Top 5 Control Engineering articles January 9-15: Control panel design, choosing a control system platform, choose the best controller, more

Articles about good control panel design, choosing the right control system platform, choosing the best controller, the 2016 System Integrator Giants, and a universal Internet of Things (IoT) language were Control Engineering’s five most clicked articles from January 9-15. Miss something? You can catch up here.

By Chris Vavra January 16, 2017

The top 5 most read articles online, from Jan. 9-15 for Control Engineering, covered good control panel design, choosing the right control system platform, choosing the best controller, the 2016 System Integrator Giants, and a universal Internet of Things (IoT) language. Links to each article below. 

1. Four aspects of good control panel design

Good control panel design should feature strong layout and component placement, labeling, panel sizing and component spacing, and wireway design.

2. Considerations for choosing the right control system platform

Choosing between a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a distributed control system (DCS) depends on the type of project and plant. PLCs and a DCS provide different kinds of benefits, depending on the application.

3. How to choose the best controller for each application

Consider the features and typical applications for industrial controllers to understand what type of controller fits each application. Do you need a programmable logic controller (PLC), programmable automation controller (PAC), or industrial PC (IPC)? See comparison tables for PLCs, PACs, and IPCs.

4. 2016 System Integrator Giants 

The System Integrator Giants program (SI Giants) lists the top 100 system integrators among companies listed in the CFE Media Global System Integrator Database, ranked solely on total system integration revenue. 

5. Group launches universal language for the Internet of Things

The zigbee alliance’s dotdot is a universal language for the Internet of Things (IoT) and is designed to make smart objects work together on any network and improve connectivity on the supply chain.

The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on controleng.com, January 9-15, for articles published within the last two months.

Chris Vavra, production editor, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.


Author Bio: Chris Vavra is web content manager for CFE Media and Technology.