Conveyor Rescue
Follow cartons, beams, PLC inputs and rungs. Prove feeding, stopping and the complete transfer.
Photoeye troubleshooting practice for conveyor sensor and input faults
Photoeye troubleshooting.
Clear belt. Blocked input. What changed?
PLCTrain / Line CallLive machine preview
Earlier Conveyor Rescue recording (member simulator)
This recording shows the separate member simulator, not the Line Call demo above.
Actual Conveyor Rescue gameplay24-second preview
Read what happens in the video
- The box won't move. Where would you look first?
- Compare the sensor signal with the ladder logic.
- Adjust the virtual sensor. Stopped does not mean safe.
- Should it run or stop?
- Now test your fix. Watch the conveyor and logic respond together. Finish every check in the free Conveyor Rescue demo.
This is an excerpt from the real simulation, recorded with a local test account. It does not show a completed assessment. Full verification continues in the trial. Practice maintenance is not real LOTO.
Separate the beam from what the program reports. PLCTrain offers photoeye troubleshooting practice in a browser-based conveyor simulator, without physical equipment. Compare the receiving space, simulated sensor input, PLC tag mapping, and ladder condition. Find where the evidence disagrees, then test a supported correction.
- Free web demo: three guided conveyor faults
- Live PLC signals and moving sensors
- Optional hints and repeatable practice
Free web Conveyor Rescue account. Email confirmation required. No card or PLC hardware. Mobile pilot access is separate and by invitation. For a quick look, open Line Call without an account.
3 connected conveyor zones
3 fault investigations
Your pace hints and repeatable practice
Wave 1–2 / Internal mobile pilot / Access by invitation
19 live calls. One troubleshooting method.
The same iPhone and Android experience: a live plant pinned above the tabs and controls. Adjust a sensor and watch the response. Turn the phone sideways for a larger plant view.
Plant networking
Check PLC, HMI, laptop and switch links. Follow ping paths and compare addresses before making a change.
Sensors
Inspect proximity, limit and 4–20 mA behavior, with live plant responses to your adjustments.
Basic electrical
Trace 24 VDC, fuse and contactor-coil paths. Take meter readings before a virtual parts change.
Predict → prove → repair → close. One next action. Fresh proof before closeout. The coach helps you find evidence and refuses to choose the cause. Wrong calls have visible, reversible consequences.
Coming, not included: Conveyor A9–A10 and dedicated PLC-functions, motors/VFDs and safety drills. No public app-store release yet. The browser demos on this page remain separate.
Make the training budget go further
Training shouldn’t end when the trip does.
A week away can introduce new skills. Give technicians a place to keep practicing the decisions they need on the floor—without booking another trip.
One technician. One week away.
- Course tuition
- $5,000
- Travel and stay
- $2,000
- Illustrative total
- $7,000
Before wages, overtime coverage, or time away from the plant. Example budget, not a market average or a quote from a specific provider.
Make troubleshooting practice a routine.
- Practice where you work. Browser demos and the mobile pilot need no travel or physical PLC.
- Make decisions and see the result. Inspect signals, test a repair, and repeat the checks.
- Coach across shifts. Use the same exercise to discuss each technician’s reasoning.
- Budget for the team. Agree access, training scope, and price before enrollment.
The plant responds to your decisions. No countdown or reward for rushing. The goal is an explanation you can support and a repair you can verify.
For maintenance: See what technicians check, where they need a hint, and what to practice next.
For finance: Compare the full team quote with tuition, travel, and coverage costs. Review cost per active learner and evidence of progress.
PLCTrain complements hands-on equipment and vendor training. Learning time still has a cost. This example does not claim $7,000 in savings, superior learning outcomes, or a qualification to work on equipment.
Discuss a team pilotFor maintenance managers and trainers
A method record
you can discuss.
The mobile pilot keeps a local roster of up to 10 seats per site. Review captured names, help requests, wrong-cause choices, forces and repair checks, then discuss the next practice step.
