I am a certified PLC I Technician and Automation Technician from the University of Houston-Downtown. These programs provided a solid foundation in PLC programming (ladder logic using both file-based and tag-based addressing) and applications, robotics, and SCADA.  PLC programming is a great place to utilize lessons I have learned from my many years in embedded real-time control systems. My approach to programming is with the operator and maintenance technician in mind. Knowing that hardware components will eventually fail, fault handling algorithms that clearly identify the source can significantly reduce downtime, and can be used to provide predictable machine behavior when the fault occurs. Input mapping algorithms allow for a quick and simple code change to activate a spare channel when an input channel fails. Graphic panels allow for large amounts of information to be provided to the operator, but more is not always better. User interfaces should be designed to avoid information overload and nuisance indications. This can be accomplished by prioritizing the parameters, and putting lower priority parameters on secondary pages instead of cluttering the main screen. Paying attention to details like these can produce a machine that is enjoyable to operate and easy to maintain.