What's the most annoying PLC problem?

CONFESSION:: Sometimes I pay for my own training!
I started as an Industrial Electrician simply with an interest for controlling things. I got good at but I wanted more.
If I had been waiting for my original Bubba automation want to be employer to send me, I would still be there too, dragging teck cable through miles of sludge and such!
Some training later and a little bit of offering free help to an onsite integrator for some needed experience and I get to work on my own projects for my current company now instead of hiring an integrator.
I still have more courses to take that I will likely pay for myself as well.
It bites paying out of pocket but if the training is what you want, take it!
It will pay off.

Just realized this is getting way off the OPs topic.

SORRY
 
Currently my job is to make the plant absolutely, positively, 100% reliable so that they can do without me.
The manager has been getting the "Bubbas" to install floats and old relay level controls for the various sumps and wells so that they can run the plant in manual.
A big rush back to the 70's for greater reliability!
I was working in the 70's and I don't remember it being as reliable as what we have today.
This plant has been running for 7 years whit never a failure that interrupted the process and the guy is worried.
Since the "Code Black" project started we have had some failures with parts of the plant..... all related to the Code Black changes.
Really what has the world come to .
Let's go back to the 70's since we don't want to train our maintenance personnel for current technology.
I have offered to have training and have put on classes, but no one really wants to put forth the effort to upgrade their "skills".
I guess pretty soon we will rip out the wonderware and plc's and put back in relay logic and big boards with lights and meters.
This is with a Wonderware / Modicon system.
Guess how well they understand the Siemens PCS-7 system in another part of the plant!
After 45 years in the business I am pretty well fed up with this turn of events.
18 more months to 70 and outta here!
 
I interpreted this thread to be more about....

I interpreted the intent of this thread to be more about PLC-specific problems as opposed to dealing with customers, management, Bubba, etc.

So here are mine:
1. Software from different vendors not installing and co-existing beside one another on the same PC. Even worse is that this problem even exists with some software packages created by a single vendor. My work around is virtual machines but this entails a performance loss and managing 15+ virtual machines is rather cumbersome.
2. Complex, large, cumbersome software installs. (Wonderware!)
3. Software packages that save the project across multiple files/directories, etc. (FactoryTalk View, Wonderware, Step 7, etc.) I'd much rather have one project file (Logix5000, PanelBuilder, etc) that is easily found, archived, transferred, etc.
4. Non-intuitive software that lacks context sensitive help.
 
My biggest ***** is when I spend weeks developing a machine that does 50-60 vision inspections on a product because their end user has received parts that are incorrect, incomplete or out of spec and my customer wants me to add an HMI screen to allow them to enable/disable the inspections. Then quality finds out about it and gives me a black eye for putting it in the program. You know, the bypasses I was specifically told to put in by the guy who signs the checks.
 
Bring in a new operator, an autistic preferably. Just keep an eye out for flying parts and such. ;>

As the father of a 15 year old with Aspergers I find that remark objectionable. Not for its content, just by the level of ignorance displayed by it.
 
As the father of a 15 year old with Aspergers I find that remark objectionable. Not for its content, just by the level of ignorance displayed by it.

Did you read the link that was also in the same post?

I did not take his post as being disparaging to people with autism. Rather I think it showed that some autistic people are in fact superior at debugging programs than people that are not autistic.


Will.
 
As the father of a 15 year old with Aspergers I find that remark objectionable. Not for its content, just by the level of ignorance displayed by it.

Really? So I offended you by pointing out how they are vastly superior to "normal" humans. I guess that we are all offended by something...

As an aside to your child, tell him or her that it gets easier over time.
 

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