PROFINET Cables: Copper
A PROFINET network is built on standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet. Due to challenging environments on the factory floor, most users opt for rugged industrial Ethernet cables when building an industrial network. Even though wireless access points are becoming more popular, most of today’s network connections are wired and require cabling. Depending on the application, industrial cables…
Read More2017 New PROFIBUS / PROFINET Products
Since the beginning of 2017 there have been 80+ new products announced with either a PROFIBUS, PROFINET, or IO-Link interface at profinews.com. That’s the result of a quick count I did by counting all of New Product announcements this year: http://profinews.com/category/product-news/ 80+ New Products This Year at PROFINEWS How many others? And that’s just the…
Read MorePROFI Mnemonics
I’m a big fan of mnemonics. A mnemonic, /nɛˈmɑːnɪk/ (the first “m” is silent) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention in the human memory per Wikipedia. In school, you may have learned a mnemonic to remember the Great Lakes: HOMES, Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. I learned the resistor…
Read MoreWhere’s My GSD File?
GSD files have been needed for a long time, first for PROFIBUS, and now for PROFINET. Our usual comparison is to printer drivers. A GSD file tells the software system what features, I/O, alarms, and diagnostic capabilities a device has. It resides in the engineering tool, not in the device itself. A printer driver is…
Read MoreSecure Your Network!
Your network is not secure! Whether you have all the security in place that’s possible or have not even thought about security – your network is not secure! Sadly, no network can be 100% secure. The best that you can hope for is to make it very difficult to hack. Let’s start at one of…
Read MoreShow Me the Money
Show Me the Money, or justifying an Industrial Internet of Things project with PROFINET because we like the technology. Dilbert has been known to say, “We’re technology driven.” But that does not resonate with the owners and their managers – whether the “owners” are stockholders or private individuals. Those folks’ mantra will be some form…
Read MoreCloud versus Fog
If the Jeopardy answer is “Cloud, Fog, or Edge,” the question is “Where all can you do analytics?” We rejoice in the PROFINET of Things with its Data Access, Uptime, and Openness, but the Industrial Internet of Things is really about analytics. PROFINET is an enabler. A very important enabler, but still an enabler. The…
Read MoreWe’re Number One
PI does not get to say that PROFINET is the best Industrial Ethernet; the market gets to say that. Which is why I was amused to see a technology that’s in fifth place in the market tout why they’re better than all the other Industrial Ethernets. The market has assigned them their place and it’s…
Read MoreDigital Twins
Along with Cyber-Physical Systems, Big Data, Cloud, Analytics, and other Industrie 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things buzzwords is the concept of Digital Twin. Maybe Digital Twin is from Industrie 4.0 and not IIoT? Here is a definition of Digital Twin from Wikipedia: “Digital twins refer to computerized companions of physical assets that can be…
Read MoreRoll PROFINET Tape
OK, no one rolls tape anymore; everything is digital. But video is still highly valued. Are you someone who prefers watching to reading? Then this post is for you. Here are some short videos to watch about PROFINET and PROFIBUS: Let’s start with the shortest video; it clarifies the relationship among PROFINET, Industrial Internet of…
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