Molex: New DeviceNet diagnostics, add-on profiles, integration help, proactive DN
Molex updated Brad NetAlytix v2 Software for its eNetMeter Diagnostic Solution; Brad PLC Communication Modules include add-on-profiles for Rockwell Automation RSLogix 5000 software; system integrated architecture builder helps PLC system design, Molex explains proactive DN diagnostics.
-- Control Engineering, 11/25/2009
Molex Inc. (NASDAQ: MOLX and MOLXA) upgraded Brad NetAlytix v2 Software to improve eNetMeter diagnostics; Brad PLC Communication Modules include add-on-profiles for Rockwell Automation RSLogix 5000 software. Molex software helps with integrated PLC systems, and Molex explained proactive DN diagnostics at Automation Fair from Rockwell Automation.
Molex updated Brad NetAlytix v2 Software for its eNetMeter Diagnostic Solution.
Software upgrade: Molex introduced an updated Brad NetAlytix v2 software to make it easier to quickly access DeviceNet signal issues, as measured using eNetMeter DN. NetAlytix PC-based software has provided an easy-to-use graphical display of network data, the company says. Version 2 is enhanced to provide a tree display for all network nodes being monitored by eNetMeter DN for faster access to data for a specific MAC ID. Nodes are color-coded to depict their status. For example, green signals to users that everything is working properly, while yellow signals a warning and red indicates an error.
Users can set-up a "favorites" area to view specific network parameters. The Warning/Fault pane displays all network issues in one convenient format.
Michael Frayne, product manager, network interfaces, Molex Inc., explained that Brad eNetMeter DN is a passive device that continuously monitors a DeviceNet network and sends information over Ethernet to a PLC or PC monitoring system. The information can be read directly by an EtherNet/IP master, he said, or accessed through a DLL interface, an OPC server or the NetAlytix v2 software. eNetMeter DN can be used to diagnose current faults on a non-functioning network through the measurement of hundreds of network parameters. This can minimize downtime by pinpointing the node or location of the fault. The data can also be stored to historian software for future analysis.
|
Also read: Rockwell Automation sponsors release of open-source software stack. |
Applications can be found in any industrial or commercial setting where DeviceNet networks are used, including automotive, petrochemical, food and beverage, material handling, forest products, mining and metals. In recent years, diagnostic tools for DeviceNet have been launched, including Brad NetMeter, Power Monitor tee, and software tools for DeviceNet interface cards.
Add-on profiles ease setup of Brad PLC Communication Modules for RSLogix 5000 software: Brad PLC communication modules are now offered with Add-On Profiles (AOPs) for Rockwell Automation's RSLogix 5000 software. Brad PLC communication modules provide the interface required for a Rockwell Automation ControlLogix PLC to connect to specific industrial fieldbuses.
The module configuration is supported with AOPs for easy integration into the ControlLogix system using the RSLogix 5000 software. All communication modules for Profibus and Modbus software also are supported with an AOP.
"Users benefit from faster configuration with a more consistent interface to module parameters and reduced errors through configuration checking embedded within the AOP," Frayne says, offering a higher level of consistency. Devices use the same conventions as other Rockwell Automation products, making the product easier to use than if it appears as a generic device.
Faster integration: Brad PLC/PAC Communication Modules from Molex for A-B ControlLogix and SLC 500 systems from Rockwell Automation get support from Rockwell Automation's Integrated Architecture Builder (IAB). "System designers can now specify Brad modules as they define the automation system bill of material (BOM) using IAB," says Frayne, which will save customers time and money.
IAB graphical software helps configure Logix-based automation systems. It helps users select hardware and generate BOMs for applications that include controllers, I/O, networks, A-B PowerFlex drives, OnMachine cabling and wiring, motion control and other devices.
Molex upgraded Brad NetAlytix v2 Software to improve eNetMeter diagnostics.
How to establish an enhanced proactive DeviceNet diagnostic program: Frayne, in an Automation Fair presentation, explained how to better use DeviceNet Diagnostics using tools such as eNetMeter DN and NetAlytix software (new v2) to reduce costs, minimize downtime and provide enhanced diagnostics. Proactive efforts eliminates downtime, Frayne said.
Molex Inc. is a 71-year-old global manufacturer of electronic, electrical and fiber optic interconnection systems. Based in Lisle, Illinois, USA, the company operates 43 manufacturing locations in 18 countries. Molex Brad products for DeviceNet and Industrial Ethernet networks "empower the industrial infrastructure including PC and PLC interfaces, gateways, diagnostic tools, simulation software, cabling, cordsets, connectors, receptacles, distribution boxes and I/O modules."
See the Control Engineering Industrial Network channel.
and Engineering with Ethernet.
- Edited by Mark T. Hoske, editor in chief, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com
View All All Webcasts
