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Introduction to Network Switches for Industrial Applications

Introduction to Network Switches for Industrial Applications

Industrial network switches connect automation equipment, controllers, and other such devices. Learn about unmanaged, managed, and PoE enabled switches, as well as the differences between switches, routers, and hubs.


Memory: A Challenge on the Road to Industry 4.0

Memory: A Challenge on the Road to Industry 4.0

Memory for data is among the most pressing challenges to Industry 4.0. Given the evolving nature of Industry 4.0 and associated memory solutions, however, some memory-based trends are becoming apparent.


What’s the Difference Between a Safety Contactor and a General Purpose Contactor?

What’s the Difference Between a Safety Contactor and a General Purpose Contactor?

Designing a system with motor motion always includes a consideration of safety. Incorporating safety contactors might be the correct prevention to protect equipment and users but may add additional challenges.


Arduino PLC IDE Tutorial 2: Analog I/O and External Devices

Arduino PLC IDE Tutorial 2: Analog I/O and External Devices

Previously, we described how to use the new Arduino PLC IDE to control discrete devices. This tutorial will describe how to connect various peripheral equipment (VFD and robot) using analog inputs and outputs.


Power Supplies: Understanding the Differences Between Linear and Switching

Power Supplies: Understanding the Differences Between Linear and Switching

Linear and switch-mode power supplies provide direct current to power control components and electrical devices. Learn about the differences between the two power supplies and which one is best for your control system.


Electronic Datasheet (EDS) Files: Why do We Use Them?

Electronic Datasheet (EDS) Files: Why do We Use Them?

Many control product manufacturers offer these downloadable ‘EDS files’ for peripheral equipment, but what exactly is an EDS, and how can they aid in the development of a project?


Teardown: What’s Inside a Timer Relay?

Teardown: What’s Inside a Timer Relay?

PLCs and microprocessors have largely replaced timing functions in control circuits. But these timer relays still hold many necessary tasks. What’s inside these devices might be more complex than you imagined!


How To: Use the Arduino PLC IDE to Build Basic Ladder Diagrams

How To: Use the Arduino PLC IDE to Build Basic Ladder Diagrams

Following the release of the official Arduino PLC IDE, this tutorial will introduce programming and understanding of the function blocks common to all IEC 61131 languages, starting with bit commands, timers, and counters.


Introducing the “Smallest PLC Ever” to the Market

Introducing the “Smallest PLC Ever” to the Market

Crouzet introduces the "slimmest PLC" to the industrial automation market. At only 17.5mm wide, the Millennium Slim is changing the way we think about control automation topology.


News Dec 19, 2022 by Shawn Dietrich
Teardown: What’s Inside a DC Servo Motor?

Teardown: What’s Inside a DC Servo Motor?

We know that servo motors are found inside machines that rely on precise motion with feedback to verify proper operation, but how do they work, and what makes them different from any other kind of motor?


Teardown: What’s Inside a 3-Phase Induction Motor?

Teardown: What’s Inside a 3-Phase Induction Motor?

Coil, field winding, rotor, stator, eddy current… When it comes to motors, there are numerous terms that describe the theory of operation, but what is inside a 3-phase motor? Take a look, and learn how they work.


Servo Motor vs Stepper Motor: Understanding the Differences

Servo Motor vs Stepper Motor: Understanding the Differences

When accurate positioning and speed control is needed, most engineers turn to servo motors or stepper motors, but what is the difference between the two, and which is the right choice?


Teardown: What’s Inside a Human-machine Interface (HMI)?

Teardown: What’s Inside a Human-machine Interface (HMI)?

Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, provide visual process data and allow access to process parameters and diagnostics information. What’s inside these touchscreen displays, and how do they actually work?


PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 4, Statistics and Sizing

PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 4, Statistics and Sizing

Learn how to make complex calculations for validating data easily with the STD instruction, and learn how to display array sizes programmatically with the SIZE instruction.


Teardown: What’s Inside a Pneumatic Solenoid Valve Bank?

Teardown: What’s Inside a Pneumatic Solenoid Valve Bank?

Air power drives a lot of modern equipment. Robot grippers, ejectors, actuators, and rotary tables are just a few of the devices controlled by air. What’s inside those banks of solenoid valves, and how do they work?


Industrial Networks: “Protocol over a Standard?”

Industrial Networks: “Protocol over a Standard?”

Industrial communication channels often contain terms such as ‘Modbus over RS485’ or ‘CIP Safety over Ethernet’. What does it mean to send one network over another, and how does it work to your advantage?


Expanded Catalog of Servo Motors and Tracks, Fit for High Precision Tasks

Expanded Catalog of Servo Motors and Tracks, Fit for High Precision Tasks

SMC has developed a size 16 AC servo motor for applications which require high accuracy and low power consumption, fit for use in machining, packaging, and assembling operations.


News Dec 05, 2022 by Seth Price
Planning for the Future: Productivity, Security, and Automation

Planning for the Future: Productivity, Security, and Automation

Thought leadership from Rockwell Automation execs point to future trends and how to leverage technology and skills to increase productivity and the security of operational technology (OT).


News Dec 01, 2022 by David Peterson
What You Need to Know: Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)

What You Need to Know: Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)

With precise control abilities to manage speed, torque, and direction, variable frequency drives remain one of the most common methods of driving 3-phase industrial motors. Below, we introduce a few leading VFD manufacturers.


Leveraging Modern Tech to Find the Most Important Troubleshooting Info

Leveraging Modern Tech to Find the Most Important Troubleshooting Info

One of the most time-consuming parts of the maintenance solution process has been addressed in a new release by eschbach who uses an AI-powered platform to filter and find the most relevant information.


News Nov 14, 2022 by David Peterson