Fieldbus Foundation schedules 2011 North American seminars, training

Fieldbus Foundation's 2011 North American end-user seminar and developer training schedule is available. Seminars help process industry end-users understand the economic benefits of the FOUNDATION automation infrastructure. Developer training gives control and instrumentation suppliers vendor-neutral instruction on fieldbus technology. Link to details and to global events.

April 6, 2011

The Fieldbus Foundation’s 2011 North American end-user seminar and developer training schedule is available. The seminar program helps process industry end-users understand the economic benefits of the FOUNDATION automation infrastructure. The developer training program gives control and instrumentation suppliers vendor-neutral instruction on key aspects of fieldbus technology.

The first end-user seminar of 2011 will be held in Carson, CA. Additional events are scheduled for Calgary and Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada, and for Detroit, MI, Corpus Christi, TX, Baton Rouge, LA, and Beaumont, TX, in the USA. Dates for these seminars are listed below. End-user seminars also are set for later this year in Rio de Janeiro on June 16 and in Mexico City on August 23.

2011 Fieldbus Foundation Seminar Dates
Carson, CA May 24, 2011
Calgary, AB Canada Sept. 20
Fort McMurray, AB Canada Sept. 22
Detroit, MI Oct. 11
Corpus Christi, TX Nov. 7
Baton Rouge, LA Nov. 9
Beaumont, TX Nov. 10

The first "Introduction to FOUNDATION Fieldbus" and "Advanced Principles of FOUNDATION Fieldbus" developer training courses of 2011 will be held May 17-19, in Austin, TX. These seminars will be held again in November, also in Austin. "Introduction to FOUNDATION Fieldbus will take place Nov. 15, 2011 and "Advanced Principles of FOUNDATION Fieldbus will follow on Nov. 16-18, 2011.

Developer training is also available in Frankfurt, Germany. More information on these seminars may be found in the Global Events calendar elsewhere in this newsletter.

Directed at process control end users and engineering firms, these one-day seminars cover all aspects of FOUNDATION automation infrastructure management. They address core technology topics including open, scalable integration/segment design and layout; process integrity/safety integrity levels (SIL) and safety instrumented functions (SIF); and business intelligence/maintenance and troubleshooting. Each topic is discussed in detail for 45 min. to an hour; a 15 to 20 min. hands-on demonstration follows immediately to help reinforce the material. A discussion about newer advances such as field diagnostics, control in the field (CIF), and wireless is also included. In addition, end-user speakers present case studies about their fieldbus applications. A demonstration of Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) technology concludes the seminar.

Each 2011 end-user seminar participant receives a certificate that can be used for PDH hours, plus hard copies of presentation materials. Lunch is included.

For device developers who require assistance implementing FOUNDATION technology in their instrumentation product line, the Fieldbus Foundation offers a complete developer training curriculum. Attending one of these informative courses can help suppliers get on the "Fast Track to Fieldbus."

"Introduction to FOUNDATION Fieldbus" is an introductory course designed for developers, end users, marketing professionals, applications engineers, system integrators, and others interested in acquiring a fundamental knowledge of FOUNDATION technology. Students become familiar with basic concepts and new terminology related to the FOUNDATION integrated architecture, and they gain an understanding of the strategies for wiring and installing a fieldbus network. Design issues such as power requirements, device types, and topologies are emphasized. This updated course also includes new information about grounding and shielding and safety instrumented functions (SIF).

"Advanced Principles of FOUNDATION Fieldbus" is intended for manufacturers and developers of fieldbus hardware and software and is best suited for development engineers, test engineers, and those seeking to understand the detailed, inner workings of a FOUNDATION fieldbus device. The course covers major tools used by FOUNDATION device developers. Students gain an understanding of the basics of the bus monitor. They are taught to apply this tool in interactive exercises demonstrating fieldbus communications and the use of filters for network troubleshooting. The foundation’s automation infrastructure for communications between fieldbus devices and field instruments and hosts is also covered.

Learn more about the Fieldbus Foundation 2011 North American end-user seminars and developer training courses.

Fieldbus Foundation also provides events globally.