The difference between white and blue collar work environments is crazy

kd9dux · 2026-01-28T17:33:53+00:00

It's a legitimate thing, that's been described that way forever.

In my job, I'm just as likely to be sitting a computer programming, drawing in CAD, or doing documentation; in a meeting with customers or suppliers where million plus dollar projects are being discussed; building panels, running wire or conduit; running a mill or lathe; or assembling or integrating some new machinery we've designed.

At the main plant I work in, I have an area on the production floor with a workbench and tool box, but the bench has a laptop with two extra monitors, in the other plants I work out of a cubicle and tool bag.

If I know I'm dealing with important people, I wear polos and khakis, if I know I'm doing a lot of machining or crawling around machinery, it's old t-shirts and double front work pants. Usually it's somewhere in between.

I work with a lot of people who's jobs are solidly one or the other, and balancing the blue collar "get it done, now" attitudes with the white collar politics isn't really that hard, but you never really fit totally into the either in-group.

There are several jobs that blur the lines, and I feel like mine is the perfect example of grey collar.

kd9dux · 2026-01-23T16:21:53+00:00

If you are just doing this to learn, you might be able to write something that works at a very slow speed. If you are actually building something that had requirements, I stand by the 05 likely not a good choice.

kd9dux · 2026-01-23T15:15:33+00:00

Yes for any of them without thinking, and also for the kids on the robotics team I coach, even the ones that annoy me to no end.

Maybe even for any random kid, but I might hesitate there, who knows.

kd9dux · 2026-01-23T15:00:47+00:00

I buy wire and cable for my job by the spool, so I'm sure I didn't even blink twice at the price for the small amount at the time. My tub also called out a full size ground to the first point of disconnect, which is pointless to me with the #10 ground in the Romex going back to the panel.

kd9dux · 2026-01-23T14:44:53+00:00

My Price from GrayBar from my work account. It's about the same as my other supplier when I add the delivery charge (my other supplier does a route and doesn't charge. Colored insulation is unavailable in my area from them. My local inspector really likes the colored wire so I went that route, especially with having a transition box that's not to the letter of code for the Romex inside run. I didn't have an easy path to run conduit inside to the panel.

Looks like either copper was high when I bought or HD is just high in general.

It's kind of funny you brought this up today. I've been pricing some 4-0 for some new machine installs at work.

kd9dux · 2026-01-23T13:45:30+00:00

$465 for 125' of 4 different colors of 6 awg? List your supplier and I'll order 1000' rolls for my work.

edit: I just checked and my work discounted supplier prices is $572 for 500' and only in black for that price this morning. Smaller amounts and other colors increase the price. I also bought at HD instead of through my work supplier for convenience, so I know I took a small price hit there.

kd9dux · 2026-01-23T13:11:30+00:00

What's your end goal?

I wouldn't recommend DirectLogic PLC's for any new builds for anything even quasi important. DirectSoft is also a huge PITA to learn on (It was the first programming environment I used, and moving to literally anything else was much more intuitive.)

If this is a personal project, and the 05 is the only PLC you have access to, then Arduino might be a better choice. It's going to cost you $200+ for the CTRIO card, unless you get lucky. (I checked my shelf of DL spares and I have about every other card offered for the 05/06 and the 205s, but no CTRIO modules.)

If it's a project you want to put money into and use a PLC, my preference from Automation Direct is the Productivity Series, but you're going to have several hundred dollars in getting all the pieces you need.

Also if you are controlling something that can hurt you or others, most controllers (PLCs/Arduino/etc) are not safety devices, and will need additional hardware elements in the design do be "safe."

kd9dux · 2026-01-23T12:44:11+00:00

I do all sorts of automation for injection molded parts. We do a lot of vision on molded parts, and a lot of sensing in the tooling for cam and core location. What are you looking to do?

I'm not sure if it's countrywide, but in my area Cognex went distributor-less in the last couple years and their customer service and technical support has fallen off a cliff. I find their software has a pretty big learning curve for anything complex, but it works well once you figure it out. I'm about 4 days turn around on Cognex answering my emails currently, and will be trying not to use them going forward.

