Currently an ag teacher in Louisiana pulling in 4k a month and going to school to be an instrumentation tech at the nearby technical college, I just received level 1 and got an offer to be an electrical helper 1hr 30 minutes away, about an 1 hour 15 minutes from the school.

They said the site manager should let me get out early to go to school twice a week.

I will have level 3 (4 by the end of the summer) by the end of the school year and the school schedule allows me to go easily, but there is also a job closer to the school coming up in January (when I will have level 2 )

Lots to think about just wanted to put out some feelers.

The look the same in physical apperance and both show Vac40 PSIG specifics, but they bear different part number and with different port connnected to gas tubes. Are they simply the same valve serve different applications? Thanks

Im considering taking a role as a jr instrumentation tech (making 28/hour with OT available) and while I enjoy that kind of work right now, Im worried that in ten years (im 28 right now) that I may be leaning more towards wanting to work from home partly, or not needing to be on call or in the field all the time.

Are there avenues with this work that can get me into a more cozy spot ten years down the line? For reference I'm in the Baltimore MD area, and I'd be starting out as a jr. because while I have 4 years of instrumentation experience, I don't have any credentials besides a slightly unrelated Bachelors (Environmental science).

Hello all.

I am currently interested in hearing how everyone found their way to working independently as a contractor in North America mostly but I am open to Europe also. I assume either by starting a company or finding one that organizes the work?

I am a Canadian Red Seal I&C Tech with 20+ years of experience. I have been working mostly with control systems (DCS/PLCs) in a power generation environment but have plenty of experience planning/installing and commissioning various field equipment.

If anyone could offer some helpful information or lessons learned it is of course greatly appreciated! Private message or comment, all welcome.

Cheers!

Hello, I am a 16 years old and I would like to learn PLC basics, as I want to find a job as a instrumentation technician and I hope to gather some PLC experience before starting. I heard CODESYS was a great way to get started, however this will be my very first time dealing around with PLC's.

What exactly is CODESYS?

Is it similiar to virtual Arduino projects?

Where can I start and how would you recommend I start CODESYS?

Should Iearn any basics before doing CODESYS?

Is it a good way to learn PLC basics and get some virtual projects under my belt?

As I am entirely new to PLC's, is CODESYS a good way to learn PLC's? If not, what are some alternative ways I can learn PLC's?

How did you start learning PLC diagnosing and troubleshooting outside of school?

I would appreciate any insights. Thanks!

Hey guys. Hope all is well. I’ve been doing I&C work for about 3 years. I love what I do especially the commissioning side. I had a recruiter from a data center reach out to me about a “data center facilities technician” role and went through a couple interviews. They gave me an offer for $38 and if I went on nights they would pay me $43.70. With a lot of overtime available and a relocation bonus. They said they would train me and give me a few certifications that would look good on my resume. The role is a 1 year contract and potential to get hired on if they like me. I am on the fence about things though. I love instrumentation but I don’t like jumping from job to job and figuring out my living situation since I do travel for work. I do love the pay and per diem though.

Just wondering what would be the smart move for me to make. This data center tech role seems like a good opportunity to learn a lot and gain experience. I’d have to take a pay cut but I think it could be worth it in the long run. I’m just worried about missing out on experience and money when it comes to I&C. I worked so hard to get to where I’m at with instrumentation and still have a lot of knowledge to gain. I’m on the fence about whether or not this data center facilities tech position is worth taking. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks

Looking for an Instrumentation / Embedded Systems Internship

Hi everyone,

I'm a final-year Applied Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering student from India with handsome academic and research background, currently looking for an internship or entry-level opportunity in Instrumentation, Industrial Automation, Embedded Systems, or Electronics.

I have internship experience in the petrochemical industry at Haldia Petrochemicals, where I worked with industrial instrumentation, process control systems, PLC, DCS, SCADA fundamentals, and P&ID. I also have hands-on experience in embedded hardware development and prototype design, along with a published research paper, a published Indian patent application, and international conference presentations.

I'm based in India and am open to relocating for the right opportunity.

If your company or team has any openings, please DM me. I'd be happy to share my CV.

Thank you!

I will be graduating with an AAS in Instrumentation Technology from TSTC in about a month and am having some trouble landing an interview. I have had a couple interviews, one of them was for only one open position and they decided to move forward with someone else, the other I haven't heard back from yet. I have applied for 20+ positions and I am just wondering if there is something I am missing or something I should take out of my resume to have better luck. I uploaded my resume, just left out my contact info for obvious reasons. Resume

i am not sure if this is the right group to post into. I have looked far and wide for what i consider a simple product with no luck and i am looking to the group for help.

I have a location which is 500 meters away and not possible to cet cable to. Power is provided at the remote location. I need s simple radio based system that when a set of contacts closes it sends a RF signal to the base location and it in turn closes a set of contacts. I am simply trying to monitor the on/off status of a piece of equipment over WIFI or similar. I dont want a phone based app. i want old fashioned contacts at both ends.

Thanks in advance for your help.

The look the same in physical apperance and both show Vac40 PSIG specifics, but they bear different part number and with different port connnected to gas tubes. Are they simply the same valve serve different applications? Thanks

Being given an opportunity to work for a utility company as a System Protection Tech. Seems somewhat related to instrumentation but not exactly. Programming SCADA, writing ladder logic, troubleshooting with meters, and implementing control drawings and schematics are some of the responsibilities that seem to overlap.

