Is the world ready for a “self-help” supplier of industrial networking tools and equipment? The people at Cobaltprocess (www.cobaltprocess.com) in the Northwest USA certainly hope so.
What this internet based company has done is assume that there are sufficient knowledgeable users out there that do not require the assistance and ‘hand holding’ of a full service network supply company while also being smart enough to be able t figure out how to connect the limited number of low cost Fieldbus components (single segment H1 Power Supply and 8 spur passive device coupler) together themselves to build their H1 networks.
However in addition to the hardware to build the network, CobaltProcess are also the best place I have found to get all the tools and equipment you need to build your network: cable strippers, ferrules, torque screwdrivers, etc. to help you build a quality installation. They also have a few troubleshooting tools including a neat ground loop detector that does not require the removal of any cable to test the trunk or spur, which means you will not have to interrupt the segment to see if the most common source of communications problems is present and then narrow down the guilty cable.
If you are looking for the “Walmart” of Fieldbus equipment, this is a starting point.
Full disclosure here; should you decide that you do need technical support my company Industrial Automation Networks is the preferred/referenced supplier for those services.
