IDX at the Africa Automation Fair

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If you're interested in certified Profibus and Profinet training, network test equipment, remote monitoring solutions or protocol converters, then come find out more by visiting us at our booth at the Africa Automation Fair at Northgate dome this week...We'd love to meet you!

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PROFIBUS wiring error / B-line short

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  PROFIBUS wiring error / B-line short IDX attended a PROFIBUS call out for a gold mine situated in Welkom. The client reported issues as “loss of communication and network trips”. Using the PROCENTEC Mercury Pro Kit (A complete diagnostics tool for troubleshooting PROFIBUS and Industrial Ethernet Networks) we were able to identify the underlying issue as a short between the B-core (red wire) and the PROFIBUS cable shield. The short in the PROFIBUS cable meant that the differential signal was significantly lower in amplitude and therefore more susceptible to earthing faults and EMI injections on the bus. PROFIBUS makes use of a balanced signal. This means that the signal transmitted on the A and B channels have similar voltage levels, however, they have opposite polarities. The differential signal is calculated as B – ( – A). When a short occurs on the PROFIBUS cable between either of these cores and the PROFIBUS cable shield, the shorted core w...
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How to License your ProfiTrace Software for your ProfiCore Ultra

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It is recommended that you download the latest version of ProfiTrace from here . You’ll be asked to fill in your contact details, but this so that we can follow up and make sure that everything went smoothly with your installation. Now for the licensing part - t here are a couple of ways that you can go about to license ProfiTrace: 1) The easy way: Make sure that the PC is connected to The Internet. Connect the ProfiCore Ultra and run ProfiTrace  Click on the “Init ProfiCore Ultra” button On the window popup The software will try to initialize the ProfiCore A warning error will appear saying that the license could not be found. Click OK Select download and install license Happy days! 2) You can download the license from here and put it into the “/app” directory under the ProfiTrace installation folder in Program Files (e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\ProfiTrace_V2_6_1\App)  3) Using the Licensing tool Make sure that ...
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StarNET HDLC Master Gateway solves legacy migration challenge

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In August 2016, IDX successfully completed the commissioning of its latest StarNET HDLC gateway development implementation which saw the addition of StarNET HDLC Master functionality being added to the gateway. The application involved the legacy migration of a GEM 80 PLC controlling three GEM Micro drives operating in a redundant setup for operating the brakes of a mine winder operating on the deepest single drop shaft in the world, near Klerksdorp in South Africa. As only the PLC was being replaced with a modern software-based PLC, a solution to interface with the existing GEM Micro drives was required. Due to the safety critical nature of the system, the solution needed to be reliable and offer quick data turnaround to prevent safe lock-outs of the brake controller, and thus shutting down the winder and of course the shaft. IDX provided a MODBUS UDP Slave to StarNET HDLC Master interface in the form of an IDX StarNET gateway allowing the new Beckhoff PLC to read and write to t...
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