My DeviceNet System is Giving Me Heartburn

devicenet analyzerDuring the recent economic downturn, businesses have lost scores of experienced, trained personnel who were very familiar with (among other things) monitoring the health of their DeviceNet System and who may have been responsible for keeping things “up and running”.  Now that business is ramping back up, companies are running lean and we’re all doing “more with less” of everything (including people), the need for rapidly diagnosing issues on a DeviceNet system has increased.  These reasons are exactly why the DeviceNet Analyzer was developed.

The analyzer is a collection of components used for analysis, monitoring and maintaining DeviceNet systems without having to call a third-party to conduct these procedures. The ROI is amazingly fast after technicians have been trained on the use of this powerful tool for checking DeviceNet and CAN bus installations:

  •  Analyze and track down telegrams with poor signal quality. Check for causes of faults, like missing bus terminations (or too many bus terminations), faulty bus drivers, or trunk and drop lines that are too long.
  • Physical cable troubleshooting is accomplished on a “wire test” function that detects the location of cable breaks and short circuits.  “Weak Spots” like incorrect cable types, lengths, and faulty plugs are also located.
  • Monitor…comparisons can be made at regular or continuous intervals via an online function.  Gradual degradation of system quality can be seen and proactive preventative maintenance can in turn be enacted.

If you have DeviceNet “Heartburn”…there is an Antacid! For more information on the DeviceNet Analyzer, click here or watch the video below.

Light it Up! Industrial Stack Lights are old news…

I am seriously excited about the new Smart Light.  It will revolutionize how we automate and interface with people working in the manufacturing environment.  If you didnt watch this video… you need to watch this video.

Even if you don’t know what a stack light is, you will want one of these for your discotec to light it up!

Operating on the open communication protocol IO-Link that I have discussed in previous posts, I think this single part number will improve the factory for:

  • an operator wanting to know when to refill a feederbowl, position a part, or empty a full output bin
  • a maintenance guy needing to know what cell is causing the machine downtime
  • a plant manager wanting to know the machine output, speed, productivity

If you want more information on how this works visit the Smart Light webpage.

Defining Your Next Network Architecture: Topologies and Global Standard

As many machine builders, OEMs, individual plants, and large corporations decide to move from the “bus” to the “net” (Profibus or DeviceNet to Profinet or EtherNet/IP) they have a chance to look at all the new architectures available and decide on which is the best for them.  Here are the first two topics to take into consideration:

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6 DeviceNet Sins Not to Repeat with EtherNet/IP

Have you ever made the statement, “If I had it to do over again, I would’ve done it differently”?  Well, here’s your chance.  Many companies are migrating from DeviceNet to EtherNet/IP and now you can take this opportunity to do it differently.  As a former Allen Bradley Instructor, I have seen enough bad DeviceNet installs to write a book.  Here are six topics to consider in your new EtherNet/IP installations:

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