How cool is that?

After all the continuing hooforaw about plant networking and fieldbus, here comes Real Time Automation, and their website, www.instantautomation.net, and the ability to add networking and fieldbus to whatevertheheck you are designing. According to the website, a designer can buy a single chip from them with networking capability for:

• Ethernet/IP
• DeviceNet
• Modbus TCP
• Profinet I/O

All on a single chip. And of course, with Ethernet/IP you can go straight to Arch Rock's IPv6LoPAN 802.15.4 enabled radio. So, what's it going to cost to make that sensor, that PLC, that PAC, that analyzer network enabled? Cost of chip, plus NRE, plus cost burden. So here's the point, end users. There are no longer excuses for why you can't get this capability from your device or analyzer vendor...so start asking for it. They'll come through.