Automation Notebook Archives | Page 38 of 39 | Library.Automationdirect.com

How Secure Is Your Control System?

September 1, 2004

-Maroochydore, Australia, April 2000- Fired by the contractor who installed the control system at the local water treatment plant, engineer Vitek Boden was then rejected for a job by city council. Laid off and ticked off, Boden sought his foul revenge. Using a stolen laptop and two-way radio, he connected wirelessly to the plant’s control…

Automation Notebook Issue 2 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue

New SureStep™ Stepping System

September 1, 2004

AutomationDirect has launched the SureStep family of products, a new open-loop stepping system that provides simple and accurate control of position and speed and offers a great solution for applications requiring lower power and low cost. The SureStep family includes four standard motors and a “one-size-fits-all” step motor drive. With holding torques from 83 oz-inch to 434…

Automation Notebook Cover Stories Issue 2 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue Product Programmable Control

After the Blackout

September 1, 2004

Modernizing America’s Electric System Where were you on August 14, 2003? If you live somewhere other than the Northeast or Midwest, the date of North America’s largest blackout may not be familiar to you. I was working on my home computer, while my spouse was engrossed in vacuuming our cars. When everything came to a…

Automation Notebook Issue 1 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue The Break Room

Brainteaser Answers – Issue 1, 2004

April 1, 2004

In each issue of the Automation Notebook we feature a section of brainteasers. These are the brainteaser answers from Issue 1, 2004 of the Automation Notebook. The brainteaser questions are repeated in black. The answers to the brainteaser questions are highlighted in red with explanations. You can view the brainteasers from Issue 1, 2004 without the answers here: http://library.automationdirect.com/brainteasers-issue-1-2004…

Automation Notebook Issue 1 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue The Break Room

Brainteasers – Issue 1, 2004

April 1, 2004

8 Years Later When a memo was delivered into my “in-box” requesting office humor for the premiere edition of Automation Notebook, numerous events immediately entered my mind. I thought about an unsuspecting team member’s SUV that was filled with three lawn size garbage bags of paper confetti as retribution for a recent prank he had…

+Tech Topics Automation Notebook FYI Issue 1 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue

Decimal Point Manipulation Challenge

April 1, 2004

I think we’ve all been confronted with a challenging application at one time or another. In this particular instance, I was contacted by a customer asking for help with an application using a floating-point number that needed four decimal places. Even though the fourth decimal place was not being used, it had to have a…

+Tech Topics Automation Notebook Issue 1 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue Product Programmable Control Technical Review

How to Connect 3-wire Sinking & Sourcing Devices to PLC Input Modules

April 1, 2004

When connecting a 3-wire field device to your PLC system, it is important to have a solid understanding of sinking (NPN) and sourcing (PNP) concepts. Sinking and Sourcing First, sinking and sourcing are only associated with DC circuits. DC circuits can conduct current in one direction only. This means that it is possible to connect…

+Tech Topics Automation Notebook Issue 1 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue Product Programmable Control Tech Thread

Jumping on the "stage" wagon

April 1, 2004

The Technical Support Team at AutomationDirect receives a large number of calls on RLL Plus (Relay Ladder Logic Plus) programming, also known as “Stage” programming. Most of the callers want to understand how and when it should be used. The short answer to the “when” question is that it depends on the process that is…

Application Application Stories Automation Notebook Energy/Utilities Industry Issue 1 – 2004 Learning Resources Machine Control Notebook Issue PLC Product Programmable Control User Solutions

Turbine Generator Application Uses Terminator I/O

April 1, 2004

Turbine Diagnostic Services (TDS) is a power generation field service company that provides industrial, utility, independent power producers, and municipality power generation systems for turbine generator applications. The company’s TurboNet DASH 1® Control System is a complete DCS-structured turbine generator control system, developed to meet the needs of customers looking for a stable, “crash-free” system…

Automation Notebook Business Notes Issue 1 – 2004 Learning Resources Notebook Issue

Business Notes - Issue 1, 2004

April 1, 2004

From Conference Board.org The Institute for Supply Management publishes a monthly survey of purchasing and supply managers regarding the activity in the manufacturing sector. According to their index, the manufacturing sector was recovering through March and this survey is likely to show more of the same results for April and May. “With both investment growth…

Automation Notebook

Additional Resources

PLC Handbook

Sinking and Sourcing Concepts

History of the PLC

What is a PLC?

Understanding Discrete & Analog I/O

Pneumatic Circuit Symbols Explained