To assist manufacturers of automation devices in adding PROFINET to their products, many tools are now available. One is a PROFINET driver for controllers, and a second is a chip for devices. Both are from Siemens. A third, from Hilscher, also includes PROFIdrive controller functionality.
Did you know that IO-Link enables devices that were previously inconceivable? IO-Link sets new standards for the design of input/output modules. Whether integrated in the control rack or as a fieldbus module, one and the same module can process a wide range of signals. IO-Link masters can replace both binary and analog inputs and outputs. This facilitates spare parts management and enables flexible machine design. There is no longer a need for so many different types of modules.
In the very first issue of PROFINEWS North American Edition way back in March 2005, there was a PROFINET quiz. Taking a few questions from there and adding some more allows us to present the 2016 PROFINET Quiz. Test your knowledge.
In the automation environment of today and tomorrow, end users need a system which is built with effective diagnostic capabilities and is easy to manage at both the network and application levels for minimum downtime and increased productivity. PROFINET should be your network of choice because it has best in class diagnostic mechanisms which are in short: ‘suite and simple’.
Did you know that IO-Link is backward compatible with binary sensors? The IO-Link communication interface is standardized in international standard IEC 61131-9. One of the initial goals of the multi-company standardization initiative was to create an interface that takes into consideration the existing architectures and the typical connection level in the lower field level. The point-to-point connection familiar there was simply taken over in IO-Link, complete with the standard cabling.
A ten-year old white paper entitled “A Guide to Troubleshooting PROFIBUS PA Networks” is the most downloaded document. In the guide, author James Powell promotes a systematic approach that makes network set-up and trouble-shooting easy.
When it comes to transmitting process variables, 4-20 mA is by far the most popular method. Digital fieldbuses such as PROFIBUS or PROFINET, however, are said to be more accurate and generally better than 4-20 mA. What isn’t discussed very often, however, is the extent of how much more accurate they are. This topic is the elephant in the control room.
PROFIBUS DPV1 Alarms are a special kind of extended diagnostic. Compared to normal extended diagnostics, Alarms require an additional acknowledgment “handshake” between the master (controller) PLC or DCS and the slave device.