ILLUSTRATIVE SAMPLE / NOT LIVE LEARNER DATA
Supervisor method record
Example learner A Conveyor Rescue A1
Example data only.
Not a qualification or work authorization.
| Method field | Example record | Discuss next |
|---|---|---|
| Captured names | Example learner A / Example site. Local roster attribution. | Confirm who completed the practice. |
| Help and wrong causes | 1 help request. 1 wrong-cause choice. | Which observation changed your mind? |
| Forces and first proof | 0 force uses. First four-condition proof: passed. | Explain the expected response before another check. |
| Repair verification | Four operating conditions and transfers to belts 2 and 3 checked. No active forces at closeout. | Repeat independently and compare the method. |
The next useful conversation
Which check changed your mind?
Ask the technician to explain the evidence behind the change, then try another call without help. A completed simulation is a starting point for coaching, not a qualification.
- Help requests
- 1 example
- Wrong-cause choices
- 1 example
Discuss a pilot for your team. Agree access, scope and price before enrollment.
Discuss a team pilotLogic Lab / Drill Studio
Write the rung. Watch the conveyor respond.
Build ladder logic from scratch, run two connected conveyors, and trace the sensor signals. Create your own drills, test the machine behavior, and replay each scan to see why a circuit passed or failed.
Open Logic LabStart with a blank rung or a guided lesson. See the effect of every circuit change on the machine.Open Drill StudioTry a conveyor drill or author one with a brief, hints, photoeye faults, and machine tests.
Free to try. Circuit drafts and authored drills stay in this browser; export a copy to share your work.
Free guides / No account needed to read
Make the signals make sense.
The belt is clear. Why does the photoeye say blocked?Understand a blocked photoeye input on a clear conveyor. Compare the sensor, physical input, PLC tag, and ladder logic using PLCTrain simulation examples.XIC vs XIO. Read the bit, not the name.Learn when XIC and XIO instructions are true, why green does not mean a sensor is healthy, and how a blocked photoeye affects a conveyor rung.Run command: ON. Conveyor: STOPPED. Both can be true.Understand the difference between a PLC run command, output command, and actual conveyor motion. Learn to explain why a requested start may not move a belt.
Explore PLC troubleshooting training, Industrial PLC training. Browse the free PLC troubleshooting guides
What is PLCTrain?
Practice finding the first photoeye signal mismatch.
A reported blocked input does not prove that a box occupies the receiving station. In Conveyor Rescue, a sensor adjustment, an incorrect input mapping, or a logic condition can produce the same stopped-belt complaint. Compare the virtual space and physical input before following the named tag into the rung. A temporary force can also conceal what the sensor reports. The linked photoeye guide explains these layers in detail; this practice page helps you decide what to investigate in the simulator.
Inside Line Call / no account needed
"The box will not feed."
Where would you look first?
The space ahead. The photoeye. The PLC input and rung. The motor output.
Choose your own starting point. Compare the machine with the signals, try a likely cause, and test what changed. A wrong lead is recoverable.
Moving once is not enough. Prove that the line feeds when clear and stops when the receiving station is full.
01 / 03
Trace the photoeye signal through four layers.
Compare the space and sensor.
Check whether the modeled receiving station is clear or occupied and compare that with the photoeye input. Investigate the virtual beam and alignment when those two observations disagree.
Compare the input and program tag.
Follow the input mapping into the named photoeye tag. An apparently useful tag name can still read a different input, and a temporary force can override the value.
Check the rung and repeat the transfer.
If the input and tag agree, explain the condition the ladder instruction tests. Verify both clear and occupied receiving states after the correction, with temporary forces removed.
Inside Conveyor Rescue
One blocked indication.
More than one possible cause.
The Conveyor Rescue demo lets you investigate photoeye alignment, input mapping, and basic ladder conditions on a three-zone conveyor. Keep the free guide open for the concepts, then test your explanation against the simulated machine instead of assuming that every stopped belt needs a new sensor.
