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Factory Field Notes

Factory Field Notes

By: Vladimir Romanov
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Summary

 Factory Field Notes is a practical podcast for manufacturing leaders, engineers, and technical managers who want real lessons from the plant floor. Hosted by Vladimir Romanov, the show breaks down automation, controls, SCADA, MES, OT networks, industrial data, downtime, reliability, project execution, and the messy work of modernizing factories without vendor fluff or empty transformation talk.© 2026 Vladimir Romanov
Episodes
  • Ep. 1 | PLC Programming Q&A: Free Simulators, Browser IDEs, and Physical PLC Trainers Reviewed

    Ep. 1 | PLC Programming Q&A: Free Simulators, Browser IDEs, and Physical PLC Trainers Reviewed
    May 9 2026
    PLC programming Q&A walks through five r/PLC community questions on free simulators, browser IDEs, physical trainers, automation careers, and project complexity.This first episode pulls the most discussed questions from r/PLC, PLCtalk, control.com, and automation subreddits, then answers each with the perspective a working controls engineer would give. Subscribe to follow the rest of the series.Learn more at Joltek:- PLC Scan Cycles, Polling, and SCADA Data: https://www.joltek.com/blog/plc-scan-cycles-polling-scada-systems-data- Connecting an Allen Bradley PLC to Ignition: https://www.joltek.com/blog/connecting-allen-bradley-plc-ignition- Modern Plant Network Requirements in Manufacturing: https://www.joltek.com/blog/modern-plant-network-requirements-manufacturing- Rockwell PLC Lifecycle Migration Guide: https://www.joltek.com/blog/rockwell-plc-lifecycle-migration-guideQuestion one is the RavSControls free browser based ladder logic simulator. I built a motor start and stop circuit: normally open start, normally closed stop, a coil for the motor, and a seal in branch on the motor running tag. Latching worked. The UI has a vibe coded feel familiar to anyone who has used Claude Code or Gemini, and it is useful for rung structure, contact and coil semantics, and the basic instruction set. It is not a substitute for Studio 5000, TIA Portal, or CODESYS when you need deterministic scan cycles or peripherals support, but for an introductory motor starter it is a clean free sandbox.Question two is from a 40 year old switching out of retail and transit into automation through a community college program funded in part by the Pell Grant. Age is not the limiter, time is. Working 15 hours a day with two kids leaves very little room for the math, physics, and mental models automation work assumes. The market is real though. The 2025 workforce data lists the skilled worker shortage as a top business threat for 38 percent of manufacturers, and the average controls engineer salary sits at $119,682, up 4.3 percent year over year. The path takes longer than for a 20 year old in the same program, but it is absolutely possible.Question three is whether physical PLC trainers with switches, BCD displays, and analog dials are still worth building. After the first hour of PLC wiring practice, the value of physical pushbuttons and LEDs drops fast. PID loops and sequence logic are better simulated in software. You can latch bits inside Studio 5000, RSLogix 5000, TIA Portal, or CODESYS, and use Inductive Automation Ignition or Node RED to emulate field devices and HMI screens. Physical trainers earn their keep for teaching wiring discipline; for logic instruction, virtualization wins on cost and flexibility.Question four is from someone who built a fully browser based IEC 61131 part 3 environment with all five languages, OPC UA and Modbus, live tag monitoring, an HMI designer, multi user role based access, and version history. The build is real; the market problem is harder. Rockwell controllers run on Studio 5000. Siemens controllers run on TIA Portal. Interfaces, address structures, AOI tooling, and module configuration are tightly coupled to the vendor and firmware, and exporting cleanly into either stack is rarely smooth. The architecture also underestimates peripherals: VFDs, servo drives, smart sensors, third party load scales, and safety relays all need vendor specific configuration that OPC UA or Modbus alone does not erase.Question five is whether modern PLC projects are actually getting more complex. They are. The PLC logic is often the easy part now. The full scope today usually includes HMI development, plant SCADA on top of local screens, OT networking with managed switches, VLAN segmentation, NAT for OEM cells, remote access for vendors and on call engineers, and a databases and analytics layer feeding plant KPIs like OEE, MTBF, and MTTR. Since 2020, remote access has shifted from a nice to have to a default expectation, and the pressure to measure with real time data has made historians and SCADA a baseline component, not an add on. The controls engineer role now extends well into IT territory.Timestamps0:00 Intro to the Q&A Series0:50 Free PLC Ladder Logic Simulator (RavSControls)5:33 Switching Into Automation at 408:23 Channel Intro: Vladimir Romanov and Joltek8:55 Physical vs Virtual PLC Trainers12:20 Browser Based IEC 61131 Part 3 PLC IDE15:30 Are PLC Projects Getting More Complex?19:30 Closing and Call for QuestionsVisit Joltek: https://www.joltek.comAbout Vladimir Romanov: https://www.joltek.com/team-members/vladimir-romanovBook a modernization consultation: https://www.joltek.com/book-a-modernization-consultation#PLCProgramming #IndustrialAutomation #LadderLogic #ControlsEngineering #OTNetworking
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    21 mins
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