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Red Lion’s New NT5000 Managed Gigabit Switches (P144)

Shawn Tierney meets up with Diane Davis from Red Lion who introduces us to their new N-Tron NT5000 line of Managed Gigabit Switches in Episode 144 of The Automation Podcast.

For more information, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video.


Watch the Podcast:



The Automation Podcast is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


The Automation Podcast, Episode 144 Show Notes:

Special thanks to Diane Davis from Red Lion for coming on the show! To learn more about the NT5000 Managed Gigabit Switches, check out the below links:


Vendors: Would you like your product featured on the Podcast, Show or Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact

Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for March 8, 2023 (N047)

Daily Industrial Automation News Roundup:

Today we’re covering news about AI Identification, SoftPLCs, IPCs, ZeroTrust, Industrial Wireless and more in our Automation This Morning blog for March 8, 2023.

First up we have a press release from Siemens here about their new Passenger Train manufacturing facility in North Carolina. Score one for manufacturing local!

In product announcements, today we have a new product from Cognex here which is an AI driven product identification camera touting quick and easy setup.

We also have a new IPC here from Neousys with the latest rugged 12th Gen cpus from intel, and an nVidia RTX graphics card capable of 9 Teraflops which is the equivalent of a PS5.

Our first new article of the day is from Schneider Electric here and it covers Digitization through phased migrations.

Over on the Straton website here we have a new article about their collaboration with Welotec to bring their SoftPLC engine to IPCs supporting IEC61850-3.

And I also came across an interesting article here on the DNP website which summarizes Zero Trust and how DNP SAv6 implements that model.

Today in our product spotlight we’re featuring our Logix Book Of Knowledge™, a compilation of all of my ControlLogix articles from the last ten years into a single ebook which is on sale now for just $9.99 here.

In our “pub crawl” today we found a great new manual from Siemens here which covers the technology of Industrial Wireless Ethernet. We also found a new manual here for Siemens Soft Start products.

On the Rockwell website we found one new publication of interest here which is an updated user manual for the 6300B and 6300T line of IPCs.

And on the Emerson site we found a newly updated manual here on their Topworx PD100 Smart Valve Positioner.

New to Audio and Video today is an Automation Tech Tip here covering TIA Portal v18 and how to create and simulate a PLC program using it.

As far as coming content releases, this afternoon at 3:30pm ET here we will be releasing our latest episode of The Automation Podcast with featured guest Red Lion to discuss their brand new Gigabit line of Industrial Ethernet Switches, the NT5000 series.

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition “Automation Morning Show,” you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically available within an hour of this article being published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

S7 PLCSim, TIA Portal v18 – Create and Test PLC Programs (T010)

In this edition of Automation Tech Tips, I walk through how to create your first PLC Program in TIA Portal v18, and then run it inside of the free PLCSim software.

NOTE: If you need to learn how to use the S7 PLC, check out my S7 PLC Course. It comes with instructor support and never expires.


Automation Tech Tip Video:


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for March 7, 2023 (N046)

Daily Industrial Automation News Roundup:

Today we’re covering news about PLCSim v18, Bar Codes, Ethernet, FID02, Optimization, Smart Devices, AOIs, MTConnect, Flash Memory, Vision, Steppers and more in our Automation This Morning blog for March 7, 2023.

First up we have a press release here from Endress-Hauser about their new location in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Next, in product announcements today we have news here about a new Cognex Dataman 282 Bar Code Reader.

We also have a new product announcement here from Advantech about their CC-Link IE TSN certified switch.

And RF Ideas announced here support for End to End FIDO2 credentials supporting IDmelon.

Our first new article of the day is from Schneider Electric here and covers thoughts on process and plant automation for the purpose of increasing productivity and profits.

Next we have a new article here from the ISA about the need for implementing Smart Infrastructures in facilities.

We also have a new article from Advantech here about AOIs – no, not Add-On Instructions, but Automated Optical Inspection.

Over on the RTA website we have a new article here explaining what MTConnect is.

And on the IEEE Spectrum website here there’s an interesting article here on recent advancements in Flash Memory.

