Comments for Contact and Coil

Comment on OWI-535 Robot Arm with USB Controller from C# and .NET by Jeremy Sluyters

Jeremy Sluyters — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:49:31 +0000

Sounds like the perfect Christmas present!

Comment on Voting Machines Done Wrong are Dangerous by Betsy Dewey

Betsy Dewey — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:42:11 +0000

This is such an important topic. I feel strongly that we need to get reliable voting machines out to the public before the election this November! And preferably while some of these primaries are still going on. The video is excellent – thank you!
Here is a little of my input: http://betsydewey.com/ron-paul-wins-texas-straw-poll-and-other-things-the-media-will-neglect-to-report/

Comment on Does Rockwell Automation Hate its Customers? by RIch Nixon

RIch Nixon — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:29:42 +0000

Rockwell? What support?
I HAVE a valid 2012 techconnect agreement and toolkit and I STILL can’t get any support out of them. Just this weekend I needed to grab FTVS 5.10 and I still can’t access their download page using THEIR login information from the almost $6K P.O. they got from us.
Yes. RA hates it’s customers and users and they will p*ss on them at every opportunity.

Comment on RSLogix 5000 Tutorial by Mesta's Automation blog » Blog Archive » PLC programming resources: PLC-DEV website

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:12:10 +0000

[...] blog to learn Allen Bradley programming (and ladder in general) is Nearly In Control with his RsLogix 5000 tutorial, PLC DEV contains a mass of documentation about Allen Bradley and their products. Some useful post [...]

Comment on Create the Automatic Sequence by Ross

Ross — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:11:12 +0000

This is a great tutorial for getting started in the series 5000 PLC’s. I’ve previously used another brand (koyo), and bought an old AB 1769-L30 in order to familiarise myself with the series 5000. It’s quite a different way of working and I especially appreciate your recommendations on a workable style.

Eventually expanding the tutorial to cover a SCADA system monitoring and controlling the PLC would be really something special.

The only thing that doesn’t work for me is the state logic diagrams, but that’s due to my ancient machine not supporting anything but ladder logic.

Comment on Create the Automatic Sequence by Kuba from Europe

Kuba from Europe — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:01:39 +0000

Thank you a lot! Its so hard to understand american way of thinking (in RSLogix), after user frendly Siemens software…

Comment on Sometimes it’s Better to Repeat Yourself by Doug

Doug — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:14:20 +0000

Very well argued.
I am an electrician that must daily deal with other peoples code and I am very thankful that in my (limited) experience the DRY principle is very often ignored in PLC coding, with one-to-one mapping being prefered.
The majority of times that I have come across an instance of DRY thinking has been where the programmer has tried to push the limits of smaller/cheaper system to cut costs – for example, using a “smart relay” instead of an micrologix (or similar) in a small machine. Once, the designer was gracious enough to leave copious comments that were almost apologetic in tone!
I can see why DRY would be attractive in high speed applications where scan time is an issue, though.

Comment on Safe(r) Data Collection from a PLC by Scott Whitlock

Scott Whitlock — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:03:34 +0000

@ScottWhitlock – sadly it’s a more common name than I’d like to admit. Heck, you’re only in Indiana, that’s not so far way.

Comment on Safe(r) Data Collection from a PLC by Scott Whitlock

Scott Whitlock — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:23:18 +0000

could there really be another Scott Whitlock that knows how to spell PLC?

Seriously….that is funny.

Comment on Beckhoff TwinCAT: a First Impression by Shaun

Shaun — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:46:49 +0000

I have gone in the opposite direction to you. I started working with Beckhoff and have now been forced to Siemens. I have to say I am definately missing the many features of the Beckhoff. Particularly the Scope. That was absolutely brilliant for tweaking the system and wringing every last ounce of performance out of it.