Fieldbuses
Do you speak Fieldbus?
Fieldbus allows communication between
the different devices in a network. It is shared language between the
slaves and the master. As every language, it is the channel to send
and deliver process data, diagnostic and parametrization messages.
The fieldbuses area is a jungle, there
are more than hundreds different protocols, without counting the
standards and those that are proprietary (closed).
It is impossible to define the best,
there are too many variables to consider and also the context of
application.
We could split in different segments:
speed, performances, cost, openess, devices....
The list becomes long and this is
matter of a book.
Some examples of a real state:
The debug phase is the key role to
restart a plant or production line.
To analyze and to dissect every single
bit it is a crucial task to solve problems that can cause long time
stop. This translates into cost.
In order to achieve this result it is
important to know deeply all the protocols involved and the relative
standard. Today there are standards concerning the protocols itself
and it is not optional to follow the directive provide by each
consortium.
The well-known and used DS402 , for
example, it has been accepted for a long time, and it is de facto the
protocol implemented to control the motion drives in different
fieldbuses.
After this nano introduction we collect
three words, three fundamental elements : debug, protocols and
standard.