What's your favorite obscure tools you have? (Software or Hardware)

[Nova5]

Originally Posted by TheWaterboy

I did DL it just now. But can it crash a VFD?

Some VFDs come with a built in crash feature. Click a link in their internal website and ti goes into a loop because it can't find the file.. it faults but keeps that action in memory so when you clear the fault it tries again..... and again.. and again. The only solution.. power down the drive..

Brilliant!

[Hakutsuru]

A terminal wrench for getting into control cabinets (apprently it's also called a hex can wrench). Sure, a nut driver is basically the same thing, but the terminal wrench looks better. And someday I'm sure I will need the small end for something.



For software tools, the best I can think of is VMware. My life got so much better when I started putting my old programs into virtual machines. Now I don't lose them all every time I wear about another computer.

[5618]

A piece of software I haven't seen mentioned is 7zip. That and Notepad++ are two of the first things I put on a new system. It opens all the usual archive formats, but I find it particularly handy to see and extract what's inside some self-extracting, and even some installer executables.

A tool I particularly like is the SnapOn HL138ACP. They're like basic slip joint pliers I rarely use that are in every set, but the compound action has made them quite useful many times with the extra squeezing power.

The sanitation department uses a potters knife for cleaning out nooks and crannies. They're great for scraping, cutting, separating, etc. I have a couple customized ones heated and bent or ground to a lockpick. They're quite handy and one of my most used tools.

[geniusintraining]

Originally Posted by TheWaterboy

Genius... how long is battery life on that 4-20 generator

Just depends on how long you use it, if your trying to tune a valve or if your just testing inputs... I use mine a couple times a week or month and it last for easy a year but I know when I was tuning some Spirax pneumatic valves it would be on for hours at a time


Also another tool is all the stuff they have on this site, I do a lot of one off stuff and they have a lot of good tools also great pricing https://www.winford.com/

[OkiePC]

Originally Posted by padees

Yep, I have one of those and they work great!

Phoenix rep stopped by one day and asked if I want some stuff? Sure... He 1st mentioned a ferrule crimping tool, but then remembered he was giving that to someone else. (I have one)

He then pulls out the Wirefox stripper and the finest pair of 1000V needle-nose pliers I ever saw... Here ya go!

Yay!

Same here. The rep showed me those nice expensive ferrule crimpers and that stripper. I grabbed a scrap piece of a M12 cable with the tough PUR/PVC jacket and said if it will strip this cleanly and is less that $200 consider it sold. I got a couple of free screwdrivers in the deal too.

[Holmux]

Some years ago i got this type crowbar in my toolbox, now I never go on site without
When the electricians are done, I start correcting their impossible sensors

[geniusintraining]

Originally Posted by kolyur

Homemade version of sensor tester--very handy

Thanks for the idea... this is the kit that I am now selling https://www.plccable.com/sensor-test...d-m12-pnp-npn/

[JaxGTO]

Many years ago I had a three headed snake cable. It was for a Allen-Bradley KT card and had ends for PLC2, PLC3 and PLC5.

[ggc]

Engineer screw removal pliers, don't need them very often, but they're a lifesaver when you do need them.

https://www.engineertools-jp.com/screwremoval

[Dayvieboy]

PingInfoView
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/multiple_ping_tool.html

After using Angry IP to see what is on my PLC network
I add all of those IP addresses to PingInfoView

Then add:

Google.com
Comcast.com (my internet provider)
My VPN IP
My Gateway IP
Critical PLC IP & SCADA addresses

Then set it to ping them all every 1 second

You can see things drop out & come back & know the reason
VPN down, Internet down, Corporate network down, SCADA down

I leave it open on me desktop 24/7

[ceilingwalker]

Absolutely NOT obscure but my two greatest tools have been

- PLCs.net

- PLC Boot Camp with Ron B.

[mylespetro]

Originally Posted by ggc

Engineer screw removal pliers, don't need them very often, but they're a lifesaver when you do need them.

https://www.engineertools-jp.com/screwremoval

Heard great things about these. For all of you Knipex fanboys out there, they started making a version of these called the TwinGrip.

[arpus4KM]

Originally Posted by mylespetro

Heard great things about these. For all of you Knipex fanboys out there, they started making a version of these called the TwinGrip.

if they made that in a compound grip for extra strength, i'd be all over it.... I've used my engineer pliers enough times to pay for them easily.... One rounded screw holding in a backplane is enough to make a man go mad if you don't have a drill and bit nearby

[dmroeder]

Hopefully I'm not repeating myself. We have a couple of these RS485 adapters, which we use to write parameters to PowerFlex 523/525's when we commission them (DSI port). We use python and minimalmodbus.

Basically, we create a text file for each drive with the parameters we want to write, it takes a couple of seconds per drive to write the parameters. With 525's, we just write the IP address, then download the rest of the parameters via LogixDesigner. Way faster than any other method to set the addresses.

[mylespetro]

Originally Posted by dmroeder

Hopefully I'm not repeating myself. We have a couple of these RS485 adapters, which we use to write parameters to PowerFlex 523/525's when we commission them (DSI port). We use python and minimalmodbus.

Basically, we create a text file for each drive with the parameters we want to write, it takes a couple of seconds per drive to write the parameters. With 525's, we just write the IP address, then download the rest of the parameters via LogixDesigner. Way faster than any other method to set the addresses.

That's really slick, would be interested in trying that out.