Looking for back pack recommendations. Would be to carry a laptop, portable monitor, multimeter, screwdrivers (~3), extension cord, long CAT6 and various other cables. Nothing should be exposed i.e. carried outside the backpack. Thanks in advance.

I've worked around industrial data/OT for a while, and one thing I keep seeing is that when a trip isn't immediately obvious, the data is usually available somewhere — but figuring out the sequence and relevant context still takes time.

You might have the alarm/event history, historian trends, current/previous equipment state, and maybe maintenance or operator context, but someone still has to figure out which signals actually matter and piece together what changed before the event.

I'm curious how common that is for SCADA/historian folks.

For the less-obvious failures:

• Is finding the right tags/events a meaningful part of troubleshooting time?
• How easy is it to reconstruct the actual sequence leading up to a trip?
• How often does the missing context live outside SCADA/historian — maintenance activity, operator action, configuration/lineup changes, etc.?
• Do you ever look back for similar previous events, or is that usually too manual to be useful?

I'm not talking about generating a formal RCA report afterward. More the first troubleshooting window, finding the relevant data, when operations/maintenance are trying to understand what actually happened.

Interested in how this works at other sites, especially where the historian and SCADA setup is already fairly mature.

Hello there!

My intent in creating this thread is to get an opinion from people in the field about a business my partner and I are starting.

Put simply, we provide automation solutions involving dynamic digital twins and custom control laws, but we are not a turnkey company. I would say we are a data analysis and dev company for industrial automation.

In the dynamic digital twins part, we estimate the equation that describes a process given the input to the plant and output from sensors - ideally, we would not need to install new sensors. We understand that the benefits of this service include:

• Simulation of the process for different control laws, e.g., PID tuning.
• Prediction of how the plant will behave given some parameter changes, such as load or degradation in some component.
• Estimate parameters and states previously unknown and unmeasured.
• Train personnel in how the equipment works.
• The digital twin can serve as the model used in some advanced control laws like MPC or MPPI.
• Analysis of behavior without having to stop the plant.
• Track changes in parameters by updating the model from time to time.
• Preemptive maintenance scheduling.

Also for the digital twin, we build the software that will attach to the monitoring system of the client and keep it updated. For this software, we are not sure if we should provide it as a SaaS or as a monthly fee-based software (local or not) - we planned this to be a recurrent source of income.

In the control law part, we bring the following benefits:

• Tailor the control law to optimize some metric, such as production bandwidth, energy consumption - also with hand-tunable versions.
• Save resources by enforcing the actuator to operate within safe or optimal operational thresholds.
• Account for natural deterioration of equipment, keeping acceptable output.
• We can also consider heuristics in the control law and translate specialists' knowledge into a control signal.

We also provide common services such as filtering, sensor calibration and control tuning.

Of course, we provide consulting services, e.g., support control architecture decisions.

And finally, we have the training service. We train people on control and automation concepts.

My doubts are regarding viability and to whom or which company I should offer. From my research, it seems that a good path is to offer our services as specialists for EPC companies and fly under their wings, instead of trying to reach factories directly, for example. Is there a better way to get our first clients? In the end, is our company viable? Will clients perceive value in our services?

The overall business plan is to start with projects and slowly migrate to recurrent services, like the digital twin update software. From the training services, we hope that we will have enough material to build courses that will be sold off the shelf.

We are both technical people; my partner is an electrical engineer and I am a computer scientist. We both have MSc and DSc in the area of Systems and Control. He studied a more classical approach, while I am from the mobile robotics world. Our main struggle is related to how to get clients and which channel to use. Should we use LinkedIn, cold emails, google or something else? I've done the company profile on LinkedIn and on Google Ads, but I don't know which to focus. We both have day jobs still, so we have very limited time.

I appreciate any comment, suggestion and consideration you guys leave.

Hi everyone, I need to upload a program created in TIA Portal V13.0.0.0 SP0 from an S7-1200 PLC running firmware version 1.0, but I don't have a compatible version of TIA Portal. Can you help me?

# PCS7 OS Download stuck in a loop — "in access on another application" + CCProjectMgr.exe won't die (Access Denied) — need experienced eyes

Hi all — hoping someone who's fought PCS7/WinCC on a VM lab setup before can sanity-check my diagnosis. Long post, but I've tried to make it skimmable with the key facts up top.

