I'll be the guy behind the glass in a few years

http://i.imgur.com/b3XgE9j.jpg


-rpoet

When I read the title I pictured this:

[url]http://fitmenover40.com/3-common-testosterone-killers/[/URL]

That 20 year number will also continue to shrink. Although knowledge of the really ancient stuff may be in demand for a staggeringly long time. It's not inconceivable to me by any means that PLC-5's will still be knocking around 30+ years from now. Those things are bulletproof. I'm sure that replacement by demand for control systems with better SCADA systems will do in the vast majority of legacy hardware in the coming years/decades, but there will still be plenty of systems around the world that operate faithfully and will never justify the cost of hardware and software replacement. Can you imagine being the young controls guys in 20 years, who will have to stay on the cutting edge of the AI PLCs, or whatever incarnation they happen to be, but to also have to be familiar with RSLogix5 and say also Panelbuilder32?
I'm 35, so I guess I'm just terrified of being the man behind the glass for 25-30 years!

In our case, this has nothing to do with aging components.
More with not being allowed to train our sparkies.
When trying to give training to sparkies, their manager asks: Would they require the use of a laptop/computer to do this task?
If Yes, then training is NOT allowed.

Lemme tell you, getting called in just to load the program on a servo drive at 3am, not as much fun as you'd think.....

Yeah, that whole "I don't want my sparkies wasting time on laptops, they're electricians not IT technicians and they should be on the tools" attitude is going to kill a lot of companies. I often wonder if when multimeters were invented the same thing went around? "I don't want my sparkies wasting time with fancy gadgets, they're electricians not scientists. Stop wasting time and get out there with your test lamp."

There are many days I feel like I already belong in that box.

But don't wait too long there appears to be a "Memory Leak"!

Hold up - is that Ken in there?

Been there done that got the T shirt
client down for over 10 hours 0 production by the time they called me and I am 1000 miles away they were going to sent a plane ticket. talked the local guy through the problem in 15 min. it took them 2 days to catch up.
as for the meter thing. the first guy I worked for and started my training didn't need no stinking meter just stick you finger in the light socket.
another guy I worked with the only meter he used was a 220v light bulb he burned out 4 before he remembered that he was working on a 600 hp 2,300 v motor starter. He was also the same person that had me change the brushes on 500VDC mg set while it was running plant production was priority back then.
Both are absolutely true.

GaryS said:

Been there done that got the T shirt
client down for over 10 hours 0 production by the time they called me and I am 1000 miles away they were going to sent a plane ticket. talked the local guy through the problem in 15 min. it took them 2 days to catch up.
as for the meter thing. the first guy I worked for and started my training didn't need no stinking meter just stick you finger in the light socket.
another guy I worked with the only meter he used was a 220v light bulb he burned out 4 before he remembered that he was working on a 600 hp 2,300 v motor starter. He was also the same person that had me change the brushes on 500VDC mg set while it was running plant production was priority back then.
Both are absolutely true.

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I am not understanding how you could change brushes on a motor while it is running. Wouldn't the motor stop running the second a brush was removed? Or is this not some sort of motor? I am not sure what a mg set is.

dploof23 said:

I am not understanding how you could change brushes on a motor while it is running. Wouldn't the motor stop running the second a brush was removed?

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Maybe multiple brushes in parallel, and changing only one at a time.
And I assume rubber gloves and special isolated tools.
Still, if you fumble you could cause a short which would be nasty at 500 VDC.

I think many of us probably qualify as the man in the box. People that made a living out of Step 5 programming are now becoming scarce and the same principle applies to analogue electronics. I was called to a paper winder a few years ago that refused to run at more than 300M/Min (normal 1000M/min); the company had been losing £5,000/hour for 3 days before I arrived and diagnosed a faulty capacitor in the ramp circuit of the main drive.

Nick

Manglemender said:

I think many of us probably qualify as the man in the box. People that made a living out of Step 5 programming are now becoming scarce and the same principle applies to analogue electronics. I was called to a paper winder a few years ago that refused to run at more than 300M/Min (normal 1000M/min); the company had been losing £5,000/hour for 3 days before I arrived and diagnosed a faulty capacitor in the ramp circuit of the main drive.

Nick

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Right now , knowing Step 5 is good for business. I have 1 client that has S5-115u all over the place and they have acquired capital to replace all the S5s with Contrologix.

I am a young guy in this game. I'm only 35. So I get to do new systems and older systems. ControlLogix 1 day and GE Series 1 PLC with a DC drive the next.

I like learning the way the old timers did things. We can program a simple electronic line shaft and gear off of it. 30 years ago that wasn't so easy. Analog cards feeding from 1 drive to the next. The where is the problem when troubleshooting? In the feedback device, analog input card, analog output card, device before the problem. Now we just open up the laptop and look at the signals. Same troubleshooting methodology just different testing techniques.

JeffKiper said:

I'm only 35.

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Funny or sad... I agree 35 is getting younger and younger, I still remember when I thought a 35 year old man was middle age

My apprentice is 21. I keep telling him I remember back when.....
I say 50 should be middle age now.