Top 5 Control Engineering articles, Feb. 10-16, 2014

Were you out last week? Miss something? Here are Control Engineering’s five most clicked articles from last week, Feb. 10-16, 2014, including articles about temperature measurement, multi-function safety relays, time current curves, Microsoft patches, and safety engineering in mechatronic design.

By Jessica DuBois-Maahs, Jordan Schultz February 17, 2014

Last week’s top five articles included articles about temperature measurement, multi-function safety relays, time current curves, Microsoft patches, and safety engineering in mechatronic design. Here they are:

1. Keys to achieving high accuracy and reliability in temperature measurement

Maximizing accuracy and reliability will depend on the interaction of all the devices and connections between the sensor and control system.

2. When to use multi-function safety relays

In applications where single-function relays aren’t capable enough and a safety-rated PLC is overkill, multi-function safety relays can be the best technology choice. Tables provide examples.

3. Understanding time current curves: Part 1

The first installment of a three-part series about time current curves (TCCs) provides a quick overview of item identification and how to read TCC plots.

4. Microsoft patches: Know when it is better to wait

Engineering and IT Insight: A recent Microsoft “Patch Tuesday” and a challenging Microsoft Windows 8.1 upgrade suggested that it can be better to wait before installing patches. Do you have a mission critical Industrial Automation and Control System (IACS)? Follow best practices for patch management and be sure you know which patches can wait.

5. Integrate safety engineering into mechatronic design

The study of mechatronics includes mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, telecommunication engineering, control engineering, and computer engineering. Adding safety engineering to mechatronics design theory could have a large economic impact on manufacturers globally.

The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on www.controlengineering.com, Feb. 10-16, 2014.

– Jessica DuBois-Maahs and Jordan Schultz, associate content managers, CFE Media, jdmaahs@cfemedia.com and jschultz@cfemedia.com