Engineering Guides — PLC, SCADA, Instrumentation, Networks

Predictive maintenance – PlusSmart

PlusSmart – Predictive Maintenance for Pumps and Rotating EquipmentOverview of i-ALERT, ReliaPump, Analytics, Poseidon Trident, ElectroSine, Flexaseal and PlusVision.
i-ALERT Wireless Vibration SensorISO 10816-3 vibration limits, fault signatures, sensor mounting.
ReliaPump Smart VFD Pump ControlBEP, dead-head, dry running, affinity laws, parallel pump flow balancing.
PlusSmart Analytics: Pump Data AnalysisAsset ranking, MTBF, specific energy, maintenance budgets.
Poseidon Trident Online Oil MonitoringWear debris, oil condition, ISO 4406, sensor installation.
ElectroSine Electrical Signature AnalysisMCSA, broken rotor bars, NEMA MG-1 voltage-unbalance derating.
Flexaseal Mechanical SealsSeal failure analysis, API 682 flush plans, face materials.
PlusVision Industrial AI CameraEdge AI for leaks, fire, PPE and restricted zones.

Mitsubishi MELSEC Legacy PLCs (A, QnA, AnS, FX2N): Spare Parts and Migration Guide8 min read · October 2026 — Discontinuation dates, the spare kit to keep, and migration paths to Q, iQ-R and iQ-F.
Siemens S7-300 End of Life: Key Dates, Spare Parts and Migration to S7-15009 min read · October 2026 — Phase-out dates, the spare parts to secure now, and a staged migration path to S7-1500 and ET 200SP.
OPC UA vs MQTT: Getting Plant Data to IT Without Regret7 min read · June 2026 — The two protocols dominating IIoT data movement solve different problems. When to use each, when to use both, and the architecture that keeps OT secure while IT gets the data it wants.
Predictive Maintenance: Start with the Data You Already Have6 min read · June 2026 — You do not need an AI platform to stop breakdowns. Most early wins come from drive parameters, PLC counters, IO-Link sensors and simple thresholds — here is the 90-day version that works.
IIoT Edge Gateways: Connecting the Factory Floor to the Cloud7 min read · February 2026 — Edge gateways bridge OT and IT. What they actually do, why processing at the edge beats sending everything to the cloud, and a specification checklist for choosing one.

RTD vs Thermocouple: Differences, Accuracy and How to Choose6 min read · June 2026 — Accuracy, range, response time and wiring — a practical comparison that tells you in five minutes which sensor belongs at each measurement point, and why a head transmitter belongs with both.
Flow Meter Selection: Matching Technology to the Fluid8 min read · June 2026 — Magnetic, Coriolis, vortex, ultrasonic or differential pressure — each wins somewhere. A decision guide by fluid type, accuracy need and installation reality, with the questions that decide it in five minutes.
Selecting a Pressure Transmitter: Range, Accuracy and Process Connection7 min read · June 2026 — Gauge, absolute or differential? How to specify range, accuracy class, wetted materials, process connection, output and approvals without over-paying — with worked examples on Cerabar, SITRANS P and ABB 266.
Instrument Calibration: Setting Intervals You Can Defend6 min read · June 2026 — Annual calibration of everything is neither safe nor economical. How to set intervals from criticality and drift history, what a traceable certificate must contain, and how modern instruments change the job.

Modbus Gateway: RTU to TCP Conversion, Setup and Troubleshooting9 min read · October 2026 — How a Modbus gateway converts Modbus RTU (RS-485) to Modbus TCP: operating modes, step-by-step configuration, polling time, common faults and how to choose one.
Segmenting OT Networks: VLANs, DMZ and IEC 62443 Zones in Practice8 min read · July 2026 — A flat plant network is one infected laptop away from a line stop. A practical segmentation blueprint — zones, conduits, DMZ, remote access — that protects production without breaking the traffic the PLCs need.
Network Redundancy on the Plant Floor: RSTP, Ring and Beyond8 min read · June 2026 — A single broken link should never stop a line. How industrial ring protocols work, when RSTP is enough, which switches to buy, and how to design recovery times that PLCs can live with.
Industrial Protocols Explained: Modbus, PROFINET & EtherNet/IP7 min read · April 2026 — A concise comparison of the three most common industrial Ethernet protocols — where each dominates, what it is good and bad at, and how to bridge between them with gateways without stalling the project.

Safety Relays vs Safety PLC: Where Is the Crossover Point?6 min read · July 2026 — Two safety relays are cheap. Ten are not — and the wiring becomes its own hazard. How to decide between discrete safety relays and a programmable safety controller, with the numbers we use.
IEC 61131-3 Languages: Ladder, ST, FBD — Which to Use When7 min read · July 2026 — All five PLC languages compile to the same scan — but maintainability differs enormously. A field-tested guide to choosing the language per routine, based on who maintains it and what it does.
How to Select the Right PLC for Your Machine8 min read · May 2026 — A practical framework for choosing a programmable logic controller: I/O count and headroom, scan time, fieldbus, safety, software ecosystem and lifecycle — with the controllers we recommend most often in Vietnam.

How to Read a Datasheet: Derating and the Specs That Actually Matter6 min read · June 2026 — Headline specs are marketing; footnotes are engineering. Where the real limits hide — temperature derating, duty cycles, test conditions, MTBF versus service life — and how to compare two candidates honestly.
IP Ratings Explained: What IP65, IP67 and IP69K Really Promise5 min read · May 2026 — Ingress protection codes are precise test definitions, not marketing tiers. What each digit means, where each rating belongs in a plant, why IP67 does not include IP69K, and the installation mistakes that void them.
How We Keep Counterfeit Components Out of Your Build5 min read · March 2026 — Counterfeit and substandard industrial parts are a real supply-chain risk, especially for popular discontinued PLCs and HMIs. The layered controls — source, inspection, documentation — that protect you, and what to ask any supplier.

Alarm Management: From 2,000 Alarms a Day to a System Operators Trust7 min read · June 2026 — When everything alarms, nothing does. The ISA-18.2 approach to rationalizing alarms — priorities, deadbands, delays, shelving — explained for real control rooms, with the numbers to measure yourself against.
SCADA vs HMI (and PLC): Key Differences and When to Use Each6 min read · April 2026 — HMI and SCADA are often used interchangeably, but they solve different problems at different scales. How to architect monitoring and control correctly — and what it means for the hardware you buy.

Lead-Time Risk: Dual Sourcing and the Critical Spares List7 min read · June 2026 — The part that stops your plant is rarely the expensive one. How to build a defensible critical-spares strategy: classification by downtime, stock levels by formula, qualified alternates and lifecycle monitoring.
How to Write an RFQ That Gets You Accurate Quotes — Fast6 min read · June 2026 — The quality of a quotation is set by the quality of the request. Seven fields that cut quote turnaround from days to hours and prevent wrong-part deliveries — with examples of good and bad part numbers.
Keeping Legacy Machines Running: A Guide to Obsolescence6 min read · March 2026 — When a critical part goes end-of-life you have options — if you act before the failure. Lifecycle tracking, last-time buys, qualified alternatives, tested replacement units and planned migration, in the order to consider them.