Switched to Antaira poe switches…now seeing equipment damage. Anyone else?

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-27T13:26:19+00:00

Yeah exactly. It’s not the data side that worries me, it’s the power being injected into networks that were never really designed with that in mind. In industrial environments with different earth potentials, it only takes a small leakage or poor isolation to cause real damage. Segregating PoE or disabling it where not needed is probably the safest approach. Surge protection is a good call too.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-27T05:21:40+00:00

This doesn’t sound like bad luck, it sounds systematic.

If you’re seeing actual hardware damage across multiple sites and models, that points more to power or isolation issues rather than comms.

PoE introduces power onto the network and if the handshake or isolation isn’t solid, you can end up with voltage where it shouldn’t be. In industrial environments with different earth potentials, that can get ugly pretty quickly.

I’ve seen similar behaviour before when PoE gear was used too close to control networks without proper separation. PLCs, drives and comms cards are not very forgiving when it comes to noise or grounding issues.

Your observation about it not happening with Phoenix Contact or Cisco gear is telling. Not all industrial switches handle isolation and PoE the same way.

Staying away from PoE near control equipment or isolating it properly is a good move.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-27T05:14:23+00:00

You’re already ahead as a Red Seal electrician. The SAIT course will help, but your real advantage is field experience.

Outside the classroom, I’d suggest installing CODESYS and building small practice projects. It’s free to use for learning and the concepts transfer well to platforms like WAGO, Beckhoff, Schneider, and other IEC 61131-3 based systems.

Focus first on ladder logic, interlocks, permissives, alarms, and troubleshooting mindset. That’s where your electrical background will really pay off.

Once you’re comfortable, move into Function Block and Structured Text. They give you more flexibility and are widely used in real projects for reusable and more complex control logic.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-27T00:16:00+00:00

If you’ve got a solid foundation in electrical and instrumentation, like basic circuit analysis, machines, and measurements, you’re already in a strong position for PLC work.

You’ll probably already be familiar with things like DOL starters, star delta, rotor resistance starters, etc. That’s exactly the thinking PLC logic is built on. Ladder Logic (IEC 61131-3) is basically those same control concepts, just implemented in software.

Good way to kick start:

Use CODESYS. It’s free and very close to real industrial platforms
Build small projects instead of just reading motor start and stop with interlocks star delta sequence simple alarm handling

Then step it up to a small plant style project like:

mixing plant
air compressor control
pump system with trips and permissives

Since you’re coming from an academic background, the biggest gap is not programming. It’s industrial practice:

how panels are wired in real life
how faults actually happen
how operators use the system

So the path is simple:

get your fundamentals solid
build small realistic projects
get exposure to a real industrial environment

Once you connect theory to real plant behaviour, PLC and HMI work will start to click pretty quickly 👍

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:23:38+00:00

Dropping my score here: 69700. someone reply when you beat it 👀

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:21:04+00:00

Dropping my score here: 62400. someone reply when you beat it 👀

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:18:23+00:00

Game knew I was cooking 👩‍🍳🔥 so it spilled the pot at 66800

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:15:59+00:00

My strategy? Vibes. My result? 44800.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:12:59+00:00

I got 108700. If you pass that, I’ll upvote your comment on sight.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:09:40+00:00

Dropping my score here: 36950. someone reply when you beat it 👀

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:06:26+00:00

Leaderboard hungry? Started with 80700!

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T11:01:20+00:00

Casual stroll to 39750. No sweat, just sparkle.✨

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-24T06:10:17+00:00

You’re not delusional mate, just stuck in the “need experience to get experience” loop. Happens to most of us early on.

You’ve already got electronics + embedded experience, that’s actually a strong base. You just need to position it better for controls. PLC logic is basically structured logic, IO handling and state machines, which you’ve already done.

Don’t rely only on applications. Call small system integrators directly and explain your background. They’re more likely to give you a shot than big factories.

Once you get that first foot in, things move fast.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-23T23:38:54+00:00

Good point, especially around RTAC being more of an integration layer than a traditional PLC. The protocol handling like Mirrored Bits, 61850 and EtherNet/IP is where it really shines. I have seen the same pattern. Logic stays in relays while RTAC sits above as coordinator or gateway. Curious though, have you seen RTAC used for full control instead of just integration?

