PROFINET Can (Still) Use a Cheap Switch
If you want to get someone to remember something you can’t repeat it too many times. Case in point: I saw another new blog post from someone who thinks you cannot use a standard Ethernet switch for PROFINET. YOU CAN! Seven years ago, I blogged that PROFINET can use a Best Buy Ethernet Switch, really?…
Read MoreWhere Networks Fit in the IIoT
There has been a raft of articles about networks and their place in the Industrial Internet of Things. Basically, IIoT is at the intersection of IoT and Industrie 4.0. Here’s a 46-second video reminder of how the relate. There were three articles that caught my attention: 1. Modbus As an IoT Protocol??? John Rinaldi makes…
Read MoreWhat Should I Do about TSN?
TSN = Time Sensitive Networking. It’s a catchall name for a series of new standards whose goal is to improve determinism in “standard” Ethernet networks. It grew out of the needs of Audio/Visual delivery. Naturally, a new organization grew to further the effort: “The Avnu Alliance is a community creating an interoperable ecosystem servicing the…
Read MoreChoosing an Industrial Ethernet, a Checklist
What should you look for when choosing an Industrial Ethernet? These things: Is it an open standard? Can anyone build products for it? PROFINET is an open standard. It’s part of IEC 61158. Anyone can buy the spec from IEC and build products. To build an EtherNet/IP product, you must sign a contract with ODVA,…
Read More7 Steps to IIoT
I saw a recent magazine article outlining six steps to take to implement the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). It was mostly political – form a team, get buy-in from a C-level executive, etc. It’s not that I think the political approach is not valuable, but most of us live in a technical world. So…
Read MoreSpring – When a Young Man’s Fancy Turns to PROFINET
Yesterday was the official start of spring (because that’s when pitchers and catchers reported for baseball’s Spring Training). There are a lot of similarities between baseball and PROFINET: Green. They are both associated with the color green. Green grass on which to play baseball; green cable over which to send PROFINET. Pitch speed. Some pitchers’…
Read MoreWorried about Bandwidth?
Worried about Bandwidth? Some students at our Long Beach PROFINET one-day training class were. It’s definitely something to think about. Here’s a start: There’s never a substitute for doing the engineering. PROFINET messages tend to be small. But design your topology to minimize the chance of using too much bandwidth. You can use line topology,…
Read MoreThe Importance of Open Standards
What makes a standard open? I’ve blogged that question before: Open Standards, Proprietary Standards, and in Between Open Networks: What’s in it for you? We just completed an update to our free PROFINET one-day training class material. In the course of that exercise we uncovered more detailed definitions. Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),…
Read MoreSquare Peg, Round Hole: The hidden cost of simplistic PROFINET application design
Carl is taking a short vacation. He may return with more off-topic news, but in the meantime enjoy this guest post from the PROFI Interface Center’s Kyle McMillan. The first time my new neighbor got to see me get mad was when I found him lying under his mower, trying to change a blade…
Read MorePROFINET – Most Installed, Fastest Growing
According to a new market study by MarketsandMarkets, PROFINET is “the most popular automation network.” And fastest growing. It’s good to have independent confirmation of what I expected all along. Here at PI North America we see increasing numbers of students at our free one-day training classes and the fee-based PROFINET Certified Network Engineer classes.…
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