October 7, 2010 - Pepperl+Fuchs enhances its Advanced Diagnostic Module DTM software. Advanced Diagnostic Modules (ADM) monitor the quality of fieldbus communication for FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 and PROFIBUS PA networks, and Diagnostic Manager software includes a number of updates that dramatically speeds fieldbus commissioning and takes the guesswork out of troubleshooting for ADM users. This smart software tool translates information provided by the ADM into actionable information and can run on a server located directly in the control room, turning the complete fieldbus infrastructure into an open book that can be read even without expert knowledge.
The most significant improvement to the new Diagnostic Manager is a built-in expert system that automatically learns the communications behavior of a segment during commissioning, and over time and is able to intelligently diagnose any situation on the basis of past experience. As a result users are provided with specific warnings as soon as the software detects any condition that might lead to a critical situation. Such warnings are complemented by incident-related information in clear text that points to possible causes and recommends remedies. Equipped with this information field technicians usually know what needs to be done before they arrive on site, and are no longer faced with the sometimes time-consuming task of searching for the actual cause of a problem.
As a result, time spent on troubleshooting is absolutely minimized, plant shutdowns can largely be avoided and the availability of the complete system is considerably improved.
Additional updates of significance include:
- Automated tag reading – the ADM is now able to read and document tags and device IDs in combination with any FOUNDTION fieldbus host
- Improved Oscilloscope – offers more trigger events and automatically captures up to 10 shots in a row; each bit and telegram is identified with type and value, as well as source and destination address