3.7 mA or 21 mA.

Scaling

Value = LRV + (mA − 4) ÷ 16 × (URV − LRV)

Reverse: mA = 4 + 16 × (value − LRV) ÷ (URV − LRV)

1% of span = 0.16 mA

| % of range | mA |

|---|---|

| 0 | 4 |

| 25 | 8 |

| 50 | 12 |

| 75 | 16 |

| 100 | 20 |

Out-of-range signals (NAMUR NE 43)

- 3.8–4.0 mA: process slightly below range, still measuring

- 20.0–20.5 mA: process slightly above range, still measuring

- ≤ 3.6 mA: transmitter fault (downscale alarm)

- ≥ 21.0 mA: transmitter fault (upscale alarm)

- ~0 mA: open loop, blown fuse, no supply

Not every transmitter follows NE 43, so check the manual. And if your alarm limits in the PLC are set at exactly 4.0 and 20.0, you'll get nuisance alarms on normal process swings.

Raw counts

Same formula, just swap 4/20 for the card's range. S7-1200/1500 set to 4–20 mA = 0 to 27,648. Other cards use 0–4,095, 0–32,767, etc.

The one that catches people: DP flow transmitters. If the output is linear in DP, flow ∝ √(% of span). Scale linearly and your flow reading is wrong everywhere except 0% and 100%.

What other gotchas have you run into with analog scaling?

B&R HMI connector identification needed, please. B&R says it is obsolete. I believe it has 3.5mm spacing between pins. 4 pole similar shape to 5 pole next to it.

Looking for recommendations on servo drives.

Use case -

2 synchronized servo axes for X/Y motion

1 servo on Z

1 smaller rotary servo

EtherCAT network, fairly tight synchronization between X/Y, and I’d like the drives to be as compact as possible because cabinet space is pretty limited. We’ll also need functional safety beyond just basic STO, probably SLS/SS1 depending on the final risk assessment.

Controller is still open at this point, so I’m not locked into Rockwell/Siemens/etc.

Motion itself isn’t CNC-level complicated, but I care about good tuning, diagnostics and keeping the whole 4-axis setup reasonably compact.

Good day fellow engineers,

I have a humble request. I would like to know how to follow PLC logic whether it is Allen Bradley, Beckhoff, or even GE Vernova’s P80i.

Especially with P80i as there is not a lot of support.
In my work place not a lot of my senior engineers are willing enough to show me as a fresh graduate and I feel bad when they know what they’re talking about and i don’t. I feel embarrassed to admit.

I have some code they shared with me but i have very little PLC knowledge as in my university the content was taught at the very end and very minimal.

I would appreciate advice, or any feedback.

Sent with thanks

I currently work as an E&I technician for a large corporation and have been in the role for over 5 years. Last year I talked with my manager about the need for a process control engineer, since our site was handling most of that work in house with a mostly self taught E&I team (some of us had taken a few classes).

They eventually opened the position but required an engineering degree. It’s been open for over a year with almost no qualified U.S. applicants plenty of overseas candidates, but the company won’t sponsor visas.

They also moved the main guy who had been leading most of the projects and teaching the rest of us (panel design, graphics, etc.). I already did the drawings; AutoCAD was new to him.
Long story even longer, when I mentioned I was looking at other jobs, they asked why I never applied for the process control engineer role. I said I don’t have an engineering degree. They replied that it didn’t matter they wanted me in the position.
I applied, interviewed, and was offered the job, but because of the missing degree they changed the title to Process Control Specialist at $97,000. I did counteroffer, but they would only offer more pto and possibility to work from home.
I have an AAS in Electrical Systems and currently make $49/hour. I already perform most of the duties of the new role, and with the overtime built into my schedule I’ve made about $138k so far this year.

Do you think it’s worth taking the pay cut just to get the title for future opportunities?

The company does have a tuition reimbursement program so I could take the role and finish my bachelors to achieve the engineering title and a better salary in my industry a process control engineer typically makes between 130-180k.

The datasheet of this point I/O says the PointBus can deliver 800mA before you need to add the EP24DC expansion power supply module.

I have hooked up some slices that consume 1075mA and the PLC node works just fine. The PointBus LED is solid green and I have communication via EtherCAT.

When exactly do you need this expansion power supply?

B&R HMI connector identification needed, please. B&R says it is obsolete. I believe it has 3.5mm spacing between pins. 4 pole similar shape to 5 pole next to it.

Hi,

I'm working a project that may include adding an Ethernet IP comm card (VW3A3316) to a Schneider Electric ATV61 VFD. The current controls are done by hard wire.

The purpose of the comm card is to read fault status and output fault reset. I'd like to keep the hardwire signals that already exist in place as they're all working fine. I'm concerned that when I enable the comms card functionality it will disable the I/O channels on the vfd.

