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Showing posts from February, 2019

ProfiHubs with diagnostic capabilities

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Network downtime getting you down? Introducing PROCENTEC’s range of ProfiHubs , now with new diagnostic capabilities! The diagnostic ProfiHub is a versatile statistics / diagnostics logger that can be used to keep track of the overall network health and inform either the PLC or DCS of any network failures. These network failures could be in the form of repeated messages, illegal messages, missing ProfiHub terminations, live list changes or power supply problems. Audible or visible feedback can also be achieved by switching the integrated alarm relay of the ProfiHub . All ProfiHubs are now shipped with this functionality available as standard. Existing ProfiHub owners will soon be able to purchase upgrade packages to enable the diagnostic capabilities via a firmware update. The diagnostic capabilities are available for the B2+R , B5+R , D1 , B2FO2 , & B4FO2 and these hubs are fully compatible with PROCENTEC ComBricks providing you with a permanent monitoring sol

Anybus gateway's creating secure paths for IIOT solutions

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Anybus has launched a new family of gateways built to boost your Industrial IoT development demands. These devices are designed to gain secure and easy access between equipment on all major industrial networks, transforming the way your industry, manufacturing business, process factory or packaging plant operates by improving visibility. Now you can establish a foundation for better performance by leveraging this data. The  Anybus IoT X-Gateways and Communicators  lets you seamlessly interconnect legacy devices and PLC control systems between industrial networks and OPC UA/MQTT. The information is controlled independently and your network remains secure and encrypted. How does it work? The Anybus IoT Communicator, still based on the tried and tested communicator development, will now enable users to integrate serial based RS232, RS485, Modbus RTU, DF1 and ASCII into an OPC UA or MQTT IoT data acquisition system.  Simply connect, configure and your done! Connect: M

PROFIBUS wiring error / B-line short

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  PROFIBUS wiring error / B-line short IDX attended a PROFIBUS call out for a gold mine situated in Welkom. The client reported issues as “loss of communication and network trips”. Using the PROCENTEC Mercury Pro Kit (A complete diagnostics tool for troubleshooting PROFIBUS and Industrial Ethernet Networks) we were able to identify the underlying issue as a short between the B-core (red wire) and the PROFIBUS cable shield. The short in the PROFIBUS cable meant that the differential signal was significantly lower in amplitude and therefore more susceptible to earthing faults and EMI injections on the bus. PROFIBUS makes use of a balanced signal. This means that the signal transmitted on the A and B channels have similar voltage levels, however, they have opposite polarities. The differential signal is calculated as B – ( – A). When a short occurs on the PROFIBUS cable between either of these cores and the PROFIBUS cable shield, the shorted core will