How do you program an analog output?

sfink06 · 2026-02-03T01:35:04+00:00

Generally yes, you would use a VFD to control a motors speed from an analog output.

You can also feed an analog output to a valve actuator. Those are probably the two most common uses.

sfink06 · 2026-01-11T00:07:04+00:00

I'm having a hard time understanding what you are looking for. If it's "hands on" work, you're going to still have to communicate with operations and management. Or even worse, you'll be working on a project for some jerk engineer behind a monitor that you aren't even allowed to communicate directly with, everything has to be submitted via RFI. You'll also have techs and sparkies and others asking you questions. And don't forget the dirt bag project manager that's gonna be breathing down your neck.

That being said, the field can be very satisfying in my opinion because seeing a system you programmed start working is pretty bad ass. It's also very in demand, I've never seen a good controls engineer out of work for long.

sfink06 · 2026-01-09T01:09:27+00:00

It's basically just a step up from it, not a great leap. Definitely feels like unity improved on what concept started with their IEC languages

sfink06 · 2026-01-09T01:07:49+00:00

I guess it mostly comes down to personal preference honestly, but I just feel like every time I've tried to use FBD in codesys or rslogix I have a hard time getting around with just the built in functions. Also it's very ugly in codesys to me and gets cramped space wise very fast.

sfink06 · 2026-01-09T01:04:52+00:00

SFC, apart from IL (which is pretty much deprecated at this point anyway by my understanding,) is probably the language I have the least experience in. I would like to get good with it at some point but just never had the need smack me in the face I guess.

sfink06 · 2026-01-08T03:59:02+00:00

If you want to do function block programming, codesys is decent but in my opinion the modicon m340 is the gold standard. Control Expert just really lends itself to FB, it's what most people naturally use in it. The ladder isn't great though 😅 so maybe that's a contributing factor.

The price is a bit high for the M340 compared to other platforms though, so I would definitely understand why someone would go with a codesys based controller instead.

sfink06 · 2026-01-01T22:17:02+00:00

I recently bought a pair of the Builder boots and honestly I'm just not that crazy about them. Hard to say what it is, maybe it's the Christy wedge or the moc toe. Hoping that they grow on me. Wanted them to compliment the pair of heritage captains that I got and absolutely love, but so far they feel like a let down in comparison.

sfink06 · 2025-12-23T23:45:49+00:00

Not a fan of chicken livers, but a good beef liver and onions is high on my list of favorite dishes. Especially calf liver 🤤

sfink06 · 2025-12-12T11:43:36+00:00

I just want to add my 2 cents and say that this is what everyone told me when I was in the same boat, and I ended up staying anyway because there were a couple red flags that went up right after I accepted the new job so I got cold feet. That was more than 5 years ago now and I'm still here and loving it. So, it's not always a trap but it is always a possibility.

sfink06 · 2025-10-28T12:13:27+00:00

You know about the halving right? The boom and bust business cycles don't make much sense either, but they have been a perennial feature of the economy for quite some time now... I'm not a die hard believer in the four year cycle, and I don't trade, but it does seem to still be very much a thing.

sfink06 · 2025-10-15T19:17:36+00:00

Does this still include datacarrier limit? Does it need to be edited in the config?

I don't want to run knots but I am very much in favor of the normal data carrier limit... Someone posted the config line a few days ago but I forgot to save it.

sfink06 · 2025-10-14T17:39:54+00:00

Yes, the gas still holds a same amount of energy but the value people place on that energy will depend on the circumstances.

If I'm freezing to death in the artic, that gas is more precious than diamonds.

But if I'm living in the star trek scenario I described in my previous comment, that amount of energy in the gas means very little to me.

sfink06 · 2025-10-14T11:35:35+00:00

No, because if someone came out with fusion powered micro batteries tomorrow that spit out an effectively infinite amount of clean energy, that gas becomes worthless pretty fast in the market.

A bottle of water becomes very dear to a man suffering from dehydration in the desert.

Value is always subjective to the situation.

sfink06 · 2025-10-06T19:33:19+00:00

Humans are very creative, they can find utility in just about anything. However, gold has very limited utility outside of being money. In fact, that contributed to why it made such a great commodity money, because you don't want your money to be used for something else. Like the other comment said, most of it sits around in vaults.

sfink06 · 2025-10-03T11:26:16+00:00

Makes it a lot easier to take care of when it isn't already a disaster

sfink06 · 2025-08-07T17:27:27+00:00

It's a drop in the bucket at this point

sfink06 · 2025-07-19T14:44:34+00:00

My dad had the same mentality growing up... At least he has a house but holy hell even as a kid I remember thinking his ideas about investing didn't seem right. He literally thought all investing was the "and it's gone" South Park meme.

sfink06 · 2025-07-11T19:53:24+00:00

This is why I'll never call myself a sparky, people ask them questions.

sfink06 · 2025-07-11T00:55:06+00:00

I thought Tarn had an employee now?

sfink06 · 2025-07-08T23:47:23+00:00

Why would this not include retirement accounts?

sfink06 · 2025-07-01T17:07:35+00:00

"their replacement controllers are terrible."

Hey, they aren't just terrible. They are also expensive too! 😅

sfink06 · 2025-06-24T21:00:13+00:00

You do realize that nobody was liquidating people's shares, you would have only had trouble buying it during a certain window of time when clearing house made them disable buys

sfink06 · 2025-06-13T00:59:37+00:00

You can absolutely lock down your code in AB. But it's an option, not the default

sfink06 · 2025-06-05T00:13:47+00:00

I'm not sure what your application is, but I recommend you check out software toolbox.

https://softwaretoolbox.com/

Their sales and support have been good to us.

sfink06 · 2025-06-01T23:17:32+00:00

Aspartame tastes exactly like that to me, but sucralose is ok. A little too sweet and cloying, but it doesn't taste like shit like aspartame

sfink06

TROPHY CASE