Taming Ladder Logic with Object-Oriented Techniques
ProductProgrammable Control

Taming Ladder Logic with Object-Oriented Techniques

User-defined instructions are flexible and reusable blocks of code, useful for simplifying and speeding logic development. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs), prized for their ruggedness and real-time performance, have formed the industrial automation backbone of operational technology (OT) systems since the late 1960s. While traditional PLC programming methods were historically less sophisticated than solutions developed for…
Accessible Automation Helps Small Utilities Modernize Operations
Application StoriesIndustryOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Accessible Automation Helps Small Utilities Modernize Operations

A wastewater treatment utility is moving away from aging control hardware by replacing specialized components with easy-to-use programmable logic controllers. Like many small utilities throughout the country, the Harvest-Monrovia Water & Sewer Authority in Alabama was faced with supporting an aging mix of control technologies. Wesley Benefield of RTUDirect wrote this article for Automation.com April…
Modern PLCs Support Dependable SCADA Communications
Application StoriesPLCProductProgrammable Control

Modern PLCs Support Dependable SCADA Communications

The AutomationDirect BRX PLC incorporates capabilities essential for this software services company to create a reliable SCADA solution tailored for municipalities. Massive metropolises and humble hamlets both depend on reliable water and wastewater treatment facilities. In the United States, some estimates indicate that relatively few large systems may serve about 80% of the population, while…
No Screen, No Problem: Maximizing Visualization Flexibility with Minimum Hassle
Issue 58 - 2026Notebook IssueOperator InterfaceProduct

No Screen, No Problem: Maximizing Visualization Flexibility with Minimum Hassle

Headless HMIs slash costs, simplify installation, and unlock creative display options ranging from handheld tablets to wall-mounted scoreboards. By Bobby Thornton, AutomationDirect On a traditional factory floor, operators usually monitor and control equipment using classic panel-mounted touchscreen human-machine interfaces (HMIs). But to meet the demands of a modern facility, designers need technologies to more effectively…
Getting with the Object-Oriented Program
+Tech TopicsIssue 58 - 2026Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable Control

Getting with the Object-Oriented Program

The recent introduction of user defined instructions in AutomationDirect PLCs provides another tool for accelerating PLC and HMI development. By Tim Ensminger, AutomationDirect Many industrial automation products and practices have been developed as more robust versions of commercial-grade technologies. As microprocessors, memory, and communications hardware and software have evolved throughout the information technology (IT) world,…
Small Theatre’s Rotating Stage Gets VFD Controls Upgrade
Application StoriesDrivesIssue 58 - 2026Notebook IssueProductSafetyVariable Speed Drives

Small Theatre’s Rotating Stage Gets VFD Controls Upgrade

After running for decades on its original electro-hydraulic drive, Timber Lake Playhouse’s revolving stage system received significant behind-the-scenes AutomationDirect upgrades in 2007 and 2025. By Ryan Poethke, ShowFab Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP), adjacent to its namesake body of water and surrounded by woods and acres of farmland beyond, has been operating as a professional, non-profit…
Circuit Protection: Fundamental Components for Protecting Equipment and Personnel
Circuit ProtectionContent CollectionsProduct

Circuit Protection: Fundamental Components for Protecting Equipment and Personnel

What is a circuit protection? Industrial circuit protection is a foundational element of every electrical and control system. Whether a panel powers PLCs, sensors, motor starters, or VFDs, each circuit must be safeguarded against overloads, short circuits, and other fault conditions that can damage equipment or put personnel at risk. Proper overcurrent protection ensures that…
What is Motion Control?
Motion Control

What is Motion Control?

Industrial motion control is used to operate a variety of apparatuses, including gripping, transporting, and moving mechanisms on small machines, plus multi-axis robotics, large web handling systems, and much more. This overview explains the key concepts of motion control systems. In an industrial automation context, the term “motion control” usually refers to using an electric…