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Simple PLC & HMI Solutions for Small Applications

What do you need in a PLC or HMI? Are you looking for ones with advanced features like onboard data logging or a built-in webserver? Great, we can help you with that. Or do you just need something basic, a simple controller or interface that’s easy to program and that almost anyone can maintain? Well, we can help there too. For those small straightforward applications, we have the simple control solution you need. Whether it’s turning on a sprinkler, controlling a fan, or replacing some old-fashioned relay control, our low-cost CLICK PLCs and C-more Micro HMIs give you the perfect amount of control without the unnecessary overkill. And for those who might be new to PLCs and HMIs, these two product lines are an excellent place to begin. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s Daryl in Doniphan, MO’s take on it: “We have used many different PLC Controllers but the Click PLC is easy to use for the new people that are getting into using Logic Controllers for the first time yet they are powerful enough, with the extra slots that can be added on to them, to allow you to do complex operations…” I couldn’t have said it any better! So if your next project is a small one that’s short on time and money, or if you just want to automate something around your plant or home to make life a little easier, CLICK PLCs and C-more Micro HMIs can provide the ideal control solution. Check out the articles below for more on simple PLC/HMI solutions, how they can be used, and what they can provide.

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ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 38 - 2017Machine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLCStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

Copley High School's Automation Success

The Innovator team at Copley High School in Akron, Ohio needed to design a piece of equipment to snap caps together for Weaver Industries ProPak, a company that has been employing people with disabilities for about 40 years. With the existing assembly method, Weaver was struggling to meet production and contract requirements for component assembly.
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEnergy/UtilitiesHMIIndustryIssue 23 – 2012Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLCPneumaticsPneumaticsProcess ControlProcess Sensing & ControlProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLCUser Solutions

Bio Diesel Fuel Gets a Boost from Automation

Systems produce bio diesel for a total cost as low as 67 cents per gallon, turning waste into profit. Imagine if restaurants and other commercial food enterprises could turn used kitchen oil into fuel instead of simply disposing of it. Then imagine if they could do that in an economic and automated way for a…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomationDirect SpotlightEntertainmentIndustryMachine ControlOnline OnlyPLCProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLCStudent Spotlight

Raising the Curtain on STEM Education

STEM education is becoming more important in today’s fast-paced technical world. But some kids may have a difficult time with traditional STEM classes especially when a student doesn’t think they’re a “math or science type.” One way to encourage an awareness of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is to look for activities that already attract…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 32 - 2015Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLCSystem IntegratorsUser Solutions

The Bulgarian Bat Detector - Simulating Bat Echolocation

Over my years working as an Automation Systems Integrator, I occasionally get projects that are different from the normal industrial, process and manufacturing systems. I was recently asked to develop the controls for a museum exhibit to simulate a bat’s echolocation. The museum, Children’s Center of Sofia, in Sofia, Bulgaria, and I promptly named the…
Learning ResourcesSimple PLCWhite PapersWhitepapers

Micro PLCs vs Programmable Relays | White Paper

The line between programmable relays and micro PLCs has moved to a much lower price point over the last few years, making a micro PLC a better option for controlling many small to medium size machines. Micro PLCs are no more expensive nor difficult to use than programmable relays in these applications, and the required…
Learning ResourcesOnline BlogOperator InterfaceProductSimple PLCWhy HMI

What is a HMI? Human Machine Interface

It’s well known that human beings are visual creatures, and we would all choose a pretty picture over boring text any day. Just look at the popularity of image-based apps like Instagram or Snapchat and it’s obvious that images are king. But on the scientific side, it’s believed that our brains can process visual information…
AgricultureApplicationApplication StoriesIndustryLearning ResourcesMachine ControlOnline BlogPLCProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLC

Are CLICK PLCs Really That Simple? - A DIY PLC Project

By now you know that CLICK PLCs are considered one of the easiest PLCs to use and the perfect choice for beginners and small applications. I know you know that, because I am one of the many who keeps bringing it up. As a technical marketer for AutomationDirect, my job is to let you know…
Learning ResourcesOnline BlogProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLC

How A Simple PLC Makes Automation Easy

2017 proved to be a stellar year for U.S. manufacturing with strong growth in 16 of the 18 manufacturing industries polled for ISM’s December 2017 survey. With machinery and computer and electronic products leading the way, U.S. manufacturing is expanding at a rate not seen in 13 years according to a BloombergMarkets article on the…
Simple PLC

5 Tips for an Effective HMI Design

Check out this informative slideshare on how to create an effective HMI design quickly and easily! Learn more
+Tech TopicseBookLearning ResourcesOnline OnlyPLC eBookProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLC

Ladder Logic Instructions - The Basics

In Understanding Ladder Logic we touched on the origins of Ladder Logic, its structure and execution. So now that we have a understanding of what Ladder Logic is, we can dig a little deeper into how ladder instructions work. And to do that, we need to first understand Boolean math and logic gates. Now, this blog…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookeBookIndustryIssue 34 - 2016Learning ResourcesManufacturingMaterial HandlingNotebook IssueOnline OnlyPackagingPLCPneumaticsProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLCUser Solutions

CLICK PLCs and Pneumatics Team Up for Success at Ridgeline Machine

Ridgeline Machine made extensive use of pneumatics when building a low-cost, small-footprint, portable traymaker to replace a manual process for one of their customers. Ridgeline Machine Design, LLC (RMD), founded in 2012, is primarily a packaging machinery producer, and the company’s owners have over 40 years experience designing and building custom machinery. RMD builds packaging…
+Tech TopicseBookLearning ResourcesOnline OnlyOperator InterfaceProductSIDirectSimple PLCWhy HMI

System Integrators Talk HMI Projects

“Been there, done that,” – besides just being a great t-shirt logo, there is a lot of truth in seeking wisdom from those who can claim they’ve been there and done that. In this “System Integrators Talk” segment, we queried our System Integrators Group on LinkedIn with a question on HMIs, and gathered their collective…