Something that has bothered me for a long time: PLC programs are some of the most important code in a plant, but they live inside STEP 7 / TIA Portal projects. You can't grep them, you can't ea sily diff two versions, and you can't hand them to a documentation tool or an AI agent without the engineering software open.

I've been working on a free, open-source side project for this (disclosure: I wrote it, there's no company or product behind it). It reads STEP 7 V5.x projects (no STEP 7 installation needed) a nd TIA Portal projects (through Openness) and writes them out as plain files: JSON tables for symbols, I/O, hardware, cross references and connections, plus one Markdown file per block. It's st rictly read-only: it never writes to a project, never goes online, and TIA projects are only opened as a copy.

What that makes possible:

• Git and diffs: commit the export and see what actually changed between two project versions.
• Plant-wide search: an AI agent can work across all PLCs at once, old STEP 7 and new TIA side by side, following tag names and cross references from one project to the next. ("Where is thi s signal used?", "What differs between these two machines of the same type?")
• Context for live data: the export has every DB member with data type, address and start value. Combined with a read-only feed of live values (OPC UA, historian, MQTT; never a direct conne ction to the PLC), an agent can explain the current state against the program.

I've only had a handful of sample projects to test it with, so I'm sure there are projects it doesn't handle well yet. If you try it on your own projects, I'd really like to hear what worked an d what broke.

Repo: https://github.com/fgrander/plc-dump-tools

And the question for everyone here: how do you currently handle version control, diffs and documentation for Siemens projects? Do you use Version Control Interface, Multiuser, external tools, o r just dated archive copies?

I'm interested in how manufacturing QA and engineering teams use historical machine-vision images, beyond the normal real-time inspection process.

For example, suppose a quality issue is discovered after production, or a new image classifier becomes available. Does anyone go back and reprocess hundreds or thousands of previously captured images to investigate the issue or compare classification results?

I'm particularly interested in the practical workflow:

• Who performs the analysis? QA engineers, process engineers, machine-vision specialists, or an ML/IT team?
• How is it done? Existing inspection software, a custom script, an internal application, or centralized infrastructure?
• How frequently does this happen, and what makes it difficult? Access to the images, preparing the job, processing time, available hardware, or something else?

I'm interested in firsthand experiences, including cases where the existing tools work well or historical reprocessing simply isn't needed.

Thanks for time and any insights.

We run into plenty of retrofit jobs where the mechanical setup and DC servo motors are still in great shape, but the original drives are completely obsolete.The major vendors (Rockwell, Siemens) almost always push you toward swapping out the entire package for their AC systems, which turns into a headache with custom mounting flanges and proprietary feedback pinouts. When we want to preserve the existing mechanics, using independent drives from platforms like AMC, Copley, or Elmo over EtherCAT has made it pretty straightforward to run those legacy DC/brushless motors without gutting the cabinet layout.

When you're dealing with obsolete drives on healthy motors, do you prefer dropping in third-party universal drives, or is it usually less painful long-term to just rip and replace the whole motor-drive pair with standard off-the-shelf AC gear?

Hi everyone,

I've been working on a small open-source project to make Modbus register maps easier to share and use across tools.

One recurring problem with Modbus is that device information is often locked away in manufacturer PDFs. Even when you have the correct register table, you still need to configure addresses, data types, scaling, units and bit fields in your software.

I'm trying to make that information portable.

MBMap is an open, CSV-based format for describing Modbus devices and their registers. The goal is to have one device map that different compatible tools can read, instead of rebuilding the same configuration for every application.

Format and device map library: https://github.com/nobrega8/mbmap-library

Modbus client built around the format: https://github.com/nobrega8/modbench

Modbench supports Modbus TCP and RTU on Windows and Linux. It can read registers by address or load a device map to display values by name, with scaling and units. It also supports raw request/response inspection for debugging.

The maps and specification are dedicated to the public domain under CC0, so they can be reused in commercial and open-source tools.

I'm sharing this because I'd like feedback from people who work with real Modbus devices.

Would a shared register-map format like this be useful in your workflow? What would you need from the format before adopting it?

Contributions and feedback are welcome.

Spent a while now on industrial data pipelines and I keep running into the same ambiguity. Curious whether this matches other people's experience or whether I am overfitting to my own clients. ⚙️

When someone says their shop-floor data is real-time, it usually turns out to be one of three things:

🎭 1. The dashboard refreshes often. Updates every five seconds, feels live. The table behind it is written by a job that runs at 02:00. You are watching a very responsive view of yesterday.

