# Engineers: Drives & Motor Control Training
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759
**Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic
**Created:** [June 4, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759 "2009-06-04T13:36:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/1 "2009-06-04T13:36:01Z")
Story:
I gave my resignation to my company, and declined their counter offer. The CEO got on the phone and made me an offer that I could not walk away from. It is however based on a two year plan to have me into a much better and much more lucrative position. My company is going to be providing me with tons of training and allowing me to attend all of the Allen Bradley classes and seminars that we have on Drives, PLC’s, Motor Control, MCC’s etc… They are priming me to take an industrial sales / engineering position. I have no engineering background, but I have the aptitude to perform very well in that type of position.
What I need:
I do not want to just take their training and move forward. It will be much better for me if before I even step foot in the class room I am decently adept at the applications. Aside from going back to college and fighting out an engineering degree on my limited time schedule, what other avenues do you use, or have seen used to gain loads of knowledge on these topics? I am not trying to be a full fledged EE, but I have to have the technical capability to spec the jobs, recognize flaws / cause of failure, and to really not look like a dumb ass sales man that doesn’t know his product and it’s applications.
Any links, or recommended reading that you can provide would be useful.
---
### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/2 "2009-06-04T13:37:45Z")
I took an allen bradley PLC class and learned a little bit… i had no prior knowledge going into it.
---
### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/3 "2009-06-04T13:43:57Z")
A degree does not mean you are any good at electronics or engineering.
[http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?autocom=downloads&showfile=156](http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?autocom=downloads&showfile=156)
“Automated manufacturing systems with PLC’s”
There are wiki’s for damn near everything these days.
Specsmanship can be a real PITA for equipment. It seems as though most EOM’s choose their own way of giving the tech data.
---
### Author:  [@97FormulaWS-6](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/97FormulaWS-6)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/4 "2009-06-04T13:44:46Z")
Honestly, just go online and do research… figure out a project you want to do for yourself and do all the background research on how to do it. Read all the users manuals, technical bulletins, application notes, etc. You’ll learn a TON from that.
---
### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/5 "2009-06-04T13:47:55Z")
> [@newman](#):
>
> I took an allen bradley PLC class and learned a little bit… i had no prior knowledge going into it.
I host all of those classes here in my branch so I have unlimited access to them. I just want to try for some other avenues.
Side note, Did you go to Rexel for the class, or right off to AB?
---
### Author:  [@speedracer18t](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/speedracer18t)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/6 "2009-06-04T13:50:38Z")
research and dive into your own projects of interest to learn about them. 97formulaws-6 hit it on the head. maybe white pages will help you as well.
---
### Author:  [@LAFENGAS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LAFENGAS)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/7 "2009-06-04T13:53:17Z")
Hands-on experience of the tasks at hand will teach you a lot more than a class that will fill your brain with 85% of things you will not ever deal with or need to know.
Just like engineering. The entire engineer schooling process teaches you HOW to think and you learn a little bit in the process. Even after 4+ years of college/training, you’ll learn more in your first few months of actual experience in the field that you choose to make your “career”.
IMHO.
---
### Author:  [@walter](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/walter)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/8 "2009-06-04T13:57:49Z")
Hands-on expereience is where you are going to learn. And you’ll learn more than a “degree” since it will be specific to what you are doing. Take the AB courses, and get as much exposure as you possibly can.
Just reading isn’t going to do all that much. The more work you can get, the better off you’ll be. It is the pratical application that is going to teach you, the dumb sales guy version will come from reading and thinking it means you know what you are talking about.
---
### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/9 "2009-06-05T13:32:44Z")
I have to take a class here soon so that I can wire anything over 100V.
I looked up the training doc provider and found “curriculum’s”.
You might be able to look up a handful of these so that you know what to
google.
[http://www.tpctraining.com/c-472-electrical-systems-technician.aspx](http://www.tpctraining.com/c-472-electrical-systems-technician.aspx)
Hands on is still the best way, especially if you have a mentor type to keep you from doing dumb stuff.
---
### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/10 "2009-06-05T13:48:58Z")
We don’t really do too much hands on here. The one guy that did bought Allied Circuits and left. That is why I am getting primed to go that direction.
I guess that I will just have to find some materials and put something big and cool together that controls something stupid like a garage door.
Thanks for all of the input up to this point!
---
### Author:  [@97FormulaWS-6](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/97FormulaWS-6)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2009, 2:13pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/11 "2009-06-05T14:13:35Z")
> [@tpgsr](#):
>
> We don’t really do too much hands on here. The one guy that did bought Allied Circuits and left. That is why I am getting primed to go that direction.
>
> I guess that I will just have to find some materials and put something big and cool together that controls something stupid like a garage door.
>
> Thanks for all of the input up to this point!
LOL… how about doin me a set of powered window curtians that close when I lower my screen? :lol:
---
### Author:  [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/12 "2009-06-05T14:21:35Z")
:lol: I’ve got a 20 slot SLC-500 rack, a Spectrum Controls Webport, and a pair of laptops sitting on my kitchen table. I’m going to be spending my weekend putting together the last pieces of my new control system so that I’m not the reason a project that has executive VP level attention is fucked up. Come on over. Bring beer! I’ll teach you everything I know.
But seriously, I’m doing what it sounds like you’re talking about selling. I studied mechanical engineering. I took one programming course and hated it. Now I’m the guy that decides when 3,000 horsepower 4160V motors start and stop. :roflpicard:
---
### Author:  [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/engineers-drives-motor-control-training/68759/13 "2009-06-05T14:24:39Z")
But yeah, any AB class that gives lab-type hands-on training will help you learn your shit.
So are you going to take Ken Campbell’s position?