Fieldbus & Industrial Networking


Ethernet carried to new heights

September 2009 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

LS Industrial Systems has developed RAPIEnet (realtime automation protocols for Industrial Ethernet) as a new industrial communications bus for use with its PLC systems. The company says in so doing the design has avoided the complications of hubs and switches and the accompanying excessive cabling required by established Ethernet technology. RAPIEnet employs PLC mounted cards running on 100Base-TX that have built-in switches and hubs.

This topology allows the PLC bus to be wired on a drop-off or daisy-chain basis, similar to established industrial communication buses, such as DeviceNet or Profibus. No external hubs and switches are required.

An optional ring topology is available for redundancy systems, which prevents loss of communications, should the normal bus cable be broken for any reason. Realtime data transmission is possible, where typical bus cycle times of less about 1 mS can be achieved, with synchronous operation and less than 1 microsecond of jitter being experienced. The system conforms to the standard IEC 8802-3 parameters, which allows interfacing with existing Ethernet technology.

RAPIEnet can be configured to interface directly with Ethernet and Internet TCP/IP gateway protocols, as well as being able to use Modbus TCP/IP for interfacing to third party equipment. Hot plug-in of switches and cards, is possible should a fault occur, with a maximum system recovery time of less than 10 mS.

System wiring can be accomplished either over fibre-optic or copper cabling.

The respective maximum distances between stations, without repeaters are 2 km and 100 m for the two media. Up to 12 RAPIEnet modules, all acting as their individual Bus Masters, can be accommodated on the master PLC rack.

System software, which is available free of charge from distributors, allows full intelligent system diagnostics. Information such as module status, network status, traffic info and service info is available at a glance.

RAPIEnet enables the LS XGi PLC, a cutting-edge high-speed PLC system capable of handling up to 131 000 I/O, to compete head-on with the best computer-based realtime automation solutions.

For more information contact Keith Gross, Ana-Digi Systems, +27 (0)82 557 2654, [email protected], www.anadigi.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Comprehensive solutions for the food and beverage sector
RS South Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
RS South Africa is reinforcing its commitment to the country’s dynamic food and beverage sector, backed by a comprehensive portfolio of over 800 000 products, extensive technical expertise and end-to-end service capabilities.

Read more...
Case History 198: Cascade control overcomes valve problems
Michael Brown Control Engineering Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
A large petrochemical refinery asked me to perform an audit on several critical base layer control loops. This article deals with a problem found on a valve controlling the flow of fuel to a heat exchanger.

Read more...
Improved networking technology for fire and gas detection
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Critical alarm and event management technology supplier, Omniflex has worked with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation to upgrade equipment providing digital and analogue signals for its safety critical fire and gas alarm systems.

Read more...
PC-based control for fertiliser
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
On a farm in the USA, valuable ammonia is extracted from slurry and processed into ammonium sulphate. NSI Byosis has transformed this complex process into a flexible modular system. This modular approach requires an automation solution with flexible scalability in both hardware and software, which this Dutch company has found in PC-based control from Beckhoff.

Read more...
Loop signature 28: Things to consider when tuning.
Michael Brown Control Engineering Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
I was giving a course at a remote mine in the middle of the Namibian desert. We were discussing tuning responses, and as I always do on my courses, I mentioned that in my opinion ¼ amplitude damped tuning is not desirable, and is in fact not good.

Read more...
How industrial network design impacts ESG commitments
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
In safety-critical industries like nuclear, petrochemical and oil and gas, installing a new industrial cable network is an extremely complicated task. Gary Bradshaw, a director of industrial network specialist, Omniflex explains why this is often unnecessary as plants are likely to have existing cabling capable of being used to create new industrial networks.

Read more...
Minelert industrial solutions
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Profitek provides cutting-edge industrial networking, automation and IoT solutions for harsh environments.

Read more...
The ultimate industrial LoRaWAN gateway
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The GW-101-LORA-4AO is the ultimate industrial LoRaWAN gateway, combining advanced IoT connectivity with expandable I/O.

Read more...
Industrial Power-over-Ethernet DC injector
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The ML-NET-INJECT series sets the standard for industrial PoE, featuring IP68-rated RJ45 connectors and military-grade components for extreme reliability.

Read more...
Industrial networking IO-Link
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Balluff IO-Link Network Modules enable seamless, intelligent communication between sensors, actuators and control systems. Designed for Industry 4.0, they provide real-time data exchange, simplify wiring, and enhance diagnostics.

Read more...