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Fieldbus Resources


The following technical information is from Metso Automation

Fieldbus ready to bring real benefits?

The Time is right to consider fieldbus


The following technical information is from Samson Controls

 FOUNDATION Fieldbus Tutorial - This 44 page technical tutorial is an excellent document.

Communications Networks- A comprehensive 32 page document.

Communication in the Field -Lots of information here.

Serial Data Transmission- 48 pages packed full of information


The following technical information is from Moore Industries-Pacific, Inc.

9.09 Achieving Redundant Intrinsically-Safe Fieldbus Segments for Fisco & Entity Devices - Mike O’Neill - During the last year or so, a variety of approaches have been released offering users new fieldbus segments with redundancy and FISCO device connectivity. This paper describes and compares those new designs with regard to segment capacity, MTBF, overall availability, installation areas and implementation cost. 
9.09 Fieldbus Installation -  Short-Circuiting Fieldbus Installation Problems - Tim Wilson and Jeff Marsh - Like other process industry operations, bio-fuel production plants seek state-of-the-art automation technology in order to reduce raw material costs, increase yields, comply with regulatory standards and maximize revenues. However, plant managers must ensure control systems provide reliable operation and a low cost of ownership over the life of installed assets. Although modern, fieldbus-based process control systems offer many operational benefits, ethanol producers need effective measures to protect the fieldbus physical layer against short circuits, improper termination and other problems that can adversely affect system performance and reliability. They also need solutions enabling a quick ramp-up from installation to operation of the control system in order to improve their time to market - from Control Global.
9.09 Economic Case for Using FOUNDATION Technology - Modern DCS systems are major distributed networks with multiple data paths, which, in the interests of security and the highest plant availability, are almost always duplicated and made redundant. This article describes how FOUNDATION fieldbus systems can now incorporate redundancy and fault-tolerance right down to the H1 field layer. The major impact is on project ROI and plant revenues, and only FOUNDATION technology can offer this level of security and benefit to the plant operator - From  the Fieldbus Report
Introduction to Fieldbus - This technical paper covers how fieldbus works, shows how to connect instruments, and explains why—in most cases—you can’t realistically connect all 32 instruments on a single fieldbus segment. It also discusses the differences between PROFIBUS and FOUNDATION fieldbus, FISCO vs. Entity intrinsically-safe fieldbus systems, installing redundantsegments, and EDDL vs. FDT - Thanks to  MooreHawke Fieldbus.
Fault Tolerant Fieldbus System Protects against failure- Mike O’Neill of MooreHawke Fieldbus - thanks to Control Engineering-Europe
Your First Fieldbus Installation?  - Mike O’Neill of MooreHawke Fieldbus-thanks to Control Engineering Europe
Advances in Fieldbus - Mike O’Neill of MooreHawke Fieldbus details of some of the awkward issues that fieldbus users might have to face including hazardous area choices,  integrating devices into systems from different manufacturers, redundancy and fault-tolerance
Implementing Foundation Fieldbus H1 networks in Hazardous Areas - The purpose of this paper is to provide some insight into the process of safely implementing Foundation Fieldbus in a classified area - Mike O’Neill of MooreHawke Fieldbus 
Installing Fieldbus in Hazardous Locations - Harry Wilson - This article covers the North American aspects.
Installing Fieldbus in Real-Life Applications - Many automation engineers are coming face-to-face with real fieldbus applications for the first time. Fieldbus is a wonderful technology with many benefits, but fieldbus installation requires some additional considerations over and above normal 4-20mA projects. In this in-depth white paper, we discuss some of those issues, and show you how to deal with them.


The following technical information is from Emerson Process Management

Technical data on Foundation Fieldbus  

Segment Design Tool  

Digital Fieldbus Installations Use EDDL Technology for Simplicity with Advanced, Full Functionality EDDL technology enables a Host System manufacturer to create a single engineering environment that can support any device, from any supplier, using any communications protocol, without the need for custom software drivers for each device type.

The PlantWeb University has excellent courses on Foundation Fieldbus. You will have to log on but it is worth the effort!

Justifying Fieldbus part 1and part 2 - John Rezabek discusses a variety of ways to justify FF projects

Building on the Foundation - Jonas Berge - Steady improvements and enhancements over the last decade together with an increasing knowledge base in the process industries have made it far easier to realize the promised benefits of Foundation fieldbus plant network technology.  

