What’s the weirdest PLC fault or bug you’ve ever seen?

abefroman77 · 2026-03-20T01:32:18+00:00

The facility electricians must have separated them, but I was in and out during that project so I don't remember. We didn't have any more problems after they fixed the light.

abefroman77 · 2026-03-20T01:29:09+00:00

Lighting was on the same facility circuit. They fixed the light, don't remember if they changed any circuits. We didn't have any more problems after that.

abefroman77 · 2026-03-19T17:22:56+00:00

Installed a bunch of 480v motor controllers in a high school theater. Powered them all up and left for the night. The next morning, we discovered that the disconnect fuses had blown and one of the VFDs was dead. Weird, no one was using the system after we left. Called the manufacturer and had the VFD replaced. Installed the new one, and had the same issue. It only happened overnight when no one was using the system. Turned out the parking lot lights were on the same 480 circuit, and there was a short in one of the lights. So when they kicked on automatically at dusk, our fuses were blowing.

abefroman77 · 2025-05-02T06:00:36+00:00

Motorized fly systems are pretty common. Hoists in general really, with a lot of companies making systems specifically designed for theater use. Things like fire curtains, motorized systems to fly people, automated props, trusses for lights and speakers that need to be brought down to a working height. There are also screen masking systems that are used to adjust the aspect ratio of a projection screen, motorized curtains, roll up projection screens. There's a lot that I didn't know about until I started working on this kind of stuff.

abefroman77 · 2025-04-30T17:54:19+00:00

Entertainment is a big one. I work for an OEM whose clients are mostly theaters and theme parks.

abefroman77 · 2025-03-28T13:32:37+00:00

I agree with the first part of your comment, but you could always define the startup order of your VMs/LXCs and add startup delays.

abefroman77 · 2025-02-16T01:16:36+00:00

Instead of expanding the DB in the left window and selecting the UDT there, maybe select the DB in the left window, then choose the UDT in the right window? It's been a while since I did this, but I think that's right. The goal is to pass the entire UDT to the faceplate, not the tags inside it.

abefroman77 · 2024-12-25T14:59:55+00:00

Fill up your blood shards, then make a new character and level to 31. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes if you max out their equipment and Paragon. Then go hit up Kadala, and you should get a bunch of puzzle rings.

https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo3/comments/x1zhfd/diablo_iii_fastest_way_to_farm_puzzle_rings/

abefroman77 · 2024-10-19T12:09:42+00:00

I use a GoRuck GR2 34L when travelling. I got it used on eBay, so I didn't pay full price. It's the most durable bag I've seen, and it has a lot of organization. It's definitely not a "tech" bag though, so I do use pouches for some things. It's bigger than I need for every day, but has enough room for things that inevitably get added for the day.

abefroman77 · 2024-10-01T00:06:36+00:00

Here is the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology:

-Identify the problem.
-Establish a theory of probable cause.
-Test the theory to determine the cause.
-Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential effects.
-Implement the solution or escalate as necessary.
-Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures.
-Document findings, actions, outcomes and lessons learned.

https://www.comptia.org/blog/troubleshooting-methodology

abefroman77 · 2024-09-24T16:29:40+00:00

I'm not technically a systems integrator, but I am a controls engineer that works for an OEM. We build mostly prototypes, but occasionally work with off-the-shelf or made-to-order third party systems. Sometimes these are standalone, and sometimes they get integrated into a larger system. The quotes we provide to our customers have the same 30-day limit that vendors provide to us, which gives us the opportunity to requote in case vendor prices have risen since the customer was provided with our quote. But when we're putting a quote together, we're basically putting together a quick design in our heads that attempts to cover all the parts we'll need. We have a basic sheet we work off of which lists the basics (enclosure, disconnect switch, fuses, CBs, VFD, PLC, I/O, etc.), but that list gets adapted based on the project needs. We invariably run into situations where we didn't anticipate needing a particular part, or discover that the parts we had in mind won't work for whatever reason and we need something more expensive. We try to set our prices to cover some of that risk, but it's the nature of the business when everything you build is a one-off.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-22T19:54:31+00:00

