[Frank Lamb]

Of course this site really doesn’t have much to do with construction, but I’ll humor you.

In machine fabrication we use 3D CAD, and for controls we draw electrical schematics, usually 2D. You can’t really design stuff without it, though in the old days we had do draft things by pencil.

What I find interesting is the number of people who find this obscure place somehow and post unrelated content, often spam and sometimes quite nasty. I usually remove the people that do it and all their comments and posts. I didn’t here because it’s at least somewhat related.

There must be money in it or people wouldn’t keep doing it.

[Frank Lamb]

Thanks Matt! Automation Direct is pretty awesome stuff, the price is right and you can’t beat free software. That’s usually the platform I suggest for companies who haven’t standardized on one of the major brands.

[Frank Lamb]

Yes, Saturday the 17th. Gonna be a good one!

[Frank Lamb]

https://youtu.be/vwArqdtZw6c

[Frank Lamb]

Static electricity what it is how to control remove eliminate static shock (electrostatics.com) has some passive solutions that may work (induction and grounding using tinsel, etc.), but the standard method in packaging has always been anti-static bars/ionizers.

[Frank Lamb]

Thanks Matt! I think you may be the first that has given me any feedback on that section. I am truly interested in helping people with their career choices, automation has been a lot of fun for me. Ken Coleman’s stuff is awesome, I listen to his podcast a lot and it’s very motivating.

[Frank Lamb]

At Automation NTH we use mostly Epson, primarily because of cost. Automation NTH is also an authorized Fanuc integrator, but doesn’t seem to spec them much. We also have an expert on Staubli and Adept on staff. My previous experience is mostly Motoman and Denso, with a little Fanuc and Kuka. I kind of consider Fanuc the Allen-Bradley of Robots, especially as far as their business model, requiring a serial number before they’ll provide help.

[Frank Lamb]

An update: I designed and built a decent electrical and troubleshooting trainer and am working on a Maintenance and Troubleshooting book. There is a lot of good info in it, I may break apart the sections and post them here . Let me know what kind of topic you are interested in.

[Frank Lamb]

I will try and put together a project for an inspection simulation that interfaces with a PLC, probably using Arduino.

[Frank Lamb]

@phillip.scruggs , I’d certainly be interested in the pdf, I may try and build my own at some point for video purposes. How low cost? And do you have to have 3 phase power to run it, or does it generate its own? If it plugs into the wall it would be ideal.

[Frank Lamb]

I do have an idea for you that would mimic some of the inspection videos that I am working on. The Arduino and Raspberry Pis can integrate with small CCD cameras and with analog light sensors. Consider making the microprocessor something that would trigger to inspect a part and give a pass or fail signal. You could then treat it as a machine vision system or a sorter. The advance RSLogix500 project I am recording is a conveyor that sorts parts into bins, you could easily come up with cheap components to mimic that project. A small motor with belt could drive a belt conveyor made of cheap stuff. I can put the whole exercise in the library if you’d like.

 

[Frank Lamb]

I’m with you on Amatrol, they make some nice (but expensive) trainers. Their curriculum is not great, but they kind of have a captive audience, almost a monopoly in tech schools.

What you are describing for the contacts of specific components is an electrical “take off”, since different countries and companies draw things different ways, understanding the diagrams and schematics is the key. I do this all the time unconsciously now, I’ve just seen a lot of drawings over 40 years or so. Maybe collecting a bunch of examples and explaining how they work (after covering electrical basics) would be good. The jump from European/German to US to Japanese drawings can be disconcerting.

 

[Frank Lamb]

This reply part is the only part I’m having trouble with, but it’s a pain. I’m going to try embedding forums in the groups to see if it works differently.

[Frank Lamb]

This is a test….Add to it….

[Frank Lamb]

Thanks Jet! This is just a test of the “can’t see my typing” problem we discussed before. Frustrating. As you said, once you hit enter you can see it and edit. Thanks for creating a profile! Nice pic!