Top 10 Control Engineering articles October 8 to November 7: Engineers’ Choice finalists, PID velocity, PLC programming benefits, more

Articles about the Engineers' Choice finalists, PID velocity, PLC object-oriented programming benefits, scary automation on Halloween, and operating a three-phase motor were Control Engineering’s five most clicked articles from October 8 to November 7. Miss something? You can catch up here. Also see what ranked 6-10.

By Chris Vavra November 8, 2016

The top 5 most read articles online, from Oct. 8 to Nov. 7 for Control Engineering, covered the Engineers’ Choice finalists, PID velocity, PLC object-oriented programming benefits, scary automation on Halloween, and operating a three-phase motor. Also see what ranked 6-10 over the last month. 

1. 2017 Engineers’ Choice Finalists 

For a limited time, the official Engineers’ Choice ballot is open for voting for Control Engineering North American print and digital edition subscribers. Vote for the best Engineers’ Choice finalists of 116 entries across 28 categories. 

2. The velocity of PID 

Inside Process: Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) theory is best introduced as the familiar second order differential equation via the velocity form instead of the more traditional positional form. 

3. PLC object-oriented programming benefits

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is about organizing and simplifying program elements in an optimal way by using objects, methods, and properties. 

4. Using automation to scare the neighbors on Halloween

Automation is used in ghoulish and frightful ways by one particular sales manager on Halloween who is determined to satisfy his children’s urge and desire to scare. See video for more frights and scares.

5. How to properly operate a three-phase motor using single-phase power

There are several methods to operating a three-phase motor using single-phase power to make what would be an otherwise expensive and arduous process a little easier.

More popular stories on Control Engineering

As an online-only feature, we’re featuring the stories that finished 6-10 over the past month.

6. PLC coding guidelines released

PLCopen has released coding guidelines designed to help provide industrial control programming solutions for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and was created by members from different companies as well as educational institutions.

7. Butterfly valve basics

Inside Process: Like other types of valves butterfly valves interrupt product flow within processes. Typically used in pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries, they have generally replaced ball valves due to lower cost and ease of installation.

8. The benefits of calculating ROI to measure a facility’s performance objectives

For automation, return on investment (ROI) is more important than total cost of ownership (TCO). When making a capital investment in automation, companies need to determine value based on the solution’s impact on facility performance and its workforce. Also consider cost of downtime and services.

9. Finding the right tools to delve into process data

Cover Story: New tools beyond the spreadsheet are needed to empower process engineers so they can derive insights from the data that is being transmitted.

10. How to choose the right level instrument for applications

There are many level measuring techniques, however they need to be the right fit for the application. See the three key constraints to measuring solids in tanks and vessels.

The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on controleng.com, October 8 to November 7, 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.