Fieldbus interchangeability

P

Thread Starter

PC

I have a fieldbus system (controller & field devices) of manufacturer 'A'. What are the things I need to obtain from other field devices manufacturers 'B', 'C' or 'D' if I need to replace the field devices 'A'?

As I understand, even when all fieldbus manufacturers are registered under the Foundation Fieldbus (FF)group, the field devices are not interchangeable (unlike the 4-20ma/ Hart).
 
R
We specify several different manufacturers transmitters for FF projects. As far as I know they are compatible, although I expect the configuration may be different.

I will follow this thread with interest.

Roy
 
PC,

You should probably ensure that you understand what fieldbus features of the device from manufacturer 'A' you are actually using (and need), to ensure that a device from another manufacturer has those features (in particular, the function blocks that connect to other parts of your control system). If you are just using basic function blocks in a device (e.g., Analog I/O blocks), these tend to be available in standard form from virtually all devices with similar function.

The second item of interest is whether or not the device you are considering is supported (listed as successfully tested) by your fieldbus control system vendor. Although in theory, all devices that are registered with the Fieldbus Foundation will be interoperable, in practice the ease with which you can work with devices can depend on successful verification of interoperability with specific control systems.

-Chris
 
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