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The Read-Out Instrumentation Signpost
Measurement, Control and Automation Resources throughout the World
News up to: 4/12/02
 Catching the Bus!
Towards a standard in Digital Communications
Fieldbus links on this site.
Developments
lnfraserv Presentation at General Assembly confirms suitability of FF for use within German chemical and pharmaceutical Industries - The Foundation Fieldbus/Europe is delighted that attendees at this month's NAMUR General Assembly were able to hear, first hand, the positive results of lnfraserv Hoechst's evaluation of a multi-vendor Foundation Fieldbus system. The conclusions were clear - Foundation fieldbus technology works, devices are available and supported within Germany, and the technology satisfies the requirements of the German chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The results were presented by Manfred Dietz, manager of the lnfraserv Hoechst test laboratory.
One conference two venues - AS-Interface UK has announced details of next years ASi-tech 2003 (ASi-tech conference and exhibition). The 2003 event is to be held at two venues, firstly on March 4th at the Madejsky Stadium, home of Reading Football Club, and then at Manchester United's Old Trafford on March 6th. AS-Interface UK Chairman Geoff Hodgkinson said: "After the great success of the 2002 event held at Hinckley where over 250 delegates attended we wanted to extend the show to two venues, one in the North East and one more towards the South of the country. This we hope will increase the amount of people able to visit the show."
CANopen becomes European standard _ CENELEC - The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization has ratified the CANopen application layer protocol. It will be published as EN 50325-4. CANopen has been developed by members of the CAN in Automation (CiA)
British demand leads to new publication - In response to reader demand for more local news of ProfiBus activities and applications, ProfiBus UK has published a UK version of the popular ProfiBus newsletter, ProfiNews. Based on the proven format of the international edition, the first issue ProfiNews UK runs to 6 pages of information on events, cases studies, product announcements and news stories from the UK. Carrying a complementary blend of UK and international news, the newsletter is intended to supplement rather than replace the international edition. A key feature is the listing of educational opportunities that abound in Britain, from the PROFInet Workshop on the 14th November, through participation in MTEC and Southern Manufacturing in February 2003 to the regular monthly Certified Installer and Certified Engineer courses held at MMU.
All about ProfiSafe and ProfiDrive on a single CD - Everything you need to know about PROFIsafe and PROFIdrive can now be obtained on a single CD published by ProfiBus UK. Featuring the proceedings of the July 2002 Seminar.
Who said it was all over? - "Industrial Ethernet, Wireless Ethernet, OPC technology and you thought with the end of the fieldbus wars there would be nothing to talk about?" says Adrian Chesney of The Industrial Ethernet Book in the latest edition of his email newsletter. "Industrial networking is always evolving and improving but it is not all about new equipment. Legacy systems have to be incorporated into refits and upgrades as well and we intend to adress this issue in upcoming editions. We are already planning Industrial Ethernet Book 13. With next year in mind I am pleased to announce that we shall be producing five editions in 2003."
Fourth HSE linking device registered - The Fieldbus Foundation has registered a fourth High Speed Ethernet (HSE) linking device. Softing's FieldGate FF joins currently registered HSE linking devices from ABB, Emerson Process Management and Smar International.
'Open-ness, Productivity, Connectivity' for building and industrial automation explained - Softing's highly-successful reference book about OPC, the technology that provides software connectivity between PC-based systems in factory, process and building automation, has been re-printed in a revised, updated edition. Co-authored by OPC experts Frank lwanitz and Juergen Lange, the 200-page book covers the history, fundamentals, implementation and applications of OPC. The Book (ISBN 3-7785-2883-1), published by Huthig, includes a free CD-ROM with Development Toolkits and demo software.
OPC, which once stood for OLE in Process Control but which now is better described by the phrase 'Open-ness, Productivity, Connectivity', is a group of specifications defining interfaces which enable data to be exchanged between PC-based systems. In OPC parlance, an OPC 'client' in one system requests data from an OPC 'server' in the other. OPC was originally developed for basic data access but its application-base has been continuously expanded. As well as the original Data Access specification, Alarms and Events, Historical Data Access, Batch and XML functionality are now encompassed, enabling OPC to be used extensively for vertical (linking up into IT and enterprise levels) and horizontal (linking same-level systems) system integration.