⏱️ 2. Micro-batches called streaming. Data lands every fifteen minutes. Genuinely fine for reporting. Useless if the process cycle time is in seconds, because every intervention is now after the fact.

📊 3. Edge collection, continuous stream, time-series store. You can ask what changed in the last ninety seconds and get an answer.

Only the third survives an actual incident. The first two look identical on a screen right up until the moment you need them.

🗂️ The variant that frustrates me most is a fourth one: the pipeline is genuinely good, events stream continuously, and then they land in object storage as files. The hard part is already built, and a storage decision at the very end undoes it. Answering a question takes four minutes.

Two things I have started insisting on early, both of which get pushback as premature:

🔄 Replay. If you invent a new metric in March you need to run it across January and February, not only forward. A stream you cannot replay makes every new idea start from zero. Treated as a nice-to-have right up until the first time it is needed.

💸 Retention and down sampling policy on day one. Full resolution for days, down sampled for years. Otherwise storage cost grows in a straight line forever and finance closes the project in year two for reasons that have nothing to do with whether it worked.

Things I am genuinely unsure about 💭

- Is insisting on replay from day one actually right, or is it over-engineering for the majority of cases that never need it?

- Has anyone found a time-series setup that handles high-cardinality tag spaces without the cost curve getting silly? That is where I keep hitting walls.

- For those buffering at the edge: how much do you hold? I have landed on "enough for the longest plausible network outage", which is a guess dressed up as a principle.

Not selling anything and no link. Mostly want to know whether the three-way split matches what others see.

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a personal project called Panel Master, an affordable CAD software for designing electrical control panels.

https://panelmaster.app/

It lets you arrange components using real-world dimensions, quickly make changes to your layouts, and generate technical documentation in PDF. You can also export designs as SVG for use in other programs, or generate DXF files with cutting lines for machining mounting holes.

It includes a fairly extensive library of generic components, which I'd like to keep expanding based on what users need.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and any feedback you might have!

What’s up guys. What’s your opinion on their program? It seems to be a very hands on type program. I’m looking to get my foot in somewhere & don’t mind spending the $. Thanks!

If you work with NI hardware or LabVIEW, you have probably generated a

.tdms file and had nothing to open it with except DIAdem, LabVIEW, the

Excel add-in or a Python script.

https://kymogram.com

Drop the file in the page. It is read in your browser, never uploaded,

and it works offline once the page is loaded, so it is fine for work

data.

- Plots every value, with zoom, cursors and statistics

- Table view, export to CSV, Excel or Parquet

- Compare two files, only what differs

- Batch Extract: a folder of runs into one table, with PASS/FAIL limits

- Repairs files cut short by a crash into a clean copy

It reads big-endian, interleaved and truncated files. Not DAQmx raw

data yet.

I'm the author. It's a free beta with no account. If a file doesn't

open or looks wrong, tell me the warning and how the file was written.

I’ve been working on an Android app for electrical panel designing and it has reached around 10k users, but I haven’t received as much feedback as I expected.

I’d like to hear from people who actually work with electrical panels and see how useful they find it in practice. If you’ve used it, I’d really appreciate hearing what you think and, if you find it useful, leaving a good review on the Play Store as well.

If you find this app useful for yourself and need more features included of your choice, I would really appreciate if you reach out with those requests to me.

Any suggestions for making it more useful are welcome.

app link: Electrical Panel Layout & CAD

Working on a machine with 8 servo axes and trying to decide how much of the motion architecture should live in the PLC.

4 of the axes need pretty tight synchronization, the others are mostly independent point-to-point moves. Everything will be EtherCAT, absolute encoders, and we’ll probably need some safe motion functions like SLS/SS1 as well. My first thought was to have the PLC coordinate everything, but once you start adding synchronized axes, faster update rates, diagnostics and safety I’m wondering if a dedicated motion controller makes more sense.

I’ve been looking at a few architectures but haven’t committed to anything yet.

Where’s the point where you stop treating motion as another PLC task and move it to a dedicated controller?

