R. STAHL Fieldbus Solutions – Systems for Fieldbus and Remote I/O

The R. STAHL Schaltgeräte GmbH company premiered its new Fieldbus Solutions Concept at the Interkama fair in April 2005. Fieldbus Solutions is the standard approach for connecting all existing generations of field devices to control systems. With Fieldbus Solutions, R. STAHL, the explosion protected switchgear, lighting systems and automation systems specialist, offers interfaces for conventional sensors and actuators, for HART field devices and, with the new ISbus System, also for Foundation Fieldbus H1 and Profibus PA. The explosion protected Remote I/O System IS1, the optimum and most efficient and economical solution for conventional and HART field devices, is supplemented and extended with ISbus for the H1 und PA fieldbuses. Couplers for fieldbus devices, power supplies and diverse solutions for practically orientated field installation are part and parcel of this. This allows field stations of various sizes and with various functionalities to be implemented in a cost-saving manner for all requirements.

The company dispensed with a purely intrinsically safe solution with ISbus in order to operate as many devices on the fieldbus as possible. All intrinsically safe field devices can be operated in accordance with FISCO Standard on the non-intrinsically safe fieldbus with the new Ex e/Ex i field device couplers. The field device connections feature short-circuit current limitation and are electrically isolated from the non-intrinsically safe bus. The Ex e/Ex e field device couplers also allow non-intrinsically safe field devices, for example field devices with type of protection Ex d, to be connected to the fieldbus. Intrinsically safe solenoid valves, indicating lamps, contacts and initiators can also be operated on the fieldbus using the ISbus Digital I/O Coupler. The Digital I/O Coupler can be operated either on the intrinsically safe fieldbus or on the non-intrinsically safe fieldbus and is powered either via the bus or, alternatively, via an external power supply. All couplers are suitable for installation in Zone 1 and Zone 2.

The R. STAHL Schaltgeräte GmbH company offers the appropriate ISbus fieldbus power supplies for power supply to and impedance adaptation of the non-intrinsically safe fieldbus. Power infeed is electrically isolated from the fieldbus and is monitored for undervoltage. The fieldbus power supplies are installed in Zone 2 or in the safe area.

Besides the new ISbus components for Foundation Fieldbus and Profibus PA, the R. STAHL Schaltgeräte GmbH company also plans and supplies all-inclusive system solutions. These range from various field housings made of plastic, stainless steel, sheet steel or aluminium through innovative solutions with Ex plug connectors for the non-intrinsically safe fieldbus through to complete systems engineering for all various forms of field signal. Depending on application and customer requirements, R. STAHL optimally combines the components and systems from the Fieldbus ISbus and Remote I/O IS1 sectors to create the most effective and least-cost solution for the customer.