PLC Data to MQTT
Passive methods to stream PLC tags to MQTT brokers and cloud platforms without touching ladder logic or stopping the line.
Industrial Automation · Reference Library
News & Insights
Selection guides, head-to-head comparisons, and field-tested configuration notes for control engineers, integrators, and maintenance teams.
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1
AB Power Meters
Allen-Bradley PowerMonitor meters scale from basic readout to plant-wide power quality. Compare 500, 1000, 5000 on compute, comms, waveforms.
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2
Closed-Loop Vacuum Control
Upstream regulation throttles vacuum supply to the chamber — fast but wastes pump energy. Downstream regulation bleeds atmosphere through a proportional valve — efficient but slower.
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3
Cascade vs Single-Loop AHU Control
Single-loop measures supply air temperature and adjusts the coil — reacts after the room has already drifted. Cascade adds an outer room-temperature loop whose output becomes the supply-air setpoint.
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4
Object-Based Engineering Benefits
Tag-based engineering creates one flat list per project. Object-based engineering defines a motor once and inherits it 200 times — change the spec once, all instances update. How object orientation cuts automation project lifecycle cost.
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5
Pharma Serialization Explained
A 2D data matrix on each carton links to a parent case code, which links to a pallet label. Scan one pallet barcode and every serial number inside is retrieved.
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6
Reflective Memory vs Ethernet Redundancy
Reflective memory updates across redundant CPUs in under 700 ns per node via a deterministic hardware ring. Ethernet-based redundancy runs through a TCP/IP stack with millisecond jitter.
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7
Electronic vs Thermal-Magnetic Breakers
A thermal-magnetic breaker responds differently at 25C vs 55C and trips slowly. An electronic breaker uses MOSFET switching with microsecond trip, ambient-independent response, and remote reset for densely packed 24VDC control panels.
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8
Mobile Controllers vs Factory PLCs
A factory PLC expects a controlled cabinet and regulated 24VDC. A mobile controller survives IP69K washdown, cranking dips to 6V, and communicates over CAN bus (J1939) because it lives outdoors on a vehicle, not inside a panel.
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9
Conformal Cooling Explained
Conformal cooling channels follow the part contour, 3D-printed into the mold insert, cutting channel-to-cavity distance from 15 mm to 3 mm. Result: 30-40 percent faster cycles and less warpage.
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10
IO-Link Master Selection Guide
IP67 IO-Link masters mount near the sensor, digitize within 2 meters, and send one fieldbus cable back — no analog rats' nests.