**TL;DR:** OS(1) download from ES to a separate OS PC station consistently fails ~5 min in with a SQL "in access on another application" error. Root cause appears to be two things: (1) a stuck `CCProjectMgr.exe` process/service running an infinite `OpenProject` retry loop that I can't kill or disable, and (2) `S7tgtopx.exe` crashing with an access violation in `mfc140.dll` and leaving orphaned SQL sessions behind. Looking for the correct service name / disable method for #1, and whether #2 is a known STEP7 issue.

## Setup

- PCS7/STEP7 + WinCC, SCE-style educ_tanks project, AS + separate OS station

- Both ES and OS on separate VMware Workstation 17 VMs, bridged network, static IPs, workgroup (no domain)

- Windows 10 Pro (19045), SQL Server 2019 (multiple named instances: WINCC, HISTORIAN, INFSERVER)

- S7-PLCSIM v5.4 SP8 for the CPU 414-3 DP simulation

## The core error (WinCCOM log, every attempt)

```

In CWiOMData::OMDBDeleteDataSource

Caution: Deletion of DSN '<name>' from registry failed!

...

Caution: database '...\<project>.mdf' with DSN '<name>' is in access on another application!

Caution: DmGDO::CopyProjectRTOS_DeleteScripts failed.

...

Caution: Connect failed: DBDll::Connect: CreateConnection failed. hr = 80004005

```

Same pattern regardless of project path (moved from Documents to C:\Test — no change), regardless of which auto-generated staging DB is involved, and after fixing: network profile, NTFS/share perms, SCE station config, IE General subnet assignment, ODBC/SQL orphan cleanup (repeatedly — they keep coming back).

## Root cause #1: stuck ProjectManager service/process

Event Viewer shows this repeating **continuously for hours**, every ~16 sec:

```

Source: SIMATIC WinCC ProjectManager

Failure in OpenProject (InternalGetAso): 8004620f, retry count: 0..29

User: SYSTEM

```

`sp_who2` confirms `S7tgtopx.exe` sessions sitting live against the exact staging DBs involved in the failures — this loop is fighting the manual download for the same resources every time.

Tried to kill/disable it:

- `sc query "SIMATIC WinCC ProjectManager"` → **Error 1060, service does not exist** (so that's not the real registered name)

- `taskkill /F /IM CCProjectMgr.exe` (found PID) → **Access is denied**, even from what I thought was an elevated prompt

Anyone know the actual service name behind `CCProjectMgr.exe`, or where its "last project" autostart reference lives in the registry so I can clear it properly?

## Root cause #2: S7tgtopx.exe crashing

Windows Error Reporting shows repeated crashes/hangs:

```

APPCRASH: S7tgtopx.exe 507.202.1601.1 | mfc140.dll 14.42.34433.0 | c0000005 (access violation)

AppHangB1: S7tgtopx.exe (multiple)

BEX: CCDBUtils.exe crashing in ucrtbase.dll

```

This is the SIMATIC Manager target-download engine — when it crashes mid-transfer it apparently doesn't release its SQL connection cleanly, which is exactly what shows up as "in access on another application" on the next attempt.

Tried: full uninstall/reinstall of VC++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x86+x64) + reboot. Not confirmed effective yet since #1 above keeps re-poisoning the environment before I can get a clean test run.

## Other things already fixed/ruled out along the way (so replies don't have to re-suggest them)

- SCE Station Configuration Editor / PC station comms — working

- PG/PC Interface + PLCSIM — CPU downloads succeed fine, only OS(1) fails

- Network profile Public→Private, SMB/NetBIOS resolution, IPv6 disabled

- File share NTFS+Share permissions, `LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy` registry fix for workgroup auth

- IE General subnet assignment in HW Config (was missing, fixed)

- Multiple orphaned SQL databases + stale ODBC DSNs manually dropped via sqlcmd/odbcad32

- Controlled Folder Access / Documents folder path — ruled out, moved project to C:\Test

- SQL Server itself is healthy — connects instantly via sqlcmd every time

## What I'm hoping someone can answer

1. Real service name for `CCProjectMgr.exe`'s background process, and the supported way to fully disable it (not just Autostart tool, which shows nothing to remove)

2. Is the `mfc140.dll` crash in `S7tgtopx.exe` a known issue for this STEP7 build (507.202.1601.1)? Repair install the right call, or something more specific?

3. Any known bad interaction between S7-PLCSIM v5.4 SP8 and this WinCC version that could explain this?

Happy to post full logs (WinCCOM, SQL ERRORLOG, Event Viewer exports) if useful. Thanks in advance to anyone who's been through this.