Applying cyber security, relay testing, and substation work are also involved in the position. Nothing about process control, transmitter calibration, analyzers, or anything typical 4-20. Graduating soon with AAS in Instrumentation.

Would transferring to an instrument tech gig after working here for a few years be possible? Not sure if there’s enough exposure to instrumentation work for a company hiring a tech to be comfortable with. Any input would greatly appreciated.

I put together a short troubleshooting video covering three PLC instructions that often cause “illogical” behavior in RSLogix: OTU, JSR, and MCR.

These are the same issues I see instrumentation techs run into when a device won’t energize, a routine isn’t scanning, or logic seems disabled even though the rung looks true.

If you deal with PLC‑controlled processes, this might save you some time:
https://youtu.be/iAeWbBXtAGw

No sales pitch — just a visual walkthrough of how these instructions behave and how to track them down.

Looking for a 3+ year experience Industrial Automation Engineer for a 20 years old US based company.

Location: Lucknow or Aligarh, depending on the project

The job description is below. The application form links and more details are there in the job description.

Job Description

A bit about myself: I'm about a year into my electrical apprenticeship and honestly I don't enjoy the construction side of it much. I'd rather be doing something closer to a technician role something like PLCs and controls.

I'm thinking about moving into instrumentation but had a few questions, especially for anyone working in Canada.

• I know a lot of companies accept, or even prefer, an electrician license. But if my goal is to get into PLC work as fast as possible, would it make more sense to just go straight into instrumentation? I've also heard BAS/Controls Technician does PLC work too, is that an easier field to break into?
• Looking at job boards there's barely any postings for instrumentation apprentices. Can anyone share their experience on how hard it actually is to get in, or how you went about it? Do companies hire apprentices directly or is it mostly promote from within? Should I just be applying in person instead?
• Lastly, I know most instrumentation jobs tend to be out in remote areas. Are there decent options closer to town?

Would appreciate any input, especially from people who've made a similar switch or are currently in the field.

Hi everyone I graduated abt like a year ago I’m 19 now and have no idea what to do with my life I rlly wanna get into instrumentation but don’t know where to start I don’t know whether to go to nait and do the apprenticeship program there or just apply for jobs and hope I land one

I’m looking into this as a career for myself. I’m generally fine with heights but don’t like the idea of climbing something like a 40 ft ladder. If I were to be in a scissor lift I wouldn’t mind. Is this something I should expect to do in this line of work, and are there ways around it/areas in the industry that won’t have me doing this? At my current job I regularly use a 12 ft a-frame ladder with no issues.

​

Hey guys,

I'm currently working in an iron ore mining processing plant as a control systems engineer, after previously working in oil & gas. One thing that has surprised me is that instrumentation doesn't seem to get much importance here. A lot of it is handled by electricians, and many control engineers don't seem to have much knowledge of field instrumentation or place much emphasis on instrument accuracy.

Is this typical in the iron ore/mineral processing industry, or is it just the plant I'm working at?

Hello everyone, I finished my associates in instrumentation technology. I’m currently in the search for a job, I’ve got my OSHA card and TWIC as well. It’s been really hard trying to find a job here in Louisiana. I’ve applied to multiple places, even entry level jobs and even laborer jobs but I’m not getting any responses. I’ve gotten two interviews and I never get a call back. A lot of people are saying it’s due to my experience but I’m not able to get experience if I can’t find a job. If someone could please point me in the right direction I would appreciate it so much.

Hey! Anyone ever just want to watch a dude fixing crap in his garage? Living every day life, messing with electronics a spread the word, hope to see you there @tokentinkerer #twitch

So I’m 21 I’m here in Los Angeles. I’m looking to get into a trainee position or even entry level. I’m currently working as a building engineer in IUOE Local 501 and I also have 2 year as an electrical apprentice in the oil and gas industry. I know my union has instrument techs but I was wondering how I can get in the field ? And also where can I start ? I’m also attending lbcc electrical technology- Automation Tech

I am helping a friend who operates a farm with a center pivot irrigation system. As farmers sometimes do, the setup is kind of a mixture of stuff. The water comes from a well with a two stage pumping system. A low pressure pump which draws water from the well and then a high pressure pump (at the surface) which moves the water into the pivot at about 30PSI. When completely filled and operating the pumps are pushing about 500 gal/min into about 1/2 mile of 6" pipe. The startup sequence for the pumps is currently manual. Start low speed pump and wait for the pivot to fill (about 6 to 7 minutes), then start the high pressure pump. Bad things happen down in the well if the high pressure pump sucks on its intake. At this pump rate, wells have some not so obvious behaviors.

The long range goal is to automate the startup process. I need some data to evaluate solutions. I want to monitor the volume of water being pushed up into the pivot. I need volume rather than just pressure because the head pressure varies as the pivot moves along the contours of the farm. I don't need very accurate measurements and can callibrate in the region of interest.

I would like a bare sensor which can clamp onto the pipe. I don't care if it provides a voltage, PWM, almost anything which will have a known relationship to flow rate. This is a DIY project.

Any suggestions?