Industrial Networking
Open network I/O system
Richmond, Va.— WINbloc I/O system places I/O points remotely from a controller communicating via one of several industrial networks. A Network Communications Bridge serves as a network cable feedthrough and termination point. It contains isolated power supplies and has connections for I/O module power distribution.
IEC 61158 voting: Brazil won’t be late this time
现场总线的世界可以指望巴西投票favor of the IEC 61158 standard again this year, and the vote will be in Geneva on time, according to Lucia Franco, chairwoman of Brazilian National Committee for Fieldbus. Ms. Franco says she regrets the controversy that arose last fall surrounding the difficulties her committee had communicating with IEC's...
Connect to different fieldbuses
Charlotte, N.C.—Diocom makes it possible to connect sensors and actuators to a variety of fieldbuses. One bus coupling module is required for connection to the fieldbus. The modules also contain either eight inputs or outputs. Up to 11 eight-channel I/O modules can be added to the control module.
Profibus seeks SEMI standardization
The Profibus Trade Organization (PTO, Scottsdale, Ariz.) announced July 13 at Semicon West that it's pursuing standardization for the Profibus Distributed Peripheral (DP) industrial communications protocol in semiconductor manufacturing through the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI, Mountain View, Calif.
ICAM Asia will highlight field communications
To help U.S. and worldwide manufacturers meet buyers from Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia, INTERKAMA/Messe Düsseldorf Asia are organizing ICAM Asia, the International Trade Fair for Industrial Control, Automation, and Measurement. The fair will be held Sept. 17-19, 1998, at the World Trade Centre in Singapore.
Profibus lobbying against IEC 1158
Following the approval of IEC 1158 earlier this year, Profibus International (PI) claimed May 12 that most of the new fieldbus standard is obsolete and that it should be suspended and replaced by an alternative approach. PI added that it believes IEC 1158 (now properly called 61158) offers limited functionality, is unproven, unsupported, and unworkable.
FF registers first seven products
The Fieldbus Foundation (FF) announced June 12 that seven fieldbus devices have successfully completed its device registration process. The seven products passed interoperability tests and other requirements, and are now authorized to bear the Foundation's registration mark. FF issued registration certificates for: Rosemount Inc.
Easy fieldbus selection
Halmstad, Sweden— AnyBus is a line of master modules for CANopen, ControlNet, InterBus, and Profibus networks. AnyBus provides OEM flexibility by allowing a user to plug any device into the fieldbus of preference. According to the company, AnyBus modules use a standard mechanical, electrical, and software interface to a customer application.
New company launches self-learn software for process control
New self-learning software packages for industrial automation and process control, called LearnWARE, are being introduced in the U.K. by a new company called "fieldbus.com." The software was originally developed by software and training consultants P&L Automatik (Hassleholm, Sweden), which claims it registered 3,800 new users in Scandinavia in 1997.
WorldFIP also ‘welcomes’ IEC’s vote
"WorldFIP welcomes the IEC Committee of Action's unblocking of the situation on the proposed fieldbus data link layer," says John Beeston, WorldFIP's international communications director. "WorldFIP has always strongly supported actions leading toward a single IEC standard.