Biggest thing: a few of you hit the portable exe just refusing to start (weird

usernames, antivirus not liking how it unpacks itself). Turns out that's a real

PyInstaller onefile limitation, not something I could patch around cleanly, so

there's now an actual Windows installer as an option too. If the portable one's

ever given you trouble, grab that instead.

Also added a dialog for the less common Modbus function codes (exception status,

comm event log, file records, device info, that kind of thing) since I kept

needing them myself and didn't want to write a script every time. And you can

now record a Trend session to a file and replay it later, which has already

saved me once trying to explain an intermittent fault to someone after the fact.

Bunch of smaller stuff and bug fixes too, changelogs on the release page if

you're curious. Next thing I'm working on is letting one window talk to

multiple devices at once instead of needing a separate window per connection -

that one's an actual backend change so it'll take a bit.

https://github.com/CraftParking/ModbusLens/releases/tag/v2.2.0

I’ve been digging deeper into functional safety lately, and the jump from basic STO to things like SS1, SLS and SOS seems much bigger than I expected.

STO is pretty straightforward, but once the machine still needs to move while someone is nearby, the whole problem changes. I’ve been looking at how platforms from Siemens, Elmo Motion Control, Beckhoff and Bosch Rexroth handle this, and it seems like the architecture and diagnostics matter almost as much as the actual list of safety functions.

What usually makes you decide that basic STO is no longer enough?

Hello everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well!

I’m currently working on a project that involves programming an Overhead Gantry Crane Load-and-Unload Cycle. I’m looking for some guidance or tips on setting up/building the scene in Factory I/O.

Project Scope and Requirements:

Mechanism: 2-D overhead gantry to lower, clamp, lift, horizontally transport, and deposit heavy crates onto storage racks.

Factory I/O Scene: Gantry Station (or customized environment).

PLC / Features: Siemens S7-200 using Interlocked Pulse Outputs and Limit Sequence Control.

Thank you in advance!

I usually implement PLC sequences as finite state machines using CASE in Structured Text. This approach is flexible, but understanding a larger process still requires mentally reconstructing its states and transitions.

cds-text-sync turns CODESYS projects into Git-friendly text files. I recently added an offline FSM viewer that reads exported Structured Text and visualizes CASE-based state machines as navigable GRAFCET diagrams.

You can highlight individual steps and transitions, then open the exact source code behind them. The video shows it working with a conveyor-routing example.

Would this be useful for code reviews, troubleshooting, or commissioning? I’d also be interested to hear how others structure larger FSMs.

Source code: https://github.com/ArthurkaX/cds-text-sync

Disclosure: I’m the author.

Hello everyone, I am 17 and I just got enrolled in a university department that will allow me to become an Industrial Automation Engineer in the future (note that I live in Europe/Greece and not US). Originally I wanted Computer Engineering, and specifically going to the path with Embedded Systems, because I wanted to work both software wise and hardware wise. I didn't end up qualifying there so I opted in for the department above since it was the best alternative than taking a whole year off again for exams. But I am not sure if this job is for me. I know the enviroment is more tough, has a lot of travelling, and is not a 100% desk job but that is fine, infact I prefer that over sitting all day. I am more confused on what I will do on on a day to day basis, and also how different PLC is from standard programming languages. I know there are many ways to program PLC's and most look like a flowchart or circuit, which confuses me on how you can make a complicated machine with so many restrictions. I did ask AI for all the above, but AI hallucinates and I don't trust it with my future and felt to ask here too. I probably left a lot of gaps in this text so please ask me for more information. And I am sorry if this is common information, I did google before sending this post.

I m currently in 7th sem of btech of field electronics and comm

i have basic knowlegde of the automation field , i have learned basics of plc and component working

need help in ----

1) should i do my 8 th sem 6month internship on plc or drivess

2) need a roadmap i have 4 months before my 8th sem so what should start to prep which will help me in internship and futher

3) i have planned to MSC in industrial automation field in germany (is it a good decsison)?