In our product spotlight today we’re featuring our S7-1500 & 1200 Level 1 PLC Course designed for users with some PLC experience who want to learn how to use, program, and troubleshoot the Siemens S7-1200 and 1500 PLCs. To learn more, click here.

In upcoming events we’re highlighting a two new online events. The first here is by Cognex and is an Introduction to Machine Vision scheduled for March 22, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET.

The other here is from Faulhaber on Accuracy with Stepper Motors and will go live on Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 11:00 AM CEST (which I believe is 5am ET.)

In today’s Automation Tech Tip (see video below) we walk your through how to create a new PLC Program in the TIA Portal v18 Trail we downloaded previously, and then simulate it with PLCSim.

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition “Automation Morning Show,” you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically available within an hour of this article being published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:



The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for March 6, 2023 (N045)

Daily Industrial Automation News Roundup:

Today we’re covering news about Ultrasonic Sensors, Chillers, Speed Control, DFM & Industry 4.0, Data Protection, Condition Monitoring, Simulating Modbus and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Monday March 6, 2023.

First up we have a new product announcement from Pepperl+Fuchs here about their new ultrasonic sensors with CAN interface.

Next we have a couple of new products from SMC, with the first here being a new Thermo Low Temp Chiller.

The other here is a new Metal Speed Controller.

As far as new articles, the first new article of interest is from SMW here and covers “Design for Manufacturing” in the age of Industry 4.0.

The other new article here is from WWT and is an update list of trends that are shaping data protection.

In applications today, we have one new profile here on the Rockwell website about a customer application that required 140 GraceSense condition monitoring devices along with the gateways for connectivity both to the Grace cloud offering as well as to the Rockwell control system.

In our product spotlight today we’re featuring our FactoryTalk View Site Edition Course, ViewSE Basics, designed for users who want to learn how to create, deploy, and troubleshoot View Site Edition applications. To learn more, click here.

New in downloads today is a free utility here from Doug Lyons which allows users to simulate a Modbus Device using their PC. Please thank Doug for sharing his utility with the community free of charge!

In our “pub crawl” today we found several new documents of interest. The first here is a new manual for the Siemens ET 200pro Motor Starters.

The next here is a new brochure for Schneider Electric’s 3 Phase UPS line.

Also from Schneider Electric is a new brochure here on their in-rack air conditioners.

And over on the Emerson website we have two new manuals here and here on the Rosemount 5408 Transmitter with Hart and Foundation Fieldbus respectively.

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition “Automation Morning Show,” you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically available within an hour of this article being published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for March 3, 2023 (N044)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about Siemens FDE, FactoryTalk Optix, Banner Temperature Sensors, Turck RFID, TopServer as Modbus Device, Stepper Troubleshooting, Zero Trust and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Friday March 3, 2023.

First up we have a press release from Siemens here about providing access to unused field data from production for the integration of IT and OT.

Next we have a press release from Rockwell Automation here about their new FactoryTalk Optix products which they bill as an Open, Scalable, Flexible HMI platform with Unlimited Options.

Over on the Banner Engineering website here there’s a new product announcement about their S15S non-contact infrared temperature sensor.

And on the Turck website here there’s news about their new smart RFID Forklift System.

Our first new article of the day is from Software Toolbox here, and it covers how to setup TopServer as a Modbus device/server.

And the other new article of interest today is from Oriental Motors here and covers the basics troubleshooting steps for a Stepper motor control system.

In our product spotlight today is The Automation School’s PanelView Plus Course, PVP Basics, designed for users who want to learn how to use, program, and troubleshoot the PanelView Plus line of HMIs. To learn more, click here.

In our “pub crawl” today we found two new documents on the Emerson website. The first here is a quick start guide for the Rosemount 1208C Transmitters.

The other here is an updated edition of their ControlWave handbook.

And in our upcoming event spotlight we’re highlight a new webinar here from WWT titled, “The Journey to Implementing a Zero Trust Architecture”

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for March 2, 2023 (N043)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about Motors, Reporting, Modbus, KNX, Pwn2Own, LOTO, Light Curtains, Simulating XYZ Machines, Node-RED, Coils, Alto, IEEE, Tower Lights, Valves, Ethernet IO and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Thursday March 2, 2023.

