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Automation & Control
Articles
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Analysis, Reviews & Views -
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Automation: Salary Survey Results for 2008
Rick Zabel
reveals the results of 2008 Salary Survey Results. Great news! In one year, the average overall salary jumped from $83,623 to $88,252...roughly a 5.5% increase since 2007. I've always said that with the skills shortage in our industry, automation professionals will be in higher demand and, as a result, they will be able to command higher salaries. This is proof of that trend.
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How Real (Floating Point) and 32-bit Data is Encoded in Modbus RTU Messages
Peter Chipkin
discusses some of the typical difficulties encountered when handling 32-bit data types via Modbus RTU and offers practical help for solving these problems.
The point-to-point Modbus protocol is a popular choice for RTU communications if for no other reason that it’s basic convenience. The protocol itself controls the interactions of each device on a Modbus network, how device establishes a known address, how each device recognizes its messages and how basic information is extracted from the data. In essence, the protocol is the foundation of the entire Modbus network.
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The Unsung Hero of Automation
Tony Paine
reveals that the Engineer is proud of his HMI, highlighting the realism in his displays, the color coordination of his data and the mastery of his navigation… And then there is the plant manager, gushing over his KPI dashboard and how effectively the plant is running with the implementation of his new MES solution . The historian and analytic solution get all the credit when a plant control crisis is averted. Does anyone ever think to thank the lowly driver? Without data, the HMI is just a pretty picture, and the best analytics in the world are only ideas without any basis in fact. And, you spend tens or hundreds of thousands on that, while the driver budget isn't even a line item on the spec sheet…
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OPC UA Enables Business Intelligence – To Be or Not To Be?
Eric Murphy
reveals most people recognize famous quotes, but many people don’t know the play they’re from or the context they fit into. The same can be said for many familiar application terms from industry. Business Intelligence (BI) is a popular term describing the result of in-depth analysis of detailed business data from various systems. CRM, ERP, SCM and other competitive technologies all provide data and analysis, but how can these systems be unified into a complete business-wide decision platform? .....
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OPC and DCOM: 5 Things You Need To Know
Randy Kondor
reveals that OPC technology relies on Microsoft's COM and DCOM to exchange data between automation hardware and software; however it can be frustrating for new users to configure DCOM properly. If you have ever been unable to establish an OPC connection or transfer OPC data successfully, the underlying issue is likely DCOM-related. This useful article discusses the steps necessary to get DCOM working properly and securely.
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Editor's
Ramblings
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2009 – Who will take advantage?
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The only way to survive in 2009 is going to be with hope and a “yes we can” sense of determination. In 2008, especially during the final quarter, the economy took a big knock with stock market falls, companies disappearing or being bought out, jobs being lost, and ultimately people losing their homes; all this caused a lot of anxiety.
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Connections for
Growth & Success
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Analysis, Reviews & Views By Jim Pinto -
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Stimulus Vs. Bailout
Especially over the last decade, the US became a bubble economy that needed unlimited credit to keep from collapsing. Our true wealth did not increase - the value of homes and stocks were inflated. And consumers enjoyed a high standard of living based on that illusion. The bubble has now burst. The financial crisis is breaking habits that need to be broken....
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Global Automation Perspectives
My column for Automation World, January 2009 was written in Bangalore, India - after having spent some time in Australia a few weeks before, then a couple of weeks in England, then South Africa and India. Perhaps this helped my global perspectives....
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Capitalism & the American Dream
American Capitalism became the success story of the 20th century. Theorists had predicted that Greed would be the downfall of Capitalism. But the failures of Communism in Russia and China made America the living symbol of Capitalist superiority.
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America's Immigrant Ingredients
In a fast-changing world, the drag on Western Europe and Japan was their own insular, old cultures, relatively rooted in long history.
By contrast, America was completely different. The country was founded by immigrants and ...
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TRL Systems is a regional provider and installer of security and alarm systems for commercial enterprises. As a component of TRL's business the firm captures and enters a high volume of various types of data such as entering and updating customers, vendors, jobs, contracts, purchase orders, service agreements, invoices, budgets and much more.
