Fieldbus Foundation announces final release of ITK 6.0

The Fieldbus Foundation has announced the final release of its H1 Interoperability Test Kit (ITK) 6.0. This test tool, which tests the functionality of a fieldbus device and its conformity with the FOUNDATION function block and transducer block specifications, is available to members holding an active maintenance agreement.

The H1 ITK 6.0 has been updated to test for new, required field diagnostics capabilities that standardise how all fieldbus devices communicate their diagnostic data to the process control and asset management systems - regardless of the vendor. The test kit also employs a new, more intuitive user interface.

All ITK 6.0 devices now support the latest advancements in field diagnostics per the NAMUR NE107 recommendation, which build upon the existing diagnostic capabilities of FOUNDATION fieldbus equipment and, at the same time, add a greater degree of organisation so field instruments can represent their diagnostics in a more consistent way.

For example, employing field diagnostics capabilities, non-critical diagnostics can be routed to a maintenance station for future work while critical diagnostics can be routed to operations with specific recommendations on how to resolve an instrumentation issue. This and other ITK 6.0 features are configurable to provide flexibility in user applications.

Last year, the Device ITK Profile Final Specification (FS 1.0) was released to provide an easy way of mapping field device requirements to the foundation's latest ITK versions. This specification, which is the basis for the current updates to the ITK test system, helps fieldbus device suppliers to identify minimum required features for their products and, at the same time, allows existing equipment manufacturers to identify the latest requirements.

The Fieldbus Foundation’s ITK 6.0 test kit verifies the functionality of an H1 (31.25 Kbps) device and its conformity with the FOUNDATION fieldbus Function Block and Transducer Block specifications. The test kit includes all hardware and software required to ensure a manufacturer’s complete device interoperability as specified by the foundation’s official registration testing procedure.

By using the H1 ITK, device developers can run tests identical to those used by the Fieldbus Foundation before submitting their device for official registration. Additional ITK 6.0 updates include support for testing Custom Profiled Function Blocks and software components built with VC9.