Fast track conversion transforms supertanker into an intelligent FPSO - This article describes the conversion of the world's largest FPSO which utilised fieldbus technology to create an "intelligent" vessel. 

Fieldbus fosters Innovations - Boosting performance in the process plant are several new innovations -triggered by the digital spark of fieldbus. Jonas Berge reports.

Digital Buses for Digital Plants - Digital communications technology reduces wiring and improves end-to-end signal accuracy and integrity in modern digital plants. Digital technology enables new innovative and more powerful devices, wider measurement range, elimination of range mismatch, and access to more information. Overall, use of digital technology can reduce automation project costs by as much as 30 percent as well as providing a two percent operational improvement. This article explores considerations to be made in selection of bus technology for optimal digital plant architecture.

Fieldbus enables single-loop integrity with "Control in the Field" - Single-loop integrity is the "good engineering practice" of designing process control loops (or control strategies) in such a way that if any element (e.g., transmitter, wire, power supply, controller, control valve, etc.) fails, there is minimal impact on production. Prior to the introduction of DCSs and PLCs single-loop integrity was a widely used good engineering practice in process plants around the globe and some end-users on the ISA SP50 digital fieldbus committee felt strongly about it. The vision of those forward-thinking committee members is now achievable using FOUNDATION fieldbus (FF) function blocks to implement control-in-the-field (CIF). - H. BU YU, SINOPEC Engineering Inc., China, and M. PELUSO, Emerson Process Management.

FOUNDATION™ Technology:Automation Infrastructure for Operational Excellence - Phil Stoor -Senior Project Manager -Brunner Mond -  After considering various competitive approaches, Brunner Mond installed a FOUNDATION™ digital automation infrastructure. During the first phase of the DCS replacement, fieldbus technology was employed on two Solvay towers used to carbonate ammoniated brine to form sodium bicarbonate crystals. This project proved to be successful, and set the stage for implementation of additional fieldbus controls on Brunner Mond’s Northwich production operation.

Taking the Bus - New coal fired plants are poised to benefit from the adoption of advanced automation and digital bus-based technologies.


The following technical information is from Pepperl+Fuchs

2.09 Advanced Online Physical Layer Diagnostics - Gunther Rogoll  and Ren Kitchener -This paper covers the range of significant benefits, and the increased confidence in new technology, provided by the latest generation of advanced physical layer diagnostic equipment when applied to Foundation Fieldbus™ or Profibus PA™ fieldbus networks, to monitor the communication, cable infrastructure, fieldbus power supplies, terminators, devices and protection electronics, otherwise referred to as the physical layer. It also explains how the integration of physical layer diagnostics to every fieldbus segment can in fact reduce CAPEX & OPEX when used across the project lifecycle. Additionally, failure prevention or proactive maintenance is a key feature of any diagnostic system, also considered are the differences between basic physical layer diagnostics and advanced physical layer diagnostics.

2.09 Advanced Diagnostics Self Validates Health of Fieldbus Networks - Wil Chin and Allen Avery - Diagnostic capabilities for Fieldbus networks have evolved significantly over the years. Rudimentary tests such as instrument elevated zero outputs and simple I/O health checks gave way to superior instrument and process diagnostics with the introduction of HART, which had its limitations due to bandwidth restrictions. The advent and acceptance of Fieldbus has in-creased the use of sophisticated sensor technology and process diagnostics. Until recently, it was cost prohibitive to monitor the health of the entire Fieldbus network. However, that has changed with the introduction of more sophisticated Fieldbus hardware and advanced diagnostic systems.

2.09 Fieldbus Testing with Online Physical Layer Diagnostics - Gunther Rogoll  and Ren Kitchener -Fieldbus has fully matured following its cautious introduction back in the late 1990s: Many of the major projects are now using digital fieldbus technology as the preferred platform for control and instrumentation. Most of the lessons learned from the early projects have been implemented successfully for the current projects, and there is no doubt that the companies responsible for commissioning are seeing a marked improvement in the commissioning times with a resulting reduction in CAPEX. With the recent introduction of online Advanced Physical Layer Diagnostic equipment, the transition to a fully automated network test and reporting program reduces the time and cost for construction and commissioning even further by optimizing the test process and report generation.


The following technical information is from MTL Instruments

Lightning and Surge Protection for fieldbus Systems
This publication contains a brief introduction to fieldbus systems. It continues by describing the surge protection necessary to protect such
systems from the detrimental effects of lightning and other surges.