The box will not feed: call 1
Same initial complaint. Ask what changed, inspect the evidence, and explain the repair.
You practiceObserve. Diagnose. Prove.
The box will not feed: call 2
Same initial complaint. Ask what changed, inspect the evidence, and explain the repair.
You practiceObserve. Diagnose. Prove.
The box will not feed: call 3
Same initial complaint. Ask what changed, inspect the evidence, and explain the repair.
You practiceObserve. Diagnose. Prove.
You control the pace. Use the tools, ask for a hint, and repeat each repair check.
Line Call progress stays in this tab. Refreshing starts a new session. Member training saves progress to your account.
Who is it for?
New to maintenance?
Already on the tools?
Start here.
Future technicians & students
See what troubleshooting involves. Connect unfamiliar PLC terms to a machine you can watch and control.
Working maintenance technicians
Practice checking the evidence before changing parts or code. Repeat a fault and see how your decisions affect the line.
Maintenance managers & trainers
Try the demo yourself and decide whether this approach fits your team. Use a scenario to talk through what a technician would check and why.
A clear starting point
Try a fault.
Choose your training scope.
Available in the free demo: conveyor troubleshooting, photoeye alignment, input mapping, and basic ladder logic.
In the mobile pilot: 19 live calls, the same iPhone/Android plant behavior, proof gates and a local 10-seat method record. Dedicated PLC-functions, motors/VFDs and safety drills remain Coming.
For team access, agree the learners, training scope, reporting, and price before enrollment. Email training@plctrain.com to discuss your goals.
Your first callout is waiting
Try fixing it yourself.
Start Line Call immediately. Inspect the receiving photoeye, trace the input and ladder logic, then prove the repair with optional hints. Existing member training remains available through sign-in.
Try the public Line Call previewFree in your browser. No account or approval needed for Line Call.
Already have an account? Sign inWhy can a photoeye report blocked when the conveyor is clear?
In the simulation, compare beam alignment, the physical sensor input, the tag mapping, temporary forces, and the ladder condition. The blocked indication alone does not identify which layer disagrees with the clear space.
How do I distinguish a sensor issue from an input-mapping issue?
Compare the simulated physical input with the program tag. If the input responds correctly but the tag does not, investigate mapping and overrides. If the input itself disagrees with the modeled space, inspect the virtual sensor setup.
Does every photoeye use the same blocked and clear convention?
No. Real sensor behavior depends on sensing mode, output configuration, and equipment design. The demo defines its blocked tag for the exercise; do not treat that convention as a universal wiring rule.
Does this page replace the free photoeye troubleshooting guide?
No. The guide explains the sensor, input, mapping, and ladder concepts without an account. This page introduces the interactive practice where you compare those layers and test a correction.
Can I use the simulated settings on a real conveyor?
The settings and adjustments belong to an authored exercise. Real alignment, mounting, and work procedures must come from the equipment and sensor documentation and the site's authorized procedures.
How do I try the photoeye fault investigation?
Create a free account, confirm your email, and sign in to Conveyor Rescue. No card, physical photoeye, or PLC is required. Complete both clear and occupied verification conditions after trying a repair.
How does the training-cost example work?
The example adds $5,000 in tuition to $2,000 in travel and stay for one technician: $7,000 before wages or coverage costs. It is an illustrative budget, not a market average or a savings claim. Compare your actual course costs with a PLCTrain team quote and the training scope you need. Simulation complements hands-on and required vendor training.
Which practice needs an account?
The public Line Call repair preview and beginner lessons need no account. Line Call resets on refresh; lesson drafts stay in this browser. The separate free Conveyor Rescue demo includes three guided faults and account-saved progress: create an account, confirm your email, then start. No card or physical PLC is required.
Want guided practice with account-saved progress?
Create a free Conveyor Rescue account for three guided fault scenarios, hints, and video guidance. Your public Line Call session stays separate and does not transfer.