Control Panel Pictures

[beanpole_ecc]

@g.mccormick

"The customers electrician likes to get carried away with extra wires."

Always better to be looking at a nice neat coil of spares and not need them than not have them and need them. My two cents.

Very well done panel though.

 

[g.mccormick]

@g.mccormick

"The customers electrician likes to get carried away with extra wires."

Always better to be looking at a nice neat coil of spares and not need them than not have them and need them. My two cents.

Very well done panel though.

I agree, it just makes my panel look kinda bad is all. Thanks for the compliment.

 

[OkiePC]

I agree, it just makes my panel look kinda bad is all. Thanks for the compliment.

It is a very nice panel. I love the spare din rail space and rack space. It really ticks me off when I have to replace a din rail that was chopped off short just to put a longer one in there. If there is spare space next to a DIN rail in the design, spend the extra $1.63 and run it on out. Make the spare space "field useful".

I cringe at "sticky back" mounting tabs, I like at least one of them to be screw through at each entry and two across door swings.

I can't stand abuse of zip ties inside panduit. I see your only use of sticky back and excess zip ties appears to be for the spares. I have no problem with that. Since they are not terminated they need to be secure, and you should rarely even need to cut them loose.

rant on zip-ties: When there are seven tiny zipties connecting the RTB on a PLC card to a terminal strip, it only costs time. I only use cable ties where required, not inside panduit. I saw a neat trick the other day, to hold the wire in place they snipped little 3 to 4 inch pieces of 1/4" poly air line and they fit snugly between the segments and were left in place for use during field repairs. Being white/opaque they're nearly invisible once the raceways are buttoned up, and they were really handy the other day when I added two motor starters and some photocells to it. I was able to run all the new wires without having any of the existing stuff falling out.

I try to draw out the spare wires away from the panel floor if possible, suspend them in separate loops as you have but from the backplate. Few of the spares will ever be used, but one small conduit incident to make having them all available a huge bit of insurance. To keep the neatness, just spread them out away from the floor.

 

[Binaural]

@g.mccormick

"The customers electrician likes to get carried away with extra wires."

Always better to be looking at a nice neat coil of spares and not need them than not have them and need them. My two cents.

Very well done panel though.

"I'd rather be looking at it than for it"

 

[The Plc Kid]

I really don't like spares rolled up like that in a cabinet. Add some extra terminals on your field terminal strip and land them as spares.

I use conduit schedules and include the schedule on my prints so you know whate conduit and point the spares are for and once landed on the field terminal strip you can connect from there to any component you need to later inside the cabinet.

 

[g.mccormick]

I really don't like spares rolled up like that in a cabinet. Add some extra terminals on your field terminal strip and land them as spares.

I use conduit schedules and include the schedule on my prints so you know whate conduit and point the spares are for and once landed on the field terminal strip you can connect from there to any component you need to later inside the cabinet.

All of the I/O in the cabinet goes to the cabinet side of the terminal blocks. There are probably 80% spare channels actually.

 

[gbradley]

Not PLC Cabinets, but the Data Centers here look pretty good.
http://royal.pingdom.com/2008/01/24/when-data-center-cabling-becomes-art/

 

[Watthour]

Mostly motor control, but some PLC, PID, and HMI with IP to the outside networks:

 

[mrnicks]

This ones older. I'll have to dig up some newer nicer and correct panels I've done. I love this thread!

 

[mrnicks]

This one is a little newer

 

[mrnicks]

Here my work area. Made by me. Very comfortable and efficient.

 

[johnkbaum]

Has anyone used the subpanels with the built in heatsink fins on the backside?

 

[Watthour]

JohnK - Welcome aboard.

I haven't seen (nor used) those, but am curious about where you have found them.

 

[mrnicks]

So what is the general consensus on mounting a small abb ACS350 2hp VFD next to a small control transformer (500VA-240/120). Everything in me says no, but I really don't have much space. The drive also has no filters in or out. What do you guys think?

 

[mrnicks]

Has anyone used the subpanels with the built in heatsink fins on the backside?

I have never built or seen these.