Control System World

The Anybus CompactCom 40 POWERLINK products now support Dynamic Node Allocation (DNA) functionality.

What is DNA?

Why add DNA functionality?

“We noticed that manually configuring the node numbers on the connected devices was causing some problems for customers and incorrect node numbers were accidentally assigned to devices”, explains Stefan Källström Embedded Product Manager. “So, we acted and updated the CompactCom POWERLINK with DNA functionality which means it’s no longer necessary to manually configure each connected device as the managing node can allocate the node numbers dynamically. We think this will simplify the installation process meaning that customers can start using the network quicker ”

 DNA is supported in the following products:

Link to Brick CompactCom POWERLINK Product page:

POWERLINK M40

Link to Module CompactCom POWERLINK page:

POWERLINK B40

Link to Chip CompactCom POWERLINK Product page

CompactCom 40

When embracing the new era of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), many system integrators and engineers face the critical challenge of finding a secure and reliable IIoT-gateway solution that offers regular security patches to remedy system vulnerabilities in a timely manner. Moxa’s newly launched AIG-300 Series IIoT gateways come with Azure IoT Edge integration that adds significant value in the form of unique features that help build a cost- and time-efficient IIoT system.

Seamless Azure IoT Edge Integration for Quick and Reliable Connectivity to the Cloud

IIoT gateways need to be highly secure and reliable to facilitate seamless edge-to-cloud data acquisition and device management. The AIG-300 IIoT gateway, seamlessly integrated with Azure IoT Edge and powered by ThingsPro, is a market-leading solution for reliable, quick, and easy data acquisition and device management. Data collected from devices can be transferred to Azure IoT Edge and then on to the Azure IoT Hub with a few simple configuration steps. Conversely, devices can be effectively managed via the route of Azure IoT Hub to the Azure IoT Edge on the AIG series IIoT gateways. This seamless one-stop edge-to-cloud platform can greatly help customers shrink the system development time and cost.

Device Provisioning Made Easier and the Bootup Process Safer Than Ever Before

Most IIoT applications are deployed in remote, unmanned, and harsh environments such as a smart grid, energy storage systems, solar fields, oil and gas refineries, and rail-wayside applications. Maintaining normal operations and monitoring statuses effectively is crucial to these systems. The AIG series gateways, with their wide-temperature design and low power consumption, are well-suited for use in these environments.

With capabilities such are resume file transmission, over-the-air (OTA) upgrades, and Secure Boot, the AIG series gateways, located in remote sites, can be upgraded and maintained to ensure their continuous availability and effectively protected against cyberattacks. To avoid disconnections during device crashes and sudden shutdowns, the AIG series comes with built-in recovery functions to enable rollback to the previous stable version of the firmware for uninterrupted network connectivity at remote sites. When a software upgrade fails, the gateways will automatically revert to the software version in the backup, ensuring system stability. A ThingsPro tool simplifies the provisioning process by enabling bulk provisioning of IIoT gateways and performing remote software upgrades.

AIG-300 Series Highlights

• Advanced IIoT gateways with Arm® Cortex™-A7 dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 CAN port, 4 DIs, 4 DOs, -40 to 70°C operating temperature
•  Simplify data acquisition and device management
• Powered by ThingsPro and seamless integration with Azure IoT Edge to enable easy, reliable, yet secure cloud connectivity
• Support easy device provisioning
• Provide robust OTA function to prevent system failure during software upgrades
• Equipped with Secure Boot to prevent malicious code execution and software injection attacks

Visit the product page

The Avnu Alliance, CC-Link Partner Association, ODVA, OPC Foundation, and PROFIBUS & PROFINET International jointly announce that they are collaborating to develop a single conformance test plan for the IEEE/IEC 60802 Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) profile for Industrial Automation. The test plan will be used as a base test by all the participating organizations and made available to the broader Industrial Automation ecosystem. This collaboration contributes towards end user confidence that 60802 conformant devices from different manufacturers which support different automation protocols will coexist reliably at the TSN level on shared networks, including with devices using TSN for applications other than automation.

The focus of the collaboration is to work together towards a jointly agreed and owned test plan for the industrial automation market. This formal collaboration provides value by creating a structure in which all these organizations can work together and exchange ideas towards the end goal of interoperability and coexistence on open, standard networks for all protocols, without needing to establish a separate, formal organization. For convenience, the collaboration activities will be referred to as “TIACC” (TSN Industrial Automation Conformance Collaboration).

The TIACC marks a commitment by these organizations to develop an interoperable ecosystem of devices from different manufacturers to comply with the IEC/IEEE Standards Association 60802 profile and enable end-users to confidently deploy these devices on open, standard networks. The goal is to have the final version of the single, shared test plan available soon after the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile is published.

