I Did It...I Jumped Ship

Hi Guys,

I told you I would update my status if and when I made my move.

Well....I did it....I jumped ship last week and flew back to Dutch Harbor on Monday to start at this new company and get aboard a new vessel.

There are some pro's and cons to the move but the pros out number the cons and so far I like it very much over here.

The vessel is smaller that the one I was one so it rocks and rolls quite a bit more but that doesn't bother me at all.
(This one is only 280 feet long and the one I left was 345 feet long)

I am sad to say that so far I have only found 1 Allen Bradley PLC on board here though. ( A Micrologix in one piece of machinery)

They have a few old S7-200's I have seen.

And a TRUCK LOAD of Direct Logic (Automation Direct) Stuff.
I think the usual guy here must have stock in Automation Direct, as they are not afraid to stick a PLC and touch screen on anything and everything.

Not that I am complaining I like that they will dole out the dollars to do these type of projects and it seems that the company does not mind us jumping in there and doing it.

Now I just have to learn a new platform. (Automation Direct)
Not real happy about that but it is what it is. (If that is the worst part of this move then I will be doing just fine)

Anyone got any words of wisdom or advice on plus and minus or things to look or watch out for with Automation Direct stuff?

OK then take it easy, and if anyone is looking for an electrical job on a fishing boat I know where a spot just opened up....LOL......(But you will have to work with Bubba-Darryl)

BCS

Edit: Just noticed after posting this that now I need to get a new Avitar Picture of the ship I am on now, the one posted is my old ship.

They need to make a TV show out of your job.

I am not sure how long people would watch a show about an an electrician sitting on a fishing boat surfing the PLCS.net forum all day. :site:

LOL

Just kidding.....we work....but it is not that bad and is actually very interesting most of the time.
It does get hectic, the days are long, you are away from your family for months and the weather can be a real PITA also, but I really enjoy what I do.

The ship I am on now takes some crazy big waves over the stern when they are hauling the net back and the weather is rough, so that might make for some dramatic TV footage.

I will try to take some pictures next time we are in a storm and post for you guys to see.
(I need to start a web page.....Something else to learn how to do. )


BCS

Are you on one of the crab boats that feature on telly? They are at Dutch Harbour.

Congratulations on your move!

I have done a little bit with A/D in the past year. DirectLogic stuff, Click, and P2000. There are quite a few things that are different, but at the nuts and bolts level they do the same thing. Compared to Rockwell, the software is simpler to install and run. Getting communication working is much easier. The editing software is not as good, but the new stuff does have a lot of really great things going for it and constantly being improved.

I love the P2000 instruction set and the hardware features. Even the little Click is surprisingly powerful and really good at communication. I don't care for all the math hurdles that you have to leap through with the older stuff. I hear great things about the Do-More, but have not used one yet.

After working on the P2000 for a few days, I found myself trying to draw ladder branches with CTRL+Down Arrow in RSLogix. Even an old dawg can learn new tricks. Among the most important differences is the fact that memory is not retentive by default. You need to plan which parts of your data files you want to be remembered through a power cycle. This is an area where I prefer the A/B method. Make it all retentive and if I want something forgotten, I can code that...but that is probably because that is what I expected for 15+ years. Another area where I prefer A/B is with Online editing. I like the test/untest/assemble process, but you don't have that with A/D (to my limited knowledge).

Good luck with the new job, I am sure you will make a hand in no time.

After not touching a DirectLogic PLC for 15 years, and only doing IEC 61131-3 programming, I had to modify a DL program. My biggest complaint is the datatypes. You gotta watch when you have to use certain data types, then you are constantly having to do conversions.

good luck on your new job ... as for the Automation Direct platform, personally I like the little controllers – and I'll give you two pieces of advice ...

first of all, read the first four posts in the following thread to see the BIG differences in how AB and AD handle their "retentive" operations ... that's Latch/Unlatch vs. Set/Reset ...

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?p=71786&postcount=1

then explore AD's Stage Programming for programs which have a "sequential" type of operation ... the following post might help get you started ...

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?p=41722&postcount=15

again, good luck – and be safe ...

Best of luck in your new "roll" BCS!

I watch Deadliest Catch a lot. Grueling work in grueling conditions.

You could call that new TV Show of yours Deadliest Patch!

Best regards,
George

Best of luck in the new venture. Check out Bernie Carlton's site for advice on navigating the switch from AB to AD.

www.thePLCguy.com
http://www.theplcguy.com/ABtoAD/Introduction.htm

Knowing you, you will do just fine... but best of luck anyway!!


Bernie's site helped me also when I made the switch, send me a email and I will send you a link to download the lessons we have, I dont have your new email to your new job

I love being on the water.... but I also love being able to get off

BobB said:

Are you on one of the crab boats that feature on telly? They are at Dutch Harbour.

Click to expand...

He would not admit, but I am sure we all have seen him on TV, in the company of the Hansens and the Hilstrands

Bering C Sparky said:

Now I just have to learn a new platform. (Automation Direct)
Not real happy about that but it is what it is. (If that is the worst part of this move then I will be doing just fine)

Anyone got any words of wisdom or advice on plus and minus or things to look or watch out for with Automation Direct stuff?

Click to expand...

I'm sure you'll do fine. IMHO going from A-B to AD is conceptually easier than A-B to Siemens. I don't know about AD's newer stuff but the DL-205 series is not bumpless when editing online. IIRC, the outputs freeze for a moment while loading the edits/new rungs. Perhaps others more up to date can elaborate or correct me.

Although bouncing around out there is a good whole body workout, I wouldn't have your job, spent too much time with Ralph!

Frankly, I have been an AutomationDirect fan since they started out - as PLCdirect back then. I have always considered them a great overall value. The low prices aren't from cheap materials, they are from taking the distribution layer out of the path to arket.

The hardware is reliable, the software capable, and the tech support better than most of the "majors". They don't have face to face tech support, so they aren't good for rookies, but for an experienced hand phone and internet support will do fine. And, frankly, I have found their manuals far superior to Siemens and some others.

Enjoy the learning experience, and walk into it with an open mind.

Great news.
Now to find your new BubbaDarryl!
There's one in every crowd, for cryin' out loud!

Bering C Sparky said:

Hi Guys,
Anyone got any words of wisdom or advice on plus and minus or things to look or watch out for with Automation Direct stuff?

Click to expand...

Tells us the Product Model/FW/SW revs and I'm sure you'll get feedback.

Tom Jenkins said:

And, frankly, I have found their manuals far superior to Siemens and some others.

Click to expand...

2nd that... also see link below, they have been putting up a bunch of free training material that I have been sending my customers to

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=automation+direct+plc+training