Best Selling Fieldbus Book Wins Award - The author Jonas Berge has been awarded the "Raymond D. Molloy Award" presented by the ISA (The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society) for the best selling book in 2001 entitled "Fieldbuses for Process Control: Engineering, Operation, and Maintenance". Adoption of Foundation Fieldbus and ProfiBus PA as well as their Industrial Ethernet counterparts is increasing at a rapid pace and is the focus of this book. User interest is growing even faster. The high demand for the book is a reflection of this trend. General-purpose Ethernet and older industrial data communication books fall short in addressing these new technologies, architecture, and practices in sufficient depth.
First PROFInet Competence Centers Founded in the USA and Germany - ProfiBusInternational (PI) has founded the first PROFInet Competence Centres in the USA and Germany, offering interested end-users and device manufacturers optimum support for the use and development of PROFInet devices. The Competence Centres have comprehensive knowledge of engineering and distributed automation systems with PROFInet as well as intimate knowledge of the PROFInet Runtime Software, the present version of the Runtime Software (V 1.2) of which is available for download on the ProfiBus Site
Fieldbus university! - PlantWeb University is another good idea from Emerson. This website is divided into a Business School and an Engineering School. It aims to make it easy to understand and evaluate new ways to improve project, process, and plant performance.
New ProfiBus Profile for Low Voltage Switchgear - ProfiBus International has released a new draft profile defining the use of ProfiBus DP with low voltage switchgear. This profile edition dated July 2002 defines several selectable data structures for the cyclic data exchange on ProfiBus for circuit breakers and starters and includes the new standard I&M functions. Future editions will cover switches, overload relays, contactors, auxiliary switching devices, control and
protective switching devices. The profile is in accordance with IEC 60947.
New initiatives from SafetyBUS p Club -
Several new initiatives were announced at the Annual Members' Meeting of the SafetyBUS p Club International held in April at the Hannover Fair. One of the most important developments was an agreement to establish a Conformance Test Centre at the University of Warwick. In addition, a set of integration tools has been launched to assist vendors who wish to incorporate a SafetyBUS p interface within their products.
Other announcements included the establishment of a new conformance test center at Warick University (GB), and the confirmation of seven new members of the club Honeywell; Global Technology Video Co. Ltd; MTL Instrument GmbH; Wenglor Sensoric GmbH; Steuerungstechnik BBH; and Nihon University of Japan as well as the Warwick University itself. The meeting saw the historic election of Dr Richard Piggin as Chairman - the first time that the chair has been held outside Germany, the birthplace of SafetyBUS p.
Evaluation of FF for use by German chemical and pharmaceutical Industry - The Fieldbus Foundation/Europe today announced that they are cooperating with Infraserv Hoechst, an independent consultancy in Germany that has grown out of the former Hoechst engineering division, in an evaluation of Foundation fieldbus technology. Infraserv Hoechst has been commissioned by the group of former Hoechst companies known as IGR (Industrial Practices Interest Group)s to conduct the evaluation in the context of the IGR's typical requirements which are representative of the German chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The evaluation is focused on technology issues such as interoperability of devices, interchangeability of devices across segments and ease of engineering as opposed to the performance of specific devices.
Announced at Hanover - ProfiBus International has made significant steps forward in its development of PROFInet as an open standard for the automation industry. This was apparent from the series of announcements made at this year's Hanover Fair. Three separate announcements covered the release of the new version 1.1 of the PROFInet run-time software; PROFInet connector standards and test specifications for PROFInet certification. However, perhaps most significant of all was the joint announcement from the Profibus User Organization (PNO) and the Interface for Distributed
Automation (IDA) revealing terms of an extensive cooperation agreement promoting the use of accepted standards to minimize differences between the two solutions and enable interoperability between field devices from different suppliers.
