u/patrick_notstar28

Have you ever hired someone who did well on the interview, but as soon as they started working, you realized they didn’t have the experience they claimed? What did you do?

How do you try to screen this out during interviews?

I am wondering how common this is in this space, given you can get ppl with such varying backgrounds in controls, and often times there is no formal accreditation required for some roles.

If you have a chemical engineering degree and you work as a plant operator with a boiler, but the boiler doesn’t require a ticket to operate, can you challenge the 5th class exam?

I had a specific question, say a temperature transmitter is giving a bad reading at the plc, and we want to verify loop current.

Would we go to the terminal block for the analog inputs in our control cabinet, pull out a wire and put it in series with the signal path to the plc input channel.

If so that won’t rule out whether there’s a discontinuity in the wire from the output of the terminal block to the plc input channel.

So would we go to the plc input channel and pull out the wire and put it in series with the plc input channel?

How is this actually done in the field ?

Hi guys, I graduated a while back from a bachelors in chemical engineering. After which I decided I don’t want to be a chemical engineer, I want to be an automation engineer.

I took a 4 month training program called “Siemens mechatronics systems”, which had some hands on training with PLC trainers and we got to program some simple control systems in TIA portal with ladder logic.

The problem is I don’t feel confident going straight into an automation engineer role without field experience as a controls technician.

However technician roles just refuse to reach out to me, whereas engineering roles have actually reached out.

Is it because I have an engineering degree and they see me as a flight risk, should I just erase my engineering degree and lie about it?

The problem with that however is then I will have a really weak resume which will have no experience and just a 4 month course.

If you have a big piece of equipment like some sort of mixer with a gate to get inside for maintenance and an e-stop , which go into your safety relay as inputs when the e-stop is pressed or gate is open.

Would your safety relay control your STO on your VFD for the mixing motor or would it go to your main contactor to cut power?

I don’t work in the field , this is just a hypothetical , so I’m looking for an answer that just helps me learn rather than go into the weeds about some specific system , as this doesn’t pertain to one.

Would you use a safety relay in your STO, to stop the motor or just a plc output.

Hi guys I’ve been struggling to find a complete control panel schematic for a simple modern control system where a motor is controlled via a VFD.

I know this is a very broad question since layouts vary, but I was looking for something generic just for the purpose of interview prepping for a drafting role.

Ideally a complete panel with your 3phase power, VFD, 24v DC transformer, terminal blocks, safety relay, circuit breaker, PLC , etc ..

Many people have told me to look for entry level roles in the US. Currently the only experience I have is as an instrumentation and controls tech in a chemical plant. As well as a bachelors in chemical engineering.

I’ve also worked on some personal projects in TIA portal with alarms, HOA, sequencing, PID control, HMI’s

My question is, is this enough to land a role in the US. Why would they bother going through the process of sponsoring a Canadian citizen when an entry level role can be filled locally?

Were you ever asked to give a troubleshooting scenario, during an interview. What answer did you give ?