Today's Automation News Headlines from Automation.com

June 7, 2011 - Deutschmann Automation expands UNIGATE IC fieldbus interfaces, adding a gateway for the building automation protocol BACnet/IP.

UNIGATE CL and CX versions for this protocol are under way. While UNIGATE IC gateways are designed for direct integration into ter-minal devices, UNIGATE CL and CX devices come in a DIN rail housing. The gateways from UNIGATE CX series, which integrate two UNIGATE CL devices each, connect different industrial communication networks. Measuring only 45 x 25 mm, the devices contain all necessary compo-nents, including a microcontroller, Flash, RAM, and a bus controller. This certi-fied solution can be connected to the terminal device’s microprocessor via a UART-interface, assisting it by handling all data traffic.

The gateways have the unique characteristic of converting the terminal devices’ protocol via a script. The manufacturer also offers the free-of-charge Protocol Developer PC tool for creating the script and optimally adjusting it to the terminal device and bus requirements. Changes to the firmware of the terminal device are no longer necessary. To test the script, a second serial interface of the UNIGATE IC can be used as a debug interface or as a diagnosis output. Deutschmann also provides UNIGATE ICs e.g. for Profibus DP, MPI, INTERBUS, DeviceNet, CANopen, LonWorks, Ethernet TCP/IP, Modbus TCP/RTU/ASCII, EtherNet/IP, POWERLINK, and PROFINET.