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Troubleshooting

  • As reliable as control systems usually are, they certainly aren't immune from strange behaviors from time to time. Whether its due to a software bug, power or grounding issues, or environmental problems, we can quickly chase down what's causing your system to misbehave.

    • Logic Debugging

      • Cycle Time Analysis

      • Function Call and Scoping Issues

      • Identifying and Fixing Race Conditions

      • Overwritten Tags​

      • Memory Overflow Issues

      • PLC Resource Exhaustion Issues

      • Error Analysis

      • Exceeded Limits Analysis

    • Low Voltage Electrical Issues​

      • Ground Loops​

      • Electromagnetic Interference

      • Wiring Faults

        • Shorted and Cross-wired Connections​

    • Environmental Issues​

      • Thermal Issues​

      • Radio Interference

  • Why won't these devices talk to each other? It's one of the most common questions asked in the field. Fortunately, we've seen and resolved countless device communication issues over the years. Below are some of the networking concerns we are highly experienced at resolving.

    • Ethernet Communication Issues

      • PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP, EtherCAT

      • Open Socket TCP and UDP communications

      • MQTT, OPC UA, OPC DA, and other IIoT Protocols​

      • Cabling Issues

    • Serial Communication Issues

      • PROFIBUS, Modbus, DeviceNet, ControlNet

      • RS-232, RS-485​

      • Cabling Issues

    • Wireless Communication Issues​

    • Routing and Firewall Issues

    • Cross-Platform Communication Issues

    • Communication Card Diagnostics

  • If you're experiencing issues with your drives, motors, or motion controller, we have the skills and expertise to get everything running smoothly again. Below are some of the areas where we helped our customers recover their motion control operations.

    • Encoder Issues

      • Configuration Verification​

      • Homing Procedure Issues

    • Servo, Vector, and Induction Motor Diagnosis

    • Speed, Position, Current, Torque/Force Control Loop tuning

      • PID Adjustments​

    • Power Factor Correction

    • Frequency Analysis

      • Resonance Frequency Dampening​

    • Encoder and Motor Power Cabling Issues​

  • Often times replacing an industrial device is not as "plug-and-play" as the manufacturers claim. We can run into problems due to firmware, communication settings, safety parameters, and device memory not being restored. If you're replacing a failed device, we can make sure it's swapped over with minimal disruption to your operations.

    • Device Backup and Restoration

    • Firmware Upgrades and Downgrades

    • Parameter Loading

    • Restoring Communications

    • System Functional Testing and Verification

Optimization

  • If your PLC scan times are too slow, you may be able to upgrade your performance without needing to upgrade your hardware. By hiring Central Florida Automation, we can improve your PLC's performance by refactoring and modularizing your logic, using more time-efficient instructions, and eliminating unnecessarily complex code.

    • Cycle Time Improvements

      • Cycle Time Analysis

      • Function Call and Scoping Analysis

      • Refactoring Time-Sensitive Code into Interrupts

      • Evaluating Interrupt Priority

      • Simplifying Unnecessarily Complex Logic

      • Evaluating Time-Efficiency of Instructions

    • Memory Utilization

      • Refactoring Redundant Code into Function Blocks/AOIs

      • Function Call Nesting Analysis

      • Data Structuring

      • Identifying and Eliminating Dead Code and Unused Tags

      • Tag Datatype Modifications

      • Evaluating Data-Efficiency of Instructions

    • Usability

      • Improving the Readability of the Code

      • Adding or Revising Comments for Easier Maintenance 

  • Optimal network performance is critical for high-speed applications. Central Florida Automation is well-versed in industrial networks and can evaluate your system for opportunities to improve communication cycle times. Below are some of the ways we have helped customers improve their industrial network performance.

    • Modifying Network Topology to Reduce Latency

    • Synchronizing Code Execution to Communication Cycle

    • Implementing Realtime Industrial Communications

      • ​PROFINET RT or IRT, CIP Sync, EtherCAT G

    • Setting up Precision Time Protocol (PTP)

    • Adding or Upgrading Communication Hardware​

      • Balancing Communication Load​

    • Optimizing Network Configuration​

  • Maybe your servos are making high-pitched noises while running. Perhaps your axes aren't positioning well under load. Whatever the case may be, we can help you optimize your motion system. Whether it's a simple single axis or highly-coordinated multi-axis system, your machine can benefit from our Motion Optimization service.

    • Servo, Vector, or Induction Motor Control Loop Tuning

      • Time and Frequency based Analyses​

      • Speed, Position, Current, Torque/Force Control Loop tuning

      • Frequency Filtering for Optimal Control (when possible)

      • Achieve Optimal Balance between Performance and Versatility

    • Kinematic Modeling for Multi-Axis Systems​

    • Cam Profiling

    • Motion Controller and VFD parameterization

    • Motion Smoothing and Jerk Dampening

    • Improved Communication between Motion Controller and Drives

    • Synchronous Execution between Motion Controller and Drives

  • Having access to clear and comprehensive diagnostics is critical for maintaining your control system. In the field, we often see one of two problems when a single fault occurs--either no alarms get triggered or the HMI gets cluttered with dozens of alarms. If this sounds like your application, we would be happy to evaluate and improve how your machine handles its diagnostics. Below shows how we'll typically approach the diagnostics for a control system.

    • Evaluate Machine Failure Modes

      • Update PLC code to monitor these conditions

      • Provide sufficient warnings prior to failure event

      • Assign maintenance priority based on severity and impact

    • Establish Alarm Hierarchy Structure​

      • System -> Subsystem -> Function -> Sub-function -> Component

      • Mask higher level alarms when their lower level alarms are triggered

      • Minimize Nuisance Alarms

    • Detailed Alarm Descriptions and Maintenance Steps

      • All alarms provide sufficient information and recovery steps​

      • Location information provided down to the individual terminal

    • Alarm Analytics​

      • Establish process of storing alarm information​

      • Write scripts to find patterns in the alarms

    • Notifications​

      • Add SMS or Email notifications if desired​

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Control Systems Troubleshooting & Optimization

Whether your control system is not performing as well as it could be, or not performing at all, let us help your get your operations back on track. We are quite proficient at troubleshooting and optimizing industrial control systems, so you can realize their full potential. If you're in need of support, please contact us today.

+1 (321) 999-2120
info@cflautomation.com
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On-site Service Information

Central Florida Automation is committed to providing the highest level of service for your troubleshooting or optimization needs. All jobs will begin with us discussing your specific goals and concerns. We will need to know sufficient details about the machine, the issues you're experiencing, and any known potential causes. We will need to know of any potential safety hazards. If operation of the machine is necessary for testing, we will require a qualified operator to accompany us and operate the machine as needed. This is to ensure everyone's safety. Our visit can be a great learning experience, so we welcome your interested engineers or technicians to sit with us and ask questions.

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Before we arrive onsite, we will need to know about any specific PPE or procedural requirements. We will need to know which devices are being evaluated including their firmware version and the version of the software they were configured in. We would appreciate receiving the project files prior to our visit. We begin the troubleshooting or optimization process with a backup of all relevant devices. All troubleshooting and optimization steps will be documented and provided in a report. Documentation will clearly highlight before and after changes within the engineering software. You will be provided with all updated project files. After troubleshooting or optimization is complete, we will perform functional testing with you and answer any questions you have.

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Central Florida Automation LLC is fully insured with General Commercial Liability and Professional Errors & Omissions Coverages. Certificate of Insurance available on request.

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