PLCs Help the Show Go On
Application StoriesPLCProductProgrammable Control

PLCs Help the Show Go On

How industrial automation plays a leading role in show-biz scenery. In February 2020, Control Design posted a website article by Ryan Poethke of Showman Fabricators, titled Motor Control When Hanging From The Ceiling. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for the full text. Industrial automation can play a role in many situations beyond…
VFDs Take Control
ProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

VFDs Take Control

Many VFDs now have on-board logic programming and I/O, enabling them to perform real-time control for localized applications. Jeff Payne, Product Manager for the Drives & Motors Group at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the April 2020 issue of Design News titled The Logic of Balancing VFDs and PLCs. Here’s a summary, click on the…
Can a Raspberry Pi Challenge a PLC?
Open source controlProductProgrammable Control

Can a Raspberry Pi Challenge a PLC?

Single-board consumer microcontrollers are popular with hobbyists, but how do they stand up to industrial PLCs for more advanced process control applications? Many readers expressed considerable interest in a previous Control Design article comparing an Arduino microcontroller with a programmable logic controller (PLC) for basic flow control. This led author Doug Reneker to consider how…
CLICK PLC and C-more Integral for Emergency Ventilator
Application StoriesCommunicationsHMIIssue 44 - 2020PLCProductProgrammable Control

CLICK PLC and C-more Integral for Emergency Ventilator

Using readily available AutomationDirect parts, an Auburn University team converted a CPAP machine to a high-functioning emergency ventilator in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the threat of ventilator shortages during the COVID-19 crisis, various organizations called on developers to build “emergency ventilators”. A team at Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering went…
Water Utility Improves Operations with Standardized Automation
Application StoriesCommunicationsHMIIndustryPLCProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Water Utility Improves Operations with Standardized Automation

See how a water utility standardized around AutomationDirect products to improve operations while saving time and money. A team of operations, maintenance, and engineering personnel at Helix Water District in San Diego, CA has retrofitted and constructed many sites using automation hardware and best practices based on AutomationDirect products. David Reagan wrote an article with…
ProductivityOpen - Maker In, Industrial Out
Issue 43 - 2020Open source controlProductProgrammable Control

ProductivityOpen - Maker In, Industrial Out

By Bill Dehner, Technical Marketer, AutomationDirect One of the most talked about new trends in industrial automation is the use of single-board microcontrollers. These controllers, along with their open-sourced programs, have begun to show up in industrial applications. Many up-and-comers, introduced to this type of control early on, are fueling this trend but if you come…
Does Your PLC Talk JSON?
+Tech TopicsIssue 43 - 2020Learning ResourcesProductProgrammable Control

Does Your PLC Talk JSON?

The newest PLCs can communicate directly with internet websites, creating new automation possibilities. By Eric Witcher, AutomationDirect The July 2019 issue of Control Engineering magazine featured a cover story describing how modern industrial controllers are now able to interact directly with internet resources. Titled Benefits of Connecting a PLC to the Internet, this article shows…
Automation Helps Turn Homebrewer into Brewhouse
Application StoriesFood and BeverageFood Beverage AutomationIndustryPLCProductProgrammable Control

Automation Helps Turn Homebrewer into Brewhouse

Automation methods used in a distillery are adapted for use in the fermentation process at a brewhouse. By: Avi Aisenberg, CEO and Proprietor at South Florida Distillers South Florida Distillers is the oldest distillery in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company is now branching out into the design business by working with 26°…