Recently I was involved in a discussion on the best method of numbering and labeling devices for systems and machinery. I have used several different methods in the past, depending on customer preference and the type of application; these methods …
Category: Controls Design
Electrical and controls design
Device Numbering Methods: A Poll
Frank
Posted in Automation Concepts, Controls Design, Machine Design, Process, Techniques
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15 Comments ↓
How To Design And Build A Small Controls Project
Frank
Posted in Applications, Consulting, Controls Design, Machine Design, Techniques, Thoughts
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1 Comment ↓
Today’s post is a response to frustration. Some times when dealing with potential customers you waste a lot of time trying to save them money. They may want you to cut corners, spend a lot of your time (for free) …
How To Design And Build A Small Controls Project Read More »
Tagged with: Building a small controls project, consulting, design, engineering, systems integration
Tag Structures and Dotfields
Today’s post is in response to an e-mail I received asking for my thoughts on Tag Structure. In part, George Steel wrote: Great site, thanks for all your efforts. I am working on positioning my org to move from RS500 …
The IEM Dilemma
Frank
Posted in CAD, Controls Design, Machine Builders and Integrators, Packaging, Panelbuilding, Product Development, Vendors and Manufacturers
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2 Comments ↓
First I’d like to apologize for a term I’ve mis-used in the past, that of the OEM. I’ve always considered manufacturers of specific types of industrial equipment to be “OEM”s, or Original Equipment Manufacturers. After looking carefully at the various …
Wonderware
Frank
Posted in Controls Design, Software & Programming, Touchscreens, Vendors and Manufacturers
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No Comments ↓
As many of you know from reading this blog, I spend about 40% of my time teaching software programming classes for Automation Training, a Canadian company. I started out teaching the Allen-Bradley SLC and ControlLogix platforms and Siemens Step 7 …
Random Thoughts 1
Hello again from Miami. This time I drove down here since I needed to spend a couple of weeks on my current project, upgrading a juice and beverage compounding system. When I’m out of town for a long time its …
Industrial Ethernet
Today’s post is dedicated to my new friends at Poseidon Industries, a manufacturer of stone cutting and processing equipment, located in Punta Gorda, Florida. Last week I did some software work there and had some discussions on industrial Ethernet protocols …
Tagged with: Allen-Bradley, BootP, Communications, ControlNet, DeviceNet, DHCP, ethernet, Ethernet/IP, Industrial Ethernet, Internet Protocol Suite, MAC Address, Profibus, ProfiNet, Siemens, TCP/IP
More on Specifications
A couple of months ago I wrote a post on cross referencing; that is, finding a replacement for an existing component. In this post I’d like to elaborate a little bit on specifying components in general. When replacing a component …
Books or Websites on Control Panel Design
Today’s post is in answer to a question from Josh: Frank, Thanks for the informative site and your passion for teaching. I have found a lot of useful information on here. I wanted to ask you if you could possibly …
OEM Controls
* OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer. Early in my controls career I had a symbiotic relationship with a machine builder. I went so far as to move my company a few miles down the road and locate right next door; …
Device Labeling Poll Results
Frank
Posted in Automation Concepts, Controls Design, Machine Design, Process, Techniques
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1 Comment ↓
A couple of weeks ago I started a poll on device numbering methods, here are the results. Responses came from comments on this site and five different Linked In forums. Method 1: Labeling the device based on the I/O point …
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