Hello! glad to meet cha!

Hello guys (and gals?) Im new here and hope this is the correct place to post this introductory message.

I am an unemployed electronics tech, with many many years of experience, trained in the military as an avionics tech (component level) and worked 5 years at General Dynamics repairing the HP 3060A (now the 3070) automated test station. (Basically bays of rack mounted smart test equipment tied to a relay matrix I/O interface controlled by a central computer running a BASIC variant test language)

I have repaired everything from A-Z (except PLCs) including a 2 year stint working on OBD2 computerized vehicles. (heck these are getting to be as complex as factories)then I got laid off.

Lots of plants here in LA, but man, they dont seem to be all that impressed that Ive worked on so many electronic devices, they start and end every sentence with PLC. On my first interview I guessed PLC meant "process logic controller"! PLCs are the holy grail of electronics work down here. I must have heard PLC a hundred times. I wouldnt have been suprised if somewhere in the plant a golden bay full of PLCs was used for religious services!

Now Im trying to cram all things PLC and try to score a job in a plant, they pay well and have bennies. I am prepared to accept the almighty PLC as my personal savior and forsake all other equipment. I came across this site and I hope to to learn the ropes of both PLCs and the kind of work a typical guy at a plant dealing with them does.

My contributions here would be a bit off topic, I could write a book on diagnostic techniques and neat tricks Ive developed over the years that work on any electronic gear. Like any tech, I love to ramble on and on with all my great tricks (and leave out the smoked boards part!) Mostly though I need to pick the very fine brains on this board

Hopefully I can eventually snag a job in a plant somewhere and start contributing proper PLC guru stuff.

It seems with your background and experience, learning PLC anf PLC programming wouldn't be all that difficult. In my case, I didn't learn PLCs in school, but learned to use them on my first job some 28 years ago.

Watch these videos in order http://www.youtube.com/user/RonBeaufort

They will get you off to a great start. If you can get to one of rons classes it will be money well spent.

I think being such an avid problem solver your best bet would just to learn the lingo more than anything.

Get the job, then learn the system. PLC's aren't particularly difficult pieces of equipment and there's plenty of support (here) for them.

I remember a thread here sometime this year discussing the merits of the interviewing party and their extent of knowledge. I think peter nachtwey posted a little quiz which may be worth doing to test yourself.

Thanks guys, Honga I will try to look up that thread. I know that if I can just get in the door I can pick up what I need to know. It is a great advantage to know that the job will be just working on the "XYZ-2000" PLCs or whatever and the model numbers of any other equipment. Once you can focus all your attention on a specific piece of gear it narrows down a lot of things.

Once I can get my paws on the factory manuals and prints, Im back in familiar territory. Yes thankfully the internet has PLC stuff all over it. As far as crash course stuff goes, Im starting to think the inexpensive stuff here is about as good as those 1600 dollar crash courses are. I still have a lot to learn, even though its not that hard, so I planning on at least a crash course so I can interview more intelligently.

The Plc Kid said:

Watch these videos in order http://www.youtube.com/user/RonBeaufort

They will get you off to a great start. If you can get to one of rons classes it will be money well spent.

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Definitely take advantage of Ron's stuff. If you borrowed the cash to take one of his classes, it would probably pay off very quickly, but he has so much to offer for free here, on Youtube, and on his website, you'd be a fool not to at least use all that to your betterment.

Thanks Okie, I didnt even think about you tube. DUH! I will start watching those after supper. Supper at a friends house that is. When your unemployed timing your visits around suppertime isnt a bad idea!

Can you say ramen?!

Say whaaat? top ramens only for special occasions! I cant get all decadent like that. Next thing ya know Ill be living like a rock star eatin pork and beans and vienna sausages and such. Nope, gotta watch the budget!