FOUNDATION FIELDBUS - LINKING DEVICE

Hi, I'm a currently working with a 1788-EN2FFR linking device

My team and I are trying to get access to the fieldbus block information without success.

We can modify the parameters by using an AOP in STUDIO 5000 but we need to find a way to reach those parameters by using an HMI or a Work Station. The only data we can read, it is the value of the inputs or outputs from the blocks.

Has anyone worked with this device that can tell me if it is possible to do what we are pretending?

Thanks in advance.
 
If I understand what you, you are looking for field device's 'block' configuration data, but you can only 'see' the block's process data, the inputs and outputs.

The description of your box sounds like a gateway/protocol converter that converts Ethernet/IP-to-Foundation Fieldbus H1. H1 is the instrument FF hardware bus, not the FF highspeed Ethernet bus.

When I got involved in tangental sense with FF a couple years ago, access to the field device configuration was accomplished with a handheld communicator like the now-obsolete Rosemount 475, its replacement the TREX, or Pactware (a Windows app primarily used for configuration of field devices) with the associated field device DTM file and an FF H1 modem, like Softing's MobiLink modem, that connects to H1 FF network as a 'node' on an open FF power supply port.

It's my understanding that Ethernet/IP exchanges data in a consumer/producer model and you are seeing that process data as traffic, meaning the box is doing its job of exchanging process data.

I have no experience with Ethernet/IP, but my guess is that while Ethernet/IP is used for process data exchange and it is NOT used for configuration of field devices. If that is true, then Ethernet/IP would not have access to the field device configuration. My guess is backed up by the extensive and continued use of HART to configure field instruments. If Ethernet/IP could configure field devices, fora like these would be filled with questions about attempting to do so and I don't see those types of threads and HART seems to maintain its status as the preferred field device configuration protocol.

So I doubt that that box is going to provide you access to field device configuration on its own, I don't think that was it was designed for.

I had no access to the DCS on which the field devices were installed, but I can't imagine that the DCS did not have the software means of configuring the field devices. I think you should look to the FF side (assuming that's where the field devices are) for configuration capability or use software designed to access the device configuration like the handheld FF communicators or software like Pactware, DTM and a modem.
 
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