Profibus DP Slave to BACnet IP Multiport Gateway

The FieldServer PROFIBUS DP Slave gateway makes it easy for integrators to interface devices utilizing various building or industrial protocols to PROFIBUS DP Slave networks. As the leading manufacturer of protocol gateways in the building automation industry, FieldServer has developed the largest driver library in the industry and the widest range of gateways available, designed to meet the needs of system integrators.

The FS-B3512-05 provides a wealth of features to enable data transfer between different devices and networks utilizing serial (RS-232 or RS-485), Ethernet, LonWorks and PROFIBUS DP Master. The multiport design allows for serial-to-serial, serial-to-Ethernet, LonWorks and PROFIBUS DP Slave interfaces. With a larger point count than any similar gateway, the FieldServer FS-B35 series provides a single device solution for your networking needs. The FieldServer is designed to meet a wide range of interface needs and it is easily configured as a master or a slave.

Configuration is easy, but if needed, configuration services are available from FieldServer support team. The proven FieldServer support team is recognized around the world for its knowledge of the many different protocols involved in building automation.

FieldServer continuously strives to enhance our gateways and the latest FS-B35 series includes a major software upgrade, resulting in significant enhancements in performance, including:

• 40% higher point count capability - some protocols are major memory hogs, and the result is that they can slow down performance of any gateway. With the greater memory enhancement, the FS-B35 Series can easily handle all of the drivers extremely well.
• Memory utilization monitoring - the user is provided with application memory statistics (in both kB and as a percentage of the available memory) enabling optimal matching of device models and configurations to specific applications.
• Improved stability and performance under high loads - the new software enhances the operation making it more forgiving to configuration problems with fewer crashes when capacity limits are reached.
• USB firmware update - this allows the firmware or configuration of the FieldServer to be updated from a USB flash drive whenever it is inserted, enabling users to easily update firmware in the field. This is a great time saver if you have multiple FieldServers in the field.

The BACnet/IP driver allows the FieldServer to transfer data to and from devices over Ethernet using BACnet/IP protocol. The FieldServer can emulate either a Server or Client.

All information in a BACnet system is represented in terms of objects. The Object_Identifier is a 32-bit code that identifies the type of Object (also identified by the Object_Type Property) and its "Instance" number, which together uniquely identify the Object within its BACnet device. Theoretically, a BACnet device could have over four million Objects of a particular type. The Object_Name is a text string, which has a unique capability.

BACnet devices may broadcast queries for devices that contain Objects with a specific Object_Name. This can greatly simplify project setup.

Every BACnet device must have a Device Object, which provides details about the device and its functionalities to other networked devices. Before engaging in control communications, a BACnet device must acquire pertinent information from the Device Object of the target device. Unlike other Objects, the Instance number of the Device Object must be unique across the entire BACnet internetwork, serving as the device's distinct identifier. This uniqueness facilitates easy identification of the BACnet device during installation and operation.

Standard object types are used to hold real time data and other information. Each Object Type is referenced by a number, for example 0 represents an Analog Input. See Appendix D.1 for abbreviation list.

Each Object consists of a number of prescribed properties, the main property being the Present_Value. Objects are monitored and controlled through their properties.

The FieldServer Profibus DP Slave driver can be used to emulate a single slave station on a Profibus network. DP Masters can open a connection of up to 244 Bytes of Input and 244 Bytes of Output data, but not exceeding a combined total of 416 Bytes to the FieldServer. The FieldServer can be added to the Profibus network with the use of the supplied GSD file for the ANYBUS card. Connection to the Profibus network is via a DB9 port on the ANYBUS card.