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PLC Discrete Outputs

PLC Discrete Outputs

Programmable Logic Controllers, or PLCs, are designed to receive signals and influence load devices automatically. Learn how to connect and program discrete output devices like solenoids, relays, and lights.


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.


Robot Motion Command Types: Understanding Linear, Joint, and Arc Movement

Robot Motion Command Types: Understanding Linear, Joint, and Arc Movement

Programming robots may seem like a simple task of moving from point to point, like a really expensive game of Connect the Dots. Linear, joint, and circular motion commands affect robot movement differently, each meant to be used in certain settings.


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?


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.


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?


ABB Opens the Doors to its Robotics Mega Factory in Shanghai

ABB Opens the Doors to its Robotics Mega Factory in Shanghai

With the growing global robotics market, ABB seeks to capitalize on the growing demands by opening a "state-of-the-art" mega factory in Shanghai for manufacturing next-generation robots.


News Dec 07, 2022 by Seth Price
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?


PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 3, Searching and Sorting

PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 3, Searching and Sorting

Learn how to streamline your ladder logic by searching and sorting arrays with the FSC and SRT instructions in the Rockwell (Allen-Bradley) Studio 5000 programming software.


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
Teardown: What’s Inside a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)?

Teardown: What’s Inside a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)?

Variable frequency drive units can be found inside tons of control cabinets, but what happens if you disassemble one to see what’s inside and how it works? We did just that. The results might surprise you.


Connecting Engineering to Manufacturing with Software for Panel Design and Fabrication

Connecting Engineering to Manufacturing with Software for Panel Design and Fabrication

The latest electrical engineering software from Zuken and nVent offers to increase productivity and reduce time to market in panel design and fabrication with software that updates with live data and has an easy-to-use central parts library.


News Nov 30, 2022 by Shawn Dietrich
Remote Ambient Air Monitoring with Cost and Size in Mind

Remote Ambient Air Monitoring with Cost and Size in Mind

Managing temperature and humidity is crucial to preventing damage in control cabinets and to manufacturing equipment. Banner has created the S15S sensor for use with cloud monitoring, giving manufacturers more efficient environmental control.


News Nov 29, 2022 by Damond Goodwin
Know Your Phase: How and When to Use a Motor and Phase Rotation Tester

Know Your Phase: How and When to Use a Motor and Phase Rotation Tester

Connecting a new motor without knowing the phase rotation of the electrical supply can cause damage to expensive equipment. By using a 3-phase rotation meter, you can save yourself time and money.