If you were the President of a PLC manufacturer?

[Craig Watson]

I would be very encouraged as it means that your product is getting into the market in places where you have not traditionally been selling, ie

* if a co. has always bought AB their guys will know all about it and will need some assistance if they are presented with, say a Siemens product.

* or a new market country where you have had no presence in the past.

Also you can see that alot of the posts are from either "New" engineers or are of a highly technical nature which you wouldnt expect to be in the manuals anyway!

As a groundfloor employee of one of the big manufacturers I am encouraged by the questions on our product not only for the above reasons but also helps me alot .

 

[Ken M]

Call me suspicious, but ...

I look around this forum and frankly the level of some of the questions dismays me. I'm astounded at the lack of knowledge being displayed by people who are already deep in to a project. I'm not putting myself as better or superior to these - in many cases I don't know the answer either - but at least I've not taken on a job which requires me to already have that knowledge. I feel it's a bit like starting to learn brain surgery when I'm in the operating theatre with the lid already off the patients noggin and the clock ticking.

So, given my low opinion of some of the questions asked, how much credence do I give to the answers offered? Well, I'm afraid that's the bit that takes time - lots of time. I don't trust you anonymous people out there until I've read several (many) of your answers and got a feel for your knowledge, experience, ability to express yourselves clearly, reliability etc. None of you is accountable to me. If you suggest a course of action that wrecks my equipment or wastes a few days of my time that's a chance I have to take. I would guess there's probably only about 10-15 regular posters here whose opinions I treat seriously and will read with interest. The whole idea of popping a question in to a forum and getting an immediate reply is therefore balanced against the sifting and filtering for good quality replies.

At least if I go to the manufacturer or supplier I have a right to expect accurate information. There is also an understanding on their part that they have an obligation to me. And finally there is the issue of accountability.

As I said at the outset my suspicion is probably more a personal character trait than a typical mindset of forum users. I don't actually ask many questions here mainly due to my lack of trust - but I do throw in my two-cents worth when I think I know what what I'm talking about. Maybe I should just loosen up a little!

Ken

 

[PhilipW]

Frankly I've given up answering the questions that reveal a total lack of effort on the questioner's part.

If you cannot get a DF1 driver running into a MicroLogix 1500, then you really haven't read the book have you.

If Mr Luft wants to imply that AB products are difficult to use, I suggest that he has failed to realise that AB have a much wider product range, covering far more decades of backwards compatibility, and a wider range of functionality, than whatever yardstick he is using to measure with.

 

[BobB]

"how to" questions being asked about your products...what would be your response? (how to program; how to wire; how to do this or that, where do you find...etc.)

Not concerned at all. It is not the PLC manufacturers position to answer these sorts of questions, I believe.

I look around this forum and frankly the level of some of the questions dismays me. I'm astounded at the lack of knowledge being displayed by people who are already deep in to a project.

Absolutely agree. Not the manfacturers postion to be bothered about these sorts of questions.

If there are a lot of "easy" questions being asked then the documentation is lacking,

Or a lot of people too damned lazy to read the documentation and/or go to a traing course.

One of the difficulties these days is the vast number of extremely useful functions that are/have become available. Most of us that work for ourselves do not have a lot of time to examine/implement these functions in our software. That is a shame as many of these functions would make our lives much easier.

Back to the original question, Ron Doran had a very good reply. If the problems were from point 1 or point 2, I would be extremely concerned. If point 3, not concerned at all.

 

[plc_padawan]

Well, Here's my reasons for using this great website over tech support/manuals.

First off, I used to try and call tech support, not anymore. Most tech support people aren't any more knowledgeable about the products they represent than the average salesman. I think they honestly try, but with little real world experience, they are only as good as the manuals in front of them.
Secondly, As others have noted, getting lost in the myriad of automated phone responses and waiting FOREVER on the other end of that phone line, often makes one hang up in desperation. GE Fanuc actually gives you case numbers nowadays and you have to wait for a tech to call you!!! I once waited 3 days for them to call me back about a problem. 3 DAYS!!!
I got on this website, posted a question and had an answer within a few hours.
I often read the manuals, I still feel like they serve a valuable purpose in filling in the gaps of ones knowledge about a particular plc or it's software. The problem with manuals is the specifics. If I have a specific problem that isn't covered in the "troubleshooting section" of the manual, that leaves 3 options: (A)tech support (B) struggling and trying to figure it out (C) coming and posting a question in the forum.
I always wait till i've struggled with a problem myself before I post a question.
But, When I post a question here, chances are, somebody who literally has years of real world experience on the very plc i'm asking about will read it. It might be a simple fix, something they've ecountered long ago that they remember. Many problems are different, and there truly is no substitute for experience. I've always managed to get a correct answer to my specific problem on this website.

Also, as PLC technology continues to grow and more manufacturers and software platforms emerge, there is a growing complexity in the plc world. Each one has it's quirks. Sort of like learning RSlogix and cimplicity only to find out, some piece of equipment just go brought into the plant that has a directsoft plc in it. Yeah, they are similar but different enough to have a learning curve for the software.

Another thing I think might explain the popularity of this website is the growing trend for companies to try and squeeze every last red cent out of that bottom line, by not hiring dedicated controls engineers and the like, and instead handing their plc jobs to maintenance techs and electricians to do. A lot a times, the guys working on these projects don't have years of experience to draw on, they just got a project dumped in their lap and are trying to do the best they can with it.

So I will go on posting my "newbie" questions. I'm apolgize in advance if they show just how little I know about what i'm doing. Everybody has to learn somehow,and drawing on the combined experience and knowledge of the posters on this website has taught me almost as much about plc's as hands on experience. Certainly more than tech support and reading alone ever did.

BTW: Phil's videos are great, I just watched em again for the 2nd time. He really has a way of making complex issues understandable for the regular person.

 

[mellis]

I'm doubtful that any useful data will come out of this poll. I answered "encouraged" mostly because having your product discussed vs. not discussed is generally a good thing. Overwhelmingly negative comments are a different issue but I don't think an AB exec is going to be shocked or even concerned that AB is considered "expensive" by some. Maybe Siemens should be concerned that many find their documentation to be very difficult, but I'm sure they have had that feedback from other sources.
I just had a thought...
I would be very encouraged that there are so many knowledgable people out there who are so familiar with my products that they can answer such a wide range of questions. Regardless of why people are asking the questions, I can't think of anything but good about the posts *answering* them.

Compare to the obscure PLC brands where someone asks a question and it goes without a response. Now THAT would concern me.

 

[MarkTTU]

obscure PLC brands where someone asks a question and it goes without a response. Now THAT would concern me.

Now that is a good point. The most concerning would be seeing posts with no responses.

 

[CaseyK]

Frankly I've given up answering the questions that reveal a total lack of effort on the questioner's part.

That's one reason I ran the poll on "Controls Guys Being In Over Their Head".

If you cannot get a DF1 driver running into a MicroLogix 1500, then you really haven't read the book have you.

On this one though, I have walked into plants all over that had NO DOCUMENTATION. No books or manuals, no schematics, no SOFTWARE, no nothing.

Many places that I have seen tell the hired help go fix it. They are on their own. In fact, most electricians that I have seen would have no clue what a DF1 driver is. With "Right Sizing" or whatever you want to call cut backs, with engineers and techs falling by the wayside, it will only get worse.

Now that so many corporate giants are going MRO with the machine operator also doing the repairs, PM's, programming, etc, it can only get better???

regards.....casey

 

[dale1627]

If I were Pres of a PLC corp........I'd say to my VP "Fetch me another New Castle you snivelling little twit, and what's up with all these posts about us?"
Dale