How many devices on a PROFIBUS DP network in Grand Rapids?
There was a good crowd at the Grand Rapids PROFIBUS one-day training class last week. Manny and Torsten were there while I was in Vancouver with Hunter for a PROFINET one-day training class. One of the questions that came up in Grand Rapids concerned how many PROFIBUS DP devices are allowed on a network. We have…
Read MoreCrimping Newark Asset Management
I was in Newark with Manny two weeks ago for the PROFIBUS in the Process Industries one-day training class. We’ve been doing these classes for over 7 years now and it is amazing that we still get new questions. In Newark we got a couple misconceptions that need to be addressed. One attendee could not…
Read MoreProblem Solving in PROFINET Class
I started this on the plane back from Jacksonville and I’m finishing it on the plane to Newark for the Process one-day training class. (It’s tomorrow, May 14, at the Newark airport. We have arranged for free parking at the hotel.) In between I had to put the finishing touches on PROFInews North American Edition…
Read MoreProduct Updates (Hanover Fair 2009 Report 4)
In addition to the new PROFIsafe products I mentioned several posts ago, there were other new products as well. First up, a Phoenix Contact PROFIBUS Proxy with built-in 4-port switch, highlighted in green here. Shown among many other PROFINET devices from Phoenix Contact. Siemens also introduced its new PLC, the S7-1200. Karsten Schneider (former manager…
Read MoreTechnology Updates (Hanover Fair 2009 Report 3)
There was news of progress in a number of technology areas: IO-Link, wireless, PROFIBUS, and PROFINET. IO-Link products are appearing more rapidly. IO-Link is not a fieldbus, but allows digital communications over the device’s cable. This led me to characterize it as “HART for discrete.” Conventional devices can be interchanged with IO-Link devices easing the…
Read MorePROFIsafe in Hanover (Hanover Fair 2009 Report 2)
The PROFIsafe wall gets longer with every fair. Befitting its longevity, I suppose. PROFIsafe began over 10 years ago. Through last year there were 630,000 PROFIsafe nodes installed. Based on the ARC report that the total number of bus-capable safety devices is 700,000, PROFIsafe has a 90% market share. PROFIsafe is the only bus-based safety…
Read MoreOver 100 fill the room in Pittsburgh for PROFIBUS training
Manny and Mike were in Pittsburgh for the PROFIBUS one-day training class. Here’s Manny’s report: Last Wednesday’s PROFIBUS Training Class in Pittsburgh marked our largest PROFIBUS class of 2009. Over one hundred people packed the room at the Hilton to learn about the latest developments in PROFIBUS technology. Even though we did not quite have…
Read MorePROFINET in Austin
There were 45 of us in Austin for the PROFINET one-day training class. Not many compared to the previous day’s PROFIBUS class in Pittsburgh with 102, but still a very engaged group posing lots of questions for us. So many questions that we did not finish until 5:00 pm! Despite the late finish, most thought…
Read MoreIndustrial Ethernet Comparisons
EtherCAT held a seminar in our backyard (Scottsdale) this week and I could not pass up the opportunity to find out more about this technology. (I had already been to an Ethernet/IP seminar a couple years ago.) I did learn some new things about EtherCAT. And since we are reciprocating with a PROFINET one-day training…
Read MoreWebcast: Ethernet-Based Industrial Communication Protocols
I took part in a webcast sponsored by PTO member National Instruments that covered IEEE1588, PROFINET, and two other Industrial Ethernet protocols. If you want the 10-minute overview of PROFINET (and some others) you can view the archived version on the Automation World website at http://www.automationworld.com/webcast-5345.
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