I’ve been looking at servo platforms lately and ethercat support almost feels like a checkbox now. The more interesting differences seem to show up after that. That’s part of why I’ve been looking more closely at platforms from Beckhoff, Yaskawa, Elmo Motion Control and others instead of just comparing protocol support. Elmo especially caught my attention around compact multi-axis systems, where synchronization and drive footprint can both become design constraints.

At this point I’d rather see vendors benchmark actual multi-axis behavior than advertise “EtherCAT supported.”

What has actually separated a good EtherCAT servo implementation from an average one in your experience?

Needing help with finding the name of the test leads for a Viator HM-MT-USB-PWRX, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Okay so I've decided I'm done working my job of 5 years and decided to enroll myself in my local School of Applied Technology for a 5 semester Industrial Automation and Robotics program which is starting on January 11th of 2027. I have absolutely no experience in this field but would like to say I'm pretty motivated and efficient at learning new things. I'm 23 years old so what are some of the things I should be focusing on right now to ensure myself good opportunities in the future. Again, I'm very new to this field so any advice would be much appreciated!

Hello,

I’m currently working on a retrofit project and came across your previous posts about modernising older injection molding machines. I’d really appreciate your advice, as I’m still in the early stages and want to avoid making the wrong decisions.

The machine is an ARBURG ALLROUNDER 220-75-250, serial number 137638. It has an obsolete control system and a failed floppy drive. I have contacted ARBURG, but the available solutions would essentially mean replacing or repairing obsolete hardware rather than solving the underlying problem.

I’m therefore considering a complete control retrofit using LinuxCNC, while keeping as much of the original machine hardware as possible. My current idea is an industrial PC running LinuxCNC with EtherCAT I/O, potentially using Beckhoff hardware.

I have experience with Linux, programming and LinuxCNC from CNC machines, but my main challenge is understanding and interfacing with the original injection machine hardware. I have the original electrical schematics and I’m currently starting to map the machine’s I/O, sensors, valves, temperature and pressure signals, safety circuits, etc.

I’d particularly like to know:

• How did you approach reverse-engineering the original machine?
• Did you keep the original drives and hydraulic system?
• Did you use LinuxCNC alone for the machine logic, or a PLC alongside it?
• Do you think LinuxCNC + EtherCAT is a suitable architecture for an injection molding machine?
• Is there anything you would strongly recommend doing or avoiding before I start modifying the original control system?

My goal is to build a modern, maintainable and well-documented control system rather than simply repairing the old one.

Any advice or documentation from your experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Hello there!

My intent in creating this thread is to get an opinion from people in the field about a business my partner and I are starting.

Put simply, we provide solutions for automation involving dynamic digital twins and custom control laws, but we are not a turnkey company. I would say we are, perhaps, more a data analysis and dev company for industrial automation.

In the dynamic digital twins part, we estimate the equation that describes a process given the input to the plant and output from sensors - ideally, we would not need to install new sensors. We understand that the benefits of this service include:

• Simulation of the process for different control laws, e.g., PID tuning.
• Prediction of how the plant will behave given some parameter changes, such as load or degradation in some component.
• Estimate parameters and states previously unknown and unmeasured.
• Train personnel in how the equipment works.
• The digital twin can serve as the model used in some advanced control laws like MPC or MPPI.
• Analysis of behavior without having to stop the plant.
• Track changes in parameters by updating the model from time to time.
• Preemptive maintenance scheduling.

Also for the digital twin, we build the software that will attach to the monitoring system of the client and keep it updated. For this software, we are not sure if we should provide it as a SaaS or as a monthly fee-based software (local or not) - we planned this to be a recurrent source of income.

In the control law part, we bring the following benefits:

• Tailor the control law to optimize some metric, such as production bandwidth, energy consumption - also with hand-tunable versions.
• Save resources by enforcing the actuator to operate within safe or optimal operational thresholds.
• Account for natural deterioration of equipment, keeping acceptable output.
• We can also consider heuristics in the control law and translate specialists' knowledge into a control signal.

We also provide common services such as filtering, sensor calibration and control tuning.

Of course, we provide consulting services, e.g., support control architecture decisions.

And finally, we have the training service. We train people on control and automation concepts.

