| title | README | ||||
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| version | 1.4.0 | ||||
| status | Draft | ||||
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| last-updated | 2026-04-14 | ||||
| reviewed | 2026-04-14 |
A living, open-source field guide for industrial controls, automation, electrical, process, and systems technicians and engineers.
This guide covers:
- Basic electrical theory, wiring, and power distribution
- Motor control systems, VFDs, and starters
- PLC hardware, programming, and troubleshooting
- HMI & SCADA basics
- Industrial protocols and networking
- Safety systems and standards
- Troubleshooting methodologies
- Preventive & predictive maintenance
- Master Table of Contents — full index of every topic, rendered in markdown for GitHub.
- HTML Site Index — same TOC, rendered for the website.
- Site Landing Page — quick-browse landing page (HTML).
- Markdown Source Mirror — every
.mdfile in a parallel tree, ready to be extracted as a standalone repo.
The guide is organized into 14 sections. Each row links to the markdown source (best for reading directly on GitHub) and the rendered HTML pages.
For the full per-topic list with every page linked, open the Master Table of Contents.
.
├── 00_Index/ Table of Contents (HTML, rendered for the site)
├── 01_Electrical_Fundamentals/ … through …
├── 14_Soft_Skills_Workflow/ Section folders — rendered HTML pages for the site
├── instructions/ Vault guide, folder structure doc, page templates (HTML)
├── markdown/ Full mirror of every .md file (standalone-repo ready)
│ ├── 00_Index/Index.md Master TOC (markdown)
│ ├── instructions/ Markdown copies of the four guide documents
│ └── 01_… 14_…/ Section folders with all topic markdown files
├── scripts/ Python generators (convert_to_html.py, generate_pages.py, content_*.py)
├── index.html Site landing page
├── README.md / README.html This file
├── CHANGELOG.md / CHANGELOG.html
├── LICENSE CC BY-SA 4.0 (docs, prose, diagrams)
└── LICENSE-CODE GPL-3.0 (code samples and scripts)
The instructions/ folder holds the meta-documentation that used to live at the root of the repo. Each document is available as both HTML (rendered for the site) and Markdown (in markdown/instructions/, best for reading on GitHub).
| # | Document | Markdown (GitHub) | HTML (site) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | How to Use This Vault — versioning, YAML frontmatter, editing conventions, local changelog format. | MD | HTML |
| 02 | Top-Level Folder Structure — map of section folders and what belongs where. | MD | HTML |
| 03 | TEMPLATE for Industrial Engineers Field Guide — filled-out example page showing every section. | MD | HTML |
| 04 | BLANK TEMPLATE for Industrial Engineers Field Guide — empty page skeleton to copy for new topics. | MD | HTML |
- Read 01 How to Use This Vault for versioning + YAML rules.
- Check 02 Top-Level Folder Structure to place your page in the right section.
- Copy 04 BLANK TEMPLATE into the right
markdown/section folder and fill it out. Reference 03 TEMPLATE for a complete example. - Run
python scripts/convert_to_html.pyto regenerate the HTML output. - Update the master Index and CHANGELOG.md.
- Submit a pull request.
The version system follows this structure:
XX.YY.ZZ
XX= MAJOR: Major milestone releases. Significant new sections, major structure changes, or complete reorganizations (for example, adding an entire Robotics section, or restructuring all troubleshooting content).YY= MINOR: Adding new topics, new subsections, major new examples, substantial improvements to explanations, or new diagrams and illustrations in existing topics.ZZ= PATCH: Minor edits, typo fixes, slight wording changes, small new examples, or other incremental additions.
| Version | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | First "official" complete draft of the field guide with all core sections. |
| 1.1.0 | Added a whole new section on IO-Link Devices. |
| 1.1.3 | Fixed typos in the PLC chapter, added two example diagrams. |
| 2.0.0 | Major overhaul: moved Troubleshooting to top, added Learning Paths. |
| 2.1.0 | Added SCADA Cloud chapter. |
| 2.1.1 | Added two photos of control panels. |
See the full instructions in 01 How to Use This Vault for YAML property reference, local changelog format, and editing best practices.
For project-wide history, see CHANGELOG.md.
This repository uses a split-license model:
- Documentation content (prose, explanations, diagrams, tables, and other non-code educational material) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). See LICENSE.
- Code content (code snippets, scripts, automation utilities, and executable examples) is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). See LICENSE-CODE.
You are welcome to copy, share, and adapt this project.
- If you use or remix the documentation, you must:
- Give appropriate credit,
- Link to the CC BY-SA 4.0 license,
- Indicate if changes were made,
- Release adaptations under the same or a compatible ShareAlike license.
- If you use or redistribute code, GPL-3.0 terms apply, including making source available and keeping the same license on derivative code distributions.
- Use this material for learning, internal training, and published derivative work.
- Reuse and adapt documentation with attribution and ShareAlike.
- Reuse and modify code under GPL-3.0 requirements.
- Remove attribution or imply the original authors endorse your derivative.
- Re-license CC BY-SA documentation as proprietary/closed.
- Distribute GPL-covered code derivatives under a non-GPL proprietary license.
Contributions are welcome. Please fork the repository, make your changes, and submit a pull request. For style and metadata conventions, see markdown/instructions/01 How to Use This Vault.md.
Created and maintained by Yusuf Talan Saunders.
Industrial Automation Field Guide: A living, open-source field guide for industrial controls, automation, electrical, and process technicians and engineers. Covers everything from basic electrical theory, motor control, PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, VFDs, troubleshooting methods, to industrial networking and safety systems.