Service 01 of 06
PLC code that runs your vessel, rig or plant, fixed where it stands
I troubleshoot legacy logic, rewrite code blocks and commission new PLC platforms for vessel owners, drilling contractors, yards and industrial operators. On site, with the installation in front of me.
What I do
Often the fault is in the code
A PLC sits between the crew and the machine. When a winch stops halfway, a pump will not start or a drive trips on a signal nobody can trace, the hardware is often fine. Many service calls start as a mechanical problem and end in the control code. I read the code as it runs on the installation and find out what the system is actually doing.
On legacy systems that means digging into logic that was written years ago, often without documentation and by someone who has long since left. I keep what works and rewrite the blocks that do not, in STL, LAD or FBD, so the next engineer can follow it too. On new installations and revamps I commission the PLC platform together with the drives and the power system, because that is where the three meet.
- Troubleshooting legacy logic on Siemens Step7, Allen Bradley, WAGO and Praxis controllers
- Rewriting code blocks in STL, LAD or FBD
- Commissioning modern PLC platforms such as Siemens TIA Portal on new builds and revamps
- Tracing faults across the boundary between control code, drive and power system
Platforms
Languages
When to call
Three situations where I get the call
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The mechanical fault that is not mechanical
The mechanic has been through it, the electrician has been through it, and the machine still stops. Then the fault often lives in the code or in the signals around it. I find out where, and I fix it there.
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Legacy logic nobody dares to touch
The program is old, the documentation is thin and the original programmer is gone. I read the logic as it runs, repair or rewrite the blocks that need it, and leave it in a state someone else can maintain.
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A new PLC platform to commission
A new build or a revamp with a modern PLC platform, and the drives and power system have to work with it from day one. I commission the control side together with the rest, so you are not left with three suppliers pointing at each other.
In the field
Control system work, without the names
Client and vessel names stay confidential. What I can show is what the installation was, what was wrong or needed, and what I did about it.
Industrial · Control system
Increasing 24 Vdc reliability
A power supply is only as reliable as its source. To make the 24 Vdc supply more dependable, I added 24 V batteries and a Victron diode isolator. If the main source fails, the switch-over is seamless: apart from the alarm that tells you, you would not notice a thing.
Read more
Services
Other services
02
Frequency drives, power electronics & SCR systems
VFD configuration, fault diagnosis and field repairs on Siemens, ABB, Unico and IDM. Ross Hill and NOV SCR systems on drilling rigs.
Read more03
Commissioning & servicing
Electrical, mechanical and hydraulic commissioning of new installations and revamps. ATEX commissioning, structured handovers, documented test protocols.
Read more04
EMS & PMS integration
Propulsion, energy management and process control, integrated over Modbus, Profibus, NMEA, J1939 and Ethernet, so the bridge sees what the engine room is doing.
Read more05
VFD houses & top drive systems
Tesco, Varco, ABB and Canrig top drives and the VFD houses that feed them. Rig moves, re-commissioning, panel rewires after fires.
Read more06
Battery-powered & hybrid vessels
Charging systems, energy management and propulsion control on battery-electric and hybrid ferries, water buses and crew transfer platforms.
Read more01 to 06
All services
The six areas I work in, and where they overlap.
See the overview
System down?
Call. The phone is faster than the form.
+31 6 838 507 23I answer personally and can be on site at short notice.
Have this at hand when you call
- Make and model of the PLC, and the software it was written in: Step7, TIA Portal or other
- Whether the project file or a backup is available
- Where the vessel or rig is now, and where it will be
- What happened, and when it has to run again
Talk to me about your PLC
Tell me which PLC it is, what the machine does and where the installation is. I respond personally, usually within one working day.