New severe duty ethernet switch - Sixnet announces the release of the Etherbus IP67 rated Ethernet switch. Etherbus is a fieldbus-style real-time Ethernet switch which can be mounted directly onto a machine or exposed wall in harsh environments. Its specialized IP67 rated packaging provides protection against water, oil, dust and vibration. Etherbus switches use waterproof and vibration protected environmental connectors, which are also offered by SIXNET. These connectors have a standard RJ45 core that users can plug a RJ45 cable into for bench testing or for temporary field connections with laptop computers. Other Etherbus features include: 2 Gbps bandwidth; 1K MAC addresses; eight 10/100 auto-detecting RJ45 ports; industrial temperature rated -40 to +85 C; UL,CSA, CE and Zone 2 rated; automatic power saving; rate filtering (keeps network speeds constant under heavy use and packet transfer); plug-and-play; supports all standard Ethernet 802.3 protocols (such as TCP/IP, IP, NetBEUI).
Licensing agreement to enhance fieldbus capabilities - Smar International Corp. has announced the licensing of its Foundation fleldbus technology to Rockwell Automation. Rockwell will utilize Smar's technology to enhance the Foundation fleldbus capabilities in its Complete Automation Integrated Architecture.
Single Fieldbus Standard On The Horizon? - A new study by Frost & Sullivan, the international marketing consulting company, cites the high initial investment costs for fieldbus as the main stumbling block for the widespread adoption of this latest development in process automation.
The reduction in cabling, along with the long-term cost savings derived from curtailed installation and engineering outlay, will act as key catalysts for growth in the European fieldbus systems market. Sales of fieldbus systems in Europe are projected to rise from their 2001 level of €190 million to €450 million in 2008.
Industrial Ethernet: A Pocket Guide - This easy-to-use pocket reference provides essential information for industrial automation professionals looking to get up to speed on the latest industrial Ethernet technology. Readers will quickly gain a solid grasp of Ethernet basics, the constraints of the industrial environment, and the specialized requirements of machine control. This book will prepare industrial professionals plan industrial Ethernet installations with realistic expectations, make knowledgeable purchasing decisions, and identify common faults and causes of failure. Practical reference charts and technical tips make this pocket guide an ideal quick reference source at project meetings and installation sites.
Author: Perry S. Marshall Copyright: 2002; ISBN: 1-55617-774-7; Binding: Softbound 200 pages
A Review of this book on the May issue of Manufacturing Automation
Fieldbus courses in Canada - Foundation Fieldbus Courses at post-secondary technical institution recognized globally for quality and spirit, The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology SAIT.
New product guide published - Right before the Hanover Fair Industry the CAN in Automation Ltd. published a new CANopen Product Guide. The 186 pages catalogue has an updated introduction and is available at CiA office free of charge in any required number. CANopen is a CAN-based user layer, which is especially good for machine controlling but is also used in medical devices, in railways and public transportation, in maritime applications and in building automation as well as in off-highway vehicles.
Trophy presented - A special trophy has been presented to J A Rubio of CERN's Division of Education and Technology for the 10000th WorldFIP application on the famous CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Commenting on the sheer size of the installation, M.Rubio quoted some very impressive figures: "We currently envisage installing for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) a WorldFlP network 250 km in length. 4000 MicroFIP modules are allocated to protect the super-conducting magnets, to which we must add 400 for the radio-protection system, 2000 for our power convertors, 8000 for the cryogenics, 300 for the radio-frequency system, and 600 to control the instmmentation displays."
Test specification - Profibus International has announced the availability of a Test Specification for PROFInet Certification. This new Guideline will help machine and plant builders, integrators and manufacturers ensure that their products and systems comply with the PROFInet specification, the organisation's new object-based standard for multi-vendor, plant-wide integration of distributed automation systems. By taking advantage of a number of firmly established IT standards such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, COM/DCOM, XML and defining a standard interface between the automation objects, PROFInet reduces substantially the engineering overhead in design and installation of distributed automation systems.
