Tim Wilborne's Podcast

Tim Wilborne

Helping you become a better technician. We talk about manufacturing, industrial automation, PLC programming, and help you remove the roadblocks to success.

  1. JAN 18

    Your PLC Questions: Switching Brands, Scaling 4-20mA, & Starting a Business

    In this episode, we are diving deep into your questions from the past week and sharing stories from our most recent training class. We start by addressing the common fear of switching between PLC brands, specifically for those who feel stuck with Mitsubishi knowledge when the industry is calling for Allen Bradley. I explain why mastering the core logic instructions is more important than chasing every brand name for your resume. We also break down a technical deep dive into 4-20mA scaling for tank levels, explaining why adding intermediate steps usually just creates more work for the next technician. Beyond the technical side, we explore the mindset required to make a career pivot into automation. I share some of the feedback from our recent video about starting TW Controls with almost nothing and highlight inspiring stories from our community members who moved from banking and labor roles into successful engineering and systems roles. We also have a bit of fun reviewing the results of last week's visual puzzle and discussing how a technician’s job is often just about changing your perspective until the data makes sense. Helping you become a better technician so you will always be in demand Not sure what video to watch next? Enhance your skills and track your progress at https://controls.tw/yt-courses! Items used in this video:PLC Trainerhttps://controls.tw/yt-plc-trainers The above links make these videos possible. Please use them!

    13 min
  2. Stop Patching the Noise and Start Finding the Root Cause

    JAN 4

    Stop Patching the Noise and Start Finding the Root Cause

    Finding the root cause of an erratic signal can feel like chasing a ghost, especially when your trend lines show noise that shouldn't be there. In this session, we walk through a real-world troubleshooting scenario involving a Yamaha robot simulation where the A3 axis exhibited mysterious spikes. While it initially looked like signal noise or a math error in Studio 5000, the investigation led deep into the interaction between the PLC and the Ignition SCADA system. We explore why a standard cross-reference in the PLC didn't reveal the culprit and how switching to read-only communications finally exposed a hidden bidirectional tag write. We also discuss the common trap of "patching" problems with software filters instead of identifying the source. Whether it is a bad shield on an analog line or an accidental setting in your HMI, understanding the "why" behind the spike is what separates a technician from a parts changer. Additionally, we touch on the challenges of modern Ethernet troubleshooting, the limitations of Wireshark without port mirroring, and why the "View Diagnostics" tool in Ignition is a game-changer for identifying communication conflicts. Helping you become a better technician so you will always be in demand Not sure what video to watch next? Enhance your skills and track your progress at https://controls.tw/yt-courses! Items used in this video:PLC Trainer https://controls.tw/yt-plc-trainers The above links make these videos possible. Please use them!

    20 min
5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Helping you become a better technician. We talk about manufacturing, industrial automation, PLC programming, and help you remove the roadblocks to success.

You Might Also Like