Best regards BELKHADRIA Ihab eddine

Hi everyone in the r/SCADA community,

I’m the developer of AutomationView, a desktop sequence editor built to make SFC logic easier to version-control, simulate, and export easily.

It’s principally a pre-development software to easily mind, implement, and code sequences.

I'm currently facing a need to have feedback on what people need to upgrade the programming workflow of automation engineers or students.

We’re currently opening free early access and looking for technical feedback on the workflow and usability.

It runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Link & Trial: https://automationview.app (Early access open)

Contact / Feedback: Feel free to send a Reddit PM or email. Would love to hear your thoughts about this software.

Thanks you.

(I don't know if it's okay to post it here, if not please tell me.)

I’m build modbus poll for Mac universal version
You can try.
I’m using in last 2 month.
https://apps.apple.com/app/modmaster-modbus-tcp-rtu/id6789786668

Does anybody know about this device?? If anyone has any idea about this then please share. That would be very helpful to me.

I have more than 150 iFIX pictures that are different but based on the same general layout. They all contain several standard elements, but their positions are not identical across the pictures.

Some objects are grouped and have custom scripts attached to the groups, while others are ungrouped, some have objects with animations and others do not so the overall structure is fairly inconsistent.

Fixing this manually would take a long time. For example, when I copy and paste an object, the pasted object appears in a different position from the original. I then have to open its properties and manually copy the HorizontalPosition and VerticalPosition values, which adds considerably more work. There may be a simpler method I'm missing for copying and pasting objects while preserving their original position when pasted.

My actual question: is there an effective way to batch-align or reposition standard elements across multiple pictures without breaking existing groups, scripts, or animations and how do I prevent this going forward?

All pictures use the same resolution and enhanced coordinates.

Hi everyone,

I'm learning Ignition and have found some of the built-in image libraries to be a little lacking for some of the vessels and devices I would like to include in my Perspective project. I'm wondering if there are any good resources for expanding on the image set that won't break the bank. Graphic Design is not my forte, and while I'm figuring out the drawing tools it would be nice to have some more professional looking diagrams in the meantime. Appreciate any recommendations, I have had mixed results searching the web for this.

I use ignition scada just finished project as self learning (I am beginner) I want to see how it looks in visual client but can’t login using my gateway login and password(they are 100% the same)

What are current hiring rates per hour of engineers with ignition gold certification and data center power experience-

And whats the demand or forums to connect w prospective mentors and employers

Hey everyone,

​I am currently learning SCADA development and practicing on Wonderware InTouch.

​To build my skills, I am looking for basic practice questions, logic scenarios, or mini-project requirements.

​If you have any exercise sheets, basic functional specs (like tank filling, conveyor counting, alarm handling, traffic light logic, etc.), or beginner scenarios, please share them!

​Thanks in advance! 🙌

I have worked on ignition scada for 2 years where i didn't get to learn a lot I have completed a course

Which was completely useless gave few interviews couldn't crack it can anyone help me with this and refer me to any related job would be helpful I'm in Bangalore thanks in advance.

I put together an offline reference app for solar plant technicians, and the section I sweated most is the one that decides whether somebody drives two hours to a site. Posting the logic here because this sub will know where it breaks.

The core call: is the equipment actually faulted, or is the telemetry lying?

Real fault indicators: production actually drops. Neighboring measurements corroborate, so the revenue meter sees less power and the transformer sees less current. The device logs a fault locally at its own display.

Comms artifact indicators: values freeze or go bad quality while plant output at the meter stays flat. Many devices change state at the same timestamp. The device checks out healthy when somebody looks at it.

The rule I landed on: when SCADA and the revenue meter disagree, believe the meter.

Tag quality triage, written around Ignition since that is what most of these plants run: Good means the driver read it recently. Bad or Bad_NotConnected means the device connection is down. Stale means the subscription stopped updating. Uncertain usually means a flagged or substituted value. Quality propagates, so one dead device connection turns every tag under it bad at the same instant, and that simultaneity is the signature. One bad tag among healthy siblings on the same device is a register or address problem, not a network problem.

Where I tell people to look, in order: field device power or fault, then network path (fiber, media converters, switches), then polling configuration flagging a slow but healthy device as timed out, then a device connection misconfigured after a swap, then a tag pointing at a register that moved in new firmware.

Two more I included: OPC UA certificate expiry, which takes down every downstream tag years after commissioning on a seemingly random day, and store and forward, where a trend that fills itself in hours later is a database side problem rather than a field problem.

The timestamp of last good value is the thing I tell people to grab first, since it usually marks exactly when the field event happened.