First up we have a press release from Siemens here who is launching a new motors and large drives company named Innomotics.

Next we have news here about the release of the latest version of SyTech’s XLReporter, v15.

Over on the Banner Engineering website here we have the release of a new Modbus to Analog Output device, their R90C.

And on the Intesis website here they have announced the latest edition of their Modbus to KNX Building Automation network gateway.

Making the pivot from new products to new articles, first up today is a very interesting article from Inductive Automation here about their recent trip to the Own2Pwn event.

And on the Grace Engineering site here we have the latest in their series on Lock Out Tag Out and their Check Volt products.

Omron also has a new article here covering Safety Light Curtains used in conjunction with automated retrieval systems, and how features like muting and blocking are used.

Omron also has a new tech note here on how to create an XYZ machine in their Symac Simulator and connect it to a PLC.

Over on the Opto22 website here we find a new technical article detailing the best practices of implementing Node Red for MTQQ communications.

And on the Panasonic website here is a new article covering three methods for reducing coil holding voltage.

On the IEEE spectrum site here we have a real treat for computer enthusiasts – an article detailing the original mouse based computer, the Xerox Alto.

While on the IEEE website we also noticed they are running a membership special here where new members can sign-up at 50% off.

In our product spotlight today is The Automation School’s ControlLogix Course, PAC Basics, designed for users with some PLC experience who want to learn how to use, program, and troubleshoot the ControlLogix line of PACs. To learn more, click here.

In our “pub crawl” today we found several new publications of note. Over on the Schneider Electric website here we found a lot of updated publications on their SCADAPack product line.

We also found an updated catalog here for their Harmony Tower Lights.

Over on the Emerson website we found new editions of their Fisher Catalog 96 on Valves Actuators, Catalog 95 on Caged Sensors, and a new Quick Start for their Valve Controllers.

Today in our daily Audio / Video section we have two videos. First up is a new video here from Acromag detailing their Ethernet IO system.

The second is Episode 143 of The Automation Podcast with special guest David Peterson of Control.com. In this episode we discuss his experience using Industrial Arduino and Pi systems as PLCs, as well as IPCs.

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

Industrial PLCs based on Arduino and Raspberry PI (P143)

Shawn Tierney meets up with David Peterson from Control.com who comes on the show to share his experience with PLCs based on Arduino and Raspberry Pi in Episode 143 of The Automation Podcast.

For more information, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video.


Watch the Podcast:



The Automation Podcast is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


The Automation Podcast, Episode 143 Show Notes:

Special thanks to David Peterson from Control.com for coming on the show!


Vendors: Would you like your product featured on the Podcast, Show or Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact

Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for March 1, 2023 (N042)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about AI, Light Curtains, Next Gen Wireless and Encoders, Ignition Cloud,  SuperTrack, Flex5000, Scalance switches and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

First up we have a press release from Rockwell Automation here announcing an update to their line of Branch Motor Control Protection devices.

Next we have another press release, this one from Yokogawa here detailing their new Autonomous Control A.I.

Over on the Banner Engineering site here we have a new Light Curtain series, the S4B, with 30mm spacing and lengths from 300 to 1800mm.

On the MOXA website here we find a new product line announcement about their next generation of industrial wireless devices.

And Inductive has a new article here on their soon to be released Ignition Cloud product.

As far as application stories, the first one today is from Rockwell Automation here that covers a recent upgrade to the control systems at Chicago Heights Steel.

The second here is from B&R about a recent installation of their SuperTrak system.

In our product spotlight today is The Automation School’s CompactLogix Course, Compact Basics, designed for users with some PLC experience who want to learn how to use, program, and troubleshoot the CompactLogix line of PACs. To learn more, click here.

In our Digital Newsstand section we have two new newsletters today. The first is from Posital here and starts out with a detailed look at their next generation of Encoders.

Also new today is the second issue of Automation Direct’s 2023 newsletter here which covers multiple subjects and includes links to a series of free, well written ebooks.

As far as downloads, today our search found a new update from Idec here of version 4.04.01 of their Automation Organizer suite of software for programming their PLC and HMI products.

