Your home’s circuit breaker is a valuable line of defense in protecting your home. All your electrical appliances rely on your home’s circuit breaker which makes it that much more important. Replacing your circuit breaker can be such an economical investment in protecting your home. Dealing with flickering lights, poor performance from your appliances such as your stove or microwave, and a smoking scent from your panel are just a few of the warning signs when it comes to your circuit breaker. Learn more about the warning signs so you can avoid a catastrophe and replace your circuit breaker before it’s too late.

One way to tell if you need a circuit breaker replacement is to sniff around and see if you smell a burning odor coming from the panel. If so, that means the wires and insulation have become overheated. Ultimately your circuit breaker is failing to protect your home from an electrical short elsewhere. Shut off the main power to the house immediately and call an electrician for an home, potential buyers are going to be hesitant to put down an offer. Everyone wants to purchase a home that is safe and secure, which is why an upgraded breaker is that much more valuable.

Programmable logic controllers provide automatic control of processes so that very little human intervention is required. Yet, this results in a well-coordinated, repetitive process.

These systems automatically start and shut down critical equipment in large and complex manufacturing processes. When in operation, programmable logic controllers ensure that all conditions are met before starting up a certain machine or process. In addition, the PLC continues monitoring the entire system using a variety of sensors.

Consequently, this ensures that everything runs as programmed. The PLC will trip if it detects a malfunction or abnormality in any of the monitored parameters.

The operating environment, size of the processes, ease of access by operators and maintenance personnel influence the choice of PLC.

A harsh environment with dust or small particles will require a PLC system with an appropriately IP rated enclosure. This prevents ingress of foreign particles into the system. The available space and layout also influence the choice. Therefore, most users require easy access for reprogramming, maintenance, or troubleshooting.

The simplest form of a PLC, all the basic components of a PLC include the I/O points, CPU, and software program. It is typically housed in a single enclosure. These PLCs are attached directly to the equipment being controlled.

Modular PLCs consists of several components on a common bus within a base unit to allow extending of the input and output. These units work on an expandable base unit. Therefore, it provides all the basic components of a PLC, i.e., a power supply, I/O points, memory and the CPU, and slots for additional cards.  These modules, which may be from the same or different manufacturers, are plugged together into a base unit.

This follows the same modular concept, but each of the modules plugs into a rack. The add-on modules are contained in racks which are then linked together through a network of connections. Since the rack mounting PLC is highly scalable, it allows very large systems to be assembled.

In energy management, the PLC monitors and controls equipment such as boiler systems. It helps the organization increase energy efficiency and safety. PLCs are also used in numerous everyday activities. They are found in factories, homes, commercial buildings, airports, unmanned car parks, and more.

Finally, some practical applications include: