Not enough time in the day?

You don’t know what you don’t know.

Especially when it comes to new technology – for machine builders every second counts, and that means there’s little or no time to figure out what’s available and how it might fit into the development cycle.

It’s like upgrading your cell phone. You know you should. But you don’t have the time to sit down and figure out all of the new plan’s features – and how to use them. So you keep what you’ve got – old technology, old habits. And if you do upgrade, do you have the time to figure it all out? I hate the thought of potential left untapped for weeks or even for the life of the phone because I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

I call this a disincentive to using new technology. It happens with personal electronics, and it happens with machines. So here’s what makes me a better technology user – and I’m guessing it might be the same for you:

1. Auto fill feature. For example, a bill of materials that puts the right components in place based on some original, simple selections. If I put in a drive, the right circuit breaker is added, making it easy to adjust and match the horsepower I picked for my drive. Add in a list of standard accessories, complementary products and useful add-ons and an edit button I can use to make adjustments and quickly see the results, and I’ve just saved significant time learning what’s available and how it can all fit together.
2. .DWG files and not just PDFs. Blank slates are efficiency killers when it comes to the design process. If I can get started with the schematics in my CAD software file format, ready to be customized, then I have jumped past the need to parse through the manuals to find and review the example wiring diagrams and the terminal number tables before even starting the base schematics for the new components.
3. Preset programming files for logic and HMI. Preconfigured screens (with diagnostics and machine-specific text) and standard communication routines will put the right data and the right commands in the right place. That means less time spent learning a specific ‘language’ and more time applying skills and creativity to the task at hand.

These three features can save, and have saved, weeks of engineering time. And they make it easier to add your special genius – the differentiators that separate you from your competition. If you have faced the same problems – too much time spent searching for information, cutting and pasting into separate fields, drawing and redrawing – then take a look at the Connected Components Accelerator Toolkit features designed to make your design time more productive.

quote from: Randy Holterman Programme Manager, Rockwell Automation

Do we need Big Data, or just enough data?

There’s a lot of talk about Big Data – how much data to collect, and what to do with it once you have it.

Indecision – or lack of clarity – at the start of the process can leave decision-makers with lots of granular information but no real solutions.

One problem is that people assume more data is better data – when actually, you can let lot of value from a little or just the right amount of data. And you don’t need to spend millions of dollars to get it; rather, just enough to gain value.

That’s because the Big Data advantage lies within your analytics capability – your ability to draw conclusions and identify patterns. To get those analytics, you can crunch more information, less information, or somewhere between.

To apply Big Data principles to your own operations, first consider what assets are most critical to your operations: "Start with the end in mind and ask yourself questions like, 'What do we want to get out of this data?' and 'What could data tell us if we had it?'"

Use the acronym STAR to help determine what data you want to collect:

1. Simple: The basics will allow people to make quick, informed decisions by providing clear visuals.
2. Timely: In today’s connected enterprise, it is essential to make data available when it’s most needed. Timely availability of data is key to success.
3. Accuracy: This is important, especially for trust and improving a culture of decision making.
4. Relevant: Data should be relevant to whatever the decision-maker is being measured on. If you are being measured on profit, have metrics that help you; if it’s more about uptime, have a KPI (key performance indicator) trained on that.

And remember: the value of Big Data is not in the numbers or statistics or reports; the value is what you learn from the analysis of the information. That means more data is not necessarily better. Some data is better than none, but getting the right data to the right people to make the right decision is the ideal scenario.

Heat Transfer (boiler to energy plant)

State functions for water/steam calculations:
IAPWS Industrial Formulation 1997 (IAPWS-IF97)

ENERGY BALANCE OF THE SYSTEM
============================
DEFINITION OF TOTAL ENERGY

1. Def. 1: Enthalpy minus enthalpy by environmental
   conditions (water as LIQUID) plus HIGHER heating value
   
2. Def. 2: Enthalpy minus enthalpy by environmental
   conditions (water as VAPOUR) plus LOWER heating value
   

PLC Migration Strategy and Implementation

Many small power plants have an outdated Programmable Logic Control (PLC) currently in place. As a PLC reaches the end of its useful life, an upgrade to a new automation system is required.

