Simple cost-effective HART communicator

Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

Calibration equipment & service suppliers

Physical/mechanical test equipment suppliers

Technews Industry Guide - Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Optimisation 2015 Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

The trouble with many HART communicators is that they tend to be brand specific, using supplier device drivers, for which users pay a subscription to be able to update such files as and when necessary.

The advantage of the new communicator from Meriam is that it works directly with HART files which are open source, this allowing communication with all HART devices with no subscription fees.

“We developed the Meriam 5150 to make the customer’s job easier,” says engineering manager, John Balogh. “It is an intrinsically safe device able to read the complete library of HART device descriptions directly, with no translation. That’s over 1200 devices, and more than 2,5 GB of data contained directly in the communicator.”

To optimise productivity, the 5150 calibrator has been designed holistically with significantly more physical capacity. For a start, the keyboard is a full QWERTY design, with a large stylus-free full-colour landscape-orientation touch screen with full graphics capability, making it faster to enter data. The device has a 256 MB RAM, 512 MB Flash storage, plus a minimum of 4 GB application and driver storage on an SD card, with the possibility of upgrade to 64 GB. However, the 4 GB card does allow 10 000 configurations to be stored. The unit is available in an intrinsically safe version, carrying South African certification for Ex ia IIC T4 Ga approval for Zone 0 use.

The huge memory means that drivers can be stored for every device on the user’s plant, so there should never be a case of being without the necessary driver, and having to return to the shop to arrange a download in the middle of a break-down. The full graphics screen allows the user to play video tutorials when required, if available.

Based on a ‘one size fits all’ approach, it is expected that the 5150 will work harder than its competitors. The Li-ion battery offers 35 Watt hours, more than double the norm, allowing a full shift’s operation and 100 hours of standby. The handle section is only 200 mm in circumference to fit comfortably in the hand. The charging cradle provides USB connectivity.

With this new addition, Blanes can now offer customers full HART connectivity for significantly less outlay, particularly when using the Blanes LC-110H HART-enabled loop calibrator, which comes equipped with the universal HART commands adequate for most HART calibration requirements, such as trim DAC output, set LRV, URV and PV units. This eliminates the need to use an expensive communicator to perform simple work, thus freeing it up for more complex tasks. This should be of great interest to a petrochemical industry struggling with low oil prices.

For more information contact Rod McLeman, Blanes Pressure Solutions, +27 (0)11 422 1749, rod@pressuresolutions.co.za, www.pressuresolutions.co.za

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Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

Simple cost-effective HART communicator

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