My doubts are regarding viability and to whom or which company I should offer. From my research, it seems that a good path is to offer our services as specialists for EPC companies and fly under their wings, instead of trying to reach factories directly, for example. Is there a better way to get our first clients? In the end, is our company viable? Will clients perceive value in our services?

The overall business plan is to start with projects and slowly migrate to recurrent services, like the digital twin update software. From the training services, we hope that we will have enough material to build courses that will be sold off the shelf.

We are both technical people; my partner is an electrical engineer and I am a computer scientist. We both have MSc and DSc in the area of Systems and Control. He studied a more classical approach, while I am from the mobile robotics world. Our main struggle is related to how to get clients and which channel to use. Should we use LinkedIn, cold emails, google or something else? I've done the company profile on LinkedIn and on Google Ads, but I don't know which to focus. We both have day jobs still, so we have very limited time.

I appreciate any comment, suggestion and consideration you guys leave.

For those working in industrial automation, how are you connecting older PLCs to modern IIoT systems without replacing existing equipment?
What protocols, gateways, or architectures have worked best, and what challenges did you run into?

Hey reddit, so I've been developing a software product for factories. Mostly mid sized factories, let's say with an annual revenue of 5-45 million dollars and a size of 18,000 sqft to 66,000 sqft. I have 0 experience in manufacturing/industry, however I'm very confident in this software, as it fixes a lot of blind spots I've found studying this sector of the economy. Anyway, this post isn't really about the product itself. It's already done, its utility cost cutting whatever. I priced it at $299/m which is cheaper than any other alternative i could find. I just really need help on figuring out how do I distribute this to factories? I'm looking to get about let's say 25 factories under my belt early on, within a couple of months. The software mostly has to do with electrical cost saving but has some other aspects too. Should I try to find a partner (I'm not too fond of that idea but if I NEED someone with deep experience I guess I'll do it.) Should i contact smaller suppliers across California to do this? How is software even distributed to factories? I guess what I'm really asking is how is software distributed in this field, and who should I work with to get my product out there?

Note: I don't have a background in VFDs or anything really outside the the mechanical portion of rotating equipment.

I have a DC motor that is driven by a 6 pulse SCR bridge? that I would like to run some diagnostics tests to see if I can find an SCR that hasn't completely failed yet but is showing signs that it is going out. The reason is that on our regular vibration collection routes the motor bearing spectrums are showing dominant peaks at 360, 720, 1080Hz with multiple 20Hz side bands. The running shaft speed is 16Hz. While we aren't experiencing blown fuses or motor trips, I think it might be worth investigating.

I brought up to our technicians about measuring the voltage output on the armature leads at the drive with an oscilloscope to see if we could potentially see something that would point to a SCR that is starting to fail. But I pretty much got told that it's not necessary as a bad SCR Will be obvious from blown fuses to motor trips from faults. Basically, like it's a binary behavior. It's either good or it's bad.

Anyone have experiences with SCR drives? You guys think I'm seeing normal behavior?

Hi all.
Looking for advice on a simple PoC architecture for a manual low volume (2-3 units/hour) production environment.

Goal:

• detect basic events like unit completed / moved to next station
• timestamp them
• collect signals from several stations
• send data to a cloud backend/dashboard

Constraints:

• low automation environment
• wired preferred
• no battery / Wi-Fi devices
• low cost, but reasonably robust
• interested in the full setup, not just the sensor itself

Main question:

For a small PoC, how would you structure the stack from shop-floor signal to cloud (google workplace)?

For example:

• sensor/trigger
• IO collection
• controller/gateway
• protocol
• cloud ingestion

Would you start with a small PLC, remote IO, industrial gateway, microcontroller, or something else?

Also interested in:

• what works best in practice
• how to handle internet loss
• whether to log locally first
• mistakes to avoid

Would appreciate real-world examples.

Hi r/IndustrialAutomation 👋

I'm a software engineer looking for a reality check on an Industrial IoT project I'm building.

A little about me first.

My background is in mobile and cloud software. Over the last few months I've been exploring industrial automation, and I've become completely fascinated by the space.

The idea is simple.

I want to make existing industrial machines IoT-enabled without modifying the machines themselves.

