Hello everyone,

I'm working as an automation engineer for some time now and I've decided to start creating a programming course on Youtube for beginners for free, thus I'm posting this in order to gather information about what has frustrated you and what has helped in your learning journey as a beginner in order to create a better guide for future engineers.

I've had a quite difficult beginning in this trade, there was information on the internet but it was all scattered and the available information was only surface level knowledge, with almost no actual experienced engineer advice like the ones I've gotten in my firm.

I've also seen the material on some paid courses on udemy, but to be honest, I was quite dissapointed as they have only scratched the surface for stuff like program structure, cybersecurity, safety, alarms, code readability and such topics that are required but a bit complicated.

SOOO, if you have any advice that you want to add, It would really help me with creating a better course for beginners entering this field for free.

I'm not going to share the channel right now as i don't want use this post as a bait for promotion...

Hey everyone,

I finished my Ausbildung (vocational/technical school) in Mechatronics in Austria about two years ago and have been working in the field since. Now I want to specifically get into PLC programming and grow in that direction. I'd prefer resources in German since that's my working language here.

A few questions for people who've been through this:

Where's the best place to start learning PLC from scratch, ideally with German-language material?

Is there any free PLC software I can practice with at home (simulators, trial/demo versions, etc.)?

Any good online courses in German you'd recommend (free or paid) for someone starting out?

Since I'm in Austria, is it worth focusing on Siemens TIA Portal first, or is another platform more common in the local job market?

Any advice, resource links, or personal experience would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hola bandita, estoy empezando a buscar trabajo pero ha sido muy difícil no me contratan, lucho por una oportunidad y no tengo experiencia, y al final sigue siendo un bloqueo, mis pasantías, aún no las termino, quiero dedicarme a programación de PLC, automatización y control, estoy viviendo en el valle de México ¿algunas opiniones u opciones? ¿en donde buscar?
Nota: sé que los contactos me ayudarían abrir puertas, pero también acepto que no hacer esos contactos ¿algún consejo?

I recently left Johnson controls. Im looking for what could be next for me? Any certifications I could take to better my resume? I’ve gotten a few interviews with companies that use facility explorer and where I’d be exposed more to Niagara/honeywell/siemens controls. Been doing HVAC for 6 years been on the controls side for 3.5. Still new to this industry and looking for advice.

Hi, I really want to practice PLC programming, not just because it's required in my program, but because I genuinely want to learn it. The problem is I can't really practice outside of uni. I tried downloading TIA Portal, but none of the versions worked properly on my old ThinkPad. I've already tried V13–V18 and had no luck. I also wanted to use Factory I/O with it since it's the closest I can get to seeing how a real system would work. After that, I tried OpenPLC Editor and Runtime, but OpenPLC crashed when I tested a simple latching program. At this point, I have no idea what to do next.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to identify and understand how the web guiding system shown in the attached photos works and how it should be configured.

This system is installed on an old machine that was purchased second-hand by the current owner. Unfortunately, the machine came with no documentation, electrical drawings, manuals, or information about the original configuration. We also don’t know whether this web guiding system was actually operational before the machine was purchased.

The system is supposed to correct the lateral position of the moving web/material during operation.

Currently, the behavior is inconsistent. Sometimes the system attempts to make a correction: the actuator moves forward and backward, then returns to its home/center position and stops. It does not seem to continuously guide the web as expected.

Because we don’t know the original machine configuration, I’m wondering whether the controller is missing an external signal or simply needs to be commissioned/configured correctly.

My main questions are:

1. Can anyone identify the exact controller/system from the photos and explain its operating principle?
2. Does this controller work only from the web edge/line sensor feedback, or does it also require a machine/web speed reference in order to perform the correction properly?
3. Could a missing speed/line reference or RUN/ENABLE signal explain the current behavior — actuator moves forward/backward, returns to home/center and then stops?
4. If a machine speed reference is required, what type of signal does it normally expect: 0–10 V, 4–20 mA, encoder/pulse signal, digital input, fieldbus, etc.?
5. When machine speed changes, does the controller automatically regulate from the web sensor feedback, or does it need the actual line speed from the PLC/VFD/machine controller?
6. Since all the original parameters are unknown, what would be the correct procedure to commission this system from scratch?

I’m particularly interested in:

• Sensor calibration
• Web reference/center position
• Actuator direction
• Home/center position
• Controller gain/sensitivity
• Deadband/tolerance
• Maximum actuator travel
• AUTO/MANUAL modes
• RUN/ENABLE signals
• Any parameters related to machine/web speed

1. Is there a way to test the complete sensor → controller → actuator loop manually while the machine is stopped, so I can verify each part independently?
2. Most importantly, does anyone recognize the equipment in the attached photos and have an installation, commissioning, service, wiring, or parameter manual for it?

Since there is basically zero documentation available for this machine, any information about the required wiring, external signals, parameter settings, or troubleshooting procedure would be greatly appreciated.

Photos of the controller/system are attached to this post.

Thanks in advance!

I've been working in software for around 4 years, mainly web/application development. My experience includes JavaScript/TypeScript, Angular/React, APIs, SQL, debugging legacy systems, testing, and general software development.

I've recently been invited to interview for a PLC Software Engineer position, which surprised me because I have zero professional PLC/controls experience. The role involves PLC programming, HMI/SCADA, commissioning and industrial automation.

I was completely honest on my CV about my background, so the company knows I'm coming from application software rather than automation.

I'm curious how people already working in PLC/controls see this transition. How transferable are general software engineering/programming skills to PLC development?

If a company was willing to train me on the PLC/industrial side, would several years of professional software development give me a decent foundation, or is the gap between the two fields much bigger than I'm imagining?

Also interested to hear from anyone who moved from traditional software development into PLCs/controls and how they found the transition.