Once the decision has been made to upgrade, the upgrade strategy must be defined. In most cases, it’s necessary to perform the upgrade with as little downtime and risk as possible, and these requirements determine much of the upgrade strategy.

There are four main strategic decisions that must be made before an upgrade can take place.

First, it must be decided if the new automation system will just replicate the operation of the existing PLC—or improve upon the existing PLC in terms of throughput, quality and other factors. Replication is cheaper up front, but usually much more expensive over the entire life cycle of the new automation system, as many of the benefits of a modern automation system are forfeited.

Second, it must be determined if the upgrade will be vertical or horizontal. In a vertical upgrade, one particular process area is upgraded at a time. In a horizontal upgrade, all similar process units are upgraded simultaneously, generally across multiple process areas. For example, if a plant had 2(two) or more boilers, all would be upgraded at once in a horizontal upgrade, as opposed to upgrading only the boiler(s) in the vertical process unit.

Third, it must be determined if the upgrade will be done by replacing all automation system components simultaneously, or with a phased approach. With a phased approach, the Man Machine Interface (MMI) components are replaced first, followed by the controllers, and finally by the I/O. Replacing the automation system in phases takes longer, but will require less downtime and entail less risk.

The fourth and final strategic decision that must be made is hot versus cold cutover. With hot cutover, the old PLC and the new automation system operate simultaneously, with one control loop at a time migrated from the old PLC to the new automation system at the I/O level. With cold cutover, the old PLC is replaced by the new automation system, with the entire process being restarted at once.

The hot cutover option is more expensive in terms of upgrade costs, but with an overall lower cost in most cases when downtime is taken into account. Risk is also lower with hot cutover as only one loop is converted at a time, with the old PLC still available in case of any unforeseen difficulties with the new automation system.

The faithfuls uphold their faith because they are in a constant search for a meaning for their existence.

[2025 Editorial Note]
This post was originally written in 2009 as part of my early reflections on faith, existence, and metaphysical contemplation. Over the years, my understanding has grown, matured, and deepened. For a more recent reflection, please see: 2025 updated version.

---

I believe that the search should be based on pure knowledge. That is why I have ventured on this journey, the result of which is presented on this site. It is a journey that follows the progress of the human thought in connection with the concepts of divine order, superior beings, the afterlife, paradise, hell, judgment day etc. This journey has nothing to do with the fundamental question: Is there something beyond this world? But it has everything to do with what the human beings thought of themselves and the 'existence' in general.

In this blog, I think about the most complex and unbelievable invention of the human mind. You may call it faith or belief or conviction or persuasion. (The choice is yours). Faith necessitates a belief in a realm full of abstract beings, all of them are superior to mankind, and they all have a control on what man does or what happens to him. They are not of this world that we live in. They don't exist in the physical environment which has become a daily experience for mankind. They are not on the Earth, because man has thought that the Earth was created and reserved for the lowly creatures, amongst whom mankind has a special place. Therefore no one should expect the creator and his entourage to reside amid the lowly creatures.

Thus mankind has established the sky and the celestial spheres as a befitting realm for them because that realm was thought to be an elevated region. It is somewhere up there but no one knows where precisely. No one in those days was knowledgeable enough to realize that when the Universe is in question there is no up or down. The divine realm is visualized as a place where the supreme creator, the council of divine beings, fairies, demons, angels, satan etc. reside.

About the Counter in PLC-5 (Allen-Bradley)

Definition:
In the PLC-5 system, a Counter is a type of data file used to count events — whether incrementing (count up), decrementing (count down), or both.

Default File Number:

C: Counter Data File

Examples:

• C5:0 → First counter
• C5:1 → Second counter, and so on

Counter Register Structure
Each counter element (C5:x) contains the following internal structure:

• .ACC — Accumulated Value (current count)
• .PRE — Preset Value (target count to trigger DN)
• .EN — Enable Bit (1 when conditions are true)
• .DN — Done Bit (1 when ACC = PRE)
• .CU — Count Up Bit (active when rising edge is detected)
• .CD — Count Down Bit (active when falling edge is detected)
• .OV — Overflow Bit (active if count exceeds limits)
• .UN — Underflow Bit (active if count goes below zero)

Types of Counters in PLC-5

1. CTU (Count Up)
   Increases ACC when the input rises from 0 to 1.
   When ACC >= PRE, the DN bit becomes 1.
2. CTD (Count Down)
   Decreases ACC on a rising input edge.
   DN becomes active if ACC <= 0, depending on logic.
3. RES (Reset)
   Resets ACC to 0 and clears the DN bit.

