Since the original development of the HART Communication Protocol, Emerson Process Management's hand-held field communicators have been the industry standard in protocol-based communications. The venerable Model 275 and the Model 375 Field Communicator have made it possible for field technicians to be able to easily program, conduct diagnostic tests and review data in tabular or graphical format, right in the field, direct from the device.
Over the years, Emerson has made significant improvements in each generation of Field Communicator. First introduced for the HART protocol, the Communicator soon became capable of handling Foundation fieldbus communications as well. With the advent of HART 7 and WirelessHART, the Communicator was upgraded again.
Now, Emerson Process Management introduces the latest model in this long line of industry-leading communicators, the Model 475 Field Communicator. The Model 475 is an upgrade and extension of the Model 375 version 2.5, with significant feature enhancements.
"The ability to quickly perform configurations and view advanced diagnostics in the field from a hand-held reinforces Emerson's commitment to delivering innovative field communicator technology," said Craig Llewellyn, president of Emerson's Asset Optimization division.
The 475 Field Communicator is designed to work with AMS Device Manager, allowing users to configure, calibrate, document and troubleshoot HART, Foundation fieldbus and WirelessHART devices.
"The Model 475 Field Communicator enables significant productivity improvements for maintenance and reliability experts. The tight integration between AMS Suite and the 475 allows users to manage their field device assets consistently and efficiently," Llewellyn said.
The new, intrinsically safe 475 Field Communicator extends beyond device configuration functionality to provide advanced device diagnostic and advanced troubleshooting capabilities in the field and on the bench, so users can work more efficiently. The 475 Field Communicator meets CENELEC/ATEX, FM, CSA, FISCO and IECEX standards for intrinsic safety, all in a single device. The 475 runs Windows CE and has significantly faster boot-up times than its predecessors.
While traditional communicators enable configuration of a subset of devices, the 475 Field Communicator is much more than a configuration tool. With universal support for all HART, WirelessHART and Foundation fieldbus devices, the new 475 enables diagnosis and troubleshooting right in the field for well over 1200 different HART and Foundation fieldbus devices from more than 100 vendors, and has the capability, first introduced in the 375 Communicator, of being upgraded regularly with all the latest device drivers. This feature, called Easy Upgrade has been improved and enhanced in the Model 475. Operators can download new device descriptions (DD) directly in the field as they are required, and the Model 475 can store over 1000 DDs directly in the device memory.
The communications of the device have been upgraded as well. The Model 375's irDA infrared communications port has been upgraded in the Model 475 to a wireless Bluetooth communication protocol.
For more information visit www.emersonprocess.com/fieldcommunicator/.