8th international CAN Conference - The iCC 2002, held in Las Vegas (USA) end of February was sponsored by Atmel as well as Philips and was attended by about 150 engineers. In the keynote, Chris LeBlanc from National Instruments stated that CAN (Control-ler Area Network) technology is heading for a breakthrough: "However, the breakthrough will not come automatically: there is still the possibility that CAN may miss this chance." In particular, in the USA there is a need to increase marketing efforts for CAN technology. New volume markets should be addressed such as building automation and domestic appliances. In addition, CAN technology should be brought to other application fields, too. This already happens in Europe. This includes medical and maritime electronics, railways and off-highway vehicles, and many other embedded network application.
Industrial Ethernet - free guide - If you're installing Ethernet in your factory or on your machine, should you use a Star or Distributed Star topology? Full Duplex or Half Duplex? What are the pros and cons of hubs vs. switches? Contemporary Controls' free report entitled "10 Issues To Consider Before Installing Industrial Ethernet" gives straightforward answers to these common questions. This twelve-page tutorial helps engineers, installers and maintenance staff achieve first-time success with industrial and commercial Ethernet applications.
This guide is available free upon request; to receive a copy,
simply send an email with name, company and address to readout@ccontrols.com or call +1(630)963-7070.
New Profibus Specification for Electronic Device Description - Profibus International has announced the completion of a new PROFIBUS Guideline covering EDDL, an electronic device description language for PROFIBUS devices. It is entitled "Specification for PROFIBUS Device Description and Device Integration, Volume 2: EDDL Specification". Version 1.1 is available in English, order code 2.152. from the website.
Ten years of CAN! - The CAN in Automation International Users' and Manufacturers' Group was founded in March 2002 by Managing Director Holger Zeltwanger. The non-profit organization headquartered in Erlangen (D) and joined by 393 companies to date, has the goal of educating people in internationally standardized CAN technology (ISO 11898) throughout the world. In addition, the organization supports the development of higher-layer protocols (CAN-Kingdom, CANopen, and DeviceNet) and further enhancements of the CAN protocol. Education and training, international conferences as well as CAN-related publications (CiA standard, CAN Newsletter, and product guides) are organized and published by CiA Limited, a daughter company of the non-profit organization. The special anniversary edition of the CAN Newsletter is free-of-charge.
European industry leader to address FF gathering - The Fieldbus Foundation has announced that Klaus Endress, chief executive officer of Endress+Hauser AG, will be the keynote speaker at its 2002 General Assembly, to be held Feb. 28-March 1 in Heidelberg (D). The attendance will include major controls/instrumentation suppliers and end users from around world.
First Chinese fieldbus standard - Profibus has become the first fieldbus to be published as a Chinese Professional Standard. Officially designated JB/T10308.3-2001, Profibus is published by the China Machinery Industry Federation, allowing it to be specified by Chinese institutions for use as a fieldbus technology in machinery and automation. This fact, together with the news that the Chinese Test Laboratory (CPTL) in Beijing is now an accredited Profibus test centre, means that conditions are ripe for commercialisation and sale of PROFIBUS products and services in the Chinese market acording to a Profibus User Group spokesman..
FDT Specification donated to ZVEI - the large number of differentb types of devices and suppliers within a system make configuration difficult and complex. In an effort to resolve this situation the German Electrical & Electronic Manufacturers Association (ZVEI) set up a working group to define a vendor indepentent field device tool (FDT). This work continued under a ProfiBus working group and the first products were presented at Interkama last year. To facilitate more widespread use of this FDT specification, not least among ""other fieldbus organisations", ProfiBus International is transferring this technology to ZVEI.
Springtime in Heidelberg! The Fieldbus Foundation will hold its 2002 General Assembly on Feb. 28-March 1 in Heidelberg, Germany. This year's gathering of the worldwide, not-for-profit trade consortium will offer a host of information and training for end users, integrators, and others seeking FOUNDATION fieldbus technology solutions.