Application Example
Suppose you want to count the number of cartons passing an optical sensor:

• The sensor is connected to I:1/0
• The counter CTU uses C5:0
• Set C5:0.PRE = 10
• If 10 cartons pass, then:
• C5:0.ACC = 10
• C5:0.DN = 1 (indicating completion)

Historical & Philosophical Note
The PLC-5 is more than just a control system—it’s the industrial liturgy of an era that built the foundations of SCADA and DCS. Its counter register is a reflection of how digital logic imagines time and quantity, like a string of prayer beads for engineers—each pulse, a step toward process enlightenment. 😌

People and Asset Safety

The right service provider can help you reduce safety risks, achieve compliance and boost production

Does your industrial safety program:

• Help protect people from machine, process and electrical safety risks?
• Achieve regulatory compliance while reducing the cost of that compliance?
• Improve productivity wherever possible to support operational excellence?

Overcome the obstacles
If you answered 'no' to any of those questions, you have some obstacles to overcome. One potential reason: Employees in different functions have differing views on safety. For example, while safety is concerned with protecting workers and complying with safety standards, operations worries about safety infringing on productivity.

Safety and productivity can harmoniously coexist and even thrive together. Best-in-class manufacturers (the top 20% of aggregate performance scorers) often outperform their industry-average counterparts with:

• 5-7% higher OEE
• 2-4% less unscheduled downtime
• <50% injury rate

A short story about an alternate reality where BlackBerry never fell

QNX: Black City, Black Kingdom

In an alternate realm 2025, there are no iPhone. No Android. Only BlackBerry.

The Toronto sky that afternoon was silvery, reflecting the dark towers of RIM’s headquarters—now known as QNX Global Dominion. They didn’t just survive… they ruled. The world never escaped the vortex of physical buttons, click-tactic QWERTY, and a BES operating system more secure than Vatican secrets. It all began when Jim Balsillie never resigned.

---

2007, Trajectory Shifted

In this universe, after the SEC investigation began sniffing out backdated options at RIM, Jim Balsillie didn’t surrender. He fought back. Instead of stepping down, he led a global press conference clutching a BlackBerry 8700, clearly outlining how Silicon Valley’s executive compensation system was riddled with double standards and hypocrisy.

Public reaction? Not outrage—admiration.

“He’s transparent,” said the investors.

“He’s a tech worker’s warrior,” declared the media.

“He’s a man who pays engineers not with promises, but with real shares,” said the engineers who flocked to Waterloo in droves.

---

2010, Apple Dies Early

Without internal chaos and backed by a steady pipeline, RIM acquired Palm before HP could touch it. WebOS was studied, dissected, modified, and merged into BlackBerry 10, powered by QNX—a real-time operating system far ahead of its time.

BlackBerry 10 wasn’t delayed. It launched in 2011 with the flagship BlackBerry Z1: full touchscreen with a pop-up mechanical QWERTY keyboard. Apple couldn’t compete. They launched the iPhone 4, but without a massive App Store and with developers frustrated by Jobs’ tight control, iOS withered.

---

2020, The World Wall

Now, BlackBerry isn’t just a phone. It’s a global passport.

QNX controls 88% of smart vehicle infrastructure.

Quantum-encrypted BBM messaging replaces WhatsApp and Signal.

The “PIN” becomes the primary digital ID for voting, transactions, and even state biometrics.

The tech war becomes a privacy war. And BlackBerry stands as humanity’s final fortress.

At the heart of CyberToronto, a hooded youth steps into an official RIM store. Glass walls display transparent BBMirror terminals, holographic touchscreens, and of course—rows of BlackBerry KeyMonarchs, tri-fold phones with hybrid touch-tactile keyboards.

The store clerk approaches.

“Old model?”

The kid nods, offering a battered BlackBerry KEYone, scratched but fully functional.

The clerk touches it reverently, as if accepting an ancient artifact.

