HART adds interoperability test to Device Registration Program

05/13/2009

Austin, Texas, —The new Wireless Test System recently released by the HART Communication Foundation is the latest update to the HART Test System. The HART Test System is a set of testing tools that play a key role in ensuring device interoperability of both wired and wireless HART-enabled devices. The new Wireless Test System supports testing of a WirelessHART device’s TDMA Data Link Layer and is now available to all Foundation Members.
 
“The HART Test System is an integral part in the HART Device Registration Program. The system helps to assure the interoperability of wired or wireless devices produced to the HART standard regardless of the device manufacturer,” says Ed Ladd, HCF Director of Technology Programs. “Users can buy with confidence a device that has been HART Registered, knowing it will work with the devices and systems already installed in their plant.”
 
The HART Test System is a complete testing tool produced on the Linux operating system that works with wired HART devices or through WirelessHART gateways that support the standardized HART UDP interface. With the addition of the Wireless Test System the tools now include automated testing of the application layer, token passing data link layer, TDMA data link layer and analysis software for the verification of a device’s conformance to the HART Protocol specification.
 
“The design of the test system allows the Foundation to control the evolution of the tool and to add components, such as the new Wireless Test System, as they are made available,” says Ladd. “The HART Test System allows member companies designing wired and/or WirelessHART devices to fully test them for compliance to all revisions of the HART Protocol standard.