Profile published - Profibus International has finalised the Profibus Profile for Fluid Power Technology. Published in English, this 116 page document describes the functionality of a family of interchangeable proportional valves, hydrostatic pumps and hydrostatic drives for use with Profibus. It
defines the variables and parameters to be adhered to in designing transmitters, actuators and controllers as well as visualisation and operator terminals that will communicate over Profibus. Such devices will need to conform to both the Profibus protocol specification and the new profile to be described as Profibus Fluid Power Technology compliant.
Chinese Standard - Profibus International has announced (11th December) that the China Machinery Industry Federation has published PROFIBUS as a Chinese Professional Standard.
Mail list - This is a good one, still going strong, despite - or should that be, because of - its 'maturity'!, the address is arcnet@cola.elemental.org. It is operated by Joanne Schmitz. Here is the ARCnet web site.
Runtime software now available - Profibus International has completed its development work on Stage I of PROFInet with the release of an updated specification together with the PROFInet runtime software and porting instructions. The updated PROFInet specification covers the object and component model, runtime communications, the proxy concept and the engineering. Together with the porting instruotions it allows developers to start work now on integrating PROFInet software into various operating system environments or devices.
Lots about Ethernet! - Manufacturing.net, in the lates issue of their ezine, Plant Spotlight, says, "The Industrial Ethernet is driven by manufacturing's desire to connect the plant floor with the rest of the enterprise. This past Plant Operations/MRO Community spotlight was "driven" by our desire to connect you with the latest and greatest information about industrial Ethernet technology from across our network of websites."
Now available in English - The long expected book, Controller Area Network, by Konrad Etschberger, is published and available from CIA now. The aim of this book is to provide a well-founded introduction into data communication systems based on CAN for developers and users. The book provides among other things, an introduction to the most important principles of data communications in the field area, solutions for the realization of extended network structures, an introduction into structure and functionality of CAN protocol chips and CAN modules integrated in microcontrollers. Moreover introductions into the CAN-based higher layer protocol standards and the CAN Application Layer (CAL) communication standard is given. Last but not least an overview to TTCAN is given and gen-eral aspects concerning the design and realization of CAN networks are outlined. Finally some examples of hard- and software components as well as development tools for the development and implementation of CAN-based systems are presented.
At last - a Fieldbus Book - A book on fieldbus has finally been published. Rather than trying to cover
all industrial communications this book focuses on the field-level process networks HART, FOUNDATION(tm) H1 Fieldbus and PROFIBUS PA and the host-level Ethernet versions FOUNDATION(tm) HSE Fieldbus and PROFInet. More than just wiring rules this book covers the topic in-depth including configuration and documentation aspects. The book has 468 hardbound pages,
approximately 230 illustrations and 100 review questions.
Title: "Process fieldbuses - Engineering, Operation and Maintenance"
Author: Jonas Berge
Publisher: ISA The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society.
Latest issue published -
The Industrial Ethernet Book for Autumn has been published and is full of intersting stuff for "enhancing automatiuon and internet connectivity." Among topic covered are "How Ethernet can be fail safe", and "LINX: Chasing the curve," and interview with London Internet Exchange Boss, John Souter on the imminence of 10 Gigabit Ethernet! Finally they include a directory of over 530 industrial Ethernet products. And having done all that they plan to bring another issue out in November.
PI joins with the Open DeviceNet Vendor Association, ControlNet International and the Fieldbus Foundation in supporting OPC initiative - ProfiBus International has announced its support for a new OPC standard that allows data exchange between controllers from different system suppliers via Industrial Ethernet TCP/IP protocol. This new specification will enable data exchange and plant-wide configuration among different
systems in a multi-vendor plant. OPC DX is application independent and is suitable for both Factory and Process Automation. Emerson Process Management, Rockwell Automation and Siemens are among the vendors participating in the OPC working group to develop this standard. After final review, the specification and sample code for OPC DX will be available, planned for fourth quarter of 2001. The first multi-vendor application will be presented at Hanover Fair 2002 and at other global tradeshow venues. Products are planned to be ready in the third quarter 2002.
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