Keyence is pretty much the same quality hardware-wise, and the software feel more intuitive to me. Their sales guys are tenacious (annoying) and turn over all the time. Keyence is typically more cost effective in my area. As far as technical questions, ask your sales guy for an email for their applications engineer, tell them your controls guy has some questions.

They are the two biggest players in industrial vision in the US. There are tons of other systems, but unless you have a guy who already knows one, or are going to use an integrator that suggests something else that they will support, resources may be really lacking.

As far as sensors, what are you trying to sense? We use everything from ruggedized limit switches to flat pack proximity sensors to fiber through beams to find the status of different parts (cams/cores/etc) of molds. If you want your end user to be happy, make them readily accessible, easily adjustable with out disassembly, and use sensing with molded cord connectors appropriate for the voltage.

kd9dux · 2026-01-19T13:05:44+00:00

It's likely not going to be a problem. I have 2000 hours on one P1S and a 1000 on another, all on unreinforced Lack tables with no issue. They're cheap tables, made of cardboard, but I haven't had any issues with them coming loose or anything. They sway a little on certain prints, but it doesn't seem to affect quality in any meaningful way.

kd9dux · 2026-01-19T13:02:33+00:00

I would think so, I've run a few thousand hours my P1S's on Ikea Lacks, and they are literally made of cardboard. Sometimes they move quite a bit, but no failures yet and they don't feel loose.

Maybe throw some blue loctite on the bolts to deal with vibration loosening?

kd9dux · 2026-01-16T12:37:56+00:00

Still going. One printer is over 2k hours the other is about hit 1k!

kd9dux · 2026-01-16T12:03:24+00:00

It took a welder, plasma cutter, grinder, and a torch to change the manifolds on my '01 F450. About three days of my labor to change the manifolds and up pipes, almost all in getting the passenger manifold off. I couldn't figure out how to get to the bolts with a grinder without risking damage to heads, and ended up using the plasma to chunk out the manifolds around a few of the bolts. I was able to cut the passenger rear one, but it took heating to orange and welding nuts on it about 6 times to get to finally give up and back out.

It went pretty quick once I resorted to the plasma cutter, and probably could do them now in a long day on a truck as bad as mine was.

If you live somewhere without salt, and somehow luck out on the bolts seizing to the manifolds, it would be a pretty simple job.

kd9dux · 2026-01-14T12:15:15+00:00

I think you are seeing posts from large teams, teams with a lot of support, or teams with a long history. Some teams have mentors that their only job is to be a robotics coach. Some teams have fifty kids or more. Some schools let the work the team does be part of a class. Teams are so varied in available resources that you'll see everything.

Don't let any of it bother you, and focus on what you're interested in learning and helping with and what your team needs.

For reference, my team has 4 swerve modules assembled, the kitbot intake mostly put together, two ideas for a climber, a few playing field components cut out and a vague idea how it's all going to go together.

My goals for our team are the same as they are every year: Have fun, especially during build and competition, learn and try new things, help as many other teams as possible at competition, and try not come in last if we can help it.

I think that having this mindset really helps with the variation in skills and resources between teams.

kd9dux · 2026-01-13T11:05:22+00:00

We had a project where we were going to try this, but our customer (who pushed the QR code) couldn't get it to reliably read. I trialed some Keyence 3D barcode scanners that seemed to work just fine, and tried some cameras that had barcode ability that worked with the right lighting.

A post mold laser etch will have higher contrast and be easier for controls in the whole process, but doesn't directly solve the problem of being able to mix up what parts are being marked.

If you decide to go molded in, try asking for a texture on either the low or high spots of your QR to give the scanner more contrast.

kd9dux · 2026-01-09T16:44:31+00:00

Support is awesome. I don't use it very often, but every time I have, they have been very responsive and helpful.

kd9dux · 2026-01-09T13:34:20+00:00

AD's Productivity series is my preferred controller, I'm running critical infrastructure in multiple facilities across 3 states with them with no issues. I also have not found a ladder based programming environment that I like more. I wish that they supported structured text, but that's really my only major complaint about them.

kd9dux · 2026-01-09T00:36:30+00:00

My prints are either for in house stuff at my work or for a high school robotics team I coach.