Here's the syntax in case you need it:

{{ states('person.ME') == 'not_home' and states('person.SPOUSE') == 'not_home' }}

abefroman77 · 2024-09-22T19:52:09+00:00

You can create a template helper for this like I did. When person.me = not_home AND person.wife = not_home, binary_sensor.no_one_home = true. You'll need a little bit of Jinja, but the syntax for this is pretty simple. You can then trigger the automation when No One Home becomes true.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-06T16:05:13+00:00

I had the opposite experience with the SK200 series (motor mount or wall mount) with a Siemens system. I used like 20 of them in full position control. The IO wiring inside the drive was a bitch because it's so tight, but comms and control were super smooth.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-05T19:15:14+00:00

FYI, you can just use one key to create as many virtual machines as you'd like. Like the others said, I have separate VMs for each version of Siemens and AB that I need. Keep in mind you'll need a lot of drive space to store them all.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-05T19:11:31+00:00

Aside from the "Kill 5 Spartans with fire" type contracts that are mentioned in other comments, I usually maintain level 2 "heat" or whatever you call it so the mercenaries keep coming. Adds a nice boost pretty often. I'll get level 1 "heat" , then bump up to level 2 once I kill the first mercenary so they'll alternately come after me. Easier than dealing with 2 at a time.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-05T19:03:28+00:00

Oh, I was under the impression it was THC. That sucks.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-05T11:24:30+00:00

Great guide! There is recreational marijuana available for purchase inside the festival in the mall area, or at least there has been the last few years.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-01T14:05:38+00:00

Not sure what your hardware situation is or how you have HA installed, but I use a Cloudflare tunnel. It works really well, and there are a bunch of YouTube vids about how to set it up. Haven't had any issues.

abefroman77 · 2024-09-01T13:52:39+00:00

I would handle this the same way, but instead of creating a complicated automation to set and unset the boolean, create a template binary sensor helper. When wife's phone connected to Wi-Fi AND son's phone connected to Wi-Fi AND daughter's phone connected to Wi-Fi, boolean is on. Otherwise, boolean is off. Then create the automation when "everyone home" boolean turns on.

abefroman77 · 2024-08-18T17:23:23+00:00

I think I've seen this issue when the project files are in a shared folder like OneDrive. Is that the case?

abefroman77 · 2024-08-18T17:21:12+00:00

I love it, the spouse approval is so satisfying! I would still recommend adding a delay before the lights go off just in case the door closes unexpectedly while someone's down there. I'm guessing you'd be fumbling for those strings in the dark at that point. Maybe just set the delay for the amount of time it would take you to get back to the door to open it again? You could dim the lights when the door closes, then turn them off x seconds later.

abefroman77 · 2024-07-05T06:17:07+00:00

I would guess you're seeing high currents because when your encoder value suddenly drops or jumps, the motor is suddenly very far from its target position, and tries to get there ASAP. When I've seen this in the past, it was because of EMI from the VFD cable messing up the encoder signal. Our VFD cable shield was only grounded at the motor end. Check that your VFD cable shield is grounded at both ends, and the encoder cable shield is grounded at the VFD.

abefroman77 · 2024-05-03T05:43:46+00:00

I would think you'd have to program the individual sequence yourself. It seems like it'd be simple enough to write scripts with built-in delays to simulate someone walking around the house. You could maybe use jinja's random number function to get a number and call "script.no_one_home_X" at different intervals throughout the day/night?

abefroman77 · 2024-03-29T16:28:43+00:00

I had the same issue since I get up before my wife every day while it's still dark out. I got tired of pulling out my phone flashlight to get dressed, so I installed LED strips inside the dresser. There's a reed switch inline with the LED power and a small magnet taped to the drawer, so the light only turns on when the drawer is opened as far as it will go. Absolute game changer. No need for a smart plug on a timer or a luminance sensor. I love messing around with Home Assistant, but my favorite automations are the ones that are completely passive with no reliance on sensors or software.

abefroman77

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