Surge Protection for Fieldbus Systems - Chris Ground MTL Surge Technologies

Reliability of Surge Protection devices used with fieldbus systems

Fieldbus Non-Incendive Concept (FNICO)-Phil Saward (MTL)

6.09 FISCO Intrinsically Safe Fieldbus Systems - This application note is a practical guide to the selection, installation and maintenance of equipment complying with the Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept (FISCO). The document begins with a discussion of the origins of FISCO and an introduction to the main elements that should be considered when assembling FISCO systems. Later sections then develop each subject in more detail, with the intention of providing clear guidance to new and experienced Fieldbus users. From MTL. 

Surge Protection as part of OpEx - Chris Ground - MTL UK

The Application of Intrinsic Safety to Fieldbus Systems - Chris Towle Chairman: MTL Instruments Ltd - This excellent paper covers the technical aspects of FISCO, FNICO, Exe and Exi combination, Maintenance and Inspection along with Intrinsically Safe Ethernet - Presentation from the IDC Technologies "Hazardous Areas: Classifications and Equipment Conference 2007"

The FBT-6 Fieldbus Monitor is a hand held device that allows field personnel to perform a variety of physical layer tests to troubleshoot and commission fieldbus segments. The FBT-6 builds on the FBT-3 fieldbus tester that is established as the standard for fieldbus H1 test equipment.

FISCO - intrisically safe fieldbus systems...A practical guide to selection, installation and maintenance of equipment conforming to the Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept (FISCO). You will have to register to get this document.

FNICO - non-incendive fieldbus systems... A practical guide to selection, installation and maintenance of equipment conforming to the Fieldbus Non-Incendive COncept (FNICO)...You will have to register to get this document.

Fieldbus Barrier segment calculator- This tool automatically checks the design of fieldbus segments using MTL Fieldbus Barriers.

The
MTL segment calculator is a spreadsheet-based tool designed to assist network and planning engineers when designing and implementing FOUNDATION fieldbus ™ H1 networks.

 Further Fieldbus Application notes are available via MTL


The following technical information is from Honeywell

Fieldbus End User Adoption Trends Show Growing Acceptance- ARC Insight Report

Fieldbus Solution Helps Conoco Create Innovative Plant-A Greenfield Carbon Fiber Facility Expands Data Access with a Foundation Fieldbus-Based Control System. By A. Thomas O'Grady

FOUNDATION Fieldbus Project Implementation Considerations - John Yingst, Sr. Product Manager Honeywell Automation & Control Solutions

Laying the Foundation-Building Fieldbus Systems that Deliver Benefits - Gregory R Belcher (BE Hons) Systems Consultant, Honeywell Ltd. Australia


The following technical information is from Relcom

Fieldbus Wiring Design and Installation Guide PDF - This updated document which now includes earthing and grounding recommendations provides a readable overview of the Fieldbus physical layer and is a great place to get started with Foundation Fieldbus wiring and installation.

High System Availability for Foundation Fieldbus PDF  This application note focuses on the requirement for high availability of the physical layer components such as Power Supplies

 The importance of Isolation for Foundation Fieldbus - Maintaining Isolation between the fieldbus pair and plant ground is critical for the reliability of a Foundation fieldbus application, this application note addresses this.

Fieldbus Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Common questions regarding Foundation Fieldbus wiring, power, and installation answered here.

Troubleshooting Guide describes common fieldbus physical layer problems and how to find them.

Preventing Fieldbus Physical Layer Problems application note provides suggestions to help minimize problems with the fieldbus physical layer.

Sample Fieldbus Topologies  - Examples of different network configurations.

Fieldbus Web Sites - A non-comprehensive list of other online sources of information about Fieldbus products and practices. Suggestions welcome.

Having Trouble with your Fieldbus installation? Troubleshoot with Relcom Tools that are available 
Designed specifically for Fieldbus, Relcom offer three hand-held testers for network monitoring, validating field wiring,  and probing for bus power and Fieldbus signals