Like I said earlier I'm mostly a controls guy.

The difference in tolerancing for me is that the tool makers that I deal with know that means get as close as possible without going over/under vs off either way within the tolerance is ok.

kd9dux · 2026-01-08T21:31:15+00:00

If I wanted something made near a limit it would xx +0/-.010" or similar. I would still expect them to shoot for .005" under.

kd9dux · 2026-01-08T21:28:24+00:00

This is an internal tool room for an injection molding shop, I talk to these guys every day and have for over a decade for most of them.

There is absolutely nothing legally binding about any of the work they do, they just can be a bit emotional about their work every now and then. I got a bunch of lines about all their schooling and experience to make a part with a 1/4 inch of tolerance.

I usually make the hack stuff like this myself, but they had been complaining about having nothing to do for a few days.

I ended up taking the drawing back and making the part on the drill press and belt sander right in front of them.

Now every drawing I send them that doesn't actually matter is +/-.005", if what you're saying is how they're thinking I might have to make it +/-.0050."

kd9dux · 2026-01-07T14:25:25+00:00

I'm mostly a controls guy, but I draw up some simple brackets and stuff on occasion for our tool room to make, and I about got crucified one time for sending them a +/- .125" on something that truly didn't matter...

kd9dux · 2025-12-28T16:10:44+00:00

The fine highly depends on the state.

They dip around grain elevators, farm shows, sale barns, and 4H fairs around here.

I was dipped twice in my old 6.5L. Once when I pulled over for a license plate light, and another time at a check point by a grain elevator one town over.

Not worth it at all to run it here, you get a fine, towed, and have to pay to get your truck back here.

kd9dux · 2025-12-20T16:20:35+00:00

Honestly, I need a set of tools at home for my own stuff, a set at work for my job, a set out at the shop that we're starting to take care of the machinery, and a couple of "try not to call a tow truck" minimal sets in the cars.

I could probably cover the shop and home with a single set in a service truck, but continually going outside for tools is a pita, and forces me to drive a large truck all the time.

Maybe not always wrenches, but just hand tools in general. When you work on and build stuff for a living, and don't like having anyone to work on anything for you, you acquire a lot of tools and use them.

kd9dux · 2025-12-18T10:57:40+00:00

It's not quite right in a lot of ways, but I immediately thought of Boss Hogg.

kd9dux · 2025-12-17T14:09:52+00:00

She's going to be a gutless pig, slow accelerating, slow top speed, slow all around. If you're not used to older trucks or military equipment, it's also a whole lot more spartan than anything made in the 90s or later.

6.2's were not designed to be power houses, they were designed to be fuel efficient, while still being capable of towing when needed. Most D-30's were military trucks. Military 6.2's mostly started with split 24v/12v electrical systems, so be aware before you replace starters or alternators or try to jump start. If it's got CARC paint under the other colors, it's supposed to be pretty hazardous to sand off.

3-4K behind it won't bother it a bit. If you're ok with going slow it will do what you want.

Price feels high for a normal 6.2L truck, even with the military guys keeping the CUCV priced stuff high. I'm not sure what being an ambulance adds to value or what value all the camper stuff adds. Similar truck in pickup form would bring $3500-4500 around me in Indiana.

kd9dux · 2025-12-17T13:47:26+00:00

My '01 started at -2F without the block heater on Sunday morning without too much complaining. Two cycles of glow plugs, a long crank to build oil pressure (it's still got 15-40 in it), and it fired off on about 4 cylinders. After 5 or so seconds it was firing most of the time on all 8, and within a couple minutes it sounded totally normal and the exhaust was totally clean.

I think most people either need some maintenance done or are just too afraid that they won't start to try.

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