“This... was the last generation before the uprising. You’re a survivor.”

The kid stares at the holographic display.

“And I want the newest.”

---

In his office, CEO Balsillie, now gray-haired, gazes out the window. The world in his grasp wasn’t a dream—it was the outcome of war, courage, and one small decision he didn’t make: resigning. He nods at his reflection.

“If you want to change the future,” he mutters softly, “you have to fight the way the world works today.”

Then he types on his new device, the BlackBerry Phantom, and the screen glows red—the color of power. The color of war. The color of conviction.

Black. Berry. Forever.

My Complex Number of PI

0.5(100025025.95057675+14256.990315503384i)sin(2*(pi/(100025025.95057675+14256.990315503384i)))

<=>

(50012512.975288375+7128.495157751692i)sin(pi(3125782060955523437500000000000/156328219057426955098295913926059616429-445530947359480750000000000/156328219057426955098295913926059616429i))

<=>

3.1415926535898+1.2079096403661*10^-15i

3.1415926535898+1.2079096403661*10^-15i

Stagnant at a point in a different place

Houston, we got (math) problem :(

Windows 3.10

My First Microsoft Windows (in 1992), Beauty, The most Fastest Microsoft, it ran like hell. Still works in 2009

• Intel 80286 with 1 MB Ram
• 7.9mb full install (Include MSOffice 4.3, Visual Basic 3.0, Lotus Amipro 3.1)
• Hardisk 20mb (the biggest in that time)
• MsDos 3.1
• 640x480 Standard VGA
• 3.5" FDD

Visual Basic Old Testament and New Testament (Christian Bible)

Prologue: The Prayer in Code
January 1, 2009. On an old laptop running Windows 3.10, I discovered a relic not of steel or parchment, but of code. Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0. DAO 1.0. A quiet program that held the Old and New Testament, written line by line, event by event, in the language of 16-bit logic. It was not compiled theology; it was faith expressed in code.

Chapter I: alkitab.exe
The first version was simple. Book, chapter, verse — the sacred hierarchy turned into dropdown menus and textboxes. No internet, no cloud. Only a local EXE carrying Scripture into silicon. When the program ran, it wasn’t just software; it felt like a small altar glowing on a CRT screen.

Chapter II: Resurrection into 32-bit
Years later, on Windows XP, I tried again. Visual Basic 5.0 compiled the old source, breathing life into the code. alkitab.exe became alkitab32.exe. It was not just an upgrade; it was baptism. Old code reborn for a new era, still carrying the same Word.

Epilogue: In the Name of the Father
All praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Even old code can worship. Even 16-bit prayers can echo into eternity.

Prolog: Doa dalam Kode
1 Januari 2009. Di sebuah laptop tua dengan Windows 3.10, aku menemukan relik, bukan dari baja atau perkamen, tetapi dari kode. Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0. DAO 1.0. Sebuah program sederhana yang memuat Perjanjian Lama dan Baru, ditulis baris demi baris, event demi event, dalam bahasa logika 16-bit. Ini bukan teologi yang dikompilasi; ini adalah iman yang ditulis dalam kode.

Bab I: alkitab.exe
Versi pertama begitu sederhana. Kitab, pasal, ayat — hierarki suci itu diterjemahkan menjadi menu dropdown dan kotak teks. Tanpa internet, tanpa cloud. Hanya sebuah EXE lokal yang membawa Kitab Suci ke dalam silikon. Ketika program itu berjalan, rasanya bukan sekadar perangkat lunak; itu seperti altar kecil yang menyala di layar CRT.

Bab II: Kebangkitan ke 32-bit
Bertahun-tahun kemudian, di Windows XP, aku mencoba lagi. Visual Basic 5.0 mengompilasi sumber lama itu, meniupkan hidup ke dalam kode. alkitab.exe menjadi alkitab32.exe. Itu bukan sekadar pembaruan; itu baptisan. Kode lama yang lahir kembali untuk era baru, masih membawa Firman yang sama.

Epilog: Dalam Nama Bapa
Segala puji bagi Tuhan Yesus Kristus. Dalam nama Bapa, Putra, dan Roh Kudus. Bahkan kode lama pun bisa memuji. Bahkan doa 16-bit pun bisa bergema hingga kekekalan.