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Troubleshooting your Automation Systems
“Wow, I’ve never seen that before.” Have you heard that comment from a supplier’s tech support engineer? I bet many of you have at some point in your career. As an automation engineer, troubleshooting your control systems can be one of the most challenging aspects of your job. It becomes even more challenging when you are integrating control components from various suppliers. As good (or bad) as a technical support group is, they haven’t seen everything.
My purpose is not to bash the technical support groups of automation suppliers because their jobs are also very challenging. I should know - I used to work in one of those tech support groups. For many engineers, the only conduit of communication with tech support is a phone line. One of the challenges for a tech support person is getting a thorough understanding of the problem. They try to ask the right questions in hopes of narrowing down the possibilities. Of course all bets are off when your system is interacting with other suppliers' systems. Tech support people usually know their own systems inside and out (we hope), but when it comes to another system, they often don’t have a clue. The end result is a lot of finger pointing.
So as a control system user, where else can you turn? How about leveraging the knowledge of other users that may have encountered the same problem? The chances are good that someone else in the world has encountered the same problem or is trying to use the system the same way you are. But how do you find them? Sure, user conferences are great opportunities to network with other engineers, but those venues usually occur once a year, for only a few days. If only there were some way you could network with other engineers any day at any time. Now there is!
My.Automation.com hosts Forums where you can create new posts (discussions) under various categories, including a “Troubleshooting Systems” category, which contains sub-categories for specific suppliers (more suppliers can easily be added upon request). If we see a lot of activity on specific supplier systems, we can easily create sub-categories under those suppliers as warranted. Please note that you can view any of the forums, but you won’t have the ability to post anything until you Create a Profile and/or Login.
The site has already attracted nearly 700 registered members and continues to build momentum. But the site is only as good as its members. There is power in numbers. The more members, the more powerful and useful it becomes to each of you. I know this is a new concept to many of you. But if you register and actually use the site, I know you won’t be disappointed. Like any other network, it takes time to build, so be patient and invite all your colleagues to join. Join the site today and use the “Invite” button to invite your automation colleagues. Who knows, you just might get the answer to that nagging problem.
My.Automation.com is an online professional networking site created with you, the automation engineer, in mind. Networking sites are used extensively among the younger generation, but have also proved very successful for the IT and other technical industries. My.Automation.com was tailored specifically for the automation industry. We are always looking for feedback on how to make this new site a useful tool for your job. If you have any feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Once you create a profile, you can easily find me under Featured Members and contact me through the site.
Enjoy the rest of this eNews!
Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher |
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