How to troubleshoot your PLC system
At Qualitrol, we take great pride in how attentive our team is to the needs of customers. Some of our competitors willingly withhold repair knowledge in an attempt to garner more business, but we believe adding value to our customers' PLC installations should come at no cost.
Troubleshooting your PLC system
We offer a variety of troubleshooting and how-to videos to help your further reduce costs by showing you how to perform maintenance tasks on your own. We care about our customers’ needs and understand how irritating it can be to configure or administer installations without past experience. A former Qualitrol employee would often jokingly tell customers who had a troubleshooting question, “Read the book, don’t wait for the movie!” However, now you can watch the movie - the troubleshooting movie, that is. Qualitrol International has launched its Library of PLC Troubleshooting videos.
Topics covered include changing batteries in various GE 90-30, 90-70, and Versamax CPUs; setting up network communications for Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PAC systems; and many others. You can check our video collection on our PLC Tech Support Video page.
PLC tech support videos
We have found that these short, concise videos are a great way to demonstrate some basic troubleshooting techniques. Sometimes it can be difficult to explain technical ideas over the phone. We’ve all been there and no one understands better than us how challenging it can be to follow a procedure without a visual aid. With the wealth of knowledge of our engineers, our support videos are a great way to learn how to do certain tasks. In addition, it doesn’t matter if you work during the day or need to perform maintenance during the off-hours. Our videos are available for you any time of day.
Though you may think that some equipment is considered legacy equipment, PLC products generally have a long lifespan. Unfortunately, we find that many younger maintenance personnel charged with supporting controllers in many factories are not familiar with even the simplest tasks in some older PLC systems. It’s not their fault - it’s just that PLCs can last so long and they can stay in production for decades. It’s hard to expect an engineer who has only been out of school 5 years to know how to support a PLC that has been on the market for 20 years!
If you are stumped and need a demonstration, our videos will help guide you. Not only will our videos aid the management of your equipment, but they will also help you build new skills. One of the most rewarding feelings from doing a project on your own is the feeling of accomplishment. Furthermore, as your skills and familiarity performing basic PLC administration tasks grow, you will become more valuable to your organization. When you just can’t seem to solve your problems, don’t sweat it.
If you ever have a question for our PLC techs, please call or email to speak with a certified technician. They are available to walk you through any troubleshooting situation. Heck, they might even make a video about it.