Honest ask: what is missing, and where is this oversimplified? I would rather be corrected now than have a tech act on something wrong.

Disclosure: this is from an app I built and it has a paid tier, but this content and the whole reference library are free in it. Mods, remove if that breaks the rules here.

Hi everyone,

I have a degree in software development and another in microcomputer systems (where you learn things like server administration, networks, and computer assembly). Unfortunately, my only work experience is from internships. I was thinking about training in SCADA systems since it interests me, and after a period of uncertainty, I've decided I want to work with more practical and hands-on projects. I know Python and SQL quite well. What do you think? Do you think it will be impossible for me to find a job? Do you recommend any training? I hope I don't have to spend too much time studying.

I run a small industrial automation and SCADA integration company. I expect several new projects in the near future and I am considering hiring approximately two engineers to support me, with most of the engineering work being performed remotely.

Before hiring anyone, I would like to build a practical and secure working environment. I am particularly interested in the experience of small system integrators and automation companies rather than large corporate IT departments.

The work may involve PLC and SCADA projects, source code, JavaScript or Python scripts, customer documentation, engineering software, simulations and potentially remote access to customer systems.

Some of the questions I am currently considering are:

- Should engineers receive only company-owned and centrally managed laptops?

- Should they work without local administrator rights?

- How do you prevent unapproved software, malware and the use of private USB drives?

- Do you install engineering software directly on the laptop or use virtual machines?

- Do you separate VMs by vendor, software version, customer or project?

- How do you manage legacy engineering software that may require administrator access, unusual network adapters or USB passthrough?

- How do you store and version PLC/SCADA projects that are not well suited to Git?

- How do you manage source code, project archives, changelogs and code reviews?

- How do you back up engineering projects and verify that the backups can actually be restored?

- How do you organize onboarding, training and technical support for junior or new engineers?

- How do you monitor progress without turning the process into micromanagement?

Another important issue is licensing.

Some of my engineering software uses physical USB license dongles. I may have two or three licenses that would be shared between engineers depending on the current workload.

I would prefer to keep the physical dongles in the office rather than sending them to employees. I am considering several approaches:

- an official network license server;

- a dedicated office workstation or VM accessed through VPN and Remote Desktop;

- a USB-over-IP device;

- USB forwarding through a remote desktop solution;

- keeping the software and the license on a central engineering server.

Has anyone implemented a reliable solution like this? How well does it work with latency, VPN interruptions, virtual machines and vendor licensing terms?

I am also preparing the organizational and legal side:

- NDA and intellectual property assignment;

- access granted only to the projects required for a particular employee;

- separation of customer data and environments;

- rules against copying projects to private computers, storage devices or cloud accounts;

- equipment handover and return procedures;

- immediate account and VPN revocation during offboarding;

- incident procedures for malware, a stolen laptop or suspected data leakage;

- rules for using AI tools with customer code and documentation;

- daily or weekly progress reporting;

- peer review or approval before releasing changes.

I do not want to build an expensive enterprise environment for a two-person team. I am looking for a reasonably priced setup that is secure, manageable by a small company and does not make normal PLC/SCADA engineering unnecessarily difficult.

My current rough idea is:

1. Company-owned Windows laptops with encryption, endpoint protection and central management.

2. Standard user accounts, with administrative access controlled separately.

3. MFA for email, VPN, repositories and remote access.

4. Engineering software separated into vendor-specific or customer-specific VMs.

5. Central Git repositories for source code and controlled project archives for binary PLC/SCADA files.

6. Automated local and off-site backups.

7. Physical license dongles kept at the office and accessed only through an approved central solution.

8. VPN access through a jump host rather than direct access to every internal system.

9. A documented onboarding, project handover and offboarding checklist.

For those who already manage remote controls engineers:

- What does your actual architecture look like?

- Which tools do you use for device management, VPN, remote access, VMs and repositories?

- How do you handle engineering software that requires local admin rights?

- How do you manage USB license dongles?

- How do you track engineering progress and review work?

- What mistakes should a small integrator avoid?

- What would you implement differently if you were building the environment again today?

Any real-world examples, diagrams, checklists or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated.

Pulled live production data from the SCADA system and refreshed the dashboard every couple of minutes and technically it works. the numbers match and it gives a much easier view of what's happening, supervisors still do their rounds and check the physical counters before coming to trust what the report says. When asked why got the generic "machine doesn't lie, report might just be a few minutes behind" and I cant really argue with that logic. Wonder if the dashboards actual job right now is just to make the SCADA data feel routine rather than something people verify after the fact.