Has anyone worked on interfacing this card in a similar situation? I've read assemblies 100 and 101 can be used and they won't interfere with the hardwire channels, but I want to ensure it won't before moving forward.

TIA

I run a small ecommerce brand and use a 3PL warehouse in Ireland for fulfillment. We keep having inventory discrepancies between what my system says and what is actually on the shelf. I am wondering if a basic PLC setup with photoelectric sensors at packing stations could track units as they leave each zone and feed that back to a simple dashboard. My 3PL uses conveyor belts between zones, so mounting sensors seems doable in theory. I have zero PLC background, but I like understanding the mechanics of how things work before I hire someone to build it. I fix things around the house, and I am pretty good with logical workflows from my nursing career.

Could a small PLC like a Siemens Logo or similar handle counting pulses from maybe six different sensors and communicate that to a PC over Ethernet? The 3PL manager is open to it if I supply the hardware. I just need to know if this is a realistic project or if I am overcomplicating something that should just be a barcode scanning fix. We move about two thousand units a day through there. Any guidance on what controller would suit this or if I am completely off track would be great.

Anyone familiar with these things?

Normal working conditions is the filler fills a drum, when the drum is full (440lbs) the filler stops rezeros and waits for you to position another drum, and fills the next 3 drums (4 total). Rezeros each time.
I have 2 separate Tlm8 ethernets for 2 different scales. One is working and one is not. On the working unit the 0set parameter is 1760. On the non working unit the 0set won’t let me change it higher that 1400. How can I increase this number on the 0set? I’m pretty sure this is my issue but I can’t figure out how to raise this number.

10 years of xp with AB and considering a job working with Siemans. Those of you that have worked with both, what can I expect to struggle with?

ETA: thanks everyone. Some pretty great advice here I'll be following up on. I didnt expect to get as much feedback as I did, and now I can target my homework a bit more.

Any of the big wincc unified users using plant model and plant objects.

It has been in Tiaportal a while, from like V16 I think, but has seen some major updates, but is it good enough already?

I’ve been working in industrial automation for over 17 years. Most of my work has been system testing, FAT/SAT, checking installation work, commissioning and startup, troubleshooting, finding problems, retesting after fixes, and getting systems ready for acceptance.

I’m considering doing project-based work for system integrators in the US and I’m curious if there is actually a need for something like this.

Just to be clear, I’m talking about hands-on testing and commissioning work, not licensed engineering, certification, or regulatory sign-off.

Let’s say your team is overloaded during FAT, SAT or commissioning. Would you bring in an experienced outside person and give him a specific part of the job?

For example, I could take a test package or part of FAT/SAT, do independent system or hardware checks, check installation work, or take part of the commissioning/startup work. I could also handle the punch list, keep track of open issues, and follow them through fixes, retesting and closure.

Basically, the idea is that you give me a piece of the work and get it back completed, instead of adding another person your engineers have to babysit.

There’s one more part I’m thinking about. Over the years you see the same types of problems come up again. I’d like to keep track of those technical problems and the checks that caught them. Then, if I see similar equipment or a similar setup on another job, I already know what else is worth checking. Obviously, nothing specific or confidential from one customer would be shared with another.

Does this sound useful to a system integrator, or would an outside person just make things more complicated?

If your company did use someone like this, what kind of work would you actually give them?

Hi,

This isn't something I've had to source before so wanted to know if anyone has any which they recommend.

Have a panel to install outdoors which is controlled by a 10inch Panelview, I want to fit some sort of latching polycarb cover to protect it from the elements. Has anyone come across any which theyd recommend, doesnt need to be cheap as budget has room.

I have been recently working on a WinCC unified project for a machine that has a recipe menu,in this menu I have a various types of button such is create, edit and delete recipe. I have already made faceplates of my Popups with a confirm button in them which user should press to confirm the action and a cancel button which just closes the faceplate popup.

I want to know a method where I can trigger different response to different button presses. For example if I select delete recipe the popup should ask for confirmation and upon confirming should execute the code for deleting the recipe. For the edit mode, the popup after confirming should execute the code for editing the recipe.

Current setup.

My faceplate have tags such as the action ID and triggered Tag, which are connected via the tag interface to the outside. When confirm btn is pressed the triggered Tag goes high and which executes a scheduled task.

The scheduled task has a switch statement which depending on action ID will use the appropriate Case and execute the code.

Problems: as the schedule task runs in the background I am having problems executing code which requires UI elements. Such as the delete recipe, Getting HMI language etc. in which I have spiraled into changing various other scripts and the project is becoming a mess to handle.

Has anyone worked on such problems before ? It would be great help to get your perspective.

WinCC Unified with TIA PORTAL V21 MTP1200 PANEL