Category Archives: HMI

Roll Your Own Rotary Encoders

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[miroslavus] hasn’t had much luck with rotary encoders. The parts he has tested from the usual sources have all been problematic either mechanically or electrically, resulting in poor performance in his projects. Even attempts to deal with the deficiencies in software didn’t help, so he did what any red-blooded hacker would do — he built his own rotary encoder from microswitches and 3D-printed parts.

We know what you’re thinking: [miroslavus] hasn’t built a true encoder. There’s no attempt to encode the angular position of the shaft, nor is any information about the speed or direction of the shaft’s rotation captured. …read more

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Control The Volume

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For anyone who has owned a boombox or an old(er) cassette player, the digital age volume controls feel incredibly awkward. Keep pressing buttons to get the volume just right can get tiresome real quick. The volume knob just makes sense and in a simple project, [Jeremy S Cook] brings us the Custom Computer Volume Control Knob.

The build employs an Adafruit Trinket board coupled with a rotary encoder and a push button as described by the designers themselves. We reached out to [Jeremy S Cook] to enquire about the build and it turns out his version uses an MDF enclosure …read more

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SCADA systems plagued by insecure development and slow patching

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“Behind most modern conveniences, there exists a SCADA system somewhere that controls them,” Trend Micro researchers pointed out in a new report that delves in the heart of vulnerabilities affecting SCADA systems’ Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs). Mean time to patch vulnerabilities from the time they were disclosed by year “SCADA systems are at the core of water treatment plants, gas pipelines, electrical power distribution systems, wind farms, expansive communication systems, and even civil defense sirens. … More → Continue reading SCADA systems plagued by insecure development and slow patching→

Modular portable conveyor belt

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When teaching Industrial Automation to students, you need to give them access to the things they will encounter in industry. Most subjects can be taught using computer programs or simulators — for example topics covering PLC, DCS, SCADA or HMI. But to teach many other concepts, you  need to have the actual hardware on hand to be able to understand the basics. For example, machine vision, conveyor belts, motor speed control, safety and interlock systems, sensors and peripherals all interface with the mentioned control systems and can be better understood by having hardware to play with. The team at [Absolutelyautomation] …read more

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Modular portable conveyor belt

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When teaching Industrial Automation to students, you need to give them access to the things they will encounter in industry. Most subjects can be taught using computer programs or simulators — for example topics covering PLC, DCS, SCADA or HMI. But to teach many other concepts, you  need to have the actual hardware on hand to be able to understand the basics. For example, machine vision, conveyor belts, motor speed control, safety and interlock systems, sensors and peripherals all interface with the mentioned control systems and can be better understood by having hardware to play with. The team at [Absolutelyautomation] …read more

Continue reading Modular portable conveyor belt→

Scan Reveals Hydropower Plants, Other Critical Infrastructure Exposed Online

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An Internet scan of the IPv4 address space uncovered more than 100 critical facilities exposed to the public Internet, including hydropower plants in Germany and Italy. Continue reading Scan Reveals Hydropower Plants, Other Critical Infrastructure Exposed Online→