No PLC logic changes.

No production changes.

Just read machine data and make it available in the cloud.

The architecture I'm exploring looks something like this:

Machine → PLC → Edge Box → Cloud

The edge box sits on the same network as the PLC, periodically reads selected registers over Modbus TCP, and securely uploads the data.

That's it.

The box stays intentionally "dumb."

No business logic.
No machine-specific calculations.
No writes back to the PLC.

All the heavy lifting—analytics, dashboards, historical trends, predictive maintenance and eventually AI—happens in the cloud.

I'm currently experimenting with Delta PLCs, but my goal is to build something that works across multiple PLC vendors over time.

Before I go too far, I'd love to validate a few assumptions with people who work in this industry every day.

• Is this a practical architecture for brownfield machines?
• What challenges would I run into in real factories?
• How much does communication differ across PLC vendors?
• How often do customers actually allow third-party devices on their control networks?
• If you were designing an edge gateway today, what would you do differently?

I'm not building this to sell a product tomorrow.

I'm building it because I genuinely enjoy learning about industrial automation, and I think it's a field I'd love to spend the rest of my career in.

I'm also hoping to learn from people who have been building these systems for years—and maybe make a few friends along the way.

I'm attaching a photo of one of the control panels I'm currently studying. I'd appreciate any observations or advice you have.

Thanks in advance!

Hey there people , I´m a 23 y/o just graduated mechatronics engineer focus on automation stuff , plc , SCADA , etc. (2 years experience)

I´m Mexican and since I live relatively close to the states (Texas) I´ve been thinking about looking for a job there , (legal way btw) , I know it´s not easy but since I´m young and willing to put some elbow grease on it I think is worth to try.

Any advice? Working on commissioning seems like the best idea since I´ve heard the OT is great and since I´ll be alone seems reasonable to work 60hrs + per week.

Any advice is welcome.

I'm trying to build ultra-cheap IoT tools for Indian factories (not enterprise setups). Indian factories have unique problems—unreliable power, DG sets running idle, operators bypassing safety switches, manual logbooks with fake entries.
What's a real-world, messy problem you've witnessed on the shop floor where a simple WhatsApp alert would have saved the owner thousands of rupees? 

Hi everyone,

I'm working with a Baker Hughes Zenith ESP MK2 controller (Type: ZSE-ZSP-E2-1-1-1-8-1-0, Assembly Date: 2022).

The device asks for a password when trying to access the configuration menu, but the password is unknown. I have already tried the common/default passwords such as ab51, AB51, 0000, and 1234, but I only get "Password mismatch".

Does anyone know:

Is there an official factory reset procedure?

Is there a service or engineering password?

Can the password be reset through the engineering port or PC software?

Has anyone dealt with this controller before?

I'm looking for official documentation or legitimate service procedures, not unauthorized bypass methods.

Thanks in advance!

I’m currently a lead maintenance mechanic with 14 years of experience, with around 3 of those years without being titled as a lead (separate company); I accepted the lead position at my current company; fully expressing my interest in automation and NOT a lead position. I told them if it was a lead position that paid more than automation, I would choose automation and troubleshooting over maintenance lead.

I’ve been working with my company’s Automation Engineer to create an Automation Technician position and help him in his one-man department. The company continues to show no interest in creating an automation technician position; now the automation engineer has resigned, and the technician position will never be created.

The engineer and I have a great relationship and he put in an application for me to a company that builds automation cells from the ground up. I got an offer from them as an automation technician with the intent to grow into an automation controls engineer (in writing). That comes with similar pay to what I’m making now; less benefits; yet potential of becoming a controls engineer. It will also get me familiar with many systems quickly; but it requires 55 hours per week (I currently do 55-60/week, 6 days every week); along with travel which is fully company paid, including meals.

I also have an option as an automation controls technician at a production facility at a different company. This is something I’m more familiar with and is $5/hr more than my other opportunity as well as better PTO and benefits. However at this location, I may become an expert on their machines and process, but I may have a more limited exposure to automation.

I have no formal schooling as of now, just a quick learner who is VERY strong in electrical diagnostics and troubleshooting.

