Automation Everywhere You Look04/27/2017Now that I’ve been in the industrial electronic repair industry for nearly 20 years, I find that the things I notice when I’m out and about have changed. Whenever I go anywhere, I now find myself on the lookout for the types of controls that we repair, no matter where they may be or the application in which they may be used. I love amusement parks of all sizes. Everything from a local carnival, to a state fair, to the mega theme parks like Disney parks, or Six Flags parks, or Paramount parks. I’m pretty much up for any and all rides. The faster they go or more spinning they do the better. It’s funny though. Because now when I walk around in the park, what do you think my most prevalent thought might be? Is it, the high price of food, or a bottle of water that you have to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford? No it isn’t. Is it about what I want to ride next? Well… a little but not the biggest thought. Because of my job, I find myself wondering what kind of automation is used on that ride. What kind of drives, did the ride manufacturer use? I will also crane my neck to get a glimpse of the ride operator’s control panel to see what kind of controls they have. My curiosity once got the better of me when I was in line for a roller coaster and I tried to engage the operator in a conversation about the automation used on his particular ride. This was met with a confused look, a shrug of the shoulders and an admission of having no idea about what makes it work. I’ve since not let my curiosity guide me toward asking operators about the automation on their rides.On one particular trip, I was fortunate enough to strike up a conversation with a guy on the park maintenance staff that did take care of the ride repairs and maintenance. He was happy to temporarily take a break and show me the inside of a drive panel which contained a few Eurotherm 690+ AC drives. It may sound weird, but that pretty much made my day. Of course I went into sales pitch mode even though I was on vacation and told him how we repair the Eurotherm 690+ drives, other manufacturers and all kinds of other stuff too. He was happy to have a new resource to get controls from the park repaired as well.It’s not just amusement parks though, it’s everywhere I go. I think automation is quite fascinating and I’m always on the lookout for it.-Scott Hyman Back To Blog
Automation Everywhere You Look04/27/2017Now that I’ve been in the industrial electronic repair industry for nearly 20 years, I find that the things I notice when I’m out and about have changed. Whenever I go anywhere, I now find myself on the lookout for the types of controls that we repair, no matter where they may be or the application in which they may be used. I love amusement parks of all sizes. Everything from a local carnival, to a state fair, to the mega theme parks like Disney parks, or Six Flags parks, or Paramount parks. I’m pretty much up for any and all rides. The faster they go or more spinning they do the better. It’s funny though. Because now when I walk around in the park, what do you think my most prevalent thought might be? Is it, the high price of food, or a bottle of water that you have to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford? No it isn’t. Is it about what I want to ride next? Well… a little but not the biggest thought. Because of my job, I find myself wondering what kind of automation is used on that ride. What kind of drives, did the ride manufacturer use? I will also crane my neck to get a glimpse of the ride operator’s control panel to see what kind of controls they have. My curiosity once got the better of me when I was in line for a roller coaster and I tried to engage the operator in a conversation about the automation used on his particular ride. This was met with a confused look, a shrug of the shoulders and an admission of having no idea about what makes it work. I’ve since not let my curiosity guide me toward asking operators about the automation on their rides.On one particular trip, I was fortunate enough to strike up a conversation with a guy on the park maintenance staff that did take care of the ride repairs and maintenance. He was happy to temporarily take a break and show me the inside of a drive panel which contained a few Eurotherm 690+ AC drives. It may sound weird, but that pretty much made my day. Of course I went into sales pitch mode even though I was on vacation and told him how we repair the Eurotherm 690+ drives, other manufacturers and all kinds of other stuff too. He was happy to have a new resource to get controls from the park repaired as well.It’s not just amusement parks though, it’s everywhere I go. I think automation is quite fascinating and I’m always on the lookout for it.-Scott Hyman