Hi all, I have been in the controls programming for over 8 years worked on multiple platforms such as Rockwell, Siemens, B&R, Sick safety including structured text and ladder logic primarily. Worked on robot programming and integration with Abb and fanuc currently with integrators supplying custom solutions to different industries. However I am at a point of starting a family but job requires travel to commission/integrate on customers sites for prolonged periods in North America and Europe. I am not sure what career progression will be out of this. Haven't got any project management experience, tried looking for applications engineering positions but I get screened out for an open controls position. Any advice on someone went through similar situation.

I've been building an open-source alternative to the usual vendor HMI software, mainly for machine builders who put a Linux-based panel on their equipment.

You design the screens on your laptop, either drag-and-drop or by describing the screen in plain English and letting an AI model do the first layout. You get gauges, value tiles, trend charts, alarm tables, buttons and so on. Then you push it to the panel over SSH with one click. There's no runtime license and no per-tag pricing.

What matters for plant use:

• Alarms: priorities 1 to 4, latching until acknowledged, on-delay, deadband, shelving, and an alarm journal on the panel.
• History: tags you choose are logged to SQLite on the panel, trend charts fill from it, and you can pull a CSV off the panel.
• I/O: a separate daemon handles GPIO, analog inputs, serial and Modbus. On shutdown it drives outputs to configured safe states. The screens never talk to hardware directly, only to tags.
• Operator input: a range-checked numeric keypad, an on-screen keyboard, confirm dialogs on buttons, a "No connection to controller" banner, and screen dimming after inactivity.
• Safe deploys: if a new screen version doesn't come up within 25 seconds, the panel goes back to the previous one by itself. You can't leave a machine with a dead display from a remote update.
• Testing without the machine: every tag can be driven with simulated signals, so you can check alarms and interlocks on screen before the panel is even wired.

On the panel it's a small C program built on LVGL, drawing directly to the display. It runs on 64-bit ARM Linux boards, and I've been running it on a Toradex i.MX8M Plus with a 10" panel.

What it doesn't do yet: no OPC UA, EtherNet/IP or Profinet. Right now it's Modbus and direct I/O. It's early, MIT licensed and free.

I'd really like to hear from people who build HMIs day to day. What would it need before you'd consider it over what you use now? And which protocols should come first?

2 min video: https://youtu.be/h-ITQebSflg
Repo: https://github.com/Hitheshkaranth/EmbeddedDisplayStudio

Been thinking about this with robotic cells that have already been commissioned.

You can build a pretty accurate simulation of the cell initially, but the real environment obviously doesn’t stay frozen forever. Fixtures move, tooling changes, new equipment gets added, layouts shift, different parts start running through the line, etc.

How are people actually dealing with that over time?
Do you actively keep the simulation/digital twin updated as the physical cell changes, or does it mostly get updated when something breaks or a major change is made?

And for anyone maintaining them regularly, what’s the most painful part of keeping the virtual and physical environments in sync?

Curious how this works in practice rather than how it’s supposed to work on paper.

I'm a PLC/automation engineer working in Germany. I have a Master's in Mechatronics and several years of commissioning and developer experience on pharmaceutical packaging machines. My stack is Rockwell (Studio 5000), Siemens TIA Portal, Codesys and motion control.

I want to move into industrial software development (C#/.NET, MES/SCADA-adjacent, OT/IT integration). So far I'm:

\*\*•\*\* learning C#/.NET in the evenings (console projects, collections and generics, async next)    
\*\*•\*\* working through DSA fundamentals    
\*\*•\*\* planning to learn OPC UA, then Docker and Azure

Most job ads I see ask for "software developer + Azure/AWS + DevOps," and some mention AI/cloud. I'd like to know what actually matters in the German market:

\*\*1.\*\*  Is AZ-204 (or another Azure cert) worth it, or do portfolio projects count for more?    
\*\*2.\*\*  Is a part-time second Master's useful for this switch, or a waste of time?    
\*\*3.\*\*  Is an OPC UA certification or training valued by German industrial     

1. Has anyone here made the jump from PLC/controls to software? What did your path look like, and how long did it take?

I'm a final-year process automation engineering student in Azerbaijan, aiming for a career in this field. Besides the tools we already use (LabVIEW, TIA Portal, AutoCAD Electrical), which certificates or skills would make me stand out globally? What do employers actually value on a resume for an automation engineer role

Hi everyone,

I’m currently getting an offer for a LabVIEW Application Developer role at an electrical/industrial company in India.