In our “pub crawl” today we found several new publications of note. Rockwell Flex 5000 users may be interested in the first one here which is an updated manual for the IJ Frequency modules.

They may also find the second publication here of interest as it’s includes specifications and wiring diagrams for Flex5000 I/O modules.

Over on the Siemens site here we have a new manual here on using the Command Line Interface with Scalance Lever 2 switches.

Also new today here is an updated manual on using Web Based Management with the Scalance Lever 2 switches.

As far as new events go, today we’re highlighting a series of upcoming free webinars here from Endress+Hauser that cover such popular topics like Ethernet/IP, Profinet, IOLink, and Hart.

In upcoming content, this afternoon we’ll be releasing Episode 143 of The Automation Podcast with special guest David Peterson of Control.com who shares his experience using Industrial Arduino and Pi systems as PLCs.

And in our question of the day we share our thoughts on a user’s question on how to update the program of a remotely located CompactLogix that does not have remote access.

RSL5K Controller Properties Non-Volatile Memory Settings

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for February 28, 2023 (N041)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about CAN XL, PLCNext, EtherCAT, Actuators, Robot Controls, Packaging Trends, Raspberry Pis, Ransonware, Data Trends, Pipetting and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

First up we have a press release here from CAN In Automation about the third generation of CAN, CAN XL, being shown in recent live demonstrations.

Next we have a press release here from the PLCNext community announcing that their Beehyve project is now up on Slack.

In new products today we have the release of detailed product information here on Omron’s new EtherCAT slave module.

We also have information here about Faulhaber’s new L line of Linear Actuators.

Over on the SMC website we have an announcement here about their new Deceleration Controllers.

And on the Oriental Motor’s site here we have new information about their MRC01 Robot Controller with Ethernet/IP.

From new products to new articles, our first today is on the Omron website here and covers the top six trends they see in packing.

On the Onlogic site here we found a new article on the Raspberry PI and its use as a low cost industrial PC (IPC.)

On the ISA website here is a new article on Ransomware and how it affects manufacturing and industrial automation systems.

And today on the WWT website here, they’re sharing the 8 trends they see for Big Data in 2023.

Today we also have one new application profile here from Festo, on how their DHOP closed-loop pipette head enables high speed robotic pipetting (dispensing of exactly measured amounts of liquid.)

In our product spotlight today is The Automation School’s Micro800 Nano Basics Online course, designed for users with electrical experience who want to learn how to use, program, and troubleshoot Micro800 PLCs. To learn more, click here.

In our “pub crawl” today we found one new publication of interest here, which is an updated manual for the Rosemount 3410 Flowmeter.

Our audio video file of the is a new Tech Tip here on how to change the visual properties of Numeric and String Inputs in FactoryTalk View Studio.

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

View Studio Site Edition – Numeric & String Input Colors & Styles (T009)


In this edition of Automation Tech Tips I walk through how to change the Color and Style settings of Numeric and String Inputs in FactoryTalk View Studio.

NOTE: If you need to learn how to use ViewSE, check out my ViewSE Course. It comes with instructor support and never expires.


Automation Tech Tip Video:


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for February 27, 2023 (N040)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about IPCs, Robot Trends, High Speed Systems, Tunnel Tech, PanelView, Redundancy, Industrial Networks, ViewSE and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Monday, February 27, 2023.

First up we have an announcement here from Advantech about a new 15″ and 21″ editions of it’s UTC-500 lines of industrial PCs.

Next we have a new article from Schneider Electric here discussing how their Harmony wireless devices can increase productivity. To learn more, check out the associated brochure here.

On the ABB website we found a couple of new articles. The first one here includes their prediction of the top three robot trends of 2023. The other here discusses their solutions for monitoring data data centers.

Over on the B&R site we have two new application stories. The first here details how they were able to help a customer shave 30ms off a 150ms cycle time.

And the other here discusses how a new tunnel utilizes over 100 X20 PLCs to keep the trains on time.

In our product spotlight today is The Automation School’s PLC Basics Online course, designed for users with electrical experience who want to learn how to use and troubleshoot PLCs. To learn more, click here.

