Baltimore , Maryland
June 25, 2023
June 25, 2023
June 28, 2023
Manufacturing Division (MFG)
11
10.18260/1-2--44420
https://peer.asee.org/44420
275
Dr. Jack is the Cass Ballenger Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering and Technology within Western Carolina University. His interests include robotics, automation, and product design.
Scott Rowe is an Assistant Professor in Western Carolina University’s School of Engineering + Technology. He joined Western Carolina University in 2021 after studies in concentrated solar power and controls engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Scott’s research relates to accessible and inexpensive engineering equipment for laboratory education.
This paper presents an innovative approach to teaching Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) using open-source software and low-cost hardware in an engineering curriculum. The OpenPLC software and a variety of affordable hardware platforms, such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi, are employed to provide students with hands-on experience in programming PLCs. The incorporation of PLC content in the second year of the curriculum prepares students for summer internships, better satisfying industry demands and enhancing their careers. This approach is also beneficial for multidisciplinary project-based learning courses throughout the engineering program. Although a formal assessment of the approach's effectiveness is yet to be conducted, anecdotal evidence suggests positive outcomes. Overall, this paper demonstrates the value of using free software and low-cost hardware in teaching PLC concepts, paving the way for more accessible and cost-effective education in this crucial area of engineering.
Jack, H., & Rowe, S. C. (2023, June), Teaching Industrial Control with Open-Source Software Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44420
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2023 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015