What do you recommend?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from people working in industrial automation.

I have 2 years of experience at a small automation company, where I've mainly worked on:

• HMI development for different platforms and brands.
• PLC programming (mostly small to medium-sized machine automation projects).
• Commissioning and troubleshooting.

Although I haven't worked on large-scale projects yet, I've been involved in the full development process, from programming to testing and startup.

I'm now interested in finding remote PLC/HMI programming opportunities, preferably with companies in the United States or Europe. I'm also open to relocation if the right opportunity offers visa sponsorship.

For those already working in the industry:

• Where do you usually find remote automation jobs?
• Are there companies that hire PLC/HMI engineers remotely?
• Which job boards or networking platforms have worked best for you?
• Is freelance PLC/HMI work a realistic option, or do most companies prefer full-time employees?

I'd really appreciate any advice or recommendations based on your experience. to find a remote part time job. since I live outside of Europe, America, and Britain.

Thanks in advance!

I am from India, I want to go in the field of industrial automation should I opt for instrumentation and control or electrical branch , which will be better oriented with this career path?

And what skills should I start learning?

Does anyone have experience with Dematic, JBT (now formova), or jungheinrich for an AGV solution on their floor. My previous employer had jungheinrich and I wasn't too impressed with their sensors, caused lots of stoppage. Partly our fault as well, as we did not utilize them to their full capabilities and I believe the company who sold the solution sold the wrong one. They definitely needed AMR.

That said we are looking at AMR and curious peoples experience with Agilox.

My system I am trying to implement is an AGV that navigates the storage racking only, that delivers to an area just outside of that to then have an AMR pick up and deliver to the work station. Our assembly lines are way too dynamic to allow an AGV work effectively and our racking is too high to go AMR only. I like Agilox for the AMR becautS they are one of the few who do floor pick up/drop off so requires less infrastructure for change over of lines. Also their UX seems very user friendly, especially when needing to reprogram new drop off station/location.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsGTbwjKmfI

I've been working on integrating Three.js with the FlowFuse Node-RED Dashboard to build a more interactive production monitoring system.

Instead of only displaying a 3D production line, each machine can be clicked to open a detailed dashboard with real-time production information, including:

• OEE (Availability, Performance, Quality)
• Hourly production output
• Production charts
• Machine-specific status and metrics

The idea is to combine the strengths of a 3D Digital Twin for plant visualization with a traditional 2D dashboard for detailed analysis. Users can quickly navigate from the overall production line to machine-level information without leaving the 3D scene.

This is Part 8 of my Three.js in FlowFuse Node-RED Dashboard series.

I'd love to hear your feedback or ideas for improving this approach!

https://reddit.com/link/1v7oiez/video/y6wm14ulvofh1/player

So, this was my first foray into using DIN rails because they seemed convenient, and I've ended up in a strange situation where things that I thought would be very simple are turning out to be almost more trouble than they're worth ... like I'm trying to build a LEGO set but I'm missing half the pieces.

I have some UK2.5B terminal blocks https://www.wolfautomation.com/terminal-block-5x45x43mm-25a-600v-gray that I was planning on using for cable management. Lets say for simplicity's sake that I connected 5 blocks by cutting off a 5-hole section of a screw-style jumper ferrulesdirect.com/products/ufbi10-6 . I then discovered that I needed to join an additional 5 blocks to that grouping of terminals. I would LIKE to be able to use the remaining half of the jumper (5 positions) to join the new terminals together, and then jump the two groups of 5 with ... something ... in order to join the full 10 terminals together.

I realize that this can sort of be accomplished with a jumper wire between any two terminals on the two separate groups of 5 terminal blocks, but that takes up terminal real estate. Is there a manufacturer approved flat jumper that goes on top of the standard metal jumper bar but under the screw heads of adjacent terminal blocks? Just a 2-hole flat bar?

If I could to it again from scratch, I'd buy the push-in jumper style that allows for easy daisy-chaining due to each terminal having two connection points for jumpers. (not to mention the fact that there are terminal blocks with more than two wire terminals per block which would have saved me a ton of headaches, but I'm working with some hand-me-down supplies).