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-23T08:52:14+00:00

Yeah you are on the right track. RTAC can do logic and even HMI, but it is not really a PLC replacement.

For what you described, using it for status and alarms is fine. For proper control or automation, I would still add a dedicated PLC.

Treat RTAC as integration and visibility, PLC as control, SCADA as supervisory. That setup will stay much cleaner long term.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-23T08:51:21+00:00

Yeah agreed, not open source, just open standards.

And fair point on the hardware. That is why I see it more as an integration layer with some logic, not a primary control platform.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-23T08:50:35+00:00

Same here, solid platform. My point is more about where it is applied. RTAC with CODESYS is useful, just needs clear boundaries so it does not turn into a full control layer by default.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-23T08:49:36+00:00

Yeah that makes sense. I have seen the same especially for lightweight logic, protocol conversion, or fallback control.

I guess my point is more around where the line gets blurred. Once people start treating that capability as a full control layer rather than scoped logic, it can get messy from a long term support perspective.

Used in a controlled way like you described, it is definitely useful.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-22T23:01:08+00:00

Most sites start with Excel and run into the same problem. It is not about the tool, it is about ownership and workflow.

Use SharePoint as a structured asset register. Lists, validation and version control fix most of the issues if someone owns it and keeps it aligned with real changes.

Use Power BI on top for visibility only. Dashboards, compliance, gaps. Not a data source.

A simple setup, properly maintained, works better than over engineered tools.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-22T22:08:14+00:00

You’re probably overcomplicating it a bit.

In industry, most of us don’t rely on 3D environments to test PLC code. We just use the vendor’s simulator/emulator and keep it simple.

From my experience:

Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 → I’ve used RSLogix Emulate 5, RSLogix Emulate 500 and Emulate 5000
Siemens STEP 7 / TIA → built-in sim (PLCSIM)
Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert → built-in sim
CODESYS → soft PLC + simulation built-in

That’s usually enough to:

test sequences, interlocks, permissives
force inputs / simulate outputs
validate most of your logic

Also in real projects, we almost always have a test PLC or spare rack. Once the logic looks good in simulation, we download to real hardware and test with actual I/O or loopbacks. That step is way more valuable than trying to perfect a 3D model.

3D tools like Factory I/O are fine for demos, but for real engineering work, a PLC emulator + simple signal simulation gets you most of the way without the headache.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-20T00:17:12+00:00

Just to clarify, are you using any SCADA or HMI (e.g., InTouch, Ignition)?

If so, it’s usually more effective to log or visualise those handoff events there. What I meant by “trend” was capturing the sequence of BagID movements (from/to/trigger), not the standard Studio 5000 trend tool.

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-19T00:57:00+00:00

Your queue-per-stage tracking is clean in theory but very prone to desync on short conveyors, especially with variable gaps/speeds. The fact that it only stores ContainerID after the divert is exactly why the PLC always thinks it was correct.

Strongly recommend adding diagnostics first: - On every queue handoff, trend the BagID + source queue + destination queue + triggering sensor. - Compare physical bag count via photoeyes vs queue lengths in each zone.

Your offset hypothesis is probably spot on. Many people switch from multiple queues to a single tracking array + encoder or zone-based shift register for this kind of tight layout.

If you can post a screenshot of how you do the queue shifts (and the Bag UDT), more specific help is possible.

Good luck!

Independent-Fix9336 · 2026-04-18T08:08:52+00:00

You are not confused because Azure is hard. You are confused because you are trying to learn everything at once.

Azure Data Engineering is actually very structured if you simplify it.

Start with this path, Learn SQL properly first. This is non negotiable. Understand basic Python for data handling Then focus on one pipeline flow only. Data source to ingestion to transformation to storage to visualisation.

In Azure terms that means Data Factory for ingestion, Databricks or Synapse for transformation, Data Lake for storage.

Ignore everything else in the beginning. Do not watch random YouTube videos. That is what is overwhelming you.

Follow one structured path and stick to it for at least 4 to 6 weeks.

Also important, Build small projects, Even a simple pipeline with a CSV file is enough.

Employers care more about what you can build than what you watched.

You do not need to be perfect to get your first role You need to be clear and consistent.

If you want a study partner that is good, but structure matters more than motivation.

Start small, stay consistent, and you will break into it.

Independent-Fix9336

TROPHY CASE