Foundation Fieldbus

Super Information thanks to the Foundation fieldbus™End User Council-Australia

Papers and Presentations from the outstanding "Jump Aboard" seminars

Jump Aboard 2007 - This seminar was the first in the series that was predominately reflecting "End User" experiences, the papers are really excellent and well worth a look if your company is considering a Foundation Fieldbus installation.
Keynote Presentation -David Gonzalez (ABB)
Changing the Playing Field - FF™ - Bill Tatum (Fieldbus Foundation)
FF Technology on the Ravensthorpe Project - Dirk Pieterse (RJV)
Physical Layer Diagnostics reduces Downtime - Phil Saward (MTL-UK)
Digital Fieldbus for Mineral Processing - Manoj Pandya (Alcan) - Thanks to the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
Alumina Refinery FF Project (Alunorte) - Hans Sjodahl (ABB)
Specification & Implementing a FF Project - Phil Eastwood (Worley)
Redundant FF-H1 Segment Wiring - Mike O'Neill (MooreHawke)
Planning & Implementating FF-SIS - Gordon Stevenson (Bechtel)
Maintaining Functional Value in FF Systems - Craig Webb (Honeywell)

Methods for Planning, Installation, Commissioning and Diagnosis of Fieldbus Installations - Andreas Hennecke, Sven Seintsch and Thomas Kasten - This paper describes working practice for all phases of the project: planning, commissioning, plant start-up, operation and online troubleshooting of fieldbus systems. Strategies are described that enable users to maximize the benefits of fieldbus technology. Thanks to Pepperl and Fuchs.

Other Jump Aboard Papers and presentations
Jump Aboard 2005
Jump Aboard 2004
Jump Aboard 2003
Jump Aboard 2002


Why should you Choose Intrinsic Safety rather than Flameproof for Fieldbus Applications? From ICEweb


A swag of papers and other information is available from the Fieldbus Foundation under the headings of :-
Technology -FOUNDATION technology improves the performance of the process industries. It’s the key to a modern, field-based control architecture. Presentations are available concerning a range of technology-related topics.

Economics -FOUNDATION technology reduces both capital equipment costs and plant operating expenses. Users achieve a competitive advantage in a today’s global marketplace. Find out more for yourself.

Applications
-End users with mission-critical applications benefit from the implementation of FOUNDATION-based control systems. View presentations describing fieldbus projects around the world.

White Papers
-
The Fieldbus Foundation provides a variety of technical white papers explaining the design, installation and operation of Foundation-based plant automation systems. These documents where prepared by leading experts on Foundation technology, and include a wealth of valuable information for process industry end users.

Articles
- The Fieldbus Foundation has a number of Tutorial articles, user case histories, commentaries and other editorials help automation industry members understand Foundation technology.

The Fieldbus Report
 
- Each issue contains technology information, application studies, products news, and more. Current and recent issues of this publication are available for download. The downloads are huge so if you are not on broadband expect to wait a long time!

The following  podcast provides valuable information for those considering their first, or next, fieldbus project. "Real-life Accounts of Foundation Fieldbus Installations." A group of end users share their experiences implementing the Foundation integrated architecture in their plants: - Mike Miller and Ray Price, Duke Energy, discuss fieldbus upgrades to the most heavily operated nuclear power plants in the United States
- Herman Storey, Shell Global Solutions, reflects upon SGS' long history as an early implementer of the technology
- John Rezabek, ISP Chemicals, details the practical benefits for day-to-day operation  

Installations
-
Fieldbus Foundation listing of articles relating to publicly-announced Foundation™ fieldbus installations in countries around the world.

Foundation Fieldbus End User Councils
- You can have a voice in the future of Foundation fieldbus by participating in a Fieldbus Foundation End User Council (EUC). Regional EUCs, established worldwide. These provide an excellent open forum for the exchange of information about the application and development of fieldbus technology in a wide range of industries. 

FOUNDATION Fieldbus Provides Automation Infrastructure for Operational Excellence - This ARC report highlights that End users are increasingly specifying automation products and services not based upon the level of technology they provide, but on the business value proposition. FOUNDATION Fieldbus technology should be looked at from the same point of view

A Nuclear Perspective on Foundation Fieldbus Application - This presentation covers the selection and reasons behind this Foundation Fieldbus solution in the Duke Energy plant - Michael H. Miller

10.09 Fieldbus Diagnostics latest Advancements Optimise Plant Asset Management - Stephen Mitschke - Since May 2006, the Fieldbus Foundation has been collaborating with NAMUR an international process industry end-user association based in Germany, on fieldbus performance enhancements such as device diagnostics, which both parties identified as requiring further clarification and guidance for the user community. A key objective of this collaborative effort is to unify the integration of fieldbus self-monitoring data to ensure the availability of valuable device diagnostic information to process plant personnel. Advancements in field diagnostics support a structured approach to asset management, which simplifies operators’ tasks and increases their confidence in utilizing equipment diagnostics and asset software.

