Verification & Validation Engineer
From 2024 until 2026 I worked on systems that control tunnels, bridges, and water pumps. These are not games or apps you can restart if something goes wrong. If these systems fail, people can get…
SB270 Chapter 43 and 48b
Within the Flemish Standard Specifications 270 framework, two chapters are particularly critical for movable bridges and locks: • Standard Specifications 270 Chapter 43 Working Principles of Movable Structures version 4• Standard Specifications 270 Chapter 48b…
AES 256 and SHA 256 in OPC UA Communications
Operational Technology environments are no longer air gapped. SCADA systems, PLC networks, historian platforms, and industrial gateways increasingly communicate over routed IP networks. In this context, OPC UA has become the de facto secure communication…
WinCC OA training
A few years ago, I followed a course on WinCC OA organised by Siemens in The Hague. At the time, the motivation was clear. I was working in complex automation environments where reliability, transparency, and…
XAMControl SCADA
A layered SCADA architecture in practice This diagram shows a three level industrial automation architecture consisting of a management level, a SCADA level, and a field level. I worked with this type of system for…
My Role as SCADA Developer in the Flemish Tunnel Control System (VTC)
One of the most defining projects in my career was my role as SCADA developer in the Flemish Tunnel and Control Center in Antwerp. This control center was created to meet the operational demands of…
Wireshark as a microscope for OPC UA communication
In complex automation systems, problems rarely announce themselves clearly. A value arrives too late. A subscription behaves differently than expected. A client reconnects more often than it should. At that point logs are often not…
OPC UA vs Modbus
Secure, Structured Communication for Modern Industrial Systems OPC UA is what happens when industrial communication grows up. It was designed to solve the limitations of older field protocols such as Modbus. Instead of just reading…
Modbus over TCP
Coils, Registers and How the Protocol Actually Works Modbus over TCP is one of the simplest industrial communication protocols still in heavy use today. It runs on Ethernet, uses TCP port 502, and follows a…
Siemens TIA Portal
What I Learned: TIA Portal Feels Familiar When You Know Other PLC Systems One of the most important realizations while reviewing the Siemens TIA Portal S7 1200 course was how familiar the environment felt in…