PLC, HMI & Industrial Networking

Controllers, I/O, operator interfaces and the fieldbuses that connect them.

PLC I/O Signal Types: A Wiring Reference

A practical wiring reference for PLC digital, analog, and temperature I/O: sinking versus sourcing, leakage current bleed resistors, 4-20mA loops, and RTD.

August 11, 2026

Industrial Ethernet Protocols: A Comparison Reference

EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT, Modbus TCP and POWERLINK share the RJ45 connector but are not interchangeable. This reference breaks down determinism, cycle.

August 11, 2026

Remote I/O vs Centralised I/O: An Architecture Reference

Comparing centralised and remote I/O architectures: wiring economics, panel space constraints, IP20 versus IP67 on-machine blocks, network dependency, and node.

August 11, 2026

Electromechanical vs Solid State Relays: A Reference

A practical comparison of electromechanical and solid state relays covering galvanic isolation, leakage current, zero-cross turn-on, heat derating, and.

August 11, 2026

Selecting an HMI: Size, Environment and Interface

A practical guide to choosing the right HMI screen size, touch technology, environmental rating and communication features for reliable operator interfaces.

August 11, 2026

Sizing a Control Panel Power Supply

A step‑by‑step guide to selecting a 24 VDC supply that handles continuous load, inrush peaks, temperature, altitude, and redundancy requirements.

August 11, 2026

Timer Relay Functions: On-Delay, Off-Delay and the Rest

A technical guide to timer relay functions—on‑delay, off‑delay, one‑shot, flasher, star‑delta and multifunction units—plus when to use hardware timers versus.

August 11, 2026

Monitoring Relays: Phase, Voltage, Current and Level

Technical guide to phase, voltage, current, insulation and level monitoring relays, covering setpoints, hysteresis, delays and fail‑safe wiring for reliable.

August 11, 2026