1.10 ARC Advisory Group: Control In The Field Enhances Process Integrity - In the white paper, titled "The Business Value Proposition of Control in the Field," ARC describes the incorporation of a function block structure and other supporting functions in Foundation fieldbus providing a complete automation infrastructure for operational excellence.  Embedded control functionality in Foundation devices is one of the key enablers for achieving high availability control and a stepping-stone towards single-loop integrity.


Presentations and Fieldbus Tools thanks to Ian Verhappen

Fieldbus Acronyms -(MS Excel file)

Fieldbus Installations - Lessons and Learnings - English and Portugese  

HSE's Future - Linking the CEO to the Field

Foundation Fieldbus Specifications

NB: These files are in MS Powerpoint format. If you do not have Powerpoint, you can download a free viewer from Microsoft here. Files are compressed using WinZip. Please note some of these files are quite large, and may take a few minutes to download.

This emerging multidrop technology has been in development for many years and is finally gaining the recognition that it deserves. It provides many CAPEX and OPEX advantages including  Control in the field, advanced diagnostics and predictive maintenance.

Registered Products -Searching for registered Foundation products? Look no further-the Fieldbus Foundation's registered product catalog lists all of the H1 and HSE devices carrying the official Foundation checkmark. It's all you need to identify products by manufacturer and device type, and view parameters such as function blocks, Device Descriptions, etc.
Compliant Hosts - The Fieldbus Foundation conducts a comprehensive test program to verify the Foundation technology features supported by suppliers' compliant host systems. We provide a complete list of tested hosts available to meet your digital control system requirements.
The Fieldbus Reference List - R.A. Hulsebos- If you thought there were a lot of networks that call themselves "fieldbus", look here. A great job Rob! - Rob's home page is also worth a look.
Fieldbus- Competent People will be at a premium -(Article from Jim Russell of ICEweb)
Host Interoperability Test Results (MS Excel file)

Application Guides available from the Fieldbus Foundation - Foundation Technical Guides were developed to provide an in-depth analysis of key fieldbus technical issues: wiring & installation, Function Block implementation, system engineering, and more. The technical guides are a valuable resource assisting control industry professionals in their usage of Foundation technology.
These excellent documents require registration to access.
- 31.25 kbit/s Intrinsic Safe Systems 
- Technical Overview
- Wiring & Installation 31.25 kbit/s, Voltage Mode, Wire Medium
- Function Block Capabilities in Hybrid/Batch Applications
- System Engineering Guidelines - English
-System Engineering Guidelines - Mandarin

Other Papers and Tutorials

Calibrating Fieldbus Transmitters - Fieldbus is becoming more and more common in today’s instrumentation. But what is fieldbus and how does it differ from conventional instrumentation? Fieldbus transmitters must be calibrated as well, but how can it be done? Until now, no practical solutions have existed for calibrating fieldbus transmitters. 
Power plant sees green with new digital bus system - John Blaney, Jim Murray, and Gary Tingley - Chasing advantages in design and construction savings, the utility wanted to incorporate digital bus technology in as many areas as possible. Both Foundation fieldbus and PROFIBUS are used significantly throughout the balance of plant systems. Another reason behind the decision was simply the opportunity to try new technology on a new plant since the technology has been proven in many other industries, just not in the power industry - From the ISA and InTech.

The Integration of Fieldbus Devices to an Existing DCS - A NASA paper - Debashis Sadhukhan and Craig M. Dunn 
HSE: An Open High-Speed Solution for Plantwide Automation - Dave Glanzer - Fieldbus Foundation
Foundation Technology: End User Perspective on Automation Infrastructure for Operational Excellence
http://www.fieldbusinc.com - this useful link from Fieldbus Inc has useful papers and other details on Foundation fieldbus
Intelligence moves plant from preventive to predictive maintenance-Laura Thomas, Jay Kalinowski, Curtis Cook and Lou Verduzco -thanks to InTech
.
FISCO, FNICO plug in, users, approvers tout the advantages of duel fieldbus safety concepts- By Ellen Fussell ISA
Evaluating A Foundation Fieldbus System - 20 questions and answers -These questions and answers were compiled based on Smar's 6-year experience of working with Fieldbus systems. They are intended to be used as a guide to help evaluate a true Foundation Fieldbus system, so it can be selected wisely and safely. From Smar


FIELDBUS technical comparision data on various buses. 

