A free map for the fieldbus maze
15 Jan 2000
The road to that Holy Grail of control and instrumentation engineers one internationally accepted and recognised fieldbus protocol has been a long and winding one. And, though paved with better intentions than before, it's a road that still has no definitive end in sight.
To help the confused traveller, MTL has published a free A2-sized wallchart, an 'open' fieldbus comparison, that offers user-friendly guidance through the current maze.
The 'vital statistics' of no fewer than eleven networks (plus their variants) are presented on the chart, which compares typical applications, maximum number of nodes, data transfer rates, compatible signal transport media, applicable standards and other features, such as whether integrated circuits have been specifically designed to implement the buses.
Also included are useful telephone and fax numbers and web-site addresses of fieldbus user groups.
