Sensors are the eyes and ears of your robot or Programmable Logic Controller. They allow your controller to determine the state of objects in and the environment around your automated operations. There are many differences between the wide variety of sensors on the market. You can buy sensors that are inductive, magnetic, photoelectric, or ultrasonic. […]
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Difference Between Robotics Technician And PLC Technician
If you’re studying towards or considering a career in industrial automation, you may be wondering about the difference between “robotics” and “automation”. Some other industrial automation words that sound suspiciously similar are “mechatronics”, “controls”, and “motion control”. Many of these terms are synonymous, or at least describe greatly overlapping domains. With that said, there is […]
Difference Between Inductive And Capacitive Proximity Sensors
Have you recently found yourself staring at two seemingly identical proximity switches? Have you wondered, what the heck is the difference between these two? Or maybe you’re getting ready to buy some sensors. You want to make sure you pick up the right device for the right application. Below, we’ll illustrate the differences between capacitive […]
11 RSLogix 5000 Tips To Make You A Faster PLC Programmer
If you’re a PLC programmer, you can surely think of someone on your team who is just fast. He or she knows all of the keyboard shortcuts, menus, and tricks. They’re like the Mozart of ladder logic, hammering away at the keyboard, with new instructions flying onto the screen faster than you can follow. Part […]
How To Backup And Restore A Fanuc R-30iB
Ah, the old backup game. What could be more fun than taking backups for a dozen, a hundred, or a thousand robots? If you’re reading this, you probably know that there is something that’s a lot less fun than managing backups: not having a backup when you need one. Reprogramming a production robot from scratch […]
Types Of Proximity Sensors Used In Industrial Automation
When you write logic in a PLC that initiates motion, you want to be certain that the motion you are expecting actually occurs. This is where sensors come into play. Sensors provide indication to the PLC, robot, or other controller that some physical event has taken place. As examples, sensors may detect that a part […]
Atomic Data Types in RSLogix 5000 – RSLogix 5000 Training
In this article, we’ll discuss atomic data types in Rockwell Automation’s RSLogix 5000. Atomic data types are the predefined data types that form the backbone of RSLogix 5000’s memory structures. These data types are inherent to RSLogix 5000 and will be utilized by many of its native instructions. RSLogix 5000 supports the following IEC 61131-3 […]
Link Building? Get Backlinks! Home & Industrial Automation Link Roundup
What do ya gotta do to get some backlinks around here? Well, as it turns out, all ya gotta do is send me an email! I’m putting together a link roundup for industrial automation and smart home automation content. If you have an automation blog, automation forum, or you post video content in the industrial […]
5 Ways To Know If You Should Be A PLC Programmer
Are you considering a career in PLC programming? Awesome! I can tell you, first-hand, learning how to program PLC’s (and how to debug under pressure) is an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. Maybe you’ve been considering attending a tech school, or have been talking to a friend who is a licensed electrician or who works […]
What is a PLC?
If you’re considering a career in Industrial Automation, you are probably starting to hear a lot about PLC’s. If you haven’t worked with PLC’s before, they might seem a bit mysterious. I hope to shed some light on the topic for you below. Image credit What exactly is a PLC? A PLC, or Programmable Logic […]
What Is An Automated Systems Integrator?
If you’ve become involved in the world of industrial automation, you may have heard the terms “integrator,” “automation integrator,” or “automated systems integrator.” The term “systems integrator” exists in both the fields of industrial automation and information systems. There are some blurred lines between those fields, as both involve networking, computers, and programming. In this […]
User-Defined Data Types in RSLogix 5000
If you’re starting to dive into the world of User-Defined Data Types (UDT’s) within RSLogix 5000, have no fear. UDT’s are an extremely useful way to package your data and keep your tag list manageable. Here are some of the things that UDT’s can do for you: Consolidate many related data points into one tagAllow […]
Fix for RSLogix 5000 EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION on Windows 10
When I first installed and tried to run RSLogix 5000 on my new Windows 10 laptop, I was met with the following ugly Fatal Error for an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION: I searched through several forum posts and tried several solutions, but what solved the problem for me was running the program as administrator. To […]
So, You Want to Be an Industrial Automation Engineer
Are you considering or aspiring to a career as an Industrial Automation Engineer or Controls Engineer? Awesome choice. Below, I’ll talk about what employers are looking for in an Industrial Controls Engineer. Additionally, I’ll cover what a typical workday is like and some pros and cons of automation industry jobs. Lastly, we’ll look at what […]
NO and NC (Normally Open and Normally Closed) Proximity Sensor Basics
When I was learning PLC programming, I remember scratching my head about some of the concepts surrounding proximity sensors. Digital or analog, Normally Open (NO or N.O.), or Normally Closed (NC or N.C.)? What exactly does it mean for a sensor to be NO or NC? What effect will it have when I’m checking the […]
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