In our “pub crawl” today we came across two new publications from Rockwell Automation. The first here is an updated manual for the PanelView 800.

The other here is an updated edition of the redundancy manual for the 5580 line of controllers.

Over on the Siemens Website we also came across three new publications of interest. The first here is a brochure outlining their Wireless Indsutrial Lan Products.

The next here is a quick selection guide to their Managed Switches.

And the final one here is an updated brochure for their Sinumerik One product line.

In our audio video file of the day we’re spotlighting Friday’s new Tech Tip here on how to Export, Edit, and Import Tags in FactoryTalk View Studio.

In today’s Tech Tip we cover how to change the Graphical settings for Numeric and String Inputs in FactoryTalk View Studio (see today’s video below.)

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

View Studio, RSView32 – Export, Edit, and Import Tags (T008)


In this edition of Automation Tech Tips I walk through how to Export tags from FactoryTalk View Studio, how to Edit them in Notepad or Excel, and things to avoid that would prevent you from Importing your edited file back into View Studio.

NOTE: If you need to learn how to use ViewSE, check out my ViewSE Course. It comes with instructor support and never expires.


Automation Tech Tip Video:


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for February 24, 2023 (N039)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about Barcode Verification, Windows 10 IoT, Top Server, Commutation of DC Motors, IEC104, S7-1500, Codesys 3.5, Sharing Distributed I/O and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Friday, February 24, 2023.

First up in our new article section is an article from Cognex here about the difference between Barcode Verification and Barcode Quality.

Next we have a new article here from OnLogic discussing Windows 10 IoT and how it differs from Windows 10 Professional.

Over on the Software Toolbox website here we found a new article discussing Top Server’s client and server roles.

And on the Digi-Key website here is a new article about Commutation of Brushless DC Motors.

In our product spotlight today is our Logix Book Of Knowledge, which is an updated compilation of all of Shawn’s ControlLogix articles. To learn more, click here.

In our downloads section today is a new sample code file here which supports IEC104 communications and works with most CompactLogix and ControlLogix controllers.

And in our “pub crawl” today we came across two new publications. The first here is from Siemens and is an update to their popular manual collection for the S7-1500 and ET200 MP I/O.

The other here is from Emerson and is a new manual on their MR98 Series of Backpressure Regulators and Relief Valves.

Today we also have a “news tip” from Brandon T. He writes in to share news from WAGO about support added to their PFC200 series of PLCs for CodeSys 3.5. Brandon also sent in two links here and here where you’ll find more information (Thanks Brandon!)

In our audio video file of the day we’re spotlighting yesterday’s new Q & A video here where we discuss what may be causing a user’s CompactLogix to revert to an old IP Address each time power is cycled.

In “what’s coming up,” today at 3:30pm ET a new Automation Tech Tip releases here which covers how to Export, Edit, and Import HMI Tags with FactoryTalk View Studio.

As far as upcoming events, today we’re sharing news about an event here on Tuesday, February 28th at 2pm ET hosted by Horner Automation and will cover share I/O between multiple PLCs.

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

CompactLogix – Why Does Its IP Address Keep Changing? (qa230221)


Automation Q & A from the Morning Show dated 02/21/23:

A reader recently asked why does his CompactLogix’s IP Address keep  reverting back to the old value every time he cycles power, and I share my thoughts on that in today’s Automation Q&A.

NOTE: You’ll find the articles mentioned in this episode here and here.

NOTE: If you need to learn how to program, use, and troubleshoot CompactLogix, check out my Compact Basics online course. It comes with support and never expires.



Note: Automation Q & A is a member/supporter perk. Learn more about our membership/supporter options here.




Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for February 23, 2023 (N038)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about IIoT, SMC, HMI Cybersecurity, Thermal Monitoring, Stratix, UPSs, Profinet, Pendant Stations, Power Monitoring and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Thursday, February 23, 2023.

First up in our new products section is a new IIoT focused industrial PC from ASRock here.

Next we have new Vacuum Pad/Bowl attachment from SMC here.

From new products to new articles, the first in this morning’s roundup is from Stahl here, and covers Cybersecurity as it pertains to HMIs.

