Specifications released for H1 cable testing and standard temperature transducer blocks

The Fieldbus Foundation has released specifications for H1 cable testing and standard temperature transducer blocks.

The H1 Cable Test specification is designed for manufacturers developing cables for Foundation fieldbus H1 (31.25 Kbps) installations. Based on the IEC 61158-2:2003 standard, the test cases include impedance, capacitive unbalance, connector pin-outs and attenuation. The tests are designed to provide automation end users with greater assurance that their wiring systems are suitable for fieldbus system operation.

"The Fieldbus Foundation is helping to ensure robust and reliable fieldbus physical layer performance with the release of this new H1 cable specification," said Fieldbus Foundation manager (fieldbus products), Stephen Mitschke.

"End users will be the main beneficiaries of the specification's rigorous suite of cable test cases."

The Temperature Transducer Block Specification fully describes the standard temperature and calibration transducer block. The standard set of parameters and view lists (for both single and dual temperature sensor systems) are included in the specification.

The specification is designed to allow suppliers to further improve the diagnostics, interoperability and reliability of registered, Foundation-compliant products.

"With the introduction of the standard temperature transducer block specification, end users can have even greater confidence when implementing Foundation Fieldbus systems," said Mitschke.

Cable manufacturers can submit their test reports to the Fieldbus Foundation for a cable registration process.