ODVA holds CIP Networks Conference and 10th annual meeting

San Antonio, TX—The Open DeviceNet Vendor Association (ODVA) hosted more than 150 visitors from nearly 70 companies at its CIP Networks Conference and 10th annual meeting, Nov. 15-19, at the Hilton Palacio del Rio on the edge of San Antonio's world-famous River Walk.

By Control Engineering Staff November 23, 2004

San Antonio, TX— The Open DeviceNet Vendor Association (ODVA) hosted more than 150 visitors from nearly 70 companies at its CIP Networks Conference and 10th annual meeting, Nov. 15-19, at the Hilton Palacio del Rio on the edge of San Antonio’s world-famous River Walk.

The event featured updates on CIP network protocols, including DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, and ControlNet, as well as training sessions, implementers workshops, special interest group (SIG) and joint special interest group (JSIG) meeting, and presentations on a variety of solutions from ODVA’s member companies:

  • Eaton/Cutler-Hammer showed that its Network Control MCC has a communication bridge architecture that can reduce network control installed costs by 20%; uses Eaton’s plug-and-play QCPort Communication bus system; offers customizable I/O; and supports future ex-pansion.

  • Frontline Test Equipment Inc. demonstrated its PC-based protocol analyzer/sniffer, NetDecoder, which helps troubleshoot control networks; provides statistics and decodes CIP and general control protocol messages into English; analyzes Ethernet, fieldbus, and serial data com-munication problems; and can be used to analyze general office networks.

  • Harting Electric and Alden Products Co. jointly introduced a quick-mating, multi-coupling connector system with backwards compatibility with the M12 threaded coupler for four-pin Ethernet based applications. Marketed under the brand names Pulse Plus by Alden and Han QCS by Harting, the new receptacle is capable of hosting multiple coupling interfaces in the same space as a traditional M12 threaded coupler. Han QCS or Pulse-Plus receptacles are designed with an internal thread to conform to international standards. However, they also have Alden’s Pulse-Lok auto-coupling mating technology on the outside of the receptacles’ shell. In addition, they have Harting’s Harax easy-termination IDC contacts, which allow even an installed, traditional, threaded-only cable connector to be exchanged for the quick-lock system.

  • HMS Industrial Networks introduced its Anybus-CompactCom, which has modules that share a common interface to a host device. By using an intelligent object model, it’s possible to support all different networks with one API.

  • Omron Electronics LLC described the advantages of its Smart DeviceNet Slave technology, which reduces programming load, start-up, and maintenance time; aids preventive and predictive maintenance; and increases uptime. It also announced three DeviceNet Safety products: Safety Network Controller, Safety Input and Mixed I/O terminals, and Safety Input and Relay Output terminal.

  • Phoenix Contact described its Automationworx modular automation concept, which consists of PC-based control, Ethernet communications, and multibus connectivity; reported on its DeviceNet PCB and Through-Panel connectors, DeviceNet M12 cordsets and IP67 Plug connectors, and DeviceNet Media Converters; and introduced its new Inline Modular I/O Ethernet/IP bus coupler.

  • Rockwell Automation reported on using CIP networks for distributed motion control; added that ODVA’s CIP Sync protocol provides time synchronization services to a common time base with sub-microsecond accuracy in a node-to-node setting; and introduced CIP Motion Controller to Controller, which is dedicated to distributing position and time information for coordinating multiple motion controllers in a distributed system, as well as CIP Motion Controller to Drive, which is dedicated to real-time control of drives from a motion controller over a CIP-based network.

  • Sick announced several DeviceNet Safety products, including its UE 4400 Series IP 67 remote I/O, and its UE 4470 Series safety network controllers, which are both expected to be available in April 2005.

  • Wago reported how its 750-841 Ethernet/IP controller and I/O with Ethernet/IP have helped Townsend Engineering implement multi-stage filtering for its new injection system for curing meat and seafood.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
jmontague@reedbusiness.com