Thanks to their new firmware, the Universal Gateways for Profinet of the Double-X and Triple-X series by MBS now satisfy the newer GSDML specification 2.3.5. They were also equipped with new functions to adapt them to customer requirements. “With this update, we have tripled the process data volume and at the same time made configuration significantly easier,” says Nils-Gunnar Fritz, Managing Director of MBS GmbH. “This makes our Profinet gateways the communication interfaces of the next generation.”
Memory increased threefold
The Universal Gateways for Profinet of the Double-X and Triple-X series are used in industrial and building automation as interfaces between different bus protocols – such as M-BUS, BACnet, KNX or DALI. They can be flexibly configured and are ideally suited for connecting local networks to a control unit. As an IO-Device, they establish the connection to the IO-Controller and are compatible with all Profinet manufacturers.
The Krefeld-based company took the upcoming certification by the international umbrella organisation PI (Profibus & Profinet International) as an opportunity for a thorough redesign. In the course of this overhaul, the memory of the gateways was expanded from 340 to 1,007 bytes of process data – a threefold increase. This volume can be used as needed, so that the memory can process even high-resolution measurement data.
Easier module configuration
In addition, the module configuration has been simplified considerably. Where before two identical settings had to be created manually both on the controller and on the gateway side, the IO-Device now automatically adopts the IO configuration provided by the IO-Controller. This considerably reduces the potential for errors during commissioning and hence decreases the need for support.
Also, the gateways provide five new data points, which are mapped in software and can be monitored remotely. They can be used as additional diagnosis options for the internal device status. “With our freshly certified Universal Gateways for Profinet, we can offer our customers a state-of-the-art hardware product with significantly extended functionality,” Fritz summarises. “The resulting shorter commissioning time significantly reduces costs.”