Hey there! As someone who's made that exact transition from physical relay panels to modern PLC programming, I totally get why you'd ask this. When you're used to seeing actual wires and physical contacts, moving to abstract code can feel like learning a whole new language. Here are the biggest pain points that make electricians want to go back to good old ladder logic:

First up is the loss of visual flow. With ladder logic, you can literally trace the electrical path like you would on a wiring diagram. Structured text feels like reading a novel when you're used to looking at pictures - all those IF-THEN statements and loops just don't give you that immediate 'circuit complete' feeling.

Then there's the scan cycle concept. In relay logic, everything happens simultaneously. But PLCs scan sequentially, which means timing issues can pop up that never existed before. You might have two operations that worked perfectly in parallel on relays, but in a PLC they execute one after another, creating weird race conditions.

Function block diagrams can be equally frustrating. They look like they should be intuitive - just connect blocks together, right? But when you're used to thinking in terms of normally open/normally closed contacts, seeing data flow through function blocks feels like you're working with black boxes. You can't 'see' the electricity flowing anymore.

Debugging is probably the biggest shock. With physical relays, you could grab a meter and test points. With structured text, you're staring at variables and trying to figure out why your boolean isn't toggling. It's like going from being able to touch and feel the problem to having to read its mind through a debugger.

The good news? Once you get past that initial 'this feels wrong' phase, you start to appreciate the power of these modern languages. They can handle complex math, data manipulation, and state machines that would be nightmares in ladder logic. But yeah, that transition period definitely makes you want to shout 'just give me ladder logic back!'