This chapter is theoretical and will not require any specific software.

Computer science is the study of computer systems, with a strong emphasis on software. In a more lay sense, computer science is the study of computational systems such as computers, phones, or anything that runs software, including PLCs. In short, the scope of computer science usually encompasses fields that involve software development or computer architecture. Computer science is a broad field that ties into many other disciplines, such as the following:

• Software engineering
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Networking
• Cyber security
• Database systems
• Bioinformatics
• Distributed computing
• Computer architecture

The field of robotics and automation can also loosely be considered a field of computer science.

As can be seen, computer science encompasses a lot of different disciplines. For some, this may seem scary, but rest assured that a mastery of each of these subfields is not necessary to be successful at computer science...

Automation programming can take on many different interpretations depending on the context and industry. For this book, automation programming will be considered industrial automation programming. Industrial automation programming and control programming can be considered the same thing. When one mentions controls or automation programming, they are usually referring to writing software that lives on some type of controller that is used to automate the use of machinery. In all, automation software is designed to reduce the amount of human intervention in a process.

Automation programming starts with a programmable device. There are many types of automation controllers, with some being the following:

• PLCs
• Remote terminal unit (RTU)
• Proportional – integral – derivative (PID)
• Miscellaneous control boards

What is considered automation software should include more than software that simply lives on controllers....

In automation, software is often seen as a second-class citizen to the hardware. If you speak to an automation professional, chances are they are going to tout the hardware as the main focal point of the system. Automation engineers love to brag about the latest controllers that are being utilized, how they integrated the finest motors and motor drives into the system, and so on. However, it is rare to hear a typical automation engineer brag about the efficiency of the software or tout the design patterns they used to architect the software.

A lot of this attitude towards software boils down to tangible assets. Often, an engineer can hand a customer the latest power supply or brag about how easy it is to swap out a new motor drive. If the customer ever sells the machine off, they can use all those features as selling points to raise the value of the machine. However, there is a major flaw in this logic. Without quality software, the...

The world is changing rapidly, and the computer industry is leading the charge. For those who work in the automation industry, where systems can easily be 20 years old, it can often be difficult to see how rapidly the IT world is morphing. In the past, most of the then-emerging technologies were decentralized and did not factor into industrial automation. However, with the widespread adaptation of the internet and interconnected devices, that all changed.

Recently, the world has seen the rise of things such as cloud computing, the IoT, machine learning, and many other things. The new elements have exploded so fast that they are starting to be integrated into the industrial automation realm. To understand why automation programmers should care about computer science, we first need to understand what these modern technologies are. Now, it is important to remember that this list is not exhaustive, but the following technologies will give an insight...

Over the past 15 years, microcontrollers have become quite common for electronics education and hobbyists in general. At first glance, a PLC is a lot like a microcontroller, and if you were to compare a microcontroller to a PLC from 30 years ago, a PLC basically was a rugged microcontroller. Based on the PLC definition established before, it is quite easy to confuse the two types of controllers or, at the very least, confuse the applications. The nature of PLCs has changed, and the two types of controllers are worlds apart. Therefore, it is especially important to understand the differences between the two types of controllers, as it is often more appropriate to use one type over the other. To understand how a PLC differs from a microcontroller, let us explore what a microcontroller is.

What are microcontrollers?

A microcontroller can best be thought of as a low-level computer on a chip. Common microcontrollers include the following:

• PICs
...

Over the past 20 or so years, the cost of computers has dropped significantly. This drop in price has given rise to cheaper and more powerful computers. This increase in computing power and decrease in price has been reflected in all aspects of life. For example, smartphones are now an integral part of society; virtually everyone has easy access to tablets, such as Kindles, smart homes are on the rise, and more. This shift in computing has also seeped into the automation world. In contrast to the past, hardware-based control panels have been replaced with touchscreen HMIs, advanced networking technologies are employed everywhere, and, of course, PLCs (that more resemble modern computers as opposed to microcontrollers) are a mainstay in most factories. But before the similarities between a PLC and a computer can be explored, it is important to understand what a computer is.

What is a computer?

Describing a computer can be a bit difficult because many devices...

This chapter explored the basics of how automation engineering relates to computer science. Thus far, PLCs, computers, and microcontrollers, their use cases, and more have been explored. By this point, a solid foundation on the concepts should have been established.

The days of hodgepodge Ladder Logic programming are ending. The automation industry is notorious for being many years behind the curve in terms of technological advancements; however, over the past 10 or so years, technology has made leaps and bounds that cannot be ignored. With the introduction of technologies such as the IoT, the cloud, and machine learning, automation developers are going to be forced to abandon the old mindset of “if the program works, it’ll do.” Automation programmers are going to have to adapt to new trends, which means a core understanding of software will be vital in the coming days.

With all that said, a basic understanding of PLC hardware is required to move...

1. What are three use cases for a PLC?
2. Can a PLC be used in a space launch system?
3. Why is computer science important to an automation programmer?
4. What are two use cases for a microcontroller?
5. Name three emerging technologies for industrial automation.
6. What is computer science?
7. Why should automation programmers care about computer science?
8. Name three common microcontrollers.
9. What are some common microcontroller programming languages?