“Avnu’s purpose and mission is to transform standard networks to enable support for many time sensitive applications and protocols in an open, interoperable manner. This collaboration among organizations will be critically important to facilitating coexistence of multiple workloads and protocols according to IEEE 60802 on a network, while leveraging foundational network interoperability that is used across industries,” said Greg Schlechter, Avnu Alliance President. “We are committed to working with the industries to enable an interoperable ecosystem of devices that allow end users to confidently deploy on open, standard, and converged networks.”

“The creation of the Connected Industries of the future requires different systems and devices to communicate in order to deliver the necessary process transparency required. This is a core principle for the CLPA and is at the root of why the organization was founded. This is why we are delighted to be part of the TIACC and look forward to supporting the creation of a unified, common test plan for TSN-compatible products. By doing so, we can help further boost the adoption of futureproof technologies for smart manufacturing,” said Manabu Hamaguchi, Global Director at CLPA.

“EtherNet/IP users will be able to take advantage of the benefits afforded by 60802 TSN of enhanced network performance, higher utilization, and guaranteed network access for multiple time-critical applications with different priorities. ODVA’s participation in TIACC will ensure that the full potential of 60802 TSN coexistence is realized by end users to help make Industry 4.0 and IIoT a reality,” said Dr. Al Beydoun, President and Executive Director at ODVA.

Beyond improving quality, uptime, and productivity, functional safety is often a requirement in applications leveraging mobile robotics. While local proximity sensors, E-Stops, safety zones, and safety curtains are often used in AMR applications, a SIL 2 or SIL 3 safety rating for the AMR system as a whole requires the use of a SIL 3-rated safety protocol like CIP Safety or PROFIsafe.

Both CIP Safety and PROFIsafe follow the “black channel principle,” which is described in IEC 61508.  The black channel principle specifies that two safety devices must have enough intelligence, and enough diagnostics in their communications, to ensure the communication network between the safety devices has zero impact on the ability of the safety device to detect communication errors. In other words, safety protocols like CIP Safety and PROFIsafe have error detection mechanisms built within the safety protocol itself. These error-detection mechanisms consist of time stamps to ensure packets are not lost, delayed, repeated or out of order, and various identifiers and diagnostics to authenticate and validate the messages.

While the safety protocol and safety devices host the intelligence to ensure the safety of the application, there is a risk that a network device, like a wireless Ethernet radio, could have a negative impact on the timing requirements within the error detection mechanism. In a CIP Safety system, the timing expectation is defined by the Requested Packet Interval (RPI), the Timeout Multiplier, and the Delay Multiplier. In a PROFIsafe system, the timing expectation is defined by the F-Monitoring or PROFIsafe Monitoring time. Regardless of which protocol is being deployed, it is important to configure these parameters to meet both your functional safety requirements and your uptime requirements.

Read the full application guide.

ICONICS recently announced it has won the 2022 Microsoft Internet of Things (IoT) Partner of the Year Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft Partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

"ICONICS is honored to be named the 2022 Microsoft IoT Partner of the Year," said Ted Hill, President and CEO of ICONICS. "We have a long history of collaborating with Microsoft and leveraging their latest technologies to develop innovative solutions to solve our customers' sustainability and automation challenges. This is the seventh time we’ve been recognized by Microsoft as a global award winner, and now with ICONICS as part of Mitsubishi Electric’s global business portfolio, we are able to further extend IoT Solutions into industry, infrastructure, and facilities applications worldwide.”

The Internet of Things Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that has designed, developed and deployed IoT solutions built on Microsoft intelligent cloud and intelligent edge innovations (such as Azure IoT, Windows IoT, and edge devices) with customers. ICONICS’ Azure IoT solution, IoTWorX, harnesses signals and untapped data from existing and new devices, unlocking powerful insights, and helping businesses take action – to deliver operational efficiencies, to transform business models, and to add new revenue streams, for themselves and for their customers. These solutions are helping companies quickly improve their businesses just by knowing more about their assets and equipment, such as where they are at any given time or predicting maintenance needs to ensure zero downtime – ultimately improving business results and increasing customer value.

“I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards,” said Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. “These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees and I’m continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact for their customers.” 

Amplicon, the preferred UK distributor for NI, is offering its customers a superb mega bundle which brings together the powerful Amplicon industrial PC's with market leading NI software! For a limited-time, customers who purchase the new Amplicon Senses 1100 or Impact-R 2060 industrial PC along with NI's Test Workflow software will save over £1,700.

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To learn more about how Amplicon can help you to enhance your test, measurement and automation processes at an amazing price contact our NI experts today - 01273 608 331

AMPLICON & NI OFFER DETAILS:

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Siemens AG has launched an open digital business platform, Siemens Xcelerator, to accelerate digital transformation and value creation for customers of all sizes in industry, buildings, grids and mobility. The business platform makes digital transformation easier, faster and scalable. Siemens Xcelerator includes a curated portfolio of internet of things (IoT) enabled hardware, software and digital services from across Siemens and certified third parties; a growing ecosystem of partners; and an evolving marketplace to facilitate interactions and transactions between customers, partners and developers.