The following links provide useful comparative data:

HART v Foundation Fieldbus – The Facts and the Real Difference -Jim Russell - Thanks to ICEweb
The question is often asked “Why should I install Foundation Fieldbus™ when the features are all available with HART?” This White paper addresses this question, provides some of the answers and covers the following;
- The Technologies
- Differences, Advantages and Disadvantages
- Why some Manufacturers / Suppliers continue to push HART and put up a “Smokescreen”
- Brownfield and Greenfield Plants- What technology should be used
-Simple HART v FF Comparison Chart

An End User Functional Comparison of HART® and FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus Protocols- from our sponsor Emerson Process Management

An open Fieldbus Comparison - from MTL Instruments

Bus Comparison Matrix - Thanks to  Rob Hulsebos

Fieldbus Wars revisited?  There has been an interesting war of words over the article Profibus PA and Foundation Fieldbus - A Cost Comparison  by James Powell of Seimens Milltronics. The response by Jim Cahill of Emerson Process Management is a beauty! 

http://www.steinhoff.de/fb_comp.htm- From Steinhoff Automation and Fieldbus Systems

Forum Questions and Answers on the comparisons from control.com  
http://www.control.com/1026195653/index_html   
http://www.control.com/1026213081/index_html

Fieldbus Comparison chart- from Grid Connect


Electronic Device Description Language

EDDL: Marching into Mainstream Jonas Berge - Simple smart pressure and temperature measurement transmitters could be configured without need for graphics. However, more sophisticated (complex) devices such as valve positioners, variable speed drives, machinery health monitors, and radar level transmitters now common in process industry plants require advanced graphical setup and diagnostics. By upgrading software to the new enhancements of the international standard IEC 61804, plant personnel can make their devices, both old and new, simple and advanced, easier to use than ever before. Similarly, predictive diagnostics can be better integrated into daily work practices by displaying them to the right persons. This is achieved without making system management more difficult with respect to staying current with new devices and Windows versions. This article recommends a best practice for device integration outlined in the NAMUR NE 105 recommendation by upgrading to a single standard: IEC 61804-3. Thanks to sponsor Emerson Process Management.

Temperature Transmitters Warming Up to EDDL - Jonas Berge -  Enhancements to the EDDL IEC 61804-3 standards have improved advanced setup and diagnosis of high-end temperature transmitters. Temperature transmitters communicate digitally using protocols such as HART, Foundation fieldbus, and WirelessHART. Supporting this mix of transmitters can be a challenge. However, modern temperature transmitters diagnose themselves, the sensor wiring, and the temperature element. This allows for more effective maintenance schemes that help keep the loop and plant running with minimum downtime.

Pressure transmitters:  EDDL Equals "Easy" - Dale Perry/Jonas Berge - EDDL technology makes sophisticated pressure transmitters easier to use. within the last few years many specialised pressure transmitters have been introduced. These transmitters specialise in areas such as DP Flow, Mass Flow, Safety Certified, and Diagnostics. The value of specialised transmitters has been demonstrated to increase quality, throughput, or uptime. Any added complexity of maintaining these transmitters through their life cycle, installation, start-up, routine maintenance or emergency maintenance could be a challenge to plants.

OPC made easy - EDDL can save numerous man-hours of OPC server configuration and speed up project completion - Jonas Berge - OPC is an o p e n standard me t h o d for transferring data between software applications, used for example to obtain data from devices. Once an OPC server is configured, external software in HMI clients and other users can easily access the wealth of detailed diagnostics and information in hundreds or thousands of intelligent devices around the plant. Configuring OPC clients is easy: just point and click on data in the OPC server. To enable this, the OPC server must first be configured. Electronic device description language (EDDL) makes this easy.

EDDL: Unlocking Device Information - Jonas Berge explains how enhanced Electronics Device Description Language (EDDL) simplifies device configuration, calibration and diagnosis, and brings benefits to the bottom line. Thanks to our sponsor Emerson Process Management.

EDDL allows interoperability for devices to constantly gather information - No matter what control system a plant is using, it is now easier for users to choose best-in-class instruments for their networks. The technology that allows this is Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL). From the ISA and InTech.

The Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) standard advances interoperability of devices in control systems. Integration of simple sensors through complex drives is facilitated. Device diagnostics, asset management, and user interface displays enhance reliability and performance. For more information go to http://www.eddl.org/ 


Educational Links

Foundation Fieldbus Competency - Project Training Recommendations - This article outlines a suggested approach for staff training in any new FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus (FF) project – including both greenfield and brownfield sites - Thanks to Seacove Systems-Australia                       

Foundation Fieldbus Training in Australia - A Variety of Courses from Seacove Systems. This is Foundation Fieldbus End User Council Australia Inc accredited training

Foundation Fieldbus End User Training - As adoption of Foundation™ technology expands throughout the process industries, there is a corresponding need to train plant personnel on the use of this advanced control solution. Fieldbus Foundation-certified training, with centres located around the world, offers workshops that every end user should attend.

Foundation Fieldbus Concepts- A comprehensive self-paced learning module on CD-ROM - Used in Lee College's Fieldbus FOUNDATION certified training curriculum-From Hightech Multimedia Tutorials


Digital Signals
A Comprehensive16 page Discrete Digital Signal Technical Manual from our valued sponsor Samson Controls.


CANopen


DeviceNet-The following technical papers are available via Semiconductor OnLine.
The FactoryCOMM Tools DeviceNet Trouble Shooting CHEAT SHEET
DeviceNet Trouble Shooting Guide for Installation & Maintenance Professionals


Field Device Tool (FDT) Technology

FDT/DTM - The most powerful way to release intelligence built in smart field devices - Visualization of these diagnostics requires a graphical user interface which meets customer expectations for openness and the capability to be integrated in any system. The technology supporting these very basic requirements is FDT (Field Device Tool). FDT is developed and marketed by the FDT group, which is a group of leading automation suppliers to both the process and factory automation industries. Go to page 7 to get this article - From our valued sponsor Metso Automation.

Good for Maintenance - Even better with Monitoring! - Ulrich Gensicke - FDT-based device and asset management software saves more than time and costs. To be competitive, high productivity and reliability are important factors. Use of an online diagnostic and monitoring system guarantees that all the functions of intelligent field devices can be exploited to the maximum - From our valued sponsor Metso Automation.

1.10 FDT Technology Provides Valuable Information on the Desktop - End Users Benefit from Trend in Increased Visibility of Diagnostic Information - David Huffman - Visibility and simple presentation of diagnostic information is growing more important every day. We see the influence of developments in this area from the printers in our homes or offices to some of the latest "heads up" displays in our automobiles. So it should be no surprise that similar advances are being made for the control platforms and critical instrumentation in our manufacturing facilities. Thanks to controlglobal.com.

The following links are from the FDT group
Field Device Tool (FDT) technology, what is it? - FDT (Field Device Tool) technology standardizes the communication interface between field devices and systems.The key feature is its independence from the communication protocol and the software environment of either the device or the host system. FDT allows any device to be accessed from any host through any protocol.
FDT Technology benefits - User and Vendor benefits.
FDT Introduction brochure - FDT is an open technology that enables users to easily access and extract intelligent information from their automation products.
Why FDT Technology - A useful user brochure.
FDT Open Access to Device Intelligence Unlocks Interoperability to Bridge Information Silos - The user benefits of truly open industrial device management continue to be an elusive goal in virtually every industry. For example, in the process industry, users have accepted that there will never be a single, standardized protocol for all applications. Other industries are suffering similar issues. If history is an indicator of the future, users will be working with multiple incompatible protocols for many years to come. Users continue to dream of the day when one can plug & play hardware and software seamlessly without a second thought regardless of industry, device, actuator, control system or application. FDT is making this closer to reality than anyone would have thought possible only a few years ago.
FDT - Technical description - A comprehensive Technical Description.
FDT -Open Software Architecture - Would you like to be able to have complete freedom to combine any devices in your machine, but you are restricted by your present engineering tools? FDT is an open software architecture that brings together configuration, parameterization, and diagnostic features for all devices on your machine into one Engineering Tool.
Field Device Tool (FDT®) Technology for the Process Automation and Manufacturing Industries - What end users want is a standard
interface that connects any automation system to any device, providing them with the freedom to choose the best device fit for their application, irrespective of supplier or communication protocol.


HART


Industrial Ethernet


Modbus


Profibus


Alternative Approaches
Fieldbus Diagnostics, Without Fieldbus -George Buckbee and Tom Kinney, ExperTune Inc.- Digital field buses are often justified on the basis of the benefits of advanced diagnostics. This paper investigates and shows alternative technologies to capture diagnostics.