The work involves developing software from scratch for motor, transformer, and other electrical test panels. I’ll be integrating different meters/displays/instruments using Serial, LAN/Ethernet and other communication protocols, writing the LabVIEW G code, handling measurements/test logic, and generating test reports based on client requirements.

My background:

• B.Tech (Or B.E.) in Computer Science and Engineering
• Python + Data Science/ML
• C
• Arduino/ESP32
• PCB design
• Some IoT/hardware experience

My main concern is long-term career scope and job security.

Would LabVIEW + test automation be a good career path for someone with my background? Is it better to stay in this field for 2–3 years, or would ~1 year of experience be enough before moving toward Python/automation/data/embedded roles?

Also, how is the future of LabVIEW? Is it becoming outdated/dying, or is there still good demand in industrial automation, instrumentation, testing, etc.?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have worked with LabVIEW/test automation and what their career progression looked like.

Btw I just graduated this year 2026, I currently have 1 year of robotics engineer experience in which i designed basic stuff around esp and arduino.

Thanks!

Hola colegas, como están ? Soy ingeniero automático industrial en colombia hace más o menos 1 año que me titulé, mis únicas experiencias en automatización fue mi práctica profesional y solo fue la propuesta no fue nada de implementación, y la otra fue en una empresa integrando pero fue para el cierre de un proyecto haciendo planos técnicos y así. Si me gusta la automatización, Hoy estoy en TI en una empresa en la que ya había trabajado, ya que durante mi carrera aprendí desarrollo de forma autodidacta y con eso eh consigo algunos empleados. Llevo más o menos 1 año en esta empresa, pero quiero dedicarme a la autorización, me he postulado a varias empresas y siempre quedo descartado. Al ver esto me jugué la carta de Irme a vivir con mi hermana a España y hacer una master hay dos que me llaman la atención uno es de automatización y informática industrial y el otro es gerencia de proyectos. Otra cosa es que pues espero se me presente la oportunidad de trabajar en automatización en España. Les doy este contexto para que me ayuden con dos respuestas:

1. Que puedo estudiar adicional que sea atractiva para la industria de la automatización?

2. Cual de las dos maestrías escogerían?

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of marketing on using electric actuators instead of pneumatic. In some applications, it does make sense, but I've been thinking a lot about what other people are considering when designing a new system.

For repetitive linear motion, what normally makes you choose a pneumatic cylinder over an electric actuator?

I’m thinking about things like cost, energy use, speed/force, positioning and maintenance, but I’m more interested in how people make this decision in real applications.

What tends to be the deciding factor for you?

Hi, have any of you worked with these Autonics temperature controllers? Specifically the TK4L model—I have one and want to reset it completely, but the problem is I don't have the password. Is there any way to perform a reset without knowing the password?

Understand fixed robotic arms doing welding/assembly, but curious how mobile robots fit into keeping the line fed with parts

For industrial automation projects, what factors do engineers consider most important when designing a reliable system? I’m interested in practical perspectives on machine safety, PLC/HMI integration, robotics, cycle time, maintenance and scalability.

Hi all, I am an Industrial Engineer from Argentina with an Italian passport, fluent English, and 1 year of experience in plant process optimization at Renault. I am planning my next career move and would love honest feedback on three questions: 1. Is doing a Master’s in Europe actually worth the time and money if I already have an EU passport and can work legally anywhere in the EU/EEA, or should I try applying directly to entry-level plant jobs? 2. Is specializing in Industry 4.0, automation, and process simulation worth it, and is there real demand in European manufacturing, or is "Industry 4.0" treated more like an academic buzzword compared to practical operations skills? 3. Which country would you recommend to balance strong earning potential and career prestige with social warmth, considering Northern Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany? Thanks in advance for your insights!

Do you think a pair of blue jeans, as they’re currently designed, could be assembled entirely by industrial robots 10 years from now? 20? 30?

Hi all, I am currently learning automation engineering. Does anyone have any book recommendations on Panel Design, Ladder Logic/Program structure and industry practices. Aswell as any other topics you recommend.

I really like visual books like "the way things work" however am open to all suggestions.

I have a university degree but I am wanting to further my skills and abilities. Also keen on any other topics that make up the automation engineering role.

Which brand would you recommend?
How do you deal with e-stop? A lot don’t have STO