First question (newbie)

[Rube]

Quote: "Heck from what I see here, PLCs are hardly standardized anyway. A guy could work with band x for 10 years and still have to find his way around all the programming quirks and protocols of brand y."


No offense, but PLCs don't have to be standardized in order to learn what their basic jobs and functions are and THAT knowledge can spring board you to learning even more about them. PLCs or electronic boards--it's all logic based. You should have no MORE problem learning PLC programming than an electrician and I would expect even LESS. The first PLC programmers were electricians with enthusiasm and the desire to learn something new.

The world is full of PLCs and they aren't going away anytime soon. If and when they do, their replacement will still be logic based, if not electrically, then procedurally. You have logic knowledge right now so, logically, what will your next step be? To learn PLCs or not?

Personally, I think a person gets more intelligent when he or she becomes proficient at PLC programming or Access programming, etc. since it causes you to think differently than "what am I gonna wear today?" You try something simple out, and when it works as designed, you want to move on to something more complicated. Soon enough you have people marveling and saying "how'd you do that?" Not to mention PLCs are a very valuable troubleshooting tool in plants that are established and the program has been tweaked properly from commissioning.

I obviously wish you well in your employment search. I just hope you don't shut down on giving PLCs the shot I think they and you deserve. You'll find PLCs fun--maybe not at first, and not 100% of the time, but definitely fun.

[Brijm]

I agree, that the company may have underestimated your usefullness, but it wasn't because you would be saving them thousands on board level work. With your background, if your willing to change your way of thinking a little, you could easily become an excellent system level troubleshooter. It's really not cost effective to board level troubleshoot, when you have a variety of products, and good luck getting schematics for much of any of it. Component work will be more of a bonus to the company more than anything.

Board swapping does not equal a band-aid fix or a lazy-tech. It's about keeping the machine running.

[PeterW]

Originally Posted by Brijm

Board swapping does not equal a band-aid fix or a lazy-tech. It's about keeping the machine running.

Most companies lose $1000's an hour (many 10's or 100's thousand). The objective is to keep the lines running.

Quickly identify and switch a faulty module to get running again is an asset to a company.

Someone who spends ages identifying the fault on the module is not.

As has been said, rarely is the PLC the problem, that is usually a field problem. The PLC is a tool that runs the plant and helps identify the field problem.

Having said that, many people think that PLC's are magic devices that that overcome a myriad of mechanical difficulties via software

[carwashblues]

After further online investigation, it turns out I was completely
off base with my initial perception of the PLC world.

I made some assumptions that seemed reasonable, but were plain awful. I avoid assumptions like the plague in diagnostic work, for about the same reasons.

Here are a few:

1) Hey hire me instead of another board swapper! Set up an electronics bench in the plant and I will repair boards in house and save the company beaucoup bucks and downtime by keeping a cabinent full of spares! (game show buzzer sound)

After getting a belated (after scaring away employers) idea to search ebay, I found all kinds of PLC boards for chump change! Well I knew consumer electronics were disposable, but I thought industrial equipment would be a tad pricier. Heck Im thinking about picking up a real live allen bradley PLC myself to learn with, maybe have the thing running my coffee maker and porch lights!

2) Plants really care about root causes.

Nope, if they run equipment till failure, they dont even care about about potential catastrophic failures. In fact I bet they really hate the kind of in depth testing I do.

3) No way you can do the job with a fluke!

Not true, see assumptions 1 and 2.

Ironically enough, I used to work on automated test equipment, a computerized station that expedited the production of circuit boards.

Now circuit boards are so cheap and so hard to repair (physically) that they are trashed like a blown fuse and component level repair skills are harder to sell.

Oh well, Its still component level repair, its just that circuit boards are now components. It still takes a systematic approach and logical thinking. A shutdown could still be due to a number of things and diagnostic routines in computers havent quite replaced techs just yet. Ive just gotta repackage my skills and emphasize speed, and not so much all that root cause crazy talk.

Thanks for the feedback everyone and dont worry about pulling punches. Under the circumstances Id rather look like a jackass here than on another job interview!

[Rube]

I have attached a file in PDF (since you don't have the software to view it in it's original application) that serves as an example of what Allen Bradley programs can look like. It's an excerpt of a small conveyor control system that I have edited so it would fit on one page. I would not use this exact program on a real conveyor system but it does help show what can be done on a small scale. I, or anyone else here, can answer any questions you might have about what's going on in the program.

Keep in mind that PLCs are controlling conveyor systems and power plants and everything in between.

Board-swapping may be a trade of the past but PLCs will be hanging around the rest of my working life. I would lay money if you like board level repair work, you'd like PLCs.

Again, good luck in your job hunting.

[Honga]

You could pick up a ML1000 w/ free software to have a play with for fairly cheap.

Or you could go for the new M800, which would give you a taste of the newish technology available, still fairly inexpensive.

[carwashblues]

Thanks Rube, I like going over actual real programs like this instead of the simplified stuff in instructional material.

I started a new thread regarding the future of PLC jobs to get experienced professionals take on the subject.

I got so used to my old jobs and have never been unemployed like this or had to sell my skills so much. I got too complacent and didnt really worry too much about the big picture. Ive always been the technical guru at work with everyone asking me questions all day, and now the tables have turned. I sure appreciate your feedback, I am revamping my resumes and cover letters and know a lot more about how people in a plant see things as a result.