Expanding Customers' Freedom to Choose Their Fieldbus -- New Profibus DP Bus Interface Module
Charlottesville, VA, December 3, 2008 GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, today announced the availability of a new Profibus-DP Bus Interface Module for its line of industry-leading 8000 General Purpose and Intrinsically Safe I/O.
"GE Fanuc believes that Process customers should have the freedom to choose their fieldbus," said Jim Leatherby, Product Manager for GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms. "The new Profibus Bus Interface Module (BIM) provides the interface between a Profibus-DP master and up to 32 8000 Process I/O modules. It is designed to the Profibus DPv1 standard, which supports both cyclic and acyclic communications, and a pair of BIMs can be used in a redundant configuration providing for increased reliability and uptime."
"GE Fanuc understands the space constraints that often exist in the field," said Dave Reynolds, Product Marketing Manager for GE Fanuc's Process Solutions. "The Profibus BIM is about the size of an I/O module, reducing the overall footprint of the system and saving our customers on cabinetry and installation costs."
The new Profibus BIM supports the pass through of HART variable and status data with 8-channel HART AI or AO modules. Communications to popular instrument management software, including AMS and FDT- based packages, is over Ethernet. The FDT applications are supported through DTM software provided by GE Fanuc. Through this interface, access to all of the smart features of HART devices, calibration and maintenance history for individually addressable devices, and an instrument database, are available to instrument management software packages.
The rugged line of 8000 Process I/O continues to grow and expand to better serve the needs of GE Fanuc's process customers. For more information: www.gefanuc.com/process.
Elli Holman
GE Intelligent Platforms Public Relations Director
[email protected]
1-508-698-7456
1-508-298-8306