Next we have a new article from SME here which discusses Continuous Improvement in a post COVID era.

And today in the Grace blog we have a new article here about their Thermal Monitoring solution.

In our product spotlight today is our Video Collection 1: 2013-2020, which contains over 280 of our videos totaling over 29 hours. To learn more and pickup either the physical collection or digital edition, click here.

In our audio video file of the day we’re spotlighting two new videos. First up is the latest edition of The Automation Podcast here in which we look at four new or popular I/O and HMI products from Rockwell.

Today we’re also featuring a new video here from Linmot showcasing their product in use in a Kroning packaging machine.

In our “what’s coming up” section, today we’re highlighting a new episode of Automation Q & A  due out at 3:30pm ET in which we discuss why a user’s CompactLogix keeps returning to an old IP Address.

As far as upcoming events, today we’re sharing a new PROFINET one day in-person training course in Richmond, VA on March 2nd. To learn more, click here.

And in our “pub crawl” today we came across new publications from Rockwell and Schneider. On the Rockwell side we have a new Stratix 5800 User Manual here.

And on the Schneider side we have new publications on their Pendant Control Stations, UPS PowerChute Software, and their PM5000 Power Monitors.

And that’ll wrap up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

Rockwell I/O and HMI Product Update (P142)

Shawn Tierney meets up with Mace Bittman who comes on the show to give us an update on four Rockwell I/O and HMI products in Episode 142 of The Automation Podcast.

For more information, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video.


Watch the Podcast:



The Automation Podcast is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


The Automation Podcast, Episode 142 Show Notes:

Special thanks to Mace Bittman for coming on the show!


Vendors: Would you like your product featured on the Podcast, Show or Blog? If you would, please contact me at: https://theautomationblog.com/contact

Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for February 22, 2023 (N037)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about Cobot Grippers, PoE Budgets, AS-i Safety, Machine Vision, 3D Printing & Robots, NEC 2023 Changes and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

First up in our new products section are new grippers here from SMC designed specifically for cobots.

We also have a new product announcement here on A3’s website about a new gripper coming from Flexiv which is based on Geckos.

And over on Flexiv’s website here is another new product announcement, this one about their new Force-Controlled Parallel Robot.

From new products to new articles, the first article in this morning’s roundup is from Schneider Electric here and covers the basics of what is Industrial Automation.

Next is an article from Antaira here about how to develop a POE Power Budget.

On the Bihl-Wiedemann website here there’s a new article about their AS-i to EtherCAT safety gateways.

And on the Electromate website here there’s a new article which defines what Motor Dynamics and Motor Dynamism is.

On the Real-Time Automation website here is a new article that take takes a look back at Data Highway.

And on the Cognex website here we have an article on the importance of tracking regulatory compliance of product labels, and how machine vision can help.

And our final article today is from IEEE here, and it discusses a recent presentation by the president of AMD about power consumption challenges designing next gen microprocessors.

Today we also found a new application profile here from Fanuc which covers how one of their customers is using a robot to increase production after their staff leaves for the day.

In our product spotlight today is The Automation School’s PanelView Plus online course, PVP Basics. Designed for those who’d like to get up to speed on FactoryTalk View Studio and the PanelView Plus line of HMIs, it comes with lifetime access and support.

New to the Digital Newsstand today we found two newsletters. The first here is from Antaira and focuses on their new NAT Router.

And the other newsletter here is from Maple Systems and focuses on their new, high performance HMI.

In today’s downloads we also have two new product updates here from Auvesy-MDT.

In our audio video file of the day we’re spotlighting our Automation Tech Tip here on how to get the TIA Portal Free Trial.

And in our what’s coming up section today we’re highlighting a new episode of The Automation Podcast due out at 3:30pm ET in which Shawn interviews a long -time friend and Rockwell product expert on what new and coming products he’s  focusing on for Spring of 2023.

As far as upcoming events, today we’re highlighting three new online sessions. The first here is hosted by Universal Robots and covers how manufacturing technology impacts employee retention. The free event is scheduled for February 28, at 11am ET.

The next event here is a two half-day training online event from Beckhoff from 2-28 to 3-01. For more information including cost check out the event using this link.

The final event we’re covering today is from Opto22 and HiveMQ and will focus on using MQTT Sparkplug. To learn more, click here.

In our Automation Tech Tip and Q&A today we share our thoughts on why a user is having issues Exporting and Importing Tags to and from CSV files in View Studio (see show video at the end of article to view tech tip.)

And in our “pub crawl” we came across a couple of new publications. First up is a new publication from Leviton here covering the recent changes to the National Electric Code.

The next is from Siemens here and covers everything you need to know to setup communications between S7 PLCs.

And that wraps up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

TIA Portal – How To Download A Free Trial (2023, T007)

In this edition of Automation Tech Tips I walk through how to download the free trial of TIA Portal v18.

NOTE: If you need to learn how to use TIA Portal, check out my S7 Level 1 PLC course. It comes with instructor support and never expires.


Automation Tech Tip Video:


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney

News for February 21, 2023 (N036)

Daily Industrial Automation News and Tips:

Today we’re covering news about Stepper Drives, Digital Nameplates, Robot Trends, Ransomware, ViewSE, CIP Safety & Security and more in our Automation This Morning blog for Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

First up in our new products section is the announcement here of the P8000 Stepper Drive from Kollmorgen,

We also have an announcement on the ISA’s website here about Fuzzy Logic’s release of their Fuzzy Studio robot programming software.

First up in our new article section is an article here from Ignition about three tools that can help with rapid HMI & SCADA development.

Next we have an in-depth article here from STAHL about the emerging standard for Digital Nameplates.

Over on the ISA website we have a couple of new articles. The first here covers the Top Five Robot Trends for 2023, and the second here covers Communication Safety Challenges for Mobile Robots.

And today on the WWT website we have a new article here which covers Cyber Resilience to defend against some of the newest forms of attacks.

In our product spotlight today is The Automation School’s View Site Edition online course, ViewSE Basics. Designed for those with existing PLC experience who’d like to get up to speed on FactoryTalk View Studio for Site Edition applications, it comes with lifetime access and support.

In our coming content release, at 3:30pm ET here we will be releasing a new Automation Tech Tip on how to get the TIA Portal Free Trial.

In upcoming events we came across a new event here from Horner Automation scheduled for 2pm ET today that will cover installing their all-in-one PLC/HMI outdoors in conjunction with a Stahlin Solar Shield.

We also came across to upcoming events here and here from the ODVA scheduled for March 6th. The first will cover CIP Safety while the second covers CIP Security.

In our Q & A section today we share our thoughts on why a reader’s CompactLogix continues to return to a previous IP Address each time power is cycled (see the morning show video below for today’s segment.)

In our “pub crawl” we came across three new Emerson Manuals, including a new manual on their Sola HD UPS’s here and here, and a new Quick Start Guide here for their Rosemount 2240s.

And that wraps up today’s edition of Automation This Morning! If you’d like to watch or listen to the companion edition of the Automation Morning Show, you can do so using one of the links at the bottom of this post (the audio and video editions are typically released an hour after this article is published.)

If you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who’d like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.


Watch the show:


The Automation Morning Show is also available on most Video and Podcasting platforms, and direct links to each can be found here.


Listen to the Podcast:


Show Notes:

Thanks to everyone who watched or listened today! All the links to today's news can be found on our sister site, Automate.News, and if you think we missed something, or just want to share a news tip, please do so using this link.

Vendors who'd like to sponsor our show can learn about the options we offer, as well as contact us directly, using this link.

And if you'd like to join our community and support our work, you can do so for the price of a cup of coffee each month at TheAutomationBlog.com/join.

Huge thanks to all our supporters there!


Until next time, Peace ✌️ 

If you enjoy this episode please give it a Like, and consider Sharing as this is the best way for us to find new guests to come on the show.

Shawn M Tierney
Technology Enthusiast & Content Creator

Eliminate commercials and gain access to my weekly full length hands-on, news, and Q&A sessions by becoming a member at The Automation Blog or on YouTube. You'll also find all of my affordable PLC, HMI, and SCADA courses at TheAutomationSchool.com.

Shawn Tierney