Difference between 2-wire, 3-wire, and 4-wire signal transmitter connections

4–20mA sensor transmitters are very common in industries to measure physical parameters such as pressure, temperature, flow, etc. Based on how they are connected to the process control and automation systems, they are classified into 2-wire, 3-wire, and 4-wire signal transmitters. This article will help you understand the underlying concepts and the difference between 2-wire, … Read more

Sinking and Sourcing Concepts and their differences

Sourcing and sinking are the core terms of PLC wiring and can greatly affect the reliability and functionality of your control system. In this article, we will explore these fundamental concepts and ensure the success in design and installation of a PLC system. What is sinking and sourcing? Sinking and sourcing refer to two distinct … Read more

The Concepts of a 4-20mA current Loop

4-20mA Current loops are widely used to transmit process variable data such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, level, consistency, speed, etc between the process controllers and the field devices. Transmitters convert these process signals to 4-20mA DC for the purpose of transmitting the signal. This signal can be transmitted to a long distance with little … Read more

Top 10 DCS Companies in the world

Distributed Control Systems (DCS) is being used to control a production plant or a process for over 40 years now. They were commercialized with the launch of TDC 2000 by Honeywell and CENTUM systems by Yokohama. Distributed control systems have been evolving since then. Here is the list of the top 10 leading players in … Read more

Top 10 Industrial Automation companies in the world

Industrial automation and robotics enable large-scale manufacturing at a lower cost. It enables an increase in productivity and product quality. There are many industrial automation service providers around the globe. Here is the list of the top 10 industrial automation companies in the world. Top 10 Industrial Automation companies Siemens AG – Germany ABB – … Read more

Types of Proximity sensors and their applications

Proximity sensors are used to detect the presence of an object without any direct contact. It is used as an alternative to the limit switches. There are various types of proximity sensors available in the market. Their invention led to a revolution in the field of industrial automation and robotics. Proximity switches were developed by Wilfried … Read more

Difference between NO and NC

In every control circuits and automation systems, logic is developed based on the open or closed state of switches, sensors or relays. Hence it is mandatory to know the concept behind NO/NC. Normally open(NO) and Normally closed (NC) are terms used to define the states of switches, sensors or relay contacts under when its coil … Read more

Digital I/O and Analog I/O

Automation has become the backbone of almost all industries worldwide. Digital IO and analog IO are the most basic terms of any PLC/DCS based control and microcontroller-based applications. A PLC collects data from the field process it as pre-programmed and produces one or more outputs. The data that is collected from the field is considered … Read more

Difference between mico processors and micro controllers

  Microprocessor It has many support devices like ROM, Read-Write memory, Serial interface, Timer, I/O ports etc. All these support devices are interfaced to microprocessor via a system bus. All support devices in a microprocessor based system are external.  The system bus is composed of